Andrew Wright's Blog

BY ANDREW WRIGHT One man died Saturday morning after he fell off a light rail platform while a train was leaving the station, according to the Pioneer Press. The accident happened at the Stadium Village station. According to KSTP, at around 1:20 a.m., a Green Line train was leaving the station. As the train pulled away, the man fell between two of the cars and was pulled under the train. The man has not been identified and it is unclear if he was a student at the University of Minnesota. It is unclear what caused the man to fall off the light rail platform and raises questions as to whether this was an accident. Police said they will review camera footage of the accident to determine what happened. They will also be talking with people at the scene.

BY ANDREW WRIGHT The five-year-old boy who was thrown from balcony on the third-floor on the Mall of America is still in intensive care but shows signs of recovery, according to WCCO. “Our miracle child Landen is showing real signs of recovery. New test results have been positive, though he remains in intensive care with a long road ahead,” the family said in a statement Friday. Landen was thrown from the third-floor of the MOA last week by Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, 24, of Minneapolis. Aranda is charged with attempted murder and is being held in Hennepin County Jail on $2 million bail, according to the Star Tribune. Aranda has a history of disruptive behavior and has been banned from the Mall of America in the past. According to the Star Tribune, Aranda went to the mall looking to kill someone. He approached Landen and his mother on the third-floor, the picked up Landen and threw him off the balcony.  Landen's family said in a statement Friday that they appreciat

BY ANDREW WRIGHT A 5-year-old boy was thrown over the third-floor railing at the Mall of America Friday, according to WCCO. Witnesses at the scene said they heard the boy's mother screaming that someone pushed her son over the edge of the railing. "She was screaming ‘Everyone pray, everyone pray. Oh my God, my baby, someone threw him over the edge,'" one witness said. Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda was arrested later Friday in connection to the incident at the MOA. He was arrested near a light rail station after reportedly running away from the scene. According to the Star Tribune, Aranda has a history of criminal offenses at the Mall of America. In July 2015, he was banned from the mall for throwing objects of balconies to lower levels and causing damage to stores inside the mall. In October that same year, Aranda was charged with throwing a glass of water and glass of tea at woman after she refused to buy food for him. Bloomington Police said charges will file

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Gov. Tim Walz signed a cell phone "hands-free" bill into law Friday that forbids drivers from using their phones unless in hands-free mode, according to WCCO. Gov. Walz signed the legislation while surrounded by families who lost loved ones because of distracted driving involving cell phones. "I just feel the deepest apologies that it took this long for many of you,” Walz said. According to the Star Tribune, Minnesota will be one of 16 states and the District of Columbia to implement legislation meant to curb distracted drivers from using phones. According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, most of the states that adopt hands-free legislation see a 15 percent decrease in traffic deaths. The efforts this year saw a stark contract to the efforts put in place four years ago. Rep. Scott Newman admitted the efforts by the families this year changed his mind about the legislation. Newman opposed the legislation wh

BY ANDREW WRIGHT The jury selection process for the murder case of Mohamed Noor continues to be a complicated process as more potential jury members have been excused, according to WCCO. A total of 75 people were questioned as potential jurors for the trial. On Wednesday, a total of 16 people had been dismissed from the trial, and by Thursday, the number increased to 23. The minimum number of jury members needed for the trial to proceed is 12 jurors and at least four alternates. Mohamed Noor is a former police officer who is charged for the murder and manslaughter of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old with dual citizenship in the U.S. and Australia. Noor responded to an emergency call where he fatally shot Damond. Damond called 911 to report a possible rape happening outside her residence.

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Metro Transit is considering cutting its Green Line overnight service, according to the Pioneer Press. Metro Transit said it may cut the Green Line service from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. on weekdays to provide more time for maintenance and to prevent passenger misconduct. According to the Star Tribune,  Metro Transit General Manager Wes Kooistra said he has received requests from maintenance to cut the overnight schedule to allow for safer maintenance repairs. Kooistra also said there have been an increasing amount of complaints about night use on the Green Line, including theft, assault, and drug use. Metro Transit's news has people worried about the homeless community, who rely on public transit for shelter during the harsh winters. Kooistra acknowledged the change would affect riders who seek public transit for shelter, but he said that is not the purpose of the light rail.

