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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is comprised of a weekly 30-minute magazine-style newscast and daily, five-minute headlines segments that shine a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
INTRO: YOU ARE LISTENING TO NORTH STAR STORIES: VOICES FROM WHERE WE LIVE, A DAILY NEWSCAST ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE IN MINNESOTA.
XAN HOLSTON: WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
SEVEN SMALL, SCATTERED WILDFIRES ARE BURNING ACROSS THE BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA AND WILDERNESS IN THE FAR NORTH.
THE U-S FOREST SERVICE SAYS THEY’RE ONE TO TWO ACRES IN SIZE... SOME WERE CAUSED BY LIGHTING STRIKES … AND FIRE CREWS ARE MANAGING THEM.
AND... A REMINDER...DRONES ARE BANNED AROUND WILDFIRES … THE FOREST SERVICE SAYS UNAUTHORIZED DRONES CAN FORCE CREWS TO CANCEL OR DELAY AIR FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS.
IN NORTHWEST PART OF THE STATE NEAR DETROIT LAKES... POWER IS COMING BACK ON FOR THE REMAINING 700 PEOPLE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY ALL WEEK...
SEVERE STORMS AND AN E-F-2 TORNADO HIT THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS WINDS REACHED 115-MILES PER HOUR.. INJURING THREE PEOPLE... SNAPPING TREES.. AND DOWNING POWER POLES AND LINES.
THE HARDEST-HIT AREA IS AROUND BIG FLOYD LAKE AND OAKLAND BEACH …
MORE THAN TWO-THOUSAND PEOPLE LOST POWER…
LAKE REGION ELECTRIC SAYS THE LAST REPAIRS ARE FINISHING UP...
MEANWHILE ... PHONE SERVICE PROBLEMS IN THE WACONIA AREA HAVE LASTED FOR MORE THAN A MONTH NOW...
CENTURYLINK IS THE PRIMARY PROVIDER AROUND THE TOWN OF WACONIA .. ABOUT 35 MILES WEST OF THE METRO.
MINNESOTA STATE REPRESENTATIVE JIM NASH REPRESENTS THE AREA... SAYS CUSTOMERS IMPACTED BY THE OUTAGE CAN’T EVEN CALL 9-1-1..
PHONE CARRIERS IN MINNESOTA ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO EMERGENCY CALLS.
CENTURYLINK Y REPRESENTATIVES WILL JOIN REPRESENTATIVE NASH AT A PUBLIC MEETING TODAY AT WACONIA TOWN HALL.
A DISCLOSURE BEFORE THIS NEXT STORY… THIS IS NEWS THAT INVOLVES OUR OWN ORGANIZATION….
JOEL GLASER IS THE C-E-O AND PRESIDENT OF AMPERS … WHICH PRODUCES THIS NEWSCAST FOR COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS ACROSS MINNESOTA.
WE’RE REPORTING IT BECAUSE THIS IS NOW ABOUT MORE THAN ONE FACEBOOK ACCOUNT… IT’S ABOUT WHAT META’S OWN INTERNAL OVERSIGHT BOARD JUST LAST MONTH CALLED AN “URGENT CONCERN”
GLASER SAYS META BANNED HIM AFTER HE SHARED A LEGITIMATE NEWS VIDEO FROM A MINNEAPOLIS TV NEWS STATION ABOUT A 104-YEAR-OLD HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR.
THEN … THEY ALSO TOOK DOWN “MINNESOTA HISTORY IN 90-SECONDS”… A STATE-FUNDED HISTORY PROJECT THAT GLASER ADMINISTERS.
FACEBOOK’S NOTICE ACCUSED HIM OF VIOLATING ITS CHILD-SEXUAL-EXPLOITATION POLICY. GLASER SAYS HE APPEALED… AND WAS PERMANENTLY BANNED – THE SAME DAY..
