>>Football Gophers take in Minnesota State Fair
***PRONOUNCER**
(Falcon Heights, MN) — The Golden Gopher football team is among many thousands enjoying the Minnesota State Fair this opening day (Thurs). Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (KALLY-ack-mann-is) had a plan heading into the gates. “Probably gonna find a brat somewhere,” he said, “And gonna add some corn, obviously. Just looking forward to having a good time.” Teammate Nathan Boe of Lakeville has a long-time routine before he heads home. He says, “At the end I always get a bucket of cookies and then go to the all-you-can-drink milk stand. Some of the other O-linemen do that. So, those are some of my favorite things to do.” The Gopher football team opens the season one week from tonight at home against Nebraska.
>>Searchers recover body of missing pilot on North Shore
(Hovland, MN) — After days of combing through mountainous terrain and thick vegetation, searchers have recovered the body of a missing pilot in Lake Superior, about three hours after his helmet washed ashore near Hovland on the North Shore. Denny Pechacek (puh-CAH-check) took off in his ultralight aircraft almost a week ago but didn’t meet his significant other and ground crew at the designated time. Searchers reportedly used sonar to find his body.
>>Drought Conditions in Minnesota Worsen Slightly
(Lincoln, NE) — Drought conditions aren’t improving in Minnesota despite some mid-August rainfall in parts of the state. The latest U-S Drought Monitor map shows nearly 73 percent of Minnesota remains in a moderate drought. Thirty-three percent of the state is now in severe drought, and under two percent is experiencing extreme drought. Steele, Dodge, Olmsted, Fillmore and Mower counties in southeastern Minnesota are in desperate need of precipitation.
>>Moorhead police pulling school resource officers out of public schools, want clarification of new state law on restraint use during disturbances
(Moorhead, MN) — Moorhead police are pulling school resource officers from all public schools as they look for additional clarification on a new state law that limits officers from using certain restraints in school disturbances. The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association says the new law regarding school discipline “prohibits the use of prone restraints and the use of compression restraints on the head, back and across most of the torso.” Some law enforcement groups contend restraints are sometimes necessary to keep students and school staff safe from erratic or violent behavior. Attorney General Keith Ellison in a legal opinion says the use of “reasonable force” by school employees and law enforcement is still permitted to “prevent bodily harm or death.” But Chiefs of Police Association Executive Director Jeff Potts says they “still aren’t confident” the new law will allow law enforcement to keep students and staff members safe.
>>Repubs say Dems’ education policies not improving students’ poor reading, math, science test scores
(Various) — Republicans say Democrats’ education policies are doing little to improve students’ overall poor performance on statewide reading, math and science tests. Lakeville Senator Zach Duckworth says the legislature passed measures to improve literacy, but Democrats also pushed through a host of other mandates not nearly as important. Duckworth says, “We’re shooting ourselves in the foot when we pass something like the READ Act and then we pass a whole host of other requirements and mandates — because really what we’re telling folks is, hey, we’re gonna put this program in place but it’s gonna be maybe second, third, fourth order in a list of priorities.” Democratic Senator Mary Kunesh (COO-nish) from New Brighton says she doesn’t see other measures as mandates. “The amount of money that we put in towards mental health…. 45 million dollars in new library aid programs…. I think that’s a really important investment,” Kunesh says.
>>U-of-M would pay $3+ million to students to settle lawsuit over student reimbursements during pandemic
***MEDIA REFERENCE – 2ND LINE***
(Minneapolis, MN) — A Hennepin County judge has given preliminary approval to the University of Minnesota paying over three million dollars to settle a lawsuit that claims students should have received larger reimbursements after the campus shut down during early days of the pandemic. The Star Tribune reports attorneys estimate more than 54 thousand students would receive checks of 38- to 40-dollars. An attorney for the two students who sued calls the settlement fair and reasonable, noting “we were also at risk of receiving zero.” The University denied wrongdoing but says it wanted to “avoid the expense, risk, exposure, inconvenience, and distraction of continued litigation.”
>>Vikings wide receiver Addison makes plea deal with prosecutors on 140 mph speeding citation
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison has made a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to a petty misdemeanor for driving his Lamborghini at 140 miles an hour on I-94 in Saint Paul’s Midway District early one morning last month. A reckless driving misdemeanor count is to be dropped and he’d pay a 686-dollar fine. The 21-year-old Addison told a state trooper he was driving so fast because of an emergency with his dog. A judge will decide next month whether to approve the plea agreement. Addison is on a four-year guaranteed contract with the Vikings for 13.7 million dollars that includes a seven-million-dollar signing bonus.
>>Minneapolis Hires Law Firm To Investigate Complaints Against Police Chief Brian O’Hara
**MEDIA REFERENCE**
(Minneapolis, MN) — Minneapolis officials are hiring an outside law firm to investigate three complaints filed against Police Chief Brian O’Hara, Mayor Jacob Frey says to help ensure a thorough and impartial accounting of the facts. City leaders refused to comment on the nature of the complaints. But four sources told the Star Tribune that one of the complaints is reportedly linked to use of force by O’Hara.
>>Young man on motorcycle dies after high speed chase in Beltrami County
(Bemidji, MN) — A young man from Bemidji is dead after crashing his motorcycle during a high-speed chase late Tuesday night. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Department says 19-year-old Tristan Secor (SEE-cor) was with a group of speeding bikers. A deputy tried to make a stop, but lost all but one of the motorcycles as the group sped away. Secor’s motorcycle, going over 100 miles an hour, was seen by another deputy who lost sight of it. A short time later, authorities found Secor in a grassy area. He died later at a hospital.
>>Pedestrian On Maple Grove Interstate Exit Ramp Struck And Killed By Car
(Maple Grove, MN) — The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian on a ramp from westbound I-94 in Maple Grove. Authorities say it happened early this morning near Weaver Lake Road. A Kia Rondo struck a pedestrian who crossed from the north to the south side of the ramp.
>>Travel Website Names Grand Marais As Best Small Lake Town In U.S.
(Grand Marais, MN) — A community on Minnesota’s North Shore is in the spotlight after being named the “Best Small Lake Town” in the U-S — “small” referring to the town, not Lake Superior. Travel-and-leisure-dot-com honored Grand Marais this week, saying it combines a seaside vibe with offerings that make it Minnesota’s “artsiest” town. Grand Marais was also recognized for its variety of food choices, outdoor activities, and lack of crowds in the off-season. Grand Marais is in Cook County, about two hours northeast of Duluth.
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