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Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
National Guard soldier reflects on George Floyd unrest deployment
The Brief Governor Tim Walz signed an Emergency Executive Order on May 28, 2020, declaring a peacetime emergency and activating the Minnesota National Guard. More than 7,000 Soldiers and Airmen were activated to support local law enforcement across the state. The Minnesota National Guard's 2020 mission was focused on "protecting lives, preserving property, and ensuring the right of people to peacefully protest." MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A former Minnesota National Guard solider is opening up about her deployment to assist with security amid rioting and looting following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. Mass demonstrations and civil unrest led to an unprecedented deployment of the National Guard. Five years later, questions remain about the timing of the deployment and mobilization of thousands of soldiers after widespread destruction occurred in the days after Floyd's deadly arrest. Timeline Following days of rioting and civil unrest that damaged and destroyed scores of buildings and businesses in response to the police murder of George Floyd, Gov. Tim Walz signed Emergency Executive Order #20-64 on May 28, 2020. In issuing the order on the same day the Minneapolis Police Department's 3rd Precinct was set ablaze; the governor officially declared a peacetime emergency and activated the Minnesota National Guard. In total, the National Guard said 7,123 soldiers and airmen were activated to support local law enforcement in "protecting lives, preserving property, and ensuring the right of people to peacefully protest." The Minnesota National Guard's 34th Military Police Company, 257th Military Police Company and National Guard Reaction Force units of the 1-151st Field Artillery Battalion and 682nd Engineer Battalion were among the first units activated. The deployment came to an end on June 9 when the last remaining National Guard members were released from state active duty and returned home. What they're saying "It was scary, again, very unprecedented times. Nobody knows what's going to happen next," recalled Elizabeth Preda, who deployed with the Minnesota National Guard's Duluth-based 148th Fighter Wing. Preda was just 19 years old and said she had recently completed her basic training after joining the National Guard straight out of high school. "People ask you, 'Like what did you do in your military career?' And that is kind of like my go-to answer is, welp, 'Do you remember what happened with George Floyd in 2020?' I was part of that." Like many that week in 2020, she and her fellow citizen soldiers were watching the civil unrest escalate in the Twin Cities as calls to deploy the Minnesota National Guard grew louder and louder. She remembered telling her boss at the time, if the call comes, she had to go. She said, every member of her unit was given two hours to mobilize at their Duluth armory as soon as they received their activation orders. "I was telling my boss at work, 'this is going to happen and when it happens, I need to leave.' No ifs, ands, or buts." Once the official call came, Preda's security forces squadron deployed to Saint Paul. They were armed, and had a mission to protect the Capitol from what the FBI said at the time was a credible threat while also protecting the rights of peaceful protesters who gathered on the Capitol grounds. Five years later, Preda still wonders whether they should have deployed sooner given the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages that had already been done, particularly in Minneapolis. "I feel it took a little bit too long," Preda told FOX 9. "That's what I feel like. We could have been down there two days prior. But since it had never happened, maybe there might not have been a right time to do it." Dig deeper Now five years later, some still question the decision-making and timing of the Guard's activation, coming too late to help with security including at the now abandoned and gutted 3rd Precinct police headquarters in south Minneapolis. City and state after-action assessment reports ultimately gave the Minnesota National Guard high marks for its efforts protecting critical infrastructure and human life despite a lack of overall training and experience in handling a large-scale disturbance for an extended period of time. But those reports singled out poor communication and unfamiliarity, particularly with Minneapolis city leaders in requesting the guard's assistance that caused critical delays in approval and deployment of resources. The other side "The Guard got called in as soon as they could," stated Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges. In 2020, Hodges served as the Department of Public Safety's Assistant Commissioner. He took over the statewide incident command from the city of Minneapolis after the events of May 28, 2020 that included angry demonstrators setting the 3rd Precinct on fire. "One of the things that was frustrating to me, is people think you just snap your finger and the Guard shows up. It doesn't happen that way," explained Hodges. Hodges said the Minnesota National Guard had very few soldiers specifically trained to handle the situation on the ground. And complicating the issue further, many of the citizen soldiers were also local members of law enforcement. "So, are we going to have police officers do Guard duty or are we going to use them to do their regular police job function that we need at the time?" asked Hodges. "So, the Guard did get mobilized as quick as it could." Local perspective The Minnesota National Guard and its leader at the time both declined FOX 9 interview requests for our reporting on the deployment and the lessons learned five years later. In addition to the Floyd-related riots, soldiers and airmen were also called upon for security needs around former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial and to assist law enforcement with unrest following the deadly traffic stop police shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center as well as another volatile incident in downtown Minneapolis. All of those deployments and mobilizations occurred within a year time span during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Avett Brothers to perform at Minnesota State Fair Grandstand
