80-year-old inspires by striving for GED

Today’s forecast

Minneapolis officials detail crisis response updates following George Floyd report

One year after initially receiving an after-action report detailing the city and state’s collective response to the George Floyd protest and riots, Minneapolis city leaders outlined efforts to ensure the systemic communication failures found could be prevented in future events.

On March 8, 2022, the Minneapolis City Council received an after-action report on the city’s response to the protests and riots in Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd. 

The after-action review was highly critical of the way Mayor Frey and city hall functioned, citing disarray, confusion among department heads over leadership structure particularly at the Minneapolis Police Department, as well as the delayed deployment of the National Guard. Mayor Frey promised major improvements have been made in the years since, but the work to improve is ongoing.

After reviewing more than 30 hours of body-cam footage and conducting interviews with dozens of officers, the report concluded that rank-and-file officers responding to the unrest not only lacked clear orders or communication from command staff, they also “were not provided with consistent rules of engagement or control,” especially as it concerned the use of “less-lethal” rounds and chemical munitions. 

The report provided 27 recommendations to improve upon, Mayor Frey reported the city has already successfully completed 17 of those recommendations with the other 10 currently in progress. Another area of improvement has been the change to the “strong Mayor” system of executive powers that provides a clearer direction of authority for departments, Frey said on Thursday.

Catch Up Quick 

🍴 A bill that will provide free school lunches to all students in Minnesota is set to become law.Governor Walz’s team says he will sign the bill on Friday after a modified version was approved by the Minnesota House on Thursday.

🔴 Xcel Energy is cleaning up a leak at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant after 400,000 gallons of water contaminated with radioactive tritium leaked from pipes at the plant. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) said on Thursday, March 16, the leak was reported in late November 2022 after Xcel Energy found unusual results while conducting routine groundwater testing. 

⚖️ A St. Cloud woman plead guilty in federal court for her role in coordinating drug shipments from Mexico into the U.S., according to the Department of Justice. Macalla Lee Knott, 30, pleaded guilty in North Dakota federal court on Monday to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, money laundering conspiracy and continuing criminal enterprise. 

🌟 An asteroid the size of a house that was discovered Monday is projected to pass by Earth on Friday. The near-Earth object, called 2023 EY, has been posted on NASA’s asteroid database and listed as one of the next five asteroid approaches. Scientists estimate it is about 54 feet wide.

80-year-old Hutchinson man inspires by striving for his GED

An 80-year-old Hutchinson man is earning the title “lifelong learner” by inching his way toward getting his GED and inspiring teachers and fellow students along the way.

Sam Flom thought he knew everything school could teach him by the tenth grade, so he dropped out and joined the workforce.

65 years later — after stints in construction, in the Army, as a janitor and a gambling manager — he has one regret about never getting a diploma.

Sam’s wife passed away 13 years ago, and he wanted social interaction after retiring, so he started GED classes at Hutchinson Basic Adult Education in 2021.

More than 400 classroom hours later, he’s passed GED tests in science and social studies.

One point better is all he needs on his two remaining test subjects, and he plans to pass in the next month, so he can go through graduation in May.

He has goals beyond getting his GED, including taking a computer class and possibly volunteering at the school.

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