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Students march after member threatens to stall budget
Matt Audette wrote on Facebook that he and two other members can’t vote in favor because the budget funds gender and racial equity programs.
ANOKA, Minn. — The Anoka-Hennepin school board met for the first time Monday since board member Matt Audette threatened to not vote in favor of the 2024-25 budget.
One of its members, Matt Audette, is threatening a showdown if the district doesn’t get rid of a laundry list of programs around gender and racial equity. Audette wrote a lengthy Facebook post on April 12 that, in part, says, “It is time to put a stop to the spreading of divisive, one-sided views, training, and learning that go against the values and beliefs of many families, students, and staff in our community.”
In response, hundreds of students gathered and held a unity march ahead of the meeting and included several speakers like junior Sydney Oundo.
“I was flabbergasted because I think when we think about Minnesota is we don’t think about things like this happening to us,” said Oundo. “I think what made me so surprised and hurt is knowing this can happen to anybody in any state.”
There are six board members and Audette claims two other members support him. Without a majority, the budget won’t pass and state law requires districts approve a budget by July 1. If that doesn’t happen, a district can’t spend any money and it will essentially cease operations — including teacher salaries and health insurance to grounds keeping and construction projects.
The dozens of people speaking out during public comment which lasted hours, with many of them asking for everyone to unite and compromise.
There were a few people who spoke out in support of Audette, one of them saying, “Keep social justice out of the classroom and focus on academics.”
The board members have not responded to KARE 11 interview requests and only two issued a written statement that co-chair Kacy Deschene reiterated at the meeting that said, in part, “No decisions have been made or direction given involving these matters. The School Board remains committed to our shared leadership model, working together to find a path forward.”
The board will formally adopt the budget next month and discussions will continue around whether to pass it. The district is grappling with a budget deficit and has to make some $25 million in reductions over the next two years.
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ST PAUL, Minn. — Como Park Zoo & Conservatory debuted Wednesday the names of two ferocious new faces.
The twin cubs were born Aug. 29 as the first Amur tiger births at Como Zoo in more than 40 years. Longtime volunteers named them Marisa and Maks.
Volunteers named the female cub Marisa after a retired zookeeper who took care of large cats for 43 years at the park, according to Como Park’s website. The male cub was dubbed Maks, which volunteers said reflected his confident personality and early leadership skills.
“It’s incredibly meaningful to have long-term volunteers, who have spent years educating the public about our large cats, help shape this important moment in the cubs’ lives,” Como Park Zoo & Conservatory’s Director Michelle Furrer said on its website. “Marisa and Maks aren’t just names; they’re a fun reminder of the passion and care that keep us committed to protecting wildlife every day.”
The cubs and their mother Bernadette are staying in a private maternity den, not visible to the public. This is the first birth for 7-year-old Bernadette and the cubs’ father Tsar.
Occupants of the home on Nelson Street told fire crews everyone escaped the home but crews soon located an unconscious man in the basement.
ST PAUL, Minn. — A man is in unknown condition after being pulled from a burning home in St. Paul early Thursday.
St. Paul fire officials said engines were called to a home on the 10 block of Nelson St. just before 3 a.m. on reports of a fire. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from a tuck-under garage of the two-story structure.
A number of people who escaped the home told firefighters that everyone was out, and the fire was knocked down. While searching the home crews discovered a man unconscious in the basement and pulled him from the home.
The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition. At this time there is no word on his current status.
Investigators say it appears the fire started in the garage and did not extend to the main living area, but the home was filled with thick, black smoke and likely experienced water damage. It is unknown if there were working smoke detectors in the house.
St. Paul fire and police investigators are working together to determine the cause of the fire.
CHANHASSEN, Minn. — Predicted weather conditions have triggered a Red Flag Warning for virtually the entire state of Minnesota Thursday, indicating an extreme danger for wildfires.
The National Weather Service (NWS) says the forecast – extremely low humidity and dewpoints and wind gusts in the neighborhood of 40 mph – will exacerbate already tinder-dry conditions, increasing the likelihood that a wildfire could spark and quickly spread.
Here are the counties impacted, and when Red Flag Warnings will be in effect.
8:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. – Northwest Minnesota: Becker, Beltrami, Clay, Clearwater, Grant, Hubbard, Kittson, Lake Of The Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, Wadena and Wilkin.
11:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. – Central and southern Minnesota: Anoka, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Chippewa, Chisago, Cottonwood, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Isanti, Jackson, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Olmsted, Pipestone, Pope, Ramsey, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Rock, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns, Steele, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wabasha, Waseca, Washington, Watonwan, Winona, Wright and Yellow Medicine.
12:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. – Northeast Minnesota: Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca, Koochiching, Pine, and St. Louis.
Additionally a Special Weather Statement has been issued for Cook and Lake counties in northeast Minnesota where wind and relative humidity are predicted to produce near-critical fire weather conditions. Outdoor burning is not advised.
Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is telling residents to refrain from burning in counties where a Red Flag Warning is in effect, and to check any recent burning to ensure the fire is completely out. The DNR will not issue or activate open burning permits for large vegetative debris burning during a Red Flag Warning, and campfires are strongly discouraged.
“When fire risk is this high it’s important to be careful with anything could spark a wildfire,” said Karen Harrison, DNR wildfire prevention specialist.