The Avett Brothers will headline a Minnesota State Fair Grandstand show in 2025. The fair announced the folk band will also have special guests The Milk Carton Kids performing on Friday, Aug. 29. Tickets go on sale this Friday, April 18 at 10 a.m. CT via the state fair website. Tickets prices range from $54 to $121.75 (party deck). The North Carolina-based band consists of brothers Scott and Seth Avett, along with Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon. Others who tour with the band include Mike Marsh, Tania Elizabeth and Bonnie Avett-Rini. The Avett Brothers last performed in Minnesota at the Xcel Energy Center on Oct. 24, 2024, as they co-headlined with Duluth-based Trampled by Turtles. The band was previously scheduled to perform as headliners at the 2021 Basilica Block Party before backing out two days prior due to a COVID-19 exposure. The Avett Brothers has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and hit mainstream waves in 2009 with their major label debut, "I And Love And You." The group's 2012 album, "The Carpenter," made it to the fourth spot on the Billboard Top 200. "Magpie And The Dandelion," released in 2013, reached No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200. The band's latest album, "The Third Gleam", debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Americana/Folk Albums chart, No. 1 Rock Albums, and No. 1 Vinyl Albums. Their single, 'Victory", hit No. 1 on the Americana Radio Singles Chart as well. It's marks the seventh Grandstand Series headlining show to be announced for the 2025 season. Others include:Atmosphere & Friends — Aug. 23 Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls — Aug. 24 The Happy Together Tour featuring The Turtles and others — Aug. 25 Def Leppard and Brother Cane — Aug. 26
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Majority of nearly 1,000 University of Minnesota resident physicians and fellows file for union
University of Minnesota Medical Center. Courtesy photo. A supermajority of the nearly 1,000 resident physicians and fellows at the University of Minnesota filed to unionize in one of the largest union drives in the state in recent years, SEIU's Committee of Interns and Residents union announced on Monday. The move comes on the heels of more than 200 resident physicians at Hennepin Healthcare becoming the first to file to unionize in Minnesota earlier this month as part of a surge in organizing among young doctors in their final years of training. They say they are organizing in the face of brutally long days and relatively low pay. SEIU's Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents more than 37,000 doctors nationwide, says it's one of the fastest growing health care unions, doubling in size since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The union won six elections with 250 or more workers across the country in January 2025 alone. Resident physicians complain of unsustainable working conditions, often putting in grueling 80-hour weeks and taking home what amounts to about the city of Minneapolis' minimum hourly wage of $15.97. 'We went into medicine because we want to take care of people, but at the heart of it, we just don't think that great patient care should have to come at the expense of our well-being,' said Dr. Sofia Haile, a family medicine resident, in a statement. The union effort is possible because of a 2024 law passed by state Democrats that allows more University of Minnesota employees to organize. Previously, state law had made organizing difficult because it circumscribed 13 possible bargaining units with two sprawling groups that lumped together instructors, event planners, and even the athletic director (whose salary is $1.4 million a year). Under state law, the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services will certify the union without an election if the agency is able to verify a majority of the bargaining unit has signed in support of the union. The process is simpler than in the private sector, where workers must usually vote in an election after filing a petition with federal labor regulators. The union drive comes as uncertainty looms over the future ownership of the University of Minnesota teaching hospital, the state's largest. The hospital facilities are owned by Fairview Health Services, which sought to merge with South Dakota-based Sanford Health in 2023 until negotiations collapsed under the weight of public opposition from Minnesota leaders. Last week, Attorney General Keith Ellison announced he would pick a 'strategic facilitator' in negotiations between the University of Minnesota, Duluth-based Essentia Health and Fairview over a potential deal that would create a new nonprofit health system and support the university's academic medical training programs.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ontario imposes 25% hike on electricity exports to Minnesota, two other states
