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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.
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
[WOLF HOWLING]
NORTHERN MINNESOTA’S WOLVES ARE GETTING HARDER TO FIND ...
WE’LL TELL YOU WHY RESEARCHERS SAY THAT MAY NOT LAST.
BUT FIRST...
[SCOTT COUNTY COMMISSIONER: IT'S MESSY, MESSY WORK DEALING WITH THE HUMAN CONDITION.]
ONE MINNESOTA COUNTY IS RETHINKING HOW SPECIALTY COURTS SERVE PEOPLE ... EXPANDING ONE PROGRAM ... WHILE ENDING ANOTHER.
SCOTT COUNTY SPECIALTY COURT ELIMINATION
SOUTHWEST OF THE METRO IN SCOTT COUNTY.... SOME MINNESOTA VETERANS CHARGED WITH CRIMES ARE FINDING THE COURTROOM IS NOW A DOORWAY TO TREATMENT AND LONG-TERM ACHIEVEMENT.
A REGIONAL VETERANS COURT IS SHOWING SUCH SUCCESS … THAT IT IS EXPANDING ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
THE ‘FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT VETERANS’ TREATMENT COURT’ BRINGS THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND HUMAN SERVICES TOGETHER ... ACROSS COUNTY LINES … CONNECTING VETERANS IN NEED WITH TREATMENT … HOUSING … AND BENEFITS.
THE COURT JUDGE SAYS THIS TYPE OF CENTRALIZED... AND EFFECTIVE… HELP SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON WHERE A VETERAN LIVES.
[JUDGE BRYCE EHRMAN: WE DON’T HAVE VETERANS OF THE COUNTY OF SCOTT. WE DON’T HAVE VETERANS OF THE COUNTY OF DAKOTA. WE HAVE VETERANS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ... OUR DEBT IS A SOCIETAL ONE.]
THE REGIONAL MODEL BEGAN TWO YEARS AGO... HELPING VETERANS IN SCOTT... DAKOTA... AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES... IT IS NOW EXPANDING INTO MCLEOD COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
VETERANS COURT EXPANSION
AND WHILE THE VETERANS SPECIALTY COURT IS GROWING ... SCOTT COUNTY IS ENDING ITS SUBSTANCE TREATMENT COURT PROGRAM... ...
COUNTY OFFICIALS SAY THE PROGRAM WAS SUCCESSFUL... SERVING ABOUT 120-PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS SUBSTANCE-USE PROBLEMS OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS.
BUT... AN OUTSIDE EVALUATION FOUND THE SAME TWO-YEAR RESULTS AS SIMILAR PEOPLE IN TRADITIONAL PROBATION PROGRAMS...
SO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS WILL TAKE THE UNIQUE COMPONENTS... AND COMBINE THEM INTO A NEW ...IMPROVED ...TRADITIONAL PROBATION PROGRAM.
[SCOTT COUNTY COMMISSIONER: THE BEST RESULT IS THAT WE LEARNED ENOUGH THAT WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS WORK FOR A LOT MORE PEOPLE WITH LESS RESOURCES.]
THE SPECIALTY COURT WILL STOP THE SUBSTANCE TREATMENT PROGRAM AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
ST. CLOUD AVIVO SHELTER
AND IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA ... ANOTHER PROGRAM IS BUILT AROUND THE IDEA THAT STABILITY COMES FIRST.
AFTER NEARLY FOUR YEARS OF WORK ... “AVIVO VILLAGE CENTRAL MINNESOTA” HAS OPENED IN SAINT CLOUD ... WITH 48 PRIVATE ... LOCKING ROOMS FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
THE SHELTER IS PET-FRIENDLY ... DOES NOT REQUIRE SOBRIETY ... AND HAS STAFF ON SITE AROUND THE CLOCK.
