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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.
DAYS AFTER FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SAID THEY WOULD NOT PURSUE THE DEATH PENALTY … VANCE BOELTER HAS PLEADED GUILTY TO THE POLITICAL ASSASSINATIONS THAT SHOOK MINNESOTA.
US ATTORNEY DANIEL ROSEN: POLITICAL VIOLENCE IS A SCOURGE PLAGUING AMERICA IN OUR TIMES. THE MURDERS OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE MELISSA HORTMAN AND MARK HORTMAN, SHOOTING OF SENATOR JOHN HOFFMAN AND YVETTE HOFFMAN, AND THE ATTEMPTED SHOOTING OF HOPE HOFFMAN ARE AMONG THE WORST POLITICAL VIOLENCE CRIMES THAT WE HAVE SEEN.
XAN HOLSTON: U-S ATTORNEY FOR MINNESOTA DANIEL ROSEN SAYS HIS OFFICE MADE A DEAL NOT TO SEEK THE DEATH PENALTY … IF BOELTER AGREED TO PLEAD GUILTY TO SIX FEDERAL CHARGES.
BOELTER WILL SERVE TWO CONSECUTIVE LIFE SENTENCES … PLUS 40 YEARS... FOR THE FEDERAL CHARGES...
HE STILL FACES A STATE TRIAL IN MINNESOTA.
HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY MARY MORIARTY SAYS HER OFFICE IS MOVING FORWARD WITH STATE CHARGES … INCLUDING FIRST-DEGREE PREMEDITATED MURDER … ATTEMPTED MURDER … AND IMPERSONATING A POLICE OFFICER …
MORIARTY SAYS SHE IS WORKING WITH FEDERAL PROSECUTORS TO TRANSFER BOELTER INTO STATE CUSTODY.
THIS WEEKEND MARKS EXACTLY ONE YEAR SINCE THE MURDERS OF FORMER SPEAKER MELISSA HORTMAN AND HER HUSBAND MARK, AND DOG GILBERT ... AND THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF SENATOR JOHN HOFFMAN, HIS WIFE, YVETTE AND THEIR DAUGHTER.
LAWMAKERS NORTH STAR STORIES SPOKE WITH TODAY SAY THAT THEY WANT TO FOCUS ON SUPPORTING THE CHILDREN AND FAMILY THE HORTMANS LEFT BEHIND ... AND BE GRATEFUL THE HOFFMAN’S SURVIVED ...
REPRESENTATIVE KRISTIN BAHNER AND HER FAMILY WERE OUT OF TOWN THAT NIGHT. AUTHORITIES SAY BOELTER SHOWED UP AT HER DOOR TOO.
REP. BAHNER: I DON'T WANT TO GIVE HIM AIR OR MY ATTENTION … HE DIDN'T GIVE THAT RESPECT TO THE PEOPLE I LOVED. I'M GOING TO PUT MY ENERGY INTO THINKING ABOUT MARK AND MELISSA AND THE JOY AND THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY SHAPED AND CHANGED THE LIVES OF EVERYONE AROUND THEM.
XAN HOLSTON: WE WILL HAVE A SERIES OF SPECIAL REPORTS AND INTERVIEWS THIS COMING WEEK ... TAKING A LOOK BACK AT THE TRAGIC EVENTS THAT NIGHT A YEAR AGO ... EXPLORE THE LEGACY SPEAKER HORTMAN LEFT ... THE RISE IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE ... AND THE SECURITY CHANGES MADE OVER THE PAST YEAR IN AND AROUND OUR STATE CAPITOL.
SEVERAL COUNTIES IN WEST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA ARE ASSESSING DAMAGE AND CLEANING UP AFTER SEVERE STORMS AND WINDS TORE THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.
OFFIICALS IN GRANT COUNTY SAY THE STORMS DERAILED 21-TRAIN CARS AND OVERTURNED CAMPERS AND R-V'S.
