u/TRFKAChuggs

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Add one Patrick Schiltz of the U.S. District Court to the ever-lengthening list of judges who have found the administration doing the Riverdance thing on their last nerve. From Politico:

In a blistering ruling, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said there was “no doubt” that the subpoenas [did] damage [to] Walz—part of what he said was a pattern of Trump administration efforts to use criminal process to punish the president’s adversaries.

… “Initiating a criminal investigation in order to harass political opponents or to coerce them into taking official action—particularly official action that the federal government cannot directly require those political opponents to take—is a blatantly unlawful and unethical use the grand-jury process,” Schiltz wrote in a 29-page ruling dated June 17 but unsealed Monday.

The George W. Bush–appointed chief judge said Trump’s repeated attacks and promises of “retribution” against Walz, a Democrat, and other Minnesota officials “establishes beyond reasonable dispute” that the grand jury subpoenas—issued at the height of ICE’s Operation Metro Surge—“were a part of a broader campaign to coerce state and local officials in Minnesota to assist the Trump administration in its enforcement of immigration laws.”

Moreover, Schiltz linked the subpoenas to what he called “the Trump administration’s well-established history of using criminal investigations to retaliate against and pressure the President’s political and personal adversaries.” Schiltz pointed to the recent investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell, in which another federal judge similarly quashed subpoenas on the grounds that they were retaliatory.

Officer Joseph Klimmek previously received social media training following inflammatory Facebook comments about violent crime. The Minneapolis police union is contesting his dismissal.

The City of Minneapolis has released an interactive bikeway map as part of its Transportation Action Plan.

The newly updated map shows routes for the city's 89 miles of trails, 36 miles of curb-protected bikeways, 24 miles of bike boulevards and 140 miles of painted bike lanes.

Minneapolis has previously been ranked among large U.S. cities for biking infrastructure.

The “Meth Capital of Minnesota” label is most often associated with counties in northern Minnesota. Cook County, situated along the North Shore, and regions across the Iron Range, have some of the highest rates of meth-related crime and overdoses. These counties face a distinct challenge due to their rural location, limited healthcare and facilities, and proximity to trafficking routes.

Some patterns observed across Minnesota include:

Cook County: Law enforcement consistently reports high meth-related arrest and seizures, making it one of the hardest hit areas in the state.

St. Louis County (Iron Range): Communities and Hibbing, Virginia, and Cloquet report alarming increases in meth-related overdoses and arrests. The Iron Range has long been a hotspot for meth trafficking.

Central and southern Minnesota counties: While northern counties report the highest concentration, meth abuse extends statewide, with counties like Kandiyohi, Olmsted, and Blue Earth also reporting elevated meth-related incidents.

I did the Pride Dabbler, then went to the People's Pride, and will probably check out Twin Cities Pride Sunday.

My friend from high school is in town so I met up with him and his partner at the Eagle.

Nine council members voted yes; the measures were supported by Council President Elliott Payne and council members Jason Chavez, Robin Wonsley, Aisha Chughtai, Aurin Chowdhury, Soren Stevenson, Michael Rainville and LaTrisha Vetaw.

It was opposed by council members Pearll Warren and Elizabeth Shaffer. Council Vice President Jamal Osman abstained from voting.

A year after federal prosecutors charged Isabel Lopez with four felonies stemming from her participation in a protest against immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, the 28-year-old pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge.

Lopez is the first Minnesota anti-immigration enforcement protester to be convicted in federal court since President Trump started his second term. During her plea and sentencing hearing Tuesday, a defiant Lopez thanked dozens of her supporters in the courthouse.

“I have people here who are by my side. I can’t say the same for other people that have no criminal history and have to do this by themselves,” Lopez said. “I say with a clear conscience, I didn’t kill anyone. But I don’t know this country can say the same.”

Her sentencing also comes a week after U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen charged 15 Minnesota protesters with crimes including conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, interstate stalking and assault on a federal officer.

Attorneys for the protesters said the charges were a “propaganda show” and expect the cases to be dismissed or downgraded, as happened with others charged during Operation Metro Surge.

Judge Patrick Schiltz ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation based on Operation Metro Surge response was politically motivated, unconstitutional, and without merit.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents carried out an operation in Bemidji last Thursday, detaining a number of individuals from construction and roofing crews working in the city. One Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe member was a part of one of these crews and was working at the Gatewood Park Apartments located near the Paul Bunyan Mall.

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Kieran Cuevas says he and his uncle were both detained during the affair, despite having their tribal identification on them.

Human Rights Watch has released a comprehensive report detailing human rights abuses by the government during this winter’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, which the group alleges also violates international human rights treaties that the U.S. is signed onto.

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The 186-page report highlights how government agents stopped or detained thousands of people during the surge, including many U.S. citizens or people approved to live and work in the United States. The group alleges that many of the arrests made by federal agents were arbitrary, race-based and violated residents’ human rights.

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Small-town departments, facing shrinking fields of officer applicants that can’t keep up with retirements, are heading toward “extinction,” union leader says.

Downtown Minneapolis may have a glut of empty offices but it’s flush with people-filled apartments.

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The heart of the city’s Central Business District is the 35th fastest-growing neighborhood in the nation, a notable urban outlier on a list dominated by suburban growth and Southern states.

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Those 6,500 residents are only a fraction of the total population of the broader downtown area, which includes several established neighborhoods, from Elliot Park to the North Loop. According to the Downtown Council, more than 64,000 residents now live downtown, a record high.