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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.
THE ENTIRE BOUNDARY WATERS WILDERNESS AREA IS CLOSED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY... AND THE U-S FOREST SERVICE SAYS SOME OF THE FIRES COULD BURN UNTIL WINTER.
DREW STROBERG: IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, THE ONLY THING THAT’S GOING TO PUT THOSE OUT FULLY IS SNOW.”]
XAN HOLSTON: ACTING US FOREST SERVICE DIRECTOR DREW STROBERG SAYS THE CLOSURES WILL REMAIN UNTIL THE FIRES ARE CONTAINED....
EVACUATION ZONES ARE CHANGING QUICKLY.
THOSE LIVING IN LAKE AND COOK COUNTIES ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR THEIR COUNTIES’ WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES FOR THE LATEST EVACUATION ORDERS. SOME 20 FIRES HAVE STARTED SINCE JULY SEVENTH… MANY BECAUSE OF LIGHTENING.
STROBERG SAYS SOME OF THE FIRES ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO REACH..
DREW STROBERG: WHEN THE THUMB FIRE STARTED, THAT WAS A GOOD THREE OR FOUR PORTAGES TO GET TO THAT, AND THEN IT WAS QUITE A WAYS OFF THE NEAREST LAKE.
XAN HOLSTON: THERE’S NEW CONCERNS THAT CANADIAN FIRES ALONG THE BORDER MAY SPREAD TO MINNESOTA.
AMPERS AFFILIATE STATION KAXE’S MEGAN BUFFINGTON CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT.
AFTER NEARLY THREE YEARS OF DEBATE … ROCHESTER IS DROPPING PLANS FOR A NEW SPORTS DOME.
VOTERS APPROVED 65-MILLION DOLLARS FOR AN INDOOR-OUTDOOR SPORTS COMPLEX IN 2023 …
BUT WHEN COST ESTIMATES NEARLY DOUBLED … THE CITY MOVED AHEAD WITH ONLY THE OUTDOOR FIELDS.
NOW … MAYOR KIM NORTON SAYS A SEPARATE, 55-MILLION-DOLLAR DOME NO LONGER FITS THE CITY’S BUDGET – OR COMMUNITY NEEDS.
MAYOR KIM NORTON: I FEEL LIKE THERE’S A REAL MISMATCH BETWEEN WHAT THE RECOMMENDATION IN FRONT OF US IS … AND I REALIZE IT’S JUST A CONCEPT AND IDEA … AND WHAT THIS COMMUNITY INITIALLY WANTED AND EXPECTED.
XAN HOLSTON: CITY STAFF WILL NOW STUDY WHETHER EXISTING FACILITIES CAN FILL SOME OF ROCHESTER’S INDOOR SPORTS NEEDS.
A HOMETOWN UNIVERSITY IS BUYING INTO ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING BRANDS IN SPORTS…
MINNEAPOLIS-BASED CAPELLA UNIVERSITY IS NOW THE W-N-B-A’S OFFICIAL “HIGHER LEARNING PARTNER.”
THE PARTNERSHIP COMES AS THE LEAGUE POSTS ITS BEST ATTENDANCE IN MORE THAN TWO DECADES.
CAPELLA IS A FOR-PROFIT ONLINE UNIVERSITY.
A MINNEAPOLIS ORGANIZATION FOUNDED TO FIGHT H-I-V IN NATIVE COMMUNITIES IS MOVING INTO A NEW HOME FOR HEALTH.. CULTURE.. AND THE ARTS…
THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TASK FORCE’S 12-MILLION-DOLLAR CENTER IS IN THE PHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD OF SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS.
IT INCLUDES A CLINIC, HOUSING-SUPPORT, FOOD, ART AND YOUTH-THEATER.
THE THEATER IS ALREADY OPEN. THE REMAINING SERVICES ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE IN THIS MONTH.
