Tally up two more cases of voter fraud in Minnesota, this time by conservative provocateur James O’Keefe and his associate Cameron Higby. The two filmed themselves dressed up in burkas and speaking with fake accents in an attempt to vote in the state’s primary in August. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty took the incident seriously enough to slap felony charges on them, and they’re due in court on Nov. 16.
The former co-owner of Safari Restaurant, Salim Ahmed Said, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Said and his associates stole over $44 million intended to be used to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Said is the 32nd individual convicted in the Feeding Our Future case.
Journalists seeking the unsealed records of the search warrant that was executed on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington home have been rebuffed by the Department of Justice, who have asked a federal judge to keep the records sealed. The DOJ says the warrant has only been partially executed and unsealing the records could harm the investigation.
New York and California have recently banned AI and restricted screen usage for younger children in schools, and it’s advancing the conversation among parent groups here in Minnesota.
“I’m fiercely opposed to the world [AI companies] want to bring about, and the way in which they’re doing it is so destructive,” says state Sen. Erin Maye Quade. “No kid needs generative AI in school… there should be a full ban. We need them to develop their actual intelligence before offloading that to artificial intelligence.”
The ripple effects of Operation Metro Surge continue to spread through the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. St. Paul and Minneapolis have lost around 1500 English learner students since last year, and it is expected to cost the districts millions. Meanwhile, colleges and universities in Minnesota are seeing a precipitous drop in international students, who often subsidize education for U.S. students.
Unidos MN, a grassroots organization seeking to advance social, racial, and economic justice, held an event over the weekend at Urban Growler Brewery in St. Paul that included R&B singer John Legend. The event was about the continued need for organizing of the kind that happened during Operation Metro Surge.
It’s Spooky Season, so it’s a great time to enjoy author (and Northfield resident) Benjamin Percy’s absolutely terrifying reading of “Goodnight Moon.”
And finally in your Minnesota news roundup: An 8-point buck broke into the basement of a home in Excelsior and was quite adamant about not leaving for several hours, despite the best efforts of local police and DNR officials. Eventually, they used a taser. I have never seen a deer look more like it is saying, “Don’t tase me, bro” than this one.
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