Star Tribune
Itasca County paints over jail’s Ten Commandments
DULUTH – The Ten Commandments display painted inside the Itasca County jail is no more, painted over with two coats.
The list of religious texts stood two stories high inside the jail’s gym until earlier this month, part of a recently completed $75 million justice complex in Grand Rapids. Other inspirational and religious quotes painted inside the jail were also covered, said Brett Skyles, Itasca County administrator.
“Ultimately, it just had to do with defending the situation and how many public dollars might be at risk there,” he said, noting Sheriff Joe Dasovich made the decision to repaint. Dasovich was unavailable for comment Monday.
The oversized display was discovered during tours of the new northeast Minnesota facility. The Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation had received 20 complaints by the end of April, many contending the displays were unconstitutional. It sent a letter to the county asking it to investigate and remove the religious writings.
Last week, residents packed a tense County Board meeting, many criticizing the commissioners for leaving the decision to the sheriff. One man called them cowards for playing to a “very small minority” and another compared the commandments to laws, saying the county may as well do away with speed limits if it’s going to remove the commandments.
Grand Rapids resident Deborah Salisbury pleaded with the board to keep the walls as they were, saying inmates would benefit from exposure to the religious guidance.
“Some don’t even know the name of Jesus until they come in here,” she said.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation argued that the religious displays violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which says government must remain neutral about religion. One quote painted on cell block walls and attributed to former President Ronald Reagan reads, “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”
The foundation said Monday it was pleased that “the Constitution prevailed over the desire of some county officials to create a coercive religious environment.”
“These displays imposed religious views on a literal captive audience,” said its co-president, Annie Laurie Gaylor, in a statement. “Even those who are incarcerated have the right to be free from religion.”
Jail administrator Lucas Thompson made the decision to install the quotes and commandments. The County Board initially determined the size of the project, Skyles said, but it didn’t “pick the color of the carpet or where TVs go or anything in the jail.”
He didn’t have figures readily available for the cost of either paint project.
County commissioners told constituents last week they’d received hundreds of emails, calls and texts about the religious writings, more in favor than against. Several commissioners pointed to their own Christianity and explained they’d prefer to leave the walls untouched.
“I will go down swinging on this one but it has to follow proper channels,” Commissioner Casey Venema said.
Dasovich, elected in 2023, said previously that because voluntary faith-based programs offered at the jail are well-attended, he didn’t foresee opposition from inmates.
Itasca County resident Karen Ferlaak complained to the County Board about the religious nature of the artwork and of the expense.
“I don’t mind sayings on the walls if they’re accurate and they’re not religious-based,” she said, noting some of the quotes were attributed incorrectly. “We’re upset over the cost of having to repaint and the cost for putting it up [in the first place]. We just need to stay in our own lane. It wasn’t well thought out.”
The state Corrections Department ordered the former Itasca County jail replaced because of deterioration. Instead of a 10% increase to property taxes, county residents approved a 1% sales tax in 2022.
Air raid warnings blared for hours as Russia targeted eight regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, the Ukrainian air force said.
Air defenses downed four missiles and 37 drones, and another 47 drones were stopped by electronic jamming, the statement said. The damage was being assessed.
Meanwhile, most of the more than 10,000 North Korean troops sent by Pyongyang to help Moscow in the war are engaged in combat in Russia’s Kursk border region, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters Tuesday. A Ukrainian army incursion into Kursk three months ago has succeeded in holding a broad area of land and has embarrassed the Kremlin.
Russia’s military has trained the North Korean soldiers in artillery, drone skills and basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, Patel said. The cooperation faces challenges, including how to achieve military interoperability and overcoming the language barrier, he said.
Kyiv officials say that Russia has deployed around 50,000 troops to Kursk in a bid to dislodge the Ukrainians.
Russia has in recent months been assembling forces for a counteroffensive in Kursk, according to the Institute for the Study of War think tank, though the timescale of the operation isn’t known.
Star Tribune
Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump’s classified documents case
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith asked a court Wednesday to pause prosecutors’ appeal seeking to revive the classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump in light of the Republican’s presidential victory.
Smith’s team has been evaluating how to wind down the classified documents and the federal 2020 election interference case in Washington before Trump takes office because of longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.
The case accusing Trump of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate had been seen as the most legally clear-cut of the four indictments against Trump, given the breadth of evidence that prosecutors say they had accumulated. That included the testimony of close aides and former lawyers, and because the conduct at issue occurred after Trump left the White House in 2021 and lost the powers of the presidency.
But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July, ruling that Smith was illegally appointed by the Justice Department. Smith had appealed her ruling to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals before Trump’s presidential win last week over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Prosecutors asked the 11th Circuit in a court filing Wednesday to pause the appeal to ”afford the Government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.” Smith’s team said it would ”inform the Court of the result of its deliberations” no later than Dec. 2.
The judge overseeing the federal case in Washington accusing Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election canceled all upcoming deadlines in the case last week after Smith’s team made a similar request.
Smith is expected to leave his post before Trump takes office, but special counsels are expected to produce reports on their work that historically are made public, and it remains unclear when such a document might be released.
First, they must live in St. Paul. Then, their incomes must be no more than 400% of current Federal Poverty Guidelines — about $120,000/year for a family of four — or their medical debt must be 5% or more of their annual income. Also, only debt owed to participating providers like hospitals will qualify for the program.
“Health is not only about buildings, hospitals, or clinics — health care is about meeting the needs of patients where they are and doing whatever we can to improve health outcomes and decrease cost,” Fairview Health Services President and CEO James Hereford said in a statement.
Undue Medical Debt CEO and President Allison Sesso also issued a statement, which read, in part: “Medical debt is a psychological burden, in addition to a financial one, that can cause patients to avoid necessary care.”
She added: “Simply having medical debt creates stress which undermines people’s health.”
Officials said national medical debt has reached about $220 billion and affects more than 100 million Americans. About 54% of insured adults carry medical debt, officials said, while 41% of people without insurance face even greater challenges, often delaying necessary care in order to pay for food and housing.
In Minnesota, the Medical Debt Fairness Act that recently went into effect bans medical debt from being reported to credit reporting agencies. It also ensures medical providers cannot withhold medical care despite unpaid debt. St. Paul and Undue Medical Debt officials said they hope to partner with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to explore ways to build on the Debt Fairness Act.