ITS OJIBWE NAME ... “MIKWANEDUN AUDISOOKON’... MEANS “REMEMBER OUR TEACHINGS.”
HENNEPIN COUNTY PROSECUTORS ARE REVIEWING A CASE REPORTEDLY INVOLVING FIREWORKS AIMED AT STATE SENATOR JOHN HOFFMAN’S HOME IN CHAMPLIN... NORTHWEST OF MINNEAPOLIS.
K-S-T-P TV REPORTS A DOORBELL CAMERA CAPTURED THE INCIDENT OVER THE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND … AND THAT POLICE IDENTIFIED AT LEAST ONE POSSIBLE SUSPECT.
HOFFMAN AND HIS WIFE WERE SHOT AND SERIOUSLY WOUNDED AT THAT SAME HOME LAST JUNE.
A U-S POSTAL WORKER WHO SHOT AND KILLED A NEIGHBOR’S DOG ON THE FAMILY’S DECK MAY BE ALLOWED OUT OF JAIL FOR WORK.
THE SHOOTING HAPPENED IN MARCH 2024 NEAR MANKATO IN SOUTH-CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
INVESTIGATORS ALSO FOUND THREATENING NOTES ABOUT BARKING DOGS AT OTHER HOMES.
RODNEY LYON WAS CONVICTED OF ANIMAL CRUELTY AND HARASSMENT AND SENTENCED TO 90 DAYS.
THE POSTAL SERVICE IS NOW DECIDING IF HIS JOB QUALIFIES FOR WORK RELEASE.
A SOLAR PROJECT BIG ENOUGH TO PROVIDE A YEAR’S WORTH OF ELECTRICITY FOR ABOUT 40-THOUSAND HOMES HAS CLEARED A KEY STATE HURDLE.
THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION APPROVED PERMITS FOR THE LAKE CHARLOTTE PROJECT IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA.
COMMISSION CHAIR KATIE SIEBEN SAYS THE PROJECT COULD EXTEND BENEFITS BEYOND THE POWER IT PRODUCES.
KATIE SIEBEN: I LOOK FORWARD TO THE PROJECT BEING CONSTRUCTED IN A WAY THAT WILL HELP MINNESOTANS REALIZE THE BENEFITS OF HAVING MORE CLEAN ENERGY ON OUR GRID OVERALL.
XAN HOLSTON: THE DEVELOPER SAYS THE PROJECT WOULD ALSO BRING CONSTRUCTION AND PERMANENT JOBS … PLUS NEW TAX REVENUE FOR MARTIN COUNTY AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
CONSTRUCTION COULD BEGIN NEXT YEAR … WITH THE PROJECT ONLINE IN 2028.
AND FINALLY …
AN UPDATE ON A STORY WE FIRST REPORTED LAST WEEK ABOUT FACEBOOK’S USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO MONITOR ITS USAGE POLICIES.
FACEBOOK HAS RE-ACTIVATED THE MN90: MINNESOTA HISTORY IN 90-SECONDS PAGE AS WELL AS THE PERSONAL PAGE OF AMPERS’ CEO JOEL GLASER …
CUSTOMERS ARE CRITICIZING FACEBOOK FOR USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO BAN USERS WITHOUT GIVING THEM A FAIR CHANCE TO APPEAL.
META, FACEBOOK’S PARENT COMPANY, IS BLAMING HACKERS FOR THIS INCIDENT BUT REFUSES TO RELEASE AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT WITH FURTHER DETAILS.
WE MADE THE EDITORIAL DECISION TO COVER THIS STORY BECAUSE PERMANENTLY BANNING USERS HAS BECOME SUCH A BIG PROBLEM THAT EVEN META’S INTERNAL OVERSIGHT BOARD HAS CALLED IT AN URGENT CONCERN.
WE NEED TO NOTE THAT AMPERS PRODUCES THIS NEWSCAST AS PART OF ITS WORK TO SUPPORT 17 COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS IN MINNESOTA.
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.