Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · 5d

Cool! 612.964.0105, hit me up sometime

elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · 5d

Fair enough. If you want to stay connected another way I’m happy to get coffee or something to get to know each other

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · 5d

Happy to chat about it

elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · 5d

Hi Dan. I’m a NE resident and also a reporter for the Strib. If you don’t mind media in the group, I’d love to be included

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · 5d

You can pass on my number: 612.964.0105

A state law has prevented school and workplace shootings, but enforcement is inconsistent

elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · 16d

Public records show that the state’s red flag gun law has helped law enforcement confiscate guns from people with violent plans. Some counties, though, have rarely or never used it, raising worry about gaps in its effectiveness:

Public records show that the state’s red flag gun law has helped law enforcement confiscate guns from people with violent plans. Some counties, though, have rarely or never used it, raising worry abou...

After a violent summer in Minneapolis, a plea for transparency

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Reposted by elliot hughes

gretchen brown, real snoopy enjoyer @gretchenbrown.bsky.social · 19d

I interviewed Minneapolis City Council Member Katie Cashman @ward7.minneapolismn.gov, who is asking MPD to add clearance rates -- which indicate whether cases have been solved -- to the city's crime dashboard

Minneapolis City Council member Katie Cashman is asking for crime clearance rates to be added to the city's public website, and for the police department to release the data as soon as the end of Octo...

www.mprnews.org

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · 28d

Moriarty provided a report from 2017 which showed that of 20,170 Minneapolis Police Department traffic stops for moving and equipment violations, less than 0.5% led to a gun charge and 2.71% led to a drug charge.

Hennepin County will limit felony charges stemming from low-level traffic stops

County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the new policy addresses historical targeting of Black drivers.

A Willmar family fights a father’s deportation as a daughter’s quinceañera nears

elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Sep 14

Here's a gift link to a story I worked on for about two months. I profiled a Honduran family in Willmar whose father has no violent criminal history, yet is facing deportation.

w/ photos from the great Elizabeth Flores, via @startribune.com

A 37-year-old man has been in immigration custody since February. He and his family fear violence in Honduras.

Inside Annunciation Church, terror and heroism as an attack unfolded

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Aug 28

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. Mass shootings occur daily in this country.

“The thing that’s going to stick with me,” said Shea McAdaragh, a parent who witnessed the shooting, “was when I said you guys can get up, and I knew some kids weren’t going to get up.”

Homelessness down by a third in state’s largest county since 2020 high

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Aug 26

But the funding that supports this work is increasingly at risk. Pandemic money is gone, and a lot of the federal resources that back housing stability programs are in question as the Trump administration slashes federal spending:

Withering federal support and the sunset of pandemic-era programs has some Hennepin County officials worried about losing ground again.

A guide to consuming cannabis safely

elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Aug 14

And here's a gift link for non-subscribers! www.startribune.com/a-safety-gui...

What’s safer: smoking, vaping or edibles? How long should you wait to drive a car?

A guide to consuming cannabis safely

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Aug 14

Thanks for pointing that out! I just asked if we can take the paywall down for this story. Until then, here's a gift link: www.startribune.com/a-safety-gui...

What’s safer: smoking, vaping or edibles? How long should you wait to drive a car?

A guide to consuming cannabis safely

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Aug 14

As Minnesota's cannabis market opens up, you might be wondering, what’s safer: smoking, vaping or edibles? How long should you wait to drive a car? What does dependency look like?

What’s safer: smoking, vaping or edibles? How long should you wait to drive a car?

Mary Moriarty will not seek a second term as Hennepin County Attorney

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Aug 7

