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Minnesota cops take millions of dollars from people without criminal convictions
In 2022 Minnesota law enforcement agencies seized and kept more than $3.1 million in cash, vehicles and other property from individuals who were not convicted of criminal wrongdoing. Hennepin County drug and anti-violence task forces are especially active in seizing property without convictions. It adds up to about one-third of the total 2022 asset forfeiture […]
Line 3 prosecutor reprimanded for sexually harassing jailed clients at prior job
An Aitkin County assistant attorney prosecuting numerous Enbridge Line 3 criminal cases was formally reprimanded last month for misconduct that occurred at a previous job with the Fargo Public Defender Office. In 2021 and 2022 Garrett Slyva sexually harassed two jailed female defendants, propositioned one of them for a date, and suggested that her answer […]
A scorching September, in one chart
The 2023 Twin Cities Marathon, set to take place on Oct. 1, was canceled amid record-breaking heat. The Twin Cities and St. Cloud set new October high temperatures of 92 and 91 degrees, respectively, while in Fargo the mercury hit 96, crushing the old record by 6 degrees. 2023 has shaped up to be an […]
Minnesota cops didn’t take as much cash from people in 2022
Minnesota cops took less cash and property from people in 2022 than they did the year prior, according to the latest asset forfeiture report from State Auditor Julie Blaha. “Asset forfeitures are down in Minnesota,” Blaha said at a press conference Thursday morning. Under state and federal law, police are allowed to seize cash, jewelry, […]
Office of Cannabis Management stumbles out of the gate
Gov. Tim Walz’ pick to lead the new Office of Cannabis Management resigned abruptly last week, the day after her nomination was announced, an embarrassing setback for the fledgling agency tasked with overseeing a brand new industry in the state. Late Friday, the Star-Tribune reported that cannabis entrepreneur Erin DuPree had been selling edible products […]
Marijuana entrepreneur named Minnesota pot czar
Gov. Tim Walz has named Erin DuPree, a cannabis industry consultant who until recently ran an edible dispensary in Apple Valley, as the first leader of the state agency tasked with regulating the nascent marijuana industry. “With direct experience in Minnesota’s hemp and cannabis industry and over 20 years of success in launching, managing, and […]
Wayzata white supremacists draw attention to hate in Minnesota
There are few things more pathetic than a Wayzata white supremacist. But last weekend several such people — hiding behind masks —gathered on a pedestrian bridge over Highway 12. They unfurled banners with slogans like “end white genocide,” “white unity is strength” and “diversity means anti-white.” Wayzata is in Hennepin County, which has a longstanding […]
Telework is here to stay in Minnesota, latest Census data show
The share of Minnesotans working from home during the pandemic skyrocketed, from 6.4% in 2019 to 20.9% by 2021. There was some hope — particularly among CEOs, managerial types and commercial landlords — that this was just a one-time disruption that could be reversed via a delicate dance of cajoling, amenity-dangling and threats. Many of […]
Judge dismisses remaining Line 3 charges against Indigenous activists, citing longstanding government mistreatment
A Minnesota judge has dismissed misdemeanor criminal charges against Anishinaabeg activist Winona LaDuke and two others accused of disrupting construction of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project in 2021 while offering a powerful indictment of the prosecution. The decision was accompanied by an impassioned memo from Judge Leslie Metzen citing longstanding concerns over government mistreatment […]
How safe are Minnesota schools? Here’s what the data show
Minnesota Republicans continue to criticize Gov. Tim Walz and his allies for refusing to change new legislative language governing how adults are allowed to use force in schools. The new language prohibits school employees — including police known as school resource officers — from using prone restraints on students, or placing them in a face-down position. […]
MN Supreme Court: Weed odor alone doesn’t justify a vehicle search
The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that the odor of marijuana, on its own, does not establish probable cause for police officers to search a car. The ruling came in the case of a 2021 traffic stop in Meeker County where Adam Torgerson was pulled over by Litchfield police for having too many auxiliary lights […]
Violent crime falls, but remains elevated over pre-pandemic levels
Violent crime fell sharply in Minnesota last year, with the Twin Cities as well as Greater Minnesota posting fewer homicides and other major offenses, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. In the seven-county Twin Cities region, robberies decreased by 18%, homicide by 11%, and rape and aggravated assault were both […]