John Lyght earned enough respect from his neighbors to be elected County Sheriff five times. Now retired, Lyght told MPR's Bob Kelleher today he's the only black person in the sparsely populated county. Friday, May 7 Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to block Minnetonka-based Cargill's planned acquisition of Continental Grain Company's grain business. Hatch says the deal would hurt farmers and consumers and he's urging other state Attorneys General to join him in opposing it. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of Minnesota's landmark tobacco settlement.
At the time, then-Minnesota Attorney General Skip Humphrey proclaimed the tobacco industry had surrendered on the state's terms. The money has started to come in but little has been spent. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki checks back with the leading characters of the case to get their thoughts one year after the historic trial. Organizer John Birrenbach is a Ventura supporter who has been active in efforts to legalize hemp and medical marijuana. The governor has said he supports both issues, but Charlie Weaver, his commissioner of public safety didn't, and neither measure passed the Legislature.