>>Ricky Cobb’s family suing two state troopers involved in his fatal shooting during north Mpls traffic stop
(Minneapolis, MN) — The family of Ricky Cobb the Second is suing two Minnesota State Patrol troopers, Ryan Londregan and Brett Seide, both involved in the fatal shooting of Cobb last summer during a traffic stop on I-94 in north Minneapolis. Londregan also faces second-degree murder and other criminal charges. Cobb family attorney Bakari Sellers says about calls for Governor Tim Walz to take that case away from Hennepin County chief prosecutor Mary Moriarty — a move the family opposes: “My remarks to the governor would be to put yourself in the shoes, if you can, of this family and what they’re going through. So, I have a great deal of faith that he’ll make the right decision.” All four Republican U-S House members in Minnesota — Tom Emmer, Pete Stauber, Michelle Fischbach and Brad Finstad — are asking for an investigation by the U-S House Judiciary Committee. They allege County Attorney Moriarty disregarded information from experts who concluded Trooper Londregan acted lawfully and in accordance with his training.
>>Repubs warn emergency medical services at crisis point in Greater MN, call on Dems to act
(St. Paul, MN) — “We are not trying to cry ‘wolf.’ …There will be services closing,” warned John Fox with the Dodge Center Ambulance Service today (Wed) at the State Capitol as advocates spotlight what they call a crisis in emergency medical services in Greater Minnesota. Republicans question Democrats’ priorities for putting only 16 million dollars in the supplemental state budget, when E-M-S stakeholders say 120 million is needed. Representative and E-M-T Jeff Backer from Browns Valley says, “This matters. A train to Duluth [the proposed Northern Lights Express] does not matter. People are calling for life-saving service.” Rosemount Democrat John Huot responds E-M-S stakeholders have not said *how* 120 million dollars would actually fix the problem — but that he’s willing to work on a plan with “guardrails.” Huot says,”We just can’t be writing checks. I mean, I’m sorry, that’s not the way this can work.” Just over four weeks remain in the legislative session.
>>MN AG Ellison Announces Airline Partnership with U.S. DOT
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation to help protect airline passengers. The coordinated effort will create a new process for addressing consumer complaints against air travel companies and reinforce state and federal commitments to protect the rights of travelers. Ellison says this comes at a time when complaints about flight disruptions, lack of refunds, and lost or delayed baggage continue to be core concerns of passengers.
>>Two Minnesotans headed to Middle East to join flotilla delivering food to Gaza
(Undated) — As tensions remain high in the Middle East, F-B-I 9/11 whistleblower Coleen Rowley and Vietnam veteran Barry Riesch — both from Minnesota — are on their way (Wed) to join the privately-funded International Freedom Flotilla, whose mission is to bring over 55-hundred tons of food and medicine to starving Palestinians in Gaza. Rowley says because it’s an international group, which “might actually make it a little more difficult for the Israelis to justify trying to stop it.” Riesh says the Freedom Flotilla will have close to a thousand people on board, plus media and satellite links, and if anything happens it will be “watched from around the world.”
>Minneapolis Man Sentenced to Five Years Probation for Role in 2021 Fatal Vehicle Crash
(Rosemount, MN) — A Minneapolis man has been sentenced for his role in an October 2021 vehicle crash with a bicycle in Rosemount that killed the Reverend Dennis Dempsey, lead pastor at Church of the Risen Savior in Burnsville. 28-year-old Trejean Curry faces a 150-day jail sentence, five years probation and 40 hours of community work. Curry pleaded guilty to one count of criminal vehicular homicide this January. Officials say neither alcohol nor drugs played a role in the crash.
>>U of M Dr. Hardeman Named one of TIME100 Most Influential People in the World
(Minneapolis, MN) — Dr. Rachel Hardeman, founding director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity has been named a member of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” for 2024. TIME compiles 100 of the globe’s most influential personalities and leaders, varying in subjects from discovery and research to politics, policy, arts and athletics. Hardeman was named the first Blue Cross Endowed Professor of Health and Racial Equity and has partnered with Roots Community Birth Center in north Minneapolis, one of five Black-owned freestanding birth centers in the U.S.
>>St. Paul Felon Sentenced to Over 6 Years in Prison for Possessing Ammunition
(Minneapolis, MN) — A St. Paul felon has been sentenced to just over six years in prison for illegally possessing ammunition. Court documents say 40-year-old Damien Hallmon was stopped by Bloomington police August 28th, 2022 for multiple traffic violations and indicators of marijuana use. Inside Hallmon’s vehicle officers found a 9mm firearm with a loaded magazine and no serial number in the purse of his fiancé. The firearm seized was a Polymer 80, commonly called a “ghost gun.”
>>Comedian Ben Schwartz Coming to Minneapolis
(Minneapolis, MN) — Comedian, writer, and director Ben Schwartz will be returning to Minneapolis this October at the historic Orpheum Theatre. Tickets for the October 25th event go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. at the State Theatre Box Office and online at Hennepin TheatreTrust.org. Schwartz is known most recently for his role in the horror comedy “Renfield,” as well as voicing “Sonic The Hedgehog” and his role as Jean Ralphio on “Parks and Recreation.”
