October 12, 2004 - Minneapolis police have launched an internal investigation into an allegation of police brutality stemming from a incident Friday night. North Memorial Medical Center admitted Dana Canty Saturday with head injuries. The day before Officer Alan Williams shoved Canty during a disturbance call. Second Precinct Inspector Maderia Arradondo says Williams remains on the job during the investigation by internal affairs. He says investigators will look into whether the force Williams used was appropriate.
October 12, 2004 - Minneapolis police have started an internal investigation into allegations of police brutality stemming from a scuffle Friday night. Second Precinct Inspector Maderia Arradondo says the investigation will look into whether officer Alan Williams used excessive force when he shoved Dana Canty during a disturbance call. Canty checked into a hospital Saturday night with head injuries.
October 18, 2004 - Tomorrow (TUES) in Eveleth, officials and friends of Paul Wellstone will unveil plans for a memorial to the senator. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. {
October 18, 2004 - Politicians and friends of Senator Paul Wellstone will unveil plans for a memorial near Eveleth tomorrow (TUES). The memorial will be near the place where Wellstone and seven others died in a plane crash two years ago. Connie Lewis is with Wellstone Action. She says the memorial will include walking paths, and information about Wellstone's work, and about each of the others who died in the crash.
October 20, 2004 - More than 14-hundred Hmong refugees arrived in Minnesota last month. That's the largest monthly total since the resettlement program began in 1975. Local resettlement agencies say the Hmong are arriving so quickly that, in some cases, they're over-burdening the relatives who are sponsoring them. John Borden of the International Institute, says one relative in Minnesota may agree to sponsor three families. He says the problem arises when all of those families arrive within a short time period.
October 25, 2004 - English language classes are packed in the Twin Cities and other parts of the state. Some programs are so full they now have long waiting lists. Much of the increase is attributed to the growing number of immigrants moving to Minnesota, including Hmong and other refugees. Jean Hanslin is with Lao Family English, says classes are three times the normal size at a time when she's already had to lay off one teacher because of a funding crunch.
October 25, 2004 - Many new immigrants to Minnesota are having a tough time finding a place to learn English. English language classes for adults are filled in the Twin Cities and across most of the state. Barry Shaffer, state director of Adult Basic Education, says there's been an dramatic upturn in enrollment.
October 25, 2004 - Members of a group formed to improve relations between the Minneapolis police department and communities of color have questions about the police shooting of a black teenager this weekend. The shooting happened early Sunday morning in north Minneapolis . Police accounts say a 15-year-old boy, identified by family members as Courtney Williams, refused an officer's orders to drop a gun, turned and then was hit by two bullets from the officer's gun. Police recovered a pellet gun at the scene which they say resembles a .45 calliber handgun. The Rev. Ian Bethel is the co-chair of the Police Community Relations Council. He says there are discrepancies between police accounts and what the boy's friends are saying.
October 27, 2004 - Family and friends of a teenager shot and killed by a police officer last weekend will attend a memorial service tonight at a North Minneapolis church. Police officials say 15-year-old Courtney Williams was carrying a gun after Midnight early Sunday morning. He was shot twice by an officer. A pellet gun was found at the scene. Williams' mother says she doesn't believe her son was carrying a gun. V.J. Smith is with MAD DADS, an anti-violence activist group that helped organize the service.
October 28, 2004 - Minneapolis police chief William McManus met with African American community leaders today to discuss the progress of the investigation into the shooting death of a black teenager last weekend. Fifteen year old Courtney Williams was shot and killed by officer Scott Mars. Police say Williams held a pellet gun that resembled a real gun. McManus has worked closely with the group of leaders who are members of the Police Community Relations council during the investigation. Sgt. Medeira Arrodondo says the chief's strategy is to keep an open flow of information between the police and community.