>>Couple Found Dead in Dakota County Field Investigated as Murder-Suicide
(Empire, MN) — Dakota County deputies are investigating an apparent murder-suicide that left a husband and wife dead over the weekend. 65-year-old Smith Brown and 27-year-old Payao Vang were found dead Sunday night in a field near Empire by family members. Deputies say Browm’s son was worried days before when the two had not returned to their Oakdale home after visiting a leased farm plot in Dakota County. Officials believe Brown shot Vang before shooting himself. The investigation is ongoing.
>>MN State Trooper Roper Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Rochester Crash
(Rochester, MN) – The Minnesota State Patrol Trooper charged with manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and reckless driving in the death of 18-year-old Olivia Flores of Owatonna pleaded not guilty this morning. Rochester Police says Trooper Shane Roper reached speeds of 98 mph in an attempt to stop a motorist for a traffic violation, exited the highway near Apache Mall, and was traveling 83 miles an hour in a 40 mph zone without lights on just before the crash. The crash killed Flores and injured five others. Roper’s records show four prior crashes in his squad car due to distracted driving or speeding. Roper has an unconditional bail of $100,000 and his license was suspended. His trial is set for March 31, 2025.
>>Man Sentenced to Nearly 50 Years in Prison for 2 Fatal 2023 Shootings
(Minneapolis, MN) — Calon Hatchett has been sentenced to over 47 years in prison for two fatal 2023 shootings. On June 25, Ali Reed and another person crossed paths with a group of three men while walking along a local street. One of the men, later identified as Hatchett, pulled out a gun and shot Reed before fleeing. Reed was brought to HCMC, where she was pronounced dead. On July 23, Minneapolis police officers responded to a shooting report, finding Tonia Powell with multiple gunshot wounds, and pronounced her dead at the scene. Another person was found shot in Powell’s apartment and brought to HCMC, where she survived. The murders were solved in reverse when firearms evidence from both scenes matched. Hatchett was arrested on July 24.
>>North Star Promise Initiative Restes Graduate Opportunities for Indigenous Students
(White Earth Reservation, MN) – This fall, Minnesota’s North Star Promise Initiative goes into action—a program where households earning below $80,000 qualify for free tuition at state colleges and universities. White Earth Tribal and Community College President Anna Sheppard says while she doesn’t believe it will lead to big enrollment boosts for Native American students—a population that has long faced higher education barriers—those who do receive aid could reach greater academic heights thanks to the lack of debt. She says juggling college debt often limits Indigenous populations from obtaining advanced degrees, backed up by research from the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, reporting an 18% decrease in Native American graduate enrollment between 2010 and 2020.
>>VP Harris and Gov. Walz’s 1st Joint Interview Tonight on CNN
(Undated) – Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have their first joint interview this afternoon which will air tonight on CNN. Republicans have been accusing Harris of avoiding interviews since she received the Democratic nomination, and Carleton College analyst Steven Schier says there are a lot of expectations, “What she’s doing — I think probably wisely on her part — is bringing Tim Walz into the interview so that it will not simply be an entire spotlight on her and they can help each other with their question responses.” Schier says there will be difficult questions about allegations that Harris has changed her position on significant issues, such as the border wall and fracking. He says Harris will have to be “on her best game” and she’ll need Walz’s help to make the interview a success.
>>UMN Gopher Football Opens 2024 Season Tonight
(Minneapolis, MN) – The University of Minnesota football team has high hopes that it can build on last year’s postseason bowl win against Bowling Green. The Golden Gophers open the 2024 season tonight by hosting North Carolina. Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle says, “PJ would be the first to tell you, I would be the first to tell you, last year 5-7, not the regular season we wanted to have. But, the importance of bowl games, is they’re kind of a springboard to the new season, the next year, and getting that win against Bowling Green kind of brought an uplift to our program.” Tonight’s game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Huntington Bank Stadium.
>>Former NIAID Director Fauci to be Humphrey School’s 2024 Carlson Lecturer
(Minneapolis, MN) — Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci is coming to the Humphry School of Public Affairs this fall as the school’s latest Distinguished Carlson Lecturer. Fauci is well known for being President Joe Biden’s Chief Medical Advisor until his December 2022 retirement and was the de facto public health spokesperson during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 under former President Donald Trump. The Distinguished Carlson Lecture Series brings world-renowned speakers to Minnesota to present and discuss important policy issues of the day. Fauci will discuss his 50-year career in medicine and public service on October 22 from 6-7 p.m. at Northrop at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