Ontario's premier has announced 25% tariff on electricity exports on Monday in retaliation to the Trump Administration's trade war, in a move expected to impact Minnesotans Canada's most populous province exports energy to around 1.5 million homes in Minnesota, Michigan and New York. President Trump announced the 25% tariffs on U.S. exports to Mexico and Canada starting last week, but after imposing an initial wave of tariffs on $21 billion of U.S. goods, he delayed a larger, second round until Apr. 2 amid economic concerns of a broader trade war that has sent U.S. stocks plummeting. But Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced his province would move forward with its energy export tariffs, saying: "President Trump's tariffs are a disaster for the U.S. economy. They're making life more expensive for American families and businesses. "Until the threat of tariffs is gone for good, Ontario won't back down. We'll stand strong, use every tool in our toolkit and do whatever it takes to protect Ontario." Ford also reiterated in a press conference that if Trump continues to escalate the trade war with Canada, Ontario is willing to completely turn off the electricity supply to the U.S. He previously announced his same intentions last week. Beginning Monday, new market rules require any generator selling electricity to the U.S. to add a 25% surcharge, according to Ford's office. Ontario's government expects to generate revenue of $300,000 to $400,000 Canadian dollars per day, "which will be used to support Ontario workers, families and businesses." "For decades, Ontario has powered American homes, factories, offices and jobs, and we will not stand by as our vital electricity exports are taken for granted," said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Electrification. "In a time where prices are going up for families in America, Canada and the United States should be working together to strengthen our trade and investment relationships to ensure a prosperous future for both sides of the border." Of Ontario's 26 transmission connections with neighboring jurisdictions, one exists in Minnesota. A spokesperson for Minnesota Power tells Bring Me The News while it does have an electric grid connection with Ontario, it imports more electricity from Manitoba than it does from Ontario. "Only a very small portion of our electricity comes from Ontario, in 2024 those costs totaled about $300,000. So we would expect the impact on our customers to be negligible," spokesperson Amy Rutledge said. In 2024, Minnesota Power didn't import any electricity from Ontario in eight months of the year. Manitoba Hydro accounts for 11% of Minnesota Power's energy and Rutledge said Minnesota Power spent $108 million on energy from Manitoba last year. The Duluth-based energy company is the largest utility company in northern Minnesota. However, that doesn't necessarily mean Manitoba would be left out of the tariff conversation and any similar move from that province could have much larger impact on northern Minnesotans. The province has yet to announce anything official as of Monday. As for Xcel Energy, it doesn't import any electricity or natural gas directly from Ontario. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reacted to the news on Twitter, saying Minnesotans will be victims of a "skyrocketing electric bill." "Minnesota cannot afford Trump's billionaire-run economy. We have to put a stop to this madness," Walz said. The new surcharge is in addition to Canada imposing an initial round of $30 billion in retaliatory tariffs. It impacts products such as orange juice, peanut butter, wine, coffee and more. LCBO, the largest buyer of alcohol in the world, has also removed all U.S. products from its Canadian shelves, costing U.S. producers $1 billion in lost revenue, according to Ford's office.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Why Minnesota is seeing its largest winter owl irruption in 20 years
Hungry owls have been making their way south to Minnesota in search of food, in turn leading to an increase in a number being struck by drivers. The University of Minnesota's Raptor Center said this week the state is experiencing its largest "irruption" — defined as an "unusually large flow of non-migratory birds, often owls — in 20 years. The irruptions happen periodically, according to The Raptor Center, and are tied to a fluctuating population of small rodents and several hatchings hatched in Canada's boreal forests the previous breeding season. "Rarely seen owls — great grey owls and boreal owls — are flying hundreds of miles from Canada's boreal forests to northeastern Minnesota," The Raptor Center said in a Facebook post. Wildwoods, a Duluth-based, non-profit organization that specializes in rehabbing orphaned, sick and injured wildlife, adds that since Jan. 1, it's admitted 21 owls for care. Of the 21 admitted, at least 18 of them were hit by vehicles. "In a normal calendar year, we average 30 owls," Wildwoods said in a Facebook post. "There has been a lot of publicity about these owls, so I am sure most folks know by now that this irruption is a result of lack of food sources in northern Canada," it added. "Boreals and great greys rely on the red-backed vole and other rodents for their sustenance. When there is a decline in rodents, these owls are forced to hunt outside of their traditional areas and find themselves in Duluth and other surrounding areas." Both The Raptor Center and Wildwoods highlighted the importance for drivers to stay alert of these owls on the roads, as well as keeping one's distance from the owls while they are spotted in the wild. The Raptor Center adds that owl's eyes are fixed forward, creating poor peripheral vision, meaning they may not be able to see oncoming vehicles while crossing roadways. "Crowds of observers getting too close to the owls cause undue stress and a loss of calories that is harmful to already hungry (and in some cases, starving) owls," the Raptor Center wrote.
