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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.
PARKS... A CHURCH BASKETBALL COURT... A HOMECOMING GAME.
GUN VIOLENCE HAS WEST-METRO COMMUNITIES LOOKING BEYOND CITY LINES FOR HELP.
[HENNEPIN COUNTY SHERIFF DAWANNA WITT: IT DOESN'T STOP AT ANY CITY BORDER. IT DOESN'T STOP AT THE COUNTY BORDER.]
XAN HOLSTON: PLUS, NEW SOLUTIONS FOR KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON THROUGH A STORM.
[MILACA MAYOR: WE ARE ALL CONNECTED. WHAT AFFECTS US IN MILACA CAN AFFECT THE NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES, EMERGENCY SERVICES, AND THE REGIONAL ECONOMY.]
XAN HOLSTON: BUT FIRST…
[JANET KITUI: WHEN WE SPEAK ABOUT VIOLENCE, IT AFFECTS ALL OF US. IT DOESN'T JUST AFFECT A PART OF US.]
XAN HOLSTON: FRIDAY’S SHOOTING SENT FOOTBALL FANS SCRAMBLING AT EDEN PRAIRIE’S HOMECOMING GAME.
AND … THAT WAS LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AFTER SUSPECTS SHOT MORE THAN 50 BULLETS AT TEENS PLAYING BASKETBALL OUTSIDE A CHURCH IN EDINA ... ANOTHER WEST METRO SUBURB SEEING AN INCREASE IN YOUTH VIOLENCE.
LAST NIGHT, EDINA HELD A COMMUNITY SAFETY MEETING FOR CITIZENS AND PUBLIC SAFETY LEADERS TO SHARE INFORMATION AND CONCERNS.
EDINA’S MAYOR WARNED AGAINST BLAMING SOMALI NEIGHBORS.
[MAYOR JIM HOVLAND: WE WILL NOT TOLERATE GUN VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE WILL NOT TOLERATE INNOCENT PEOPLE BEING JUDGED BY THEIR RACE, ETHNICITY, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN.]
XAN HOLSTON: EDINA HAS INCREASED PARK PATROLS...ASSIGNED AN INVESTIGATOR TO THE STATE’S VIOLENT-CRIME TEAM... AND IS WORKING WITH MULTIPLE OTHER AGENCIES FROM THE LOCAL TO THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
EDINA’S POLICE CHIEF DESCRIBED GANG-LIKE-GROUPS THAT MOVE BETWEEN COMMUNITIES... THAT ARE NOT AS NEATLY ORGANIZED AS DEFINED GANGS...AND THE SHERIFF AGREED ... SHE SAYS THE GANG-LIKE GROUPS NEED TO BE STOPPED NOW ... BEFORE THE VIOLENCE GETS WORSE.
[CHIEF TODD MILBURN: THESE GROUPS ARE HIGHLY MOBILE, OFTEN FORMING QUICKLY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THEIR DISPUTES CAN ESCALATE QUICKLY, AT TIMES RESORTING TO GUNFIRE.]
[SHERIFF DEWITT: WE'RE USING THE WORD GANGS A LOT. WE ALSO GOTTA TALK ABOUT CLIQUES. SOME THAT DON'T MAKE THE DEFINITION OF GANGS YET, BUT THESE SMALLER GROUPS THAT ARE POPPING UP FROM EVERYWHERE AND CAUSING SOME OF THE HAVOC IN VARIOUS COMMUNITIES.]
XAN HOLSTON: POLICE IN EDEN PRAIRIE SAY THE SHOOTING OUTSIDE THE HIGH SCHOOL'S HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME FRIDAY WAS TARGETED ... AND GANG-RELATED.
TWO TEENAGERS WERE WOUNDED. NEITHER ATTENDED THE SCHOOLS THAT WERE PLAYING.
THE GUNFIRE FORCED THE EVACUATION OF THE STADIUM...ENDING THE GAME EARLY.