JOEL GLASER: IT’S INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING THAT FACEBOOK’S A-I ISN’T SMART ENOUGH TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN A HOLOCAUST POST AND CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION.
XAN HOLSTON: THE MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS HIS OFFICE HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT FACEBOOK MODERATION DECISIONS THAT APPEAR TO BE ERRORS...AND THEY ARE LOOKING INTO THEM.
META’S INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT BOARD RECENTLY CALLED ACCOUNT DISABLEMENT AN “URGENT CONCERN”… SAYING PEOPLE NEED FAIRER AND BETTER APPEALS PROCESSES…
FACEBOOK HAS TOLD AMPERS THAT THE COMPANY IS LOOKING INTO THE MATTER.
IN WESTERN MINNESOTA … A MAJOR SCHOOL DRUG CASE IN MOORHEAD COULD NOW HINGES ON THE LEGALITY OF THE SEARCH WARRANT.
POLICE SAY PARENTS MARTIN AND AMANDA HULST SUPPLIED THEIR CHILD WITH HIGH-POTENCY T-H-C CANDY TO SELL AT HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL.
A DOZEN STUDENTS GOT SICK … TWO WENT TO THE HOSPITAL.
INVESTIGATORS SAY A SEARCH OF THE FAMILY HOME TURNED UP LARGE AMOUNTS OF T-H-C PRODUCTS, PSYCHEDELIC MUSHROOMS AND MORE THAN 70-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CASH ... AND THAT THE HOME WAS SET UP AS A STORE FRONT.
EACH PARENT IS FACING TEN FELONY DRUG CHARGES.
BUT THEIR ATTORNEY IS ASKING A JUDGE TO THROW OUT EVERYTHING SEIZED FROM THE HOME … ARGUING THE WARRANT WAS TOO BROAD AND LACKED PROBABLE CAUSE.
CONCERNS OVER IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DROVE STUDENT ABSENCES IN WILLMAR SCHOOLS LAST WINTER.
NOW … THE DISTRICT SAYS THOSE SAME FEARS MAY BE PART OF A LONGER-TERM DROP IN ENROLLMENT.
SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR JUSTIN BOS SAYS THE DISTRICT’S DATA SHOWS MOST OF THE DECLINE IS FROM FAMILIES MOVING OUT OF STATE … OR OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
JUSTIN BOS: FEAR OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN, WHETHER THEY HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE OR ARE IN THE PROCESS, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR STATUS, I WOULD ASSUME THAT THAT WOULD PLAY A FACTOR.
XAN HOLSTON: THE DISTRICT SAYS IT’S FACING A ONE-POINT-FIVE-MILLION-DOLLAR BUDGET SHORTFALL … AND DECLINING ENROLLMENT MAKES THAT HARDER TO MANAGE BECAUSE FEWER STUDENTS MEANS LESS FUNDING.
BOS SAYS WILLMAR SCHOOLS WILL LIKELY NEED MORE BUDGET CUTS FOR THE 2027-28 SCHOOL YEAR
AND FINALLY …
IF YOU’RE CAMPING AT LAKE WINNIBIGOSHISH THIS SUMMER … LEAVE THE TENT AT HOME.
THE U-S FOREST SERVICE IS RESTRICTING THE WEST WINNIE CAMPGROUND TO “HARDSIDE” CAMPERS ONLY … LIKE R-Vs … AND NO TENTS OR POP-UP CAMPERS WITH SOFT, PLIABLE WALLS.
THE AGENCY SAYS THE REMOTE CAMPGROUND IN THE CHIPPEWA NATIONAL FOREST HAS HIGH RISK FOR HUMAN-BLACK BEAR INTERACTIONS.
THE BAN WILL RUN UNTIL EARLY FALL.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
OUTRO: NORTH STAR STORIES IS PRODUCED BY AMPERS, DIVERSE RADIO FOR MINNESOTA'S COMMUNITIES WITH SUPPORT FROM THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA. ONLINE AT AMPERS DOT ORG.