MPD

Minneapolis City Council candidate Melissa Hill says she’ll likely appeal a Pittsburgh court’s ruling today that her conduct last month during a political demonstration was disorderly.

Minneapolis City Council debates are generally polite, drowsy affairs. But Ward Five has a reputation for boisterous, even unruly, political discourse. That might explain why more than 100 people showed up at the Capri Theater on Tuesday night to watch five city council candidates debate the issues.

In Minneapolis’ southeast corner, all candidates for the city council share concerns about saving small businesses and keeping big developers in check. But beyond this agreement, the three candidates vying for the seat now held by Sandy Colvin Roy offer distinct choices for Ward 12 voters.

The White House announced Tuesday that President Obama has nominated Sharon Lubinski, Minneapolis’ Assistant Chief of Police, as the U.S. Marshal for the District of Minnesota. Lubinski is also one of the first — if not the first — openly gay person to be nominated for the position.

Four years ago, Barb Johnson was the only incumbent Minneapolis city council member who didn’t attract any opponents. But this year she faces three challengers to the post her family has held since 1975.

There are currently just two Hmong police officers assigned to Minneapolis’ 4th Precinct, both of whom work overnight shifts. North Side residents want at least one Hmong-speaking cop on the day shift to help foster better communications with the Minneapolis Police Department. But achieving that may be harder than it would seem.

Don Samuels cites plunging crime rates and signs of economic progress on the North Side as evidence of his effectiveness at City Hall. His opponents paint him as aloof and out of touch with the concerns of most residents.

Jason Andersen, the police officer who shot and killed Fong Lee (pictured), has been fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. The development comes after the fourth-year officer was arrested following a domestic disturbance in June. A criminal charge against Anderson was dismissed two weeks ago, but apparently the incident prompted an internal affairs investigation that [...]

Minneapolis police removed Rosemary Williams from the home she owned for nearly three decades on Friday afternoon. The 60-year-old grandmother had vowed to stay in the residence on the 3100 block of Clinton Avenue even after the home went into foreclosure and sheriff’s deputies evicted her last month. She almost immediately re-entered the property and continued to live there. In a confrontation with police, Williams was again evicted and seven protesters were arrested.

U.S. Rep. John Kline knows his buttons. As a Marine, he stayed at the side of Presidents Reagan and Carter, carrying the satchel known as the “nuclear football” that holds the how-to kit for pressing the most fearsome button of all. Now he’s once again the go-to guy, carrying the ball for Republicans who want [...]