Good morning, and welcome to Thursday which happens to be the opening day (and the least crowded day) of the Minnesota State Fair. There will be lots of politicians and candidates at the fair over its 10 day run, including Gov. Mark Dayton, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, who will all be at the MPR booth at various times today. You can hear them there and of course on the radio. Here’s the Digest.
1. The new Minneapolis police chief is promising more officers will patrol downtown after a bystander was wounded Tuesday night when an argument led to a shooting at 6th and Hennepin. The Minneapolis Downtown Council condemned the incident and called for a coordinated effort to stop gun violence. Tuesday night’s shooting came just days after three people were wounded during a fight near the Gay Nineties bar on Hennepin Avenue. Downtown Council President Steve Cramer said incidents like the Gay Nineties shooting tend to happen in concentrated areas and at a later hour, around the time bars close. He said the shooting on Tuesday was worrying because it happened in the early evening, when there were many people around. ( MPR News)
2. Four days after the police shooting of Justine Damond, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges traveled to Los Angeles for a campaign fundraiser at the Wilshire Country Club featuring “kombucha tasting with Garrison Keillor” and “artisan crafted hotdish,” among other menu items. Wednesday afternoon, Hodges confirmed her attendance in a post on her Facebook page and blasted unnamed opponents for “shopping” the story to news outlets. “I had been ready and willing to cancel my flight, and only that morning made the decision that my physical presence in Minneapolis was not required for his brief period. I did exactly the same work I would have done had I stayed in Minneapolis. And during those 27 hours, I also spent a few hours at a campaign event,” she wrote. ( MinnPost)
3. For two weeks at the end of every summer, the Minnesota State Fair police force swells into the largest police force in the state. It hires and borrows officers from all over — even from Wisconsin. For 37 years, Art Blakey has overseen it all as chief of police on the fairgrounds. This year, at the age of 82, he’s stepping down. Blakey’s fair days started early. He grew up in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood, and when he was still in grade school he worked at a restaurant at the fair with his sister. She waitressed and he bussed dishes as they served three meals a day. ( MPR News)
4. Enbridge CEO Al Monaco said the company is “not making any assumptions” about Minnesota approving 337 miles of new oil pipeline across the state, though denial of the Line 3 replacement would make it a rare case.
“We’re not presuming — that’s why we’re going through the regulatory process,” Monaco said Wednesday during a meeting with the Duluth News Tribune editorial board. “We believe, and this is why we started construction in Canada, that the line needs to be replaced.” Given that the company has started laying new pipe in Alberta and Wisconsin, and pipes are being stored at future work sites in Minnesota, Enbridge still appears to have a level of confidence in the project moving forward here. “I don’t want to say what we would do or whether there’s a Plan B because we’re focused on executing the plan right now,” Monaco said. ( Duluth News Tribune)
5. Minnesota’s highest court is taking a big step to increase transparency by livestreaming oral arguments. Beginning next week, the Minnesota Supreme Court intends to offer live video streams of oral arguments held at the Judicial Center and in its state Capitol courtroom. That’s a change from past practice where video of arguments was available only after the fact. “The Minnesota Supreme Court is committed to maintaining the public’s trust in our Court, and ensuring the openness and accessibility of our public proceedings,” said Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea. “By livestreaming our oral arguments, we hope to give more Minnesotans the opportunity to see their highest Court in action, and to learn more about how our Court considers and decides the important legal matters that come before us.” ( MPR News)
