Good morning, and welcome to Tuesday.
The final former Minneapolis police officer convicted in connection with George Floyd’s killing more than three years ago was sentenced Monday to nearly five years in prison. MPR’s Matt Sepic reports that in May, a Hennepin County judge convicted Tou Thao of aiding and abetting manslaughter. The 57-month sentence he received on Monday was slightly longer than the 51 months that prosecutors asked for. Thao, 37, was one of four ex-officers charged in Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death. He spoke for 23 minutes before he was sentenced, spending most of that time quoting from the Bible. Thao compared his situation to the suffering of Job. “On that day, we didn’t intend on — I didn’t intend on — doing any malice or anything like that, or try to hurt anyone. That was never my intent. I did the best I thought I could,” Thao told the court. “I know we cannot hide our thoughts or intent from God. For we must give an account on the day we appear before God. Therefore I must obey, to hold on to the truth I did not commit these crimes.” Thao said later in his statement: “My conscience is clear.” After Thao finished speaking, Judge Peter Cahill told him that “to be perfectly honest, after three years of reflection, I was hoping for a little more remorse, regret, acknowledgement of some responsibility and less preaching.”
Calling it one of the most significant changes to the Minneapolis Police Department in the modern era, Chief Brian O’Hara announced the appointees who will shepherd through his planned reorganization of the department. MPR’s Jon Collins reports: O’Hara said his aim is to focus on the department’s role in reducing crime, building trust with residents and restoring pride in those who wear the Minneapolis Police Department patch. “Minneapolis was ground zero for a global reckoning on policing practices and racial justice,” O’Hara said Monday. “It’s clear to me that Minneapolis can be the model, in fact, Minneapolis must be the model for how we move forward through healing of shared trauma, coming up with innovative solutions hand-in-hand with our residents and police officers and, above all, keeping people safe.”
The future of green energy is playing out in places like Clearwater Township in central Minnesota. As MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reports , the issue is the need for high voltage power lines to move electricity from the wind turbines and solar cells that produce it to where it’s used: It's been nearly a half century since Ronald and Debbie Schabel bought their home near Interstate 94 in Clearwater Township. More than a decade ago, Xcel and other utilities built the CapX2020 transmission line near their house. Now, they're facing the prospect of being sandwiched between two major, high-voltage power lines. Ronald Schabel says most of that power goes to the Twin Cities metro, whose residents are unaware of the impact on rural Minnesotans. "They turn their switch on, and they have no clue of the trauma that it causes the landowners out here in Wright County,” he said. Schabel worked for Xcel for three decades before retiring, so he understands the need for transmitting electricity. But he doesn’t believe building a bunch of new power lines that crisscross Minnesota makes sense. "They're generating a spider web of power lines, high voltage, the nasty ones, throughout from one end of the state to the other,” Schabel said. “How environmentally appealing is that?"
Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, was formally cited Monday in Kanabec County with two misdemeanor impaired driving counts after an arrest last month. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports: Charges against Wolgamott had been on hold pending blood test results. According to those, Wolgamott’s alcohol concentration was 0.099 percent, which is above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. In a statement issued after the citation became public, Wolgamott reiterated his remorse and said he was taking steps to account for the action. He said he has undergone chemical risk assessment, participated in a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim panel and gone through an alcohol education class. “I take full responsibility for my actions and I ask for your forgiveness,” Wolgamott said in the statement. “I will continue to do the work I need to ensure nothing like this ever happens again, and that my actions live up to the trust you have placed in me.”
Fueled by election gains, Democrats in Minnesota and Michigan this year enacted far-reaching policy changes that party leaders in other states are looking to as a potential roadmap for what they could swiftly achieve with similar control. The Associated Press reports: Gun safety packages, expanded voting rights, free meals for all students, and increased protections for abortion rights and LGTBQ+ people were just some of pent-up policy proposals that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law within months under the new legislative majorities. “We’ve definitely paid attention to what they’ve done,” Pennsylvania state Sen. Sharif Street, chair of the state Democratic party, said about the two states. “I’ve offered to Pennsylvanians that if we could flip the Senate, we could pass similar legislation.”
And Voters in Ohio will decide on a ballot measure today that could play a big role in an upcoming vote there on abortion. NPR reports: If passed, the measure would require 60 percent approval to pass future constitutional amendments, up from the current simple majority requirement that has been Ohio's standard since 1912. Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who proposed the measure, said it's about keeping wealthy out-of-state special interests out of Ohio's founding document. "We're talking about amending the Constitution probably for the rest of our lifetimes," said LaRose. "That should be taken very seriously." Opponents of the referendum suspect the timing is designed to thwart a constitutional amendment coming up on the November ballot — one that would enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution. | 