‘CANADIAN PACIFIC KANSAS CITY’ SAYS THE TRAIN WAS CARRYING NEW VEHICLES ... BUT LUCKILY THE DERTAILMENT DIDN’T CAUSE ANY INJURIES OR SPILL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.
IN NEIGHBORING DOUGLAS COUNTY ... HIGH WINDS DOWNED POWERLINES AND TREES. AND SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES FOUND A MAN DIED AFTER BEING PINNED UNDER A FALLEN TREE.
A WOMAN FROM WEST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA … IS RECOVERING AFTER BEING STUCK IN MUD FOR THREE DAYS.
TWO A-T-V RIDERS FROM WEST FARGO … FOUND HER *STUCK IN THE MUD* ON A REMOTE OFF-ROAD TRAIL IN THE BRAINERD LAKES AREA.
DOUGLAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES SAY 68-YEAR-OLD KATHRYN JANE WOESSNER WAS FOUND SATURDAY ... MORE THAN 100-MILES FROM HER HOME.
IN A DETAILED FACEBOOK POST ... ADAM SANDBECK OF WEST FARGO SAYS HE AND HIS ‘FOUR-WHEELING’ PARTNER TOOK AN UNUSUAL NEW TRAIL ... AND CAME ACROSS A STUCK MINIVAN ... THEN HEARD SOMEONE SAY … “HELP ME.”
THEY SAY THEY SAW THE FACE OF A WOMAN STICKING OUT OF A MUD PUDDLE.. THAT WAS ABOUT TWO FEET DEEP. .. FLAT ON HER BACK… SUBMERGED IN MUD AND WATER WITH JUST HER FACE AND PART OF N ARM AND LEG SOMEWHAT VISIBLE..
THEY SAY THE WOMAN GOT HER VAN STUCK AND THEN FELL WHEN SHE GOT OUT OF IT.. AND THAT THE MUD WAS LIKE ‘QUICKSAND’.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS AROUND GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE IN SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS WILL NOT HAVE TO PAY THE BULK OF THE COST FOR STREET WORK AT 38th AND CHICAGO.
THE MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL VOTED NOT TO CHARGE PROPERTY OWNERS A SPECIAL ASSESSMENT FOR NEIGHBORHOOD INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS.
HOME- AND BUSINESS-OWNERS WERE FRUSTRATED ABOUT A POTENTIAL INCREASE IN TAXES FOR MORE THAN 600-THOUSAND DOLLARS OF WORK … INCLUDING NEW STREETS … WIDER SIDEWALKS … AND MEMORIAL SPACES. THE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO COST 15-MILLION DOLLARS.
COUNCIL MEMBERS AGREED THE COMMUNITY SHOULDN’T HAVE TO COVER PART OF A PROJECT SO TIED TO THE CITY’S RESPONSE TO GEORGE FLOYD’S MURDER.
SOREN STEVENSON: THIS IS A RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT IS NOT LIKE ANY OTHER THAT HAS COME BEFORE IT … AND IT IS NOT LIKE ANY OTHER THAT WILL COME AFTER IT.
XAN HOLSTON: AND FINALLY … THE WHITE EARTH NATION IS MARKING TREATY DAY THIS WEEKEND … WITH THREE DAYS OF DRUMMING … DANCING … AND COMMUNITY.
THE 158TH ANNUAL ‘WHITE EARTH TREATY DAY CELEBRATION AND POWWOW’ COMMEMORATES THE 1867 TREATY THAT CREATED THE WHITE EARTH RESERVATION … AND THE OJIBWE ANCESTORS WHO ARRIVED THERE MORE THAN 150 YEARS AGO.
THE THREE-DAY EVENT BRINGS TOGETHER OJIBWE RELATIVES FROM ACROSS THE REGION … DANCERS IN FULL REGALIA … AND DRUM GROUPS CARRYING SONGS THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
THE POWWOW RUNS TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY AT THE WHITE EARTH POWWOW GROUNDS … AND IS OPEN TO EVERYONE.
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.