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 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 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.

BY ANDREW WRIGHT The Minnesota House of Representatives public safety committee approved a 'red flag' gun legislation bill Thursday, according to the Pioneer Press. The legislation would allow courts to have guns be taken away from people that are deemed to pose a risk to themselves or others. The legislation will go to the House floor to win full approval from the House, where it is expected to pass with a Democrat-controlled House. The vote was tightly contested and the committee voted along party lines, according to KSTP.  The final committee vote was 10-7 in favor of approving the legislation and bringing the bill the House floor. If the bill passes in the House, it will face more resistance in the Minnesota Republican-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka took to Twitter after the House vote. "We will not allow red flag or universal background check laws to pass,” Gazelka said. While the legislation will have a hearing on the House floor,

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced Friday her support for legalizing marijuana, according to the Pioneer Press. Klobuchar joins a list of other Democratic candidates who have come out in support of the legalization of marijuana. The list of candidates includes Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Kristen Gillibrand. Klobuchar had been ambiguous about her stance on legalization of marijuana in the past, according to the Star Tribune.  Klobuchar has not been as vocal on the issue compared to her Democratic colleagues. Several other senators have proposed legislation to legalize marijuana in the past. Support for marijuana legalization has grown recently. According to the Star Tribune, a survey conducted in November last year found 60 percent of respondents supported legalization, and the percentage continues to grow. Recreational marijuana is illegal in Minnesota, bu the state allows for certain medicinal marijuana purposes.

House Rep. Ilhan Omar was on the hit list of a Coast Guard lieutenant who was arrested last week on suspicion of a domestic terrorism plot, according to the MinnPost. Christopher Paul Hasson was arrested last week on gun and drug charges. Law enforcement found weapons and ammunition at Hasson's home, along with a hit with names of several journalists and Democratic representaitives and leaders. The list included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, and Ilhan Omar. According to the Pioneer Press , Hasson has expressed support for extremist ideas in the past, and has written emails detailing his beliefs. In a found draft email from 2017, Hasson said he was, "dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth.” In a separate email, Hasson described himself as a white nationalist and supported violence in order to preserve a "white homeland," the Pioneer Press said. Hasson is scheduled to appear in Marylan

BY ANDREW WRIGHT A University of Minnesota freshman football player was kicked off the University's football team Friday after punching a police officer, according to the Star Tribune. Maxwell Janes was arrested around midnight Friday by police. According to the Minnesota Daily,  while in the cop car, Janes told police he needed to exit the vehicle to vomit. While outside the car, Janes apparently punched a police officer in the face. Janes was subsequently arrested and charged with fourth degree assault of an officer. Gopher head coach P.J. Fleck responded to the incident Friday, writing a statement that said, "We have extremely high standards for members of our team and when those standards are not met there are consequences. The behavior exhibited in this situation is completely unacceptable and contradictory to the culture we are creating." Last season, Janes played 13 games for the Gophers, all on special teams.

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Three people died and one sheriff's deputy sustained injuries Thursday after a shooting in Nevis, according to the Pioneer Press. The Star Tribune reported that Hubbard County deputies responded to a shooting outside a home in Nevis around 8 p.m. and found one woman dead at the scene. The suspect fled the scene in the woman's car and police pursued the suspect. During the car chase, the suspect shot at authorities and injured one deputy. The suspect drove the car into a ditch along County Road 119, where they exchanged gunfire with deputies. During the exchange, the suspect went into the car, and it was determined that the suspect had died, according to the Pioneer Press.  A deputy found a second victim dead in the backseat of the car. Law enforcement officials have not released the names and gender of the suspect and second victim. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.