November 14, 2005 - Some commercial tax preparers have faced a barrage of lawsuits over so-called Rapid Refund programs. Rapid Refunds are short-term loans based on an expected tax refund. In Minnesota, those loans on average carry annual interest rates of more than 200%. Several non-profits say some tax preparers have taken advantage of the poor with those loans. But instead of going to court, one tax group is taking a different approach. It's setting up its own Rapid Refund program for low-wage workers.
July 17, 2005 - Minnesota Somali Keyse (KAY'-zee) Jama (JAH'-muh) walked out of the Washington County jail Saturday a free man. Jama, who's been locked up since 1998, spent most of his time in custody not because of his crime but because he's awaiting deportation. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports:
July 11, 2005 - A spokesman for the president of the Somali interim government has told Minnesota Public Radio the government will NOT accept Keyse Jama or thousands of other Somalis on the U.S. deportation list. Immigration wants to deport Jama for committing a third degree assault in Waseca more than four years ago. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled immigration could deport Jama to Somalia even if no official there would accept him.
June 14, 2005 - Somali Keyse Jama is a man without a country. The U.S. wants to deport him but Somalia refuses to accept him. American governmental officials say his case is not about terrorism; they want to deport him for committing a crime in Waseca. Jama remains in the Washington County jail as he and thousands of other deportable Somalis wait for a resolution to his case.
May 20, 2005 - The Minneapolis Somali man at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and a bungled deportation attempt could walk out of jail for the first time in over four years this weekend. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim ordered the government to place Keyse Jama on supervised release while it develops another plan to deport him. The government says it will appeal Tunheim's order. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
April 1, 2004 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki reports that members of minority bar associations, area law schools, and law firms will launch a website to dispel some of the myths about Minnesota that they say discourage people of color from moving here. The site will feature profiles of noted legal professionals of color and offer information about such things as where to live and shop.
February 9, 2004 - A federal judge in Minneapolis holds an arraignment hearing this morning for a man accused of ties to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. Mohammed Warsame's hearing is expected to be public but the judge has closed previous hearings and sealed most of his records. As Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, several constitutional scholars say the Warsame case is an example of post-9/11 court secrecy that's unprecedented in U.S. history.
February 9, 2004 - A federal magistrate has ruled Minneapolis college student Mohammed Warsame will remain jailed until trial. The ruling follows a hearing this morning at which a prosecutor told the court that Warsame wired money through a Pakistani bank to persons he met while attending Al-Qaeda training camps. At the morning hearing, Warsame pleaded not guilty to charges he conspired to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
December 30, 2003 - The Minnesota Supreme Court has denied public defenders' request for emergency relief from soaring caseloads and budget shortfalls. The Court said while it acknowledged the office is in a fiscal crisis, it is the legislature that should grant relief in the form of more funding. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
December 17, 2003 - It appears a Minnesota man being held as a crucial witness in a terrorism-related case, possibly that of September 11th suspect Zacharias Moussaoui, will be transferred to New York. Officials arrested Mohammed Warsame, a Canadian citizen of Somali descent last week. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.