1. 'I'm tired of fighting bureaucracy': Minnesota seniors hit with arcane unemployment policy
Roger Cadogan is no stranger to hard work. He has served in the armed forces, worked as a radio DJ, trained marketing professionals, and just before the pandemic hit, frequented large department stores in his job as a retail specialist.
When the 68-year-old realized his underlying health conditions and age put him at a higher risk of suffering severe COVID-19 side effects, he resigned from his part-time job in April 2020. A legal battle decades before gutted much of his lifelong savings, so he relied on two sources to support his monthly expenses: Social Security benefits and unemployment insurance.
Read more from Forum News Service's Nora Eckert
2. Stark County Sheriff's Office will acquire the Belfield, ND, police force in July
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After months of discussions and debates, Belfield, North Dakota's city police force will merge with the Stark County Sheriff’s Office July 15.
In one last roll-call vote, the Belfield City Council unanimously approved the set date of the police merger Tuesday evening, June 8, during its regular meeting.
According to the merger contract, the Stark County Sheriff’s Office will acquire the police chief and add one additional deputy to cover in and around the city of Belfield, providing approximately 280 hours per month of law-enforcement presence.
Read more from Forum News Service's Jackie Jahfetson
3. Star Tribune wins Pulitzer for George Floyd reporting; Darnella Frazier recognized for Floyd video
From Reuters via Forum News Service
The Minneapolis Star Tribune won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting Friday, June 11, for what the Pulitzer board called its "urgent, authoritative and nuanced" coverage of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police in May 2020.
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The board also said it was awarding a "special citation" to Darnella Frazier , the Minneapolis teenaged bystander who recorded video of Floyd's murder on her cellphone, which it said highlighted "the crucial role of citizens in journalists' quest for truth and justice."
4. 2 Minnesota men arrested for alleged involvement in U.S. Capitol riot
Two Minnesota men and one of the men's fathers were arrested Friday, June 11, for their alleged involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6.
Daniel Johnson, 29, of Austin, was taken into custody by FBI Minneapolis special agents and the Austin Police Department on charges relating to criminal acts at the Capitol, the FBI Minneapolis tweeted. He has been charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
Read more from Forum News Service's Emily Cutts
5. University of Minnesota president pitches 1.5% tuition increase
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From The Star Tribune via Forum News Service
Students attending the University of Minnesota's five campuses this fall may get stuck with a slight tuition increase.
During a Board of Regents meeting Thursday, June 10, U President Joan Gabel pitched a 1.5% tuition increase for undergraduate and graduate students at the system's campuses as part of her proposed $4 billion budget for the coming year. The tuition hike, which would generate about $13.5 million in new revenue, would be the first increase in two years; the university froze tuition for most students during the 2020-21 school year in recognition of pandemic-related hardship.
