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Born in the Delta, she died the grandmother of St. Paul | Remembrance
I met Thelma Battle Buckner because her church was just a block from my house when I first moved to St. Paul six years ago. I figured if I only had to walk a block to church, I might just go. We walked into the small, bland, brick church with a yellowing sign out front […]
Lawmakers to vote on updating sex crime laws
Lawmakers will vote today on updating Minnesota’s sex crime laws, including closing a loophole led to reversal of a rape conviction.
Protesters block Minneapolis council member’s car until she agrees to 6 demands
Minneapolis Council Member Andrea Jenkins' vehicle was blocked by activists Sunday and not allowed to leave until she agreed to sign off on six demands, including a demand that Mayor Jacob Frey resign.
The rural, biracial juror on the Chauvin trial: ‘It was absolutely traumatic’
Journee Howard grew up in a town of about 900 in lake country, where a Trump rally in nearby Brainerd attracted some 10,000 people last year. Her biracial family was a rarity. Her mom is white and works at a bar; her dad is Black and works as a chef; her uncle is a cop […]
Minneapolis police workers’ comp claims have skyrocketed
The city of Minneapolis could pay some $34 million or more in workers’ compensation claims filed by city employees since the murder of George Floyd by former police officer Derek Chauvin. The Minneapolis City Council has approved 16 workers’ comp settlements out of 756 claims filed by city employees since Floyd’s murder, for injuries to […]
Minneapolis City Council members accuse mayor of skirting law with Agape contract
Several Minneapolis City Council members accused Mayor Jacob Frey of misusing his pandemic emergency powers to approve a $359,000 contract with Agape Movement to try to reopen the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, which has been a semi-autonomous zone controlled by activists since George Floyd was murdered there last May. The council also […]
State Human Services waived burdensome regs during pandemic, wants to continue lighter touch
When the pandemic hit last year, the state had to change the way it did a lot of business, and fast. The Department of Human Services made some 115 temporary changes to its rules and regulations for health care, economic assistance and program licensing, from waiving training to incorporating telemedicine into the safety net. The […]
Cities, facing pressure to minimize police presence, turn to unproven community groups
Facing increasing political pressure on all sides in the face of rising violent crime and activists demanding the dismantling of their police departments, Minneapolis and some other cities are increasingly turning to private community groups to keep the peace — and provide political cover — in perilous times. The Agape Movement, a group of ex-gang […]
Anti-vaccine activist charged with stealing vaccines
A St. Paul man has been charged with misdemeanor theft and disorderly conduct after livestreaming himself pretending he wanted to get vaccinated and then grabbing vials of COVID-19 vaccine and spiriting them off to be “tested” because he believed they contained poison. Thomas E. Humphrey, 32, who was the subject of a May 8 Reformer […]
What’s up with ‘Umbrella Man’?
The internet dubbed him “Umbrella Man.” About a year ago, a man dressed all in black and carrying an umbrella was pictured on video smashing windows at a south Minneapolis AutoZone store amid demonstrations against police for the murder of George Floyd. A righteous online citizenry accused him of inciting looting and violence and sought […]
Lawmakers decide on billions in spending, shrouded in secrecy
In 2019, after Gov. Tim Walz had ensconced himself with House DFL and Senate GOP legislative leaders behind closed doors to hash out a budget, he told journalists he was frustrated with the lack of transparency into the backroom deals that have come to define the close of Minnesota legislative sessions. Two years later, he […]
Neighbors, feeling bullied, want activists to leave George Floyd Square
A year after the murder of George Floyd, some residents who live near the four-block area now graced by his name want the people running the autonomous zone to remove the barricades and leave. They say people in the neighborhood have been shot at, robbed, carjacked, threatened with deadly weapons and sexually harassed. “This is […]