ALS RESEARCH-EXPLAINER
EXPLAINER: Walz signs ALS bill by senator with the disease
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz has signed a $25 million bill to fund research into ALS that was authored by a veteran state senator from the Iron Range who has the disease. Sen. David Tomassoni, of Chisholm, took up the cause after disclosing last year that he had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The 69-year-old’s case has progressed rapidly, forcing him to participate in most Senate business remotely. The legislation provides $20 million for research into the prevention, treatment, causes and cures of ALS. It also includes $5 million to help families care for ALS patients. Tomassoni said during the signing ceremony that the bill means hope.
CANADA-US-BORDER DEATHS
Minnesota trial set for Florida man in human smuggling case
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Florida man will stand trial in Minnesota this summer on human smuggling charges following his January arrest after authorities just across the Canadian border found four migrants who had frozen to death during a blizzard. Court documents filed Wednesday show that U.S. District Judge John Tunheim scheduled Steve Shand’s trial to begin July 18. The Deltona, Florida, man is charged with bringing two people into the country illegally and illegally transporting them once in the U.S. Authorities said the four bodies were discovered near Emerson, Manitoba, which borders Minnesota and North Dakota. In addition, five Indian nationals were found on foot on the Minnesota side of the border and two others were found riding in Shand’s van.
MATH STANDARDS-AMERICAN INDIANS
Negative response to Indigenous references in math standards
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Feedback from parents and educators on the first draft of new math standards for Minnesota K-12 grades has been overwhelmingly negative to including references to the state’s American Indian tribes. A Minnesota Department of Education committee is proposing 20 new standards which summarize what students are expected to learn in math. Five of the standards apply math concepts to examples “found in historical and contemporary Dakota and Anishinaabe communities and in other communities.” Since the document was released last month, parents and educators have called the tribal references “awkward,” “forced” and “ridiculous,” according to 265 responses to an education department survey.
AP-MED-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ANIMALS
Into the wild: Animals the latest frontier in COVID fight
GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. (AP) — Wildlife experts are searching for the virus that causes COVID-19 in deer, bears, moose and wolves in Minnesota’s north woods. They are among researchers around the world trying to figure out how and where wildlife is spreading the coronavirus at a time when international health agencies are calling for greater tracking of infected animals. Scientists are deeply concerned that the virus could evolve within animal populations – potentially spawning dangerous viral mutants that could jump back to people, spread among us and reignite what seems like a waning pandemic. They point out the virus has already leaped from humans to animals and back again.
NEIGHBOR KILLED-VERDICT
Man found guilty of killing neighbor in Minneapolis in 2015
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Hennepin County jury has found a Brooklyn Park man guilty of killing his former neighbor, who was a Minneapolis activist and artist. Jurors deliberated a day before finding Demetrius Wynee guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder with intent. He was found not guilty of a lower charge, second-degree murder without intent. Sixty-eight-year-old Susan Spiller was strangled, beaten and stabbed several times and was found dead in her bedroom in July 2015. A Hennepin County medical examiner said Spiller died of “complex homicidal violence.” Neighbors told police Spiller had been having ongoing issues with Wynne’s family.
OFFICERS INJURED
4 Brooklyn Center officers hurt breaking up large skirmish
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say four Brooklyn Center police officers suffered minor injuries while breaking up a fight that involved a large group of people. Police said officers arrived on scene about 5 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a clash among about 15 females, including several juveniles. While police were trying to clear the scene, a man showed up and began assaulting a homeowner. About that time, fights broke out among a gathering crowd, police said. Several people were cited for various offenses and released. The man who allegedly attacked the homeowner was arrested for obstructing the legal process with force and for fifth-degree assault. None of the four officers required significant medical attention and there were no reports of injuries among those involved in the melee.
RUSSIA DIVESTMENT-MINNESOTA-EXPLAINER
EXPLAINER: Minnesota to divest from Russia over Ukraine war
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota state government will divest its assets in Russia to show its solidarity with the people of Ukraine, a bipartisan expression of moral outrage that supporters say is worth the cost. The Minnesota Senate voted 67-0 Tuesday to mandate that the state sell off its investments in Russia and neighboring Belarus, which has supported Russia’s month-old war in Ukraine. Those assets are mostly held by the state’s public employee pension funds. The unanimous vote followed unanimous approval in the House last Thursday. And it sends the bill to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for his signature.
FATAL STABBING-CHAMPLIN
Police make an arrest in fatal Champlin stabbing
CHAMPLIN, Minn. (AP) — Police say they have arrested a suspect in a fatal stabbing in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin. Authorities say the Red River Valley SWAT team responded to an apartment building in Fargo, North Dakota Tuesday morning after receiving a tip and arrested a 44-year-old man. Champlin police found 35-year-old Peachu Yates unresponsive in the front yard of a residence about 9:30 p.m. Monday. Officers and firefighters from the Anoka-Champlin Fire Department attempted life saving efforts but were unsuccessful. A K-9 team from Brooklyn Park and the Minnesota State Patrol air unit helped law enforcement from several agencies search for the suspect. Officers found the suspect’s vehicle abandoned in neighboring Brooklyn Park.
The Associated Press
