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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is a daily, five-minute newscast that shines 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.
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: In today's broadcast, are state trails safe for electric motorbikes? Then, as summer approaches, it's time to slow down on Minnesota's roads. And, a push to keep students in Northern Minnesota closer to home. I'm Gracie J.
Electric motorbikes are raising safety concerns on Minnesota trails. Trail groups and motorsport organizers say the bikes are too fast, heavy, and often hard for young riders to handle. There's also confusion and debate about electric motorbikes versus pedal-assist bikes. Some E-motorbikes can go more than 40 miles per hour, far above the speed limit. But pedal-assist bicycles are allowed on state bike trails. Officials are having trouble enforcing the laws because it's difficult to catch riders in the act.
Coming up, speeding remains one of the leading causes of motor vehicle crashes in Minnesota. Jamad Jama speaks with law enforcement and experts about ongoing efforts to tackle the problem and the lasting impact crashes can leave behind.
Jamad Jama: Speeding remains an issue on Minnesota roads, even being a key driver of traffic fatalities. These concerns have prompted more than 300 law enforcement agencies statewide to crack down on speeding with more officers on the roads this season. And according to the Minnesota Department of Health, motor vehicle crashes are the second largest leading cause of traumatic brain injury, and the consequences can be devastating.
Bradley Donaldson: Individuals that do sustain brain injuries have life changing events that never go away entirely. There's always going to be issues that someone is dealing with over the long term, in various levels and in varying degrees tied to brain injury.
Jamad Jama: Bradley Donaldson is the Chief Operating Officer at the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance.
Bradley Donaldson: When an individual has sustained a brain injury, our team will proactively reach out, and our point is to find out, where are they on their journey? Are there things that could help support them moving ahead? Do they need to gain further independence? Have they been connected to the medical professionals?
Jamad Jama: While the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance helps survivors in the aftermath, law enforcement are often the ones immediately on the scene.
Michael Lee: Most of my career, I worked overnight, and we know that there's a lot of impaired driving incidents there, but there's also been a lot of crashes that stem from impaired driving associated with speed. I remember going to the hospital explaining to people what happened, and they can't comprehend the results of the crash. Thinking about stories like that just kind of reinforces my efforts to go out and stop these vehicles.
Jamad Jama: Lieutenant Michael Lee is a Minnesota State Patrol Officer
Michael Lee: Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, those are 100 deadliest days, the days that the roadways are most traveled. Last year, there was 137 fatal crashes that were speed related in Minnesota.
Jamad Jama: His agency has partnered with over 300 others statewide for the current speeding crackdown, a campaign aimed at slowing drivers down and preventing traffic fatalities.
Michael Lee: Even though we're all across different agencies, we all have the same mission or plan in place to reduce serious and deadly crashes through dedicated speed enforcement. It's not about just giving out tickets. We can't enforce our way out of this problem. We're asking the public to do what you can to drive safely. A lot of it is about educating people so they can spread the message and they can actively engage in driving safely.
Jamad Jama: Unless posted otherwise, speeds across the state are 30 miles per hour on urban streets and 55 on most highways. Speed limits on expressways and urban interstates are 65 miles per hour and 70 on rural interstates. To learn more about the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance, go to braininjurymn.org. For North Star Stories, I'm Jamad. Jama.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
A new initiative called the Duluth Promise is making it easier for local students to go from kindergarten to a master's degree, all while staying in Duluth. The program connects public schools, local colleges, and city partners to build clear, lifelong education pathways. Duluth Promise will focus on high-demand fields like healthcare, manufacturing, and business, offering students early guidance, credit transfers, and hands-on experience. The goal is to make education more accessible and keep young people living and working in Duluth. Project leaders say they had to do something to address Duluth's shrinking workforce.
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HOST: 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.