Andrew Wright's Blog

BY ANDREW WRIGHT In one of the obituary stories of the Star Tribune, the author writes about the life of former Twins outfielder Jim Holt. The author detailed Holt's life by focusing on his time as a player for the Twins. The author included Holt's stats while he played for the Twins and his impact in the Twins organization.  The author focused on Holt' relevance to Minnesota and the Twins, but also included other interesting facts about Holt's career that were not necessarily focused on Holt's career on the Twins. The author included how the Twins acquired Holt from Oakland. The author also included that the Twins traded Holt to the Oakland Athletics and how Holt went on to win one World Series ring with Oakland. Overall, the author spent very little time talking about Holt's death and instead focused on the most intriguing and important aspects of Holt's life and career.

BY ANDREW WRIGHT An 18-year-old man is in critical condition after shots were fired at a Myth Live Nightclub in Maplewood on Friday night, according to WCCO. The man was shot in the neck and taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, according to the Star Tribune. It is not clear if the man's identity has been revealed. The shooting occurred after a fight broke out in the nightclub. Lil Baby and Blueface were performing at the nightclub where the shooting occurred, and reported numbers estimated about 1,800 people were in attendance. The person who shot the man in the nightclub has not been arrested, and it's unsure whether the man who was shot was the intended victim.

BY ANDREW WRIGHT A man was charged Friday for first-degree arson and second-degree murder after starting a fire in an apartment in Thief River Falls, according to the Star Tribune. Devon James Pulczinski, 23, was arrested after starting a fire at 307 1/2 Arnold Avenue South. Pulczinski was a renter of the apartment, according to the Crookston Times. Emergency vehicles were called to the apartment Wednesday. When they arrived, they found Pulczinski's apartment on fire. After putting out the fire, firefighters discovered one dead woman with severe burns over her body. The woman's identity has been released. Pulczinski's motives for setting the fire to his apartment still remain unclear. He is currently being held at Pennington County Jail.

BY ANDREW WRIGHT President Trump signed a one-year extension for the Deferred Enforced Departure program Thursday, allowing Minnesota Liberian immigrants to stay in the state for another year. Trump has considered ending the program in the past. In 2018, Trump proposed not extending the program, saying living conditions had improved and the government of Liberia had stabilized,  according to the Pioneer Press. The Deferred Enforced Departure program gives legal status to Liberians who fled war and natural disasters in Africa. According to the Pioneer Press, around 4,000 Liberians in Minnesota are covered by the program. President Trump faced backlash if he were to end the program. According to the Star Tribune, a coalition of attorneys general filed a brief Monday in support of Liberians remaining in the United States. One of the attorneys general was Minnesota's Keith Ellison.   The Minneapolis-St. Paul area has one of the largest Liberian immigrants populations in th

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Sen. Amy Klobuchar criticized President Trump's rhetoric about Muslims and Islamophobia Sunday after a shooting in New Zealand left 49 dead and 40 injured, according to The Hill. Klobuchar spoke on CNN and said she thinks Trump's rhetoric has worsened Islamophobic behavior not only in the United States, but in other countries, as well. "I don't think you can actually take each of the murderous acts and say what role Donald Trump played, but I can tell you this: his rhetoric doesn't help," Klobuchar said on CNN.  "And many of these people, whether it was the person who tried to bomb Barack Obama or this murderer in New Zealand, have cited Donald Trump along the way." Klobuchar called for the president to speak out against these acts of terror and violence and should begin to praise defend the Muslim community. The recent attack in New Zealand continues to put a spotlight on white nationalism, which many people see as a grow

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Minnesota could see flooding levels that rival the floods in 1965 as a result of the weather quickly warming combined with the excess snow gathered over the past winter season,  according to the Duluth News Tribune. At a briefing about the potentially hazardous weather, meteorologist Dan Luna revealed a map that predicted a 15 percent chance of serious flooding this spring. "At St. Paul, there’s a 15 percent chance we could see levels as high or higher than what we saw in 1965 — which is the flood of record,” Luna said. According to the Star Tribune, Luna also said the current decade has been one of the wettest for Minnesota. However, all doesn't look dreary for the upcoming Minnesota spring. Minnesota experienced similar weather in 2013 and faced potentially hazardous flooding, as well. Despite the potentially dangerous weather, Minnesota experienced a perfect melt where temperatures rise above freezing during the day and fall back below freezing

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Three people are injured after a car chase ensued Thursday when police pursued two suspects, according to the Minnesota Daily. The suspects were found on camera stealing from cars in the Dinkytown area before the two fled before police arrived at the scene. Police then pursued the suspects in a car chase. According to the Star Tribune, the suspects caused two car accidents as a result of the car chase, leaving three people injured. One of the injured people was identified as a University of Minnesota student, and another was identified as a university faculty member. The fist accident occurred at the intersection of 5th Street and SE. 15th Avenue, and the second occurred at 5th Street and SE. 12th Avenue. Police arrested one man, 39, and booked him at Hennepin County jail. The second suspect escaped the scene and police are still searching for the suspect. Images obtained by police show with black hair in a white polka-dot shirt, dark pants, and dark sh

BY ANDREW WRIGHT The Senate voted Thursday to overturn President Trump's national emergency relating to the border wall, according to the New York Times. The vote to overturn Trump's declaration marks the first time Congress has overturned a presidential national emergency.  Both Republicans and Democrats joined together to reject Trump's emergency, arguing the president's declaration was setting dangerous precedent as an overreach in executive power. Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas posted statements on his Twitter of his response to Trump's emergency. "Expanding the powers of the presidency beyond its constitutional limits is something I cannot support," Moran said. Trump was quick to respond to the Senate's vote. Trump took to his Twitter and sent out a simple message, "VETO!" Several senators clarified that the vote was not a rejection of Trump's border wall. Instead, some senators said this vote was the

