Replace Minneapolis Police? Judge Says No To Ballot Proposal

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, Sept. 8, and here are a few things to catch up on amid a shorter-than-usual work week.

• A judge has thrown out a potential ballot proposal that would replace the police department in Minneapolis, where George Floyd died while in police custody over a year ago. The judge said the proposal was “unreasonable and misleading.”
• First Lady Jill Biden has returned to in-person teaching, going back to the classroom at Northern Virginia Community College for the first time since taking residence at the White House.
• California’s wildfires have now caused more than 2,000 acres worth of damage.
• A Robert E. Lee statue will be taken down on Wednesday. The event will be livestreamed.

Police Replacement Ballot Proposal Tossed

The “defund the police” movement, spurred further by the 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, won’t lead to the replacement of the department that employed Derek Chauvin, the former officer convicted in Floyd’s death. At least not this year, it appears.

A Hennepin County judge threw out a Nov. 2 ballot proposal that would, if approved, replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a public safety department.

The judge said the proposal, written by the Minneapolis City Council, was “unreasonable and misleading” as written. The proposal’s language, according to the judge, “failed to meet the most basic standards of transparency.”

The City Council not only made the proposal, but over rid a veto from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey before it reached the judge’s desk. Read the full story on Southwest Minneapolis, Minnesota, Patch

2 Million Acres Burned

More than 2 million acres of land have been burned across California since the beginning of 2021, a result of more than 7,100 wildfires that have been sparked in the Golden State.

Among the most concerning, the Caldor fire has devoured 216,646 acres, at only half containment as of Tuesday. Tens of thousands of people have already fled from South Lake Tahoe as the fire nears the popular tourist resort area.

Read more from Los Angeles Patch

First Lady Returns To In-Person Teaching

First Lady Jill Biden made history on Tuesday when she returned to the classroom as a writing professor at Northern Virginia Community College. The first lady taught virtually last semester, and made her in-person pandemic teaching debut the day after Labor Day. She is teaching College Composition I during the fall semester.

Biden is the only first lady in U.S. history to have worked a full-time job while living at the White House, according to The Associated Press.

Read more from Del Ray, Virginia, Patch

Robert E. Lee Statue Coming Down

A 12-ton statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee will be taken down in Richmond, the capital city of Virginia, on Wednesday.

Confederate monuments have been coming down in Virginia and other Southern States in recent years, but the removal of the statue of the Confederate general will be different from others that had little fanfare.

It will be livestreamed.

"Virginia's largest monument to the Confederate insurrection will come down this week," Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said. "This is an important step in showing who we are and what we value as a commonwealth."

Read more from Richmond, Virginia, Patch

Mail-In Voting Restrictions

An effort to restrict mail-in voting in Texas has apparently succeeded, with Gov. Greg Abbott signing into law a new bill that imposes a number of new hurdles.

The new law will ban 24-hour and drive-thru voting and restricts the hours counties can offer early voting to between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. It also blocks counties from sending unsolicited mail-in voting applications.

Read more from Austin, Texas, Patch

Ivermectin Reversal

A judge in Ohio reversed another judge’s decision, meaning West Chester Hospital does not need to treat a coronavirus patient with ivermectin.

Judge Michael Oster said there is no medical evidence supporting the use of the anti-parasite in treating people with the virus.

Read more from Cleveland Patch

MTV VMAs: What To Know

MTV’s music video awards will go on Sunday night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Justin Bieber, rapper Megan Thee Stallion and Billie Eilish are the leading nominations for the awards. Performances will include Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello and Lil Nas X.

Read more from Park Slope, New York, Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

• Man Tied Dog To Rod, Left Him To Drown, via Malden, Massachusetts, Patch
• Deputy’s Family Escapes Afghanistan, via Sarasota, Florida, Patch
• Doe Rescued By Fishing Charter, via New Rochelle, New York, Patch
• Alderwoman Accused Of Embezzling Campaign Funds, via Milwaukee Patch
• Hockey Player Paralyzed After Serious Injury, via Milton, Massachusetts, Patch
• County Commissioner Dies Of COVID-19 Complications, via Miami Patch

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