Defense remains in federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers

The AP reports: “The defense teams have rested their cases in the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers. Closing arguments are scheduled for tomorrow. Thomas Lane, 38, testified Monday that he thought Floyd was doing OK while handcuffed, facedown on the street with Officer Derek Chauvin’s knee pressed to his neck — until paramedics arrived and turned Floyd over.”

Tim Harlow writes in the Star Tribune: “The Twin Cities will escape the brunt of a major winter storm that is poised to bring a foot or more of snow to central Minnesota, but the metro area still is poised to get hit with one of the largest snowfalls of the season. Accumulating snow won’t arrive until sunrise Tuesday. And 3 to 6 inches will pile up throughout the day, with the highest totals in the northern suburbs, said Tyler Hasenstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.”

In the Pioneer Press, Frederick Melo writes: “Eager for a new ice arena, among other sporting facilities, the University of St. Thomas has made a $61.4 million pitch for the privately owned Town & Country Club golf course on Mississippi River Boulevard in St. Paul. … Officials with the historic Town & Country Club, the site of the oldest golf course in Minnesota, circulated the news among their membership and have contracted a law firm to assess the unsolicited offer. The university is also eyeing land at the Highland Bridge development, site of the former Ford auto manufacturing plant in Highland Park….”

WCCO-TV reports: “A family memorial service will be held Tuesday for a 15-year-old high school student who was fatally shot in north Minneapolis earlier this month. The memorial service for Deshaun Hill will take place at North Central University in downtown Minneapolis. Hill was the quarterback for North Community High School in Minneapolis, where he was also an honor roll student. He was fatally shot on Feb. 9 after school at the intersection of Penn Avenue North and Golden Valley Road.”

Also in the Pioneer Press, Josh Verges writes: The names of at least 21 buildings on the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus could soon be up for review under a revised policy approved this month by the Board of Regents. … A name should stay on a building beyond 75 years only if it ‘serves as an exemplar of the University’s past, present and future and the highest aspiration of the institution’s mission and guiding principles, including the University’s diversity, equity and inclusion goals, and the evolving landscape of University history and achievement,’ the policy reads, in part.”

Also from WCCO-TV: “An inmate attack inside an eastern Minnesota prison left two guards requiring hospitalization over the weekend, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections. The incident took place during a routine cell search Saturday afternoon at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater. One of the officers was treated and released from a Stillwater hospital. The other officer was ‘more significantly injured’ and taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, corrections officials said.”

For Finance & Commerce, Brian Johnson writes, “Sherman Associates has started a $30 million renovation of the historic JI Case building in downtown Minneapolis, the latest investment by the developer in an area hit hard by the pandemic. The top-to-bottom makeover will touch 63,000 square feet of space, with work scopes that include a renovated basement level to house a 4,000-square-foot ‘speakeasy concept,’ new digs for Sherman’s 90 employees, and a 7,500-square-foot foot rooftop patio, Sherman said Monday.”

WCCO-TV reports: “Minnesota State Sen. Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) announced Monday that he’ll be retiring at the end of the year. Newman represents McLeod, Meeker, Sibley, and Wright counties and has chaired the Transportation and Policy Committee since 2017. He says serving the people of the counties has been a ‘privilege of a lifetime.’ Newman says it’s time for a ‘new voice’ to represent the communities he served.”

This from Paul Blume at KMSP-TV, “Police are looking into a bogus advertisement on Craigslist and its connection to a theft at a Minneapolis antique shop that was targeted by thieves on Sunday. The shop, called, Cockadoodledoo Gifts of Bryn Mawr, sells unique gifts, antiques, and other knickknacks. The owner keeps a bunch of inventory out on the curb behind this locked gate. Sunday night, thieves pulled a pickup truck right up onto the sidewalk and helped themselves to thousands of dollars in merchandise.”