BY ANDREW WRIGHT In a Minnesota Daily article, the author covered a recent meeting if the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents, where the board discussed a report on renaming certain campus buildings. The author focused on the possible renaming of four university buildings. The people whom the buildings are named after have recently been criticized for their behavior when they were administrators of the university. The debate about the buildings has gained attention, with President Eric Kaler recommending the board to approve renaming the buildings. The background information the author included in the article covered information about the task force that originally recommended the four university buildings be renamed. The author also included President Kaler's recommendations as background information for the story. The author's main sources are comments from members of the Board of Regents. Several of the members commented their displeasure with the task fo

BY ANDREW WRIGHT The FBI is investigating graffiti created in February at a gas station in Rogers, Minnesota, that advocates for murdering Rep. Ilhan Omar, according to MPR News. Brian Raines, 45, found the graffiti in a bathroom stall at the gas station. The graffiti read, "Assassinate Ilhan Omar," according to the Duluth News Tribune. Raines posted a photo of the graffiti on social media, where Omar found it and shared the photo. The post became widely shared after Omar shared the photo. "I was appalled. I saw it and I took a picture of it to show the manager." Raines said. Omar used the post to criticize Congress Republicans for anti-Muslim rhetoric, then posted a story from NBC News concerning altercations in the West Virginia statehouse after one representative likened Omar to the 9/11 attacks. "No wonder why I am on the 'Hitlist' of a domestic terrorist and 'Assassinate Ilhan Omar' is written on my local gas stations. Look no f

BY ANDREW WRIGHT The University if Minnesota's process of renaming four of its buildings received criticism Friday from regents and descendants of past university leaders, according to the Pioneer Press. In February, a university task force recommended four buildings be renamed due to the leaders history whom the buildings are named after. Those buildings are: Coffman Memorial Union, Nicholson Hall, Coffey Hall, and Middlebrook Hall. The task force's recommendations were recently criticized by members of the regents board. Many of the board's members believe the task force excluded information or over-interpreted certain documents. According to the Star Tribune, family members of two the university leaders whose buildings could be renamed came out and defended their family and voiced their concern with the process of renaming the buildings. Chris Middlebrook, William Middlebrook's grandson, defended his grandfather's time as comptroller and vice president

BY ANDREW WRIGHT President Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, sued Trump Organization Thursday over unpaid legal fees, according to USA Today. Cohen alleges that Trump Organization failed to pay for his legal fees after Cohen started to cooperate with federal prosecutors. According to the New York Times, Cohen accused Trump Organization of breaking a contract between the two parties, and is seeking $1.9 million in unpaid legal fees. Cohen is also seeking and additional $1.9 million in reimbursement after Cohen pleaded guilty for lying to Congress, tax invasion, and violating campaign finance laws. In April 2018, Cohen's property were raided after he became a key figure in the Robert Mueller investigation. Trump defended Cohen after the raids. After Cohen stated he may be willing to cooperate with the federal investigation, Trump's support for Cohen stopped. Cohen said that around this time, the legal payments ceased. The lawsuit comes after Cohen te

BY ANDREW WRIGHT With the advent of the internet and other advancements in technology, news organizations have  adapted to new ways communication and created new ways to spread information. The New York Times and Washington Post are two organizations that have adapted and offer several different options for obtaining information. The New York Times feature their traditional newspaper, website, social media, a magazine section on their website, and a podcast. The Washington Post offers much of the same options as the New York Times. The Washington Post also offers a traditional newspaper, website, social media, a magazine section, as well as their own podcast. The two organizations distinguish themselves from others with their podcast. The New York Times podcast, the Daily, is  popular podcast and id featured on the Amazon Alexa. The Post's podcast, Post Reports, is a less widely known podcast to the New York Times and started more recently than the Daily. With these mul

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Sen. Bernie Sanders deviated from his 2016 presidential campaign strategy and focused more on his personal life during his campaign kickoff Saturday, according to the Washington Post. At a rally in Brooklyn, New York, Sanders spoke on his life as a child and his family. Sanders recalled his father's escape from Nazi Germany and his struggles with antisemitism. Sanders also spoke on his upbringing in a family growing up in a lower-middle class household. "I know where I came from," Sanders said at the rally. According to the New York Times,  Sanders contrasted his upbringing to President Trump's life. During the rally, Sanders said he did not come from a privileged family that allowed him to become a reality television personality, an obvious remark towards Trump. Sanders also said his father did not award him millions of dollars to build numerous edifices. In 2016, Sanders ran his presidential campaign completely policy-based and f

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Northbound 35W was closed and reopened Friday after multiple car crashes were reported to due to the weather, according to the Star Tribune. The snow Friday caused numerous car crashes and an eventual temporary shutdown of the highway to prevent further accidents. According to WCCO, two multi-car crashes led to the shutdown of the highway. The northbound highway reopened around 5:30 p.m., but not without cautions of the road still being unsafe by the Wyoming police department. The Star Tribune also reported Metro Transit buses experienced numerous delays in the afternoon. St. Paul declared a snow emergency in the afternoon as well, its sixth emergency in five weeks, according to the Star Tribune. Snow and hazardous weather continue to cause difficulties for Minnesota,as the weather makes it continually dangerous for people to commute to work and school.