Andrew Wright's Blog

BY ANDREW WRIGHT Julian Assange, the co-founder of WikiLeaks, was arrested Thursday after being evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, according to the BBC Th United Kingdom will now decide whether to extradite Assange to the United States, where the Justice Department charged him with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for leaks in 2010. According to the New York Times, in 2010, WikiLeaks received leaked confidential documents and videos from Chelsea Manning regarding U.S. campaigns in the Middle East. Assange decided to publish the information. Manning was subsequently arrested and convicted of leaking the information to Assange. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison, which was later commuted after Manning served seven years.  The United States asserts that Assange worked with Manning in obtaining the leaked information, and is wanted for his role in acquiring and disseminating the information.  More recently, Assange and WikiLeaks have...

BY ANDREW WRIGHT For the analysis article this week, I found an article from the Star Tribune that looks at the increase in CBD sales in Minnesota. The author focuses on the effects and uses of hemp-based CBD products and how more people are turning to CBD to cope with mental issues and other illnesses. The author points to the increase in CBD sales across the United States as evidence that more people are relying on CBD products to relieve their illnesses. The author needed to understand several aspects of the data to be able to report on this story. First the reporter needed to be able to interpret the data to understand the trends in CBD sales in Minnesota and across the United States. Another important skill the reporter needed for the story was to have a basic understanding of the effects of CBD and why more people are turning toward the drug. This is something that could not be found in the data, and as a result the reporter needed to find the information from other source...

BY ANDREW WRIGHT A New York man was arrested and charged Friday after her threatened to murder Rep. Ilhan Omar, according to NBC News. Patrick W. Carlineo Jr., 55, called Omar's office in late March and made threatening remarks to the staff member who answered the phone. "She’s a [expletive] terrorist. I’ll put a bullet in her [expletive] skull,” Carlineo said on the phone call. Carlineo's threats continue a series of hostilities toward Omar. Back in February, graffiti calling for Omar's assassination was investigated by the FBI. Additionally, according to the Washington Post,  Fox News host Jeanine Pirro made antagonistic and racist remarks about Omar's Islamic faith. "Is [Omar's] adherence to this Islamic doctrine [wearing a hijab] indicative of her adherence to sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution,” Pirro said last month. Omar continues to be berated by racist remarks and receive death threats because...

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 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.