Good morning, and welcome to Tuesday.
More than a year in the making, a $500 million bonuses program for Minnesota workers who took on tough assignments during COVID-19 is about to go live.MPR’s Brian Bakst reports as soon as Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of frontline workers can start applying soon for pandemic bonuses, although the size of those awards is a couple months away from being set. The Department of Labor and Industry, the agency steering the program, was running final system tests early this week before declaring the 45-day application window open. They’re aiming to avoid an application process that gets overwhelmed by an early surge and are stressing that there’s ample time for people to compile their necessary documentation. "We don't want people to think that if they don't get their application on day one, that they're not going to get money. It's not a first-come, first-serve program,” said deputy commissioner Nicole Blissenbach. “Applying on day one is just as good as applying on day 10, day 20, day 30, day 40.” Blissenbach said a website containing details of the frontline pay program has already attracted more than 1.5 million hits and 250,000 requests for future updates.
The state court proceedings for two former Minneapolis police officers still facing trial for the death of George Floyd have been rescheduled to January. Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng had been set to stand trial starting June 13 on charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. Now, under the order released Monday by Judge Peter Cahill, the proceedings are set to begin with motion hearings on Jan. 5. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 9, with opening statements tentatively set to start on Jan. 30. One of Thao's and Kueng's former colleagues, Derek Chauvin, is serving more than 22 years in prison for his part in Floyd's murder in 2020. Another officer, Thomas Lane, pleaded guilty in May to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and is facing sentencing.
Minnesota’s political parties that support legal cannabis are contending with attempts by people with other political agendas to use them for their own purposes. Ricardo Lopez with the Minnesota Reformer reports : Two years ago, some marijuana party candidates admitted they had been recruited by Republican operatives to run for races under the banner of the state’s two pro-legalization major parties, with the aim of siphoning Democratic votes and tipping races in favor of GOP candidates. In some races, it may have made a difference. Now, some frustrated Democrats and legal marijuana advocates appear to be fighting back. Steinberg is decrying recent unsuccessful efforts by some party activists, who attempted to force what he called an “unauthorized” state convention to change the party’s name to “MAGA Party.” The aim would be to siphon GOP votes and counter any drafting of stand-in candidates by Republicans. “Every opportunist and egotist and crank has decided that it’s open season on us,” Steinberg said.
The Pioneer Press reports: Washington County Commissioner Wayne Johnson has decided against running for re-election after a second retiring state lawmaker joined the race. Johnson, who filed for re-election last week, withdrew after learning he’d be going against Keith Franke, a Republican state representative from St. Paul Park. Johnson also endorsed Franke for the seat. Also running for the District 4 seat are state Sen. Karla Bigham, DFL-Cottage Grove, and St. Paul Park resident Brandon A. Lara.
A retired Wisconsin judge found shot to death last week had sentenced his alleged killer to prison for armed burglary 17 years ago. MPR’s Matt Sepic reports police found Judge John Roemer, 68, dead in his home Friday in New Lisbon, about 80 miles northwest of Madison. Police say the alleged killer Douglas K. Uhde was hospitalized in critical condition with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Court records show that in 2005, Roemer sentenced Uhde to six years in prison for armed burglary, part of an extensive criminal record that goes back decades. The Associated Press cited an unnamed law enforcement source who said Uhde had a hit list of other public officials that included Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. Roemer was a 1983 graduate of Hamline University Law School. Records show Uhde escaped from a minimum security prison in 2006 before being captured a few weeks later. His most recent stint behind bars ended in early 2020.
NPR reports:The leader of the far-right Proud Boys group and four associates have been charged with seditious conspiracy related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack that was intended to block Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election , the Justice Department said on Monday. A federal grand jury in Washington also charged them with conspiring to prevent an officer from discharging any duties. It's the second group tied to the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol to face the rare and serious charge of conspiring to overthrow the government or prevent the execution of U.S. law. Eleven members of the Oath Keepers group, including leader Stewart Rhodes, were charged with seditious conspiracy earlier this year. Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio wasn't on the Capitol grounds during the insurrection, but prosecutors say he helped coordinate the violent effort to disrupt the electoral count that day. As the violence unfolded, Tarrio allegedly posted "Proud of my boys and my country" on social media. | 