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Friends remember transgender woman shot, killed in Minneapolis
“Nobody deserves to die this way,” said Celeste Grignon-Juarez, a friend of Williams.
MINNEAPOLIS — Savannah Ryan Williams’ friends say she grew during Tea Time, a support group for transgender women, at The Aliveness Project.
There, she would join others to talk about issues, fears and joy.
On Wednesday, the group gathered for another reason. They talked about Savannah Ryan Williams’ alleged murder and hate toward their community.
“She was full of life,” said Luna Hernandez, who met her at the group. “It’s very unfortunate that her life got taken away.”
Court documents say 25-year-old Damarean Kaylon Bible admitted to shooting Williams in the head. He told police she approached him for a sexual encounter but he began to feel “suspicious.” After the act, he shot and killed her, according to paperwork. Bible confessed after police found surveillance video of him at the scene near the Lake Street light rail station.
Paperwork says while in jail, Bible told his dad he “just murdered someone.” It reads that he felt sorry for killing the victim and knew he wasn’t God, but he “had to do it.”
“It’s a hate crime,” said Amber Muhm, who finds a feeling of safety at Tea Time.
“We have a right to life,” said State Representative Leigh Finke. “Savannah had a right to live; she should be alive. There is no other detail that matters. Being murdered and being murdered in the way that this happened is gruesome.”
Finke used to go to Tea Time. She shares feelings of anxiety with the women here.
“It just needs to stop,” said Muhm. “We have to be able to walk in public and just be constantly looking over our shoulder and constantly worried about what’s going to happen.”
“We are people at the end of the day and we are humans just like everybody else,” said Celeste Grignon-Juarez, who got to know Williams over the past few months. “Losing her so tragically after her making so many great improvements in life was really sad. Nobody deserves to die this way. But it’s not an uncommon way for trans women to die this way.”
“The loss of yet another member of our trans community is a source of deep pain for all of us,” read a statement from The Aliveness Project. “Acts of discrimination, bigotry, and hatred have no place in our community.”
Bible’s bail is set at $1 million. The Aliveness Project says folks in the community can go to Tea Time if they have feelings of uncertainty.
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Minnesota voters approve extending lottery funds to environment
Voters first approved the constitutional amendment back in 1988.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Voters in Minnesota overwhelmingly said yes to a constitutional amendment that renews the use of proceeds from the Minnesota Lottery for environmental projects and causes across the state.
The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund was up for renewal in the 2024 election. About 77.5% of constituents voted yes, renewing the source of funding until 2050 and additionally, increasing the dollars that can be spent annually from this fund, according to the Associated Press.
With 99% of the vote reported, only 16.2% of voters said no to the amendment.
Minnesota voters first approved the constitutional amendment in 1988, opting to dedicate a portion of lottery proceeds to the fund. Each year since the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources has worked to help disperse that funding for projects that reflect Minnesota’s love of the outdoors and preservation of the environment.
Those projects have included research on drinking water, wastewater and air quality. They have also helped fund new parks, trails and campsites; supported loon and bison populations; and fostered outdoor activities. Lottery proceeds have provided more than $1 billion since 1988.
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Special election gives control of Minnesota State Senate to Dems
DFL Sen. Kelly Morrison resigned her seat to run for Congress, prompting a special election.
MINNETONKA, Minn — The stakes were high in west metro suburbs going into this election. Voters in Senate District 45 had a special election to determine the balance of power in St. Paul.
Voters in the district chose DFLer Ann Johnson Stewart with 52.43%% of the vote, over Republican Kathleen Fowke, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State.
This was the only Senate District with an election Tuesday. The other 66 districts won’t be in play until 2026, because senators currently serving were elected to four-year terms back in 2022. But DFL Sen. Kelly Morrison resigned her seat to run for Congress, prompting a special election to replace Morrison in SD45 the same day as the November 5 General Election.
Morrison’s departure left the chamber deadlocked at 33 Democrats and 33 Republicans. Now, when lawmakers come back for the 2025 Session, the DFL will have a one-seat advantage.
Johnson Stewart is a civil engineer who served a two-year term in 2021-2022 Legislature. As a result of redistricting in 2022, she ended up in the same district as Morrison, who won the DFL endorsement in SD45.
She told KARE 11 in an October interview she wants to solve the water supply and wastewater treatment issues in the district, which wraps around Lake Minnetonka.
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Minnesota college students excited to vote for the first time
Steve Simon visited a polling location at the Lakeville Water Treatment Facility on Tuesday morning.
LAKEVILLE, Minn. — Leading up to Election Day, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said he’s hopeful for two things: high voter turnout and low drama. Speaking from a polling place in Lakeville Tuesday morning, Simon said that’s exactly what he’s seeing at polling locations across the state.
When polls opened at 7 a.m. on Election Day, Simon said more than 1.2 Minnesotans had already voted absentee and by mail.
“It’s a good day to be a Minnesotan,” he said. “We were number one in America for three out of the last four elections including the last presidential election, and we want to get back to number one, back to that top spot, today.”
As of Tuesday morning, the Secretary of State’s office said about 128,000 absentee ballots had not yet been returned. Simon urged anyone who has not returned their absentee ballot to deliver it in person or have someone they trust to deliver it on their behalf.
Dakota County Director of Elections Michelle Blue said roughly 40% of voters in the county voted early.
Still, the line to vote at the Lakeville Water Treatment Facility was constant and steady Tuesday morning. Despite a soggy start to Election Day, many people stepped outside to cast their ballots — some for the very first time.
“This is my first time voting, so it’s really exciting,” St. Olaf College student Rylan Nakamura said. “We have a polling place at St. Olaf College, so it made it really accessible and easy, and it was really exciting.”
St. Olaf is a campus well-known for encouraging civic engagement. On Oct. 28, the Secretary of State recognized the school for having the highest voter turnout of any college in Minnesota during the previous election.
Simon reiterated that Minnesota’s election results should be readily available by Wednesday morning. However, that is likely not the case for several other states.
“It’s no surprise that in those battleground states, they will be counting into tomorrow and the next day and maybe the next day,” Simon said. “It’s not a sign that someone did anything wrong. It’s not a sign that there’s any unlawful activity. It’s a sign that they’re following their state laws, and I just want to condition everyone and talk about that in terms of expectations.”