PLAYERS FINISHED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON WITH INCREASED SECURITY.
AS THE SHOOTING INVESTIGATION CONTINUES...
THE EDEN PRAIRIE SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT SAYS THE SCHOOL BROUGHT IN ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT COUNSELORS THIS WEEK...
IN A LENGTHY SOCIAL MEDIA STATEMENT ... HE CONDEMNED THE ONLINE HATE AGAINST SOMALIS... SAYING THE ACTIONS OF A FEW DO NOT DEFINE AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY...
WHILE SOMALI COMMUNITY LEADERS SAY THEY’RE CONFRONTING GUN VIOLENCE AMONG THEIR YOUTH ..
THE MINNESOTA SOMALI COMMUNITY CENTER IN MINNEAPOLIS SAYS CLERGY AND COMMUNITY GROUPS ARE REACHING OUT TO YOUTH.. AND ENCOURAGING YOUNG PEOPLE TO MENTOR THEIR PEERS.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
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XAN HOLSTON: AND IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA... CHILDREN WERE ABOARD A SCHOOL BUS THAT ROLLED INTO A PARKED CAR... AFTER THE DRIVER GOT OFF THE BUS...
BARNUM SCHOOL OFFICIALS SAY NO ONE WAS INJURED.. AND THEY'RE INVESTIGATING...
STATE RULES REQUIRE DRIVERS TO SECURE THE BUS... INCLUDING SETTING THE BRAKES... BEFORE LEAVING STUDENTS ABOARD.
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IN JUNE... XCEL ENERGY REPORTED ABOUT FORTY THOUSAND MINNESOTA CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER AFTER SEVERE STORMS.
UPGRADING MINNESOTA'S AGING POWERGRIDS IS A LARGE PART OF WHAT’S DRIVING ELECTRIC RATE INCREASES ACROSS THE STATE...
AS MIKE MOEN REPORTS... AN EAST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA PROJECT IS USING STATE AND FEDERAL GRANTS TO MAKE UPGRADES AND KEEP ELECTRICITY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES RUNNING WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS.
MIKE MOEN: FEDERAL ENERGY OFFICIALS AND THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GATHERED IN MILACA ON THURSDAY TO MONITOR PROGRESS ON SUBSTATION UPGRADES BY EAST CENTRAL ENERGY.
IT'S GETTING NEW ADVANCED SENSOR TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER FEATURES TO INCREASE CAPACITY.
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S KATIE JEREZA SAYS THE TIMING COULDN'T BE BETTER GIVEN ALL THE CHALLENGES THAT LIE AHEAD.
KATIE JEREZA: INCREASING DEMAND THAT WE HAVE TO MEET, BUT ALSO ENSURING THAT THE GRID IS SECURE FROM TERRIBLE STORMS OR EVEN CYBER-ATTACKS.
MIKE MOEN: ECE IS AN ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE SERVING 70,000 MEMBERS IN MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN. THE PROJECT RECEIVED MORE THAN ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING.
SPEAKERS NOTED THE WORK BEING DONE IN THIS REGION UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
I'M MIKE MOEN.]
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XAN HOLSTON: AND FINALLY...
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ... AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND WATER SOURCES ARE BOTH VITAL TO PROTECTING OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURE...
MAKING THAT CONNECTION IS THE FOCUS OF FOND DU LAC TRIBAL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S SUSTAINABILITY WEEK.
THE NORTHERN MINNESOTA SCHOOL IS EXPLORING ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND THE WAYS PEOPLE CAN HELP.
...LIKE... HOW “FOREVER CHEMICALS” BUILD UP IN FISH AND OTHER AQUATIC LIFE THAT WE DEPEND UPON FOR FOOD...
AND CONNECTING GATHERING WILD FOODS WITH CARING FOR THE LAND THROUGH A HANDS-ON FORAGING AND LAND STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOP …
EVENTS CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY …
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.