Meet Jerry Blackwell, the man who helped convict Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd.
| | Riham Feshi | MPR News
May 26, 2021
Meet Jerry Blackwell | |
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Good morning. It's Wednesday. The day will be mostly sunny with highs in the 50s north and mid-60s south. By this evening — cloudy with showers in the west and southwest of the state. For more weather, head over to Updraft.
Yesterday's COVID-19 data offered more evidence that the pandemic is in retreat. That included the lowest daily count since August at 256. These hopeful trends come as the state gears up to end all remaining statewide COVID-19 restrictions. And as of yesterday afternoon, half of U.S. adults are now fully vaccinated.
A meditation coach, beekeeper and prosecutor The evidence in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin was so compelling to Jerry Blackwell that he took on the case for free. He became known around the world as the lawyer who opened the case against Chauvin — and then sealed it. As Chauvin sits in prison awaiting his sentence, Blackwell, 59, is quietly returning to a life where he was better known as a meditation coach, hobby farmer, beekeeper and corporate lawyer. MPR News reporter Riham Feshir shares this profile of Blackwell.
George Floyd: One year later
Floyd's family — including his daughter, brothers and a cousin — met President Joe Biden as Congress weighs the George Floyd Justice in Policing ActThe future of policing in Minneapolis will be in the hands of voters this fall. Get to know the reform measures taking shape 🎧 Listen at noon: Angela Davis leads a conversation about Floyd's legacy and impact with community leaders, memory keepers and activistsLegislators look to end ban on evictions
One of Gov. Walz's last remaining pandemic restrictions is a ban on rental property evictions. He says the ban won't lift unless lawmakers agree on a path forward. Legislators say they want to be fair to both tenants and landlords in allowing evictions again. And they're currently at a standstill.
Brian Bakst has the full story.
Here's what else we're watching
Minnesota's laws that prohibit felons from voting until after fully discharging their sentence — including probation — were held up as constitutional by the state's Court of Appeals . Those who brought the case plan to bring it to the Minnesota Supreme Court next. A new spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Minnesota deer herds is raising concerns about a deadly spread that could transfer to wild deer in the area. Fresh off their instantly iconic library concert performance of "Racist, Sexist Boy," The Linda Lindas landed a record deal with Los Angeles' Epitaph Records . Its four members, between 10 and 16 years old, called out anti-Asian American bias and misogyny in a song that swept the internet.– Grace Birnstengel, MPR News | Find me on Twitter @grace__ |
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