Daily Digest: Friday edition
Good morning, and welcome to a Friday that feels a little like a Wednesday. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and it will all likely straighten itself out next week. In the meantime, let's take a look at the Digest.
1. One year after Philando Castile was shot to death in his car by a St. Anthony police officer and less than a month after the officer's acquittal, hundreds of people gathered at two events in the east metro Thursday to honor Castile's legacy and to begin healing. A peaceful, family-reunion-style atmosphere prevailed at a six-hour celebration of Castile's life and legacy held at the Como Park Pavilion in St. Paul, which featured a cookout with free food, music and a clothing drive. Later Thursday, a second gathering hosted by Castile's family was held at Gibbs Farm in Falcon Heights. The private gathering drew about 175 people. There was food, music and camaraderie with family members, friends, activists and residents; any planned protests were thwarted before they began. (Star Tribune)
2. Gov. Mark Dayton on Thursday marked the first anniversary of Castile's death by recommending the state's Peace Officer Standards and Training Board name a new $12 million training fund after Castile. The fund is aimed at helping provide training opportunities for law enforcement officials working with diverse communities. The money was approved by the Legislature earlier this year. Dayton also named Castile's uncle, Clarence Castile, among three appointments to the POST board, which regulates police training programs and licenses police officers. In response, several major police unions called the governor's comments "tone-deaf insults at cops."(MPR News)
3. Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson and officials from 17 other states and the District of Columbia say federal officials broke the law by delaying rules meant to protect federal student loan borrowers. They filed a lawsuit in federal district court Thursday claiming that the U.S. Department of Education and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos violated the Administrative Procedure Act when they postponed rules set to take effect July 1. The rules would have streamlined the process for students defrauded by their colleges to seek loan forgiveness. They also required colleges at risk of closure to provide a financial guarantee to cover potential losses to taxpayers. (MPR News)
4. Up to 1,400 delegates will be at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Saturday to throw their support behind a candidate for mayor. While the Minneapolis DFL hasn’t been able to endorse a candidate in a closely-contested mayoral election since 1979, the gathering will offer the first clear gauge of candidate strength and help bring a crowded field into focus. Mayor Betsy Hodges faces endorsement challenges from seven candidates, including state Rep. Ray Dehn, Council Member Jacob Frey, former Hennepin Theatre Trust leader Tom Hoch, filmmaker Aswar Rahman, community activist Al Flowers, Captain Jack Sparrow and Jeffrey Sterling Olson. The election is Nov. 7. Nekima Levy-Pounds, a lawyer and civil rights activist also running for mayor, is not seeking the DFL endorsement. (Star Tribune)
5. A former Republican state senator was ordered to repay more than $5,000 over campaign misspending that he told regulators led to his abrupt resignation in 2015. The amount owed by ex-Sen. Branden Petersen of Andover is a combination of funds improperly used on personal expenses as well as civil penalties for violations found by the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Petersen’s penalty was announced Thursday. Petersen has receded from politics since stepping down two years ago. His troubles came to the attention of campaign finance regulators weeks before he stepped down when his report was flagged for $6,000 in questionable expenses. The problems uncovered spanned several years. (MPR News)
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