RESIDENTS CAN GET HELP WITH HEALTH CARE ... COUNSELING ... ADDICTION TREATMENT ... AND FINDING PERMANENT HOUSING.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
KAXE FILES FOR FILES
AFTER MONTHS OF TRYING TO GET RECORDS FROM A MISCONDUCT INVESTIGATION INTO CASS COUNTY SHERIFF BRYAN WELK IN NORTH-CENTRAL MINNESOTA … AMPERS MEMBER STATION K-A-X-E IS ASKING A JUDGE TO *ORDER THE COUNTY TO RELEASE THEM.
[CHELSEY PERKINS: WE DON'T KNOW HOW THE INVESTIGATION WAS COMPLETED IN THIS MATTER BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T SEEN IT.]
CASS COUNTY DEPUTY AARON AMMERMAN … WHO’S CHALLENGING WELK TO BE SHERIFF … FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST WELK IN JANUARY … ACCUSING HIM OF IMPROPERLY SHARING NUDE PHOTOS AND JAIL VIDEOS.
WELK DENIES THE ALLEGATIONS.
K-A-X-E NEWS DIRECTOR CHELSEY PERKINS SAYS THE COUNTY WITHHELD THE RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION ... SAYING WELK IS A COUNTY EMPLOYEE FOR PERSONNEL PRIVACY PURPOSES …
BUT STATE LAW GENERALLY DOESN’T ALLOW CLASSIFYING ELECTED OFFICIALS AS COUNTY EMPLOYEES TO AVOID RELEASING PUBLIC DATA.
PERKINS SAYS K-A-X-E IS SUING SO THE PUBLIC HAS ACCESS TO ...
[CHELSEY PERKINS: THE BEST INFORMATION POSSIBLE ABOUT HOW THEIR GOVERNMENT IS OPERATING IN A TRANSPARENT WAY, AND WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S BEEN ACCOUNTABILITY.]
SHE EXPECTS THE RECORDS BATTLE TO CONTINUE AFTER THE ELECTION.
ARCTIC CAT EXPANSION
MORE PRODUCTION IS HEADED TO ARCTIC CAT’S THIEF RIVER FALLS FACTORY ... IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA ...
THE COMPANY SAYS IT WILL BUILD ARGO VEHICLES FOR AMERICAN CUSTOMERS ... STARTING LATER THIS YEAR ...
THE AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLES TRAVEL ON LAND AND WATER ...
NO WORD YET ON HOW MANY NEW JOBS THE EXPANSION WILL CREATE.
CANADIAN PRODUCTION WILL CONTINUE FOR OTHER MARKETS ...
MOUNT KATO NEW OWNERS
IF YOU PREFER TO ENJOY THE SNOW ON YOUR OWN TWO FEET... SOUTHERN MINNESOTA’S MOUNT KATO MAY HAVE MORE TO OFFER YOU THIS YEAR....
THE SLOPES HAVE NEW OWNERS HEADING INTO SKI SEASON.
FOUR LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS BOUGHT THE SKI AREA NEAR MANKATO ... WHICH HAS BEEN OWNED BY ONE FAMILY FOR THE PAST 49 YEARS.
THE GROUP PLANS TO OPEN AS USUAL THIS WINTER … WHILE UPGRADING SNOWMAKING EQUIPMENT … TICKETING SYSTEMS … AND THE CHALET.
WOLF NUMBERS DOWN IN VOYAGEURS
AND FINALLY....
[WOLVES HOWLING]
THAT SOUND IS BECOMING A LITTLE LESS COMMON ACROSS NORTHERN MINNESOTA.
RESEARCHERS WITH THE VOYAGEURS WOLF PROJECT SAY THE WOLF POPULATION HAS DECLINED ABOUT 44 PERCENT SINCE IN THE PAST THREE YEARS ... TO THEIR LOWEST LEVEL IN MORE THAN A DECADE.
THE REASON MAY BE SIMPLE ... FEWER DEER MEANS LESS FOOD.
TWO SEVERE WINTERS.. AND DISEASE.. HAVE DRIVEN DOWN THE DEER POPULATION ... AND THE WOLF POPULATION HAS FOLLOWED.
RESEARCHERS SAY THE DIP IS NORMAL … AND EXPECT WOLF NUMBERS TO REBOUND AS THE DEER POPULATIONS RECOVER.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.