News

The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd is seeking a new state trial, alleging, among other things, that misconduct by prosecutors and the false testimony of expert witnesses deprived him of a fair trial. Derek Chauvin's attorney Gregory Joseph filed a 71-page document in Hennepin County District Court on November 20, asking that three criminal convictions, including one for second-degree murder, be vacated and a new trial ordered. Early on in the document, Joseph notes that five years have passed since Chauvin's high-profile trial and convictions, enough time for the emotion that surrounded Floyd's death and the subsequent protests to subside. "This Court is removed from the hysteria of the day and can finally look at the facts and evidence through a clear lens," the documents read. "It is the first time a judicial officer can view the case without the pressure of the public mood." While wide-ranging, the crux of the appeals argument boils down to four major assertions by the defense: That then-Minneapolis Police Chief Maderia Arrandono, Inspector Katie Blackwell, and training coordinator Lt. Johnny Mercil allegedly lied on the stand when they said the "hobble" technique used by Chauvin to control Floyd was not part of MPD training and therefore a violation of department policy. The defense argues that state experts testified on the cause of Floyd's death based not on his autopsy or medical tests, but on what they had seen in videotapes from the scene at 38th and Chicago. Prosecutors allegedly abused videotaped evidence, using it despite its lack of a medical foundation. The defense cited the findings of Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, who testified that severe heart disease and the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system played a major role in Floyd's death. Baker's testimony said he found no sign of asphyxiation. That jurors were given faulty instructions by Judge Peter Cahill, including misstatements of law. The documents reference a book written by journalist Liz Collin and Dr. JC Chaix that is critical of Chauvin's trial and conviction, and say that since it was published in 2022, 34 current and former MPD officers have come forward to provide sworn statements saying the knee-to-neck restraint used by Chauvin to subdue Floyd was part of their training. Chauvin and his attorney are asking for a new trial, but if a judge does not grant that, they want an evidentiary hearing to show why he deserves one. He is currently serving a 22.5-year sentence that combines his state and federal convictions for causing Floyd's death.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Monday Minnesota has 30 days to come into compliance and revoke the illegal issuance of the state’s non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). These are CDLs issued for people who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The federal department stated one third of Minnesota’s non-domiciled CDLs were found to be illegally issued after a review by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). According to the USDOT, FMCSA’s audit found the state issued non-domiciled CDLs to: Drivers whose licenses were valid long after their lawful presence in the U.S. expired. Drivers who were prohibited from holding a non-domiciled commercial CDL. Drivers without Minnesota first verifying the individual’s lawful presence in the U.S. To come into compliance, USDOT said Minnesota must take the following corrective measures: Pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs. Identify all unexpired non-domiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations. Revoke and reissue all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs if they comply with the federal requirements. Conduct a comprehensive internal audit to identify all procedural and programming errors, training and quality assurance problems, insufficient policies and practices, and other issues that have resulted in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs that did not meet federal rules. If Minnesota does not come into compliance, USDOT said the state risks losing up to $30.4 million in federal highway funding. The department said this is part of an ongoing effort to crack down on states that have failed to follow the law after “months of deadly crashes caused by illegal foreign drivers.”

Even with an uncharacteristically cool start to September that saw one of the most pleasant state fairs ever, weather-wise, St. Cloud still baked this fall. Meteorologist Tyler Hasenstein with the National Weather Service Twin Cities office says it wound up just sneaking into the top ten. “We had a mean average temperature, which is kind of the mark of the months as a whole of 50.1 degrees, which is tied for 10th all-time warmest.” Temps were at their toastiest in late September and early October. In some cases, reaching the low 90s on the thermometer during the sizzling stretch. November also set a couple of record highs, with the latest coming on Sunday, the 23rd. Hasenstein compares the average of 50.1 degrees Fahrenheit to a typical year. “Put those all together, and the entirety of the fall ended up running about 4.5 to about five degrees above normal.” Hasenstein says this year follows a general warming trend for fall that dates back 30 years. Since the 90s, central Minnesota has endured summerlike conditions for longer, with temperatures rising about 0.2 degrees per year on average between September and November. Over three decades, that adds up, meaning changes in when fall colors peak and in the harvest schedule. Another factor, warm falls are typical of La Niña years. Hasenstein says the temps were only half of the story. “Because of the dryness, because of the warmth, we had a lot of fire weather concerns.” September and October were both about 1.5 inches below normal for precipitation. November began dry, but the snows of the last week brought some welcome moisture to the area. Add in the typical fall winds, and the state turned into a tinder box. Red flag warnings led to brush burning bans and other precautions.

The Randall Holly-Day event is Thursday from 4-6:30pm in Randall. Events include pictures with Santa and crafts at the VFW, trolley rides, events at the Bingo Park Hall with hot cocoa. The event is put on by the Randall Business Group and come and check out the events at the businesses Thursday in Randall.

Death Notices: Duane Donahue, age 80 of Little Falls. Rodney Zuleger, age 83 of Morrill. 

Weather: mostly sunny skies, with falling temps through the day high around 11 then falling to near 0 with winds at 10-20mph making wind chills fell well below zero. Clear and very cold Wednesday night low -13 with wind chills around -22. Thursday increasing clouds, high around 17, steady temps at night around 15 with snow developing after midnight, snow on Friday around 1 inch, high 27 and low around 3 above. Flurries and windy Saturday high 14, low around -3. Sunday and Sunday high 10 above, low around -11.

Sports: ESPN reported that the top offseason trade prospect for Major League Baseball is Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. Buxton has a no trade clause but announced recently he is willing to waive it if the deal is right, many feel that Atlanta is interested in Buxton as he is a Georgia native. Get a recap on local sports on the Saturday Morning Sports Wrap at 9:05am Saturday and then Minnesota Sports Saturday with Alex Carmenaty at 1pm Saturday both live on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com.