Minnesota’s New State Flag
Minnesotans will see a new flag flying over schools, government offices, and public buildings this spring. The State Emblems Redesign Commission approved the new state flag design in January 2024. What Motivated the Redesign? Government officials and numerous citizen groups believe the new design reflects Minnesota better than the previous design. The old design included […]
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Colombia’s New President Gustavo Petro was sworn in as Colombia’s new president on August 7, 2022. This inauguration was historic because Petro is Colombia’s first leftist president and he was a former member of M-19, an urban guerilla group which fought against the nation’s past authoritarian government. For more than fifty years, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of […]
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Native American Leader Dies at 85 Clyde Bellecourt, a co-founder of the American Indian Movement died last week in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was 85 years old. The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a worldwide advocacy group that fights for indigenous people’s civil rights. Currently, it represents more than 375 million indigenous people around the globe. […]
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Derek Chauvin to be Sentenced In April 2021, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was tried and found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. But the story isn’t over yet: Chauvin’s sentencing won’t take place until June 25. How many years he should serve in prison is being hotly debated by the prosecution and the […]
Derek Chauvin Convicted on Three Counts
On March 8, 2021, Derek Chauvin was put on trial for George Floyd’s death. The jury reached a verdict on April 20, 2021, almost eleven months after Floyd’s death. The Charges Against Derek Chauvin Chauvin faced three charges in the death of George Floyd: second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Second-degree murder means killing […]
Protests Occur Nationwide Following George Floyd’s Death
On May 25, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while he was being arrested. A bystander video taken while the arrest occurred shows Floyd, an unarmed African American man, being held on the ground by a white police officer. Officer Derek Chauvin restrained George Floyd by pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck to keep […]
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George Floyd’s Death Spurs Public Protests Last week, a 46-year-old Minneapolis man named George Floyd was killed by police officers. Floyd–who was unarmed–was handcuffed and made to lie face-down on the street while an officer named Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck. Bystander video of the incident shows Floyd begging for the officer to stop […]
The Great DNC Delay
This week’s story update on Election Central explains another aspect of the COVID-19 quarantine–a rescheduling of the Democratic Party’s National Convention. It may seem like this is the presidential primary season that won’t end. And now, it looks like it’s going to last even longer. That’s because the Democratic National Convention has now been pushed […]
Tragedy in Louisiana, Minneapolis, and Dallas
In the wake of celebrating our independence and freedom, the nation has experienced devastating news of continued violence between people and police in a few cities around the nation. Here is an overview summary of the facts and some responses to these tragedies. The Victims and the Incidents Alton Sterling Police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana were called to a […]
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Trump Campaign Manager Charged Last month Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, was charged with one count of “simple battery.” The charge stems from an incident at a March campaign rally in Jupiter, Florida. A reporter named Michelle Fields was allegedly asking Trump a question in a crowd of people and was grabbed and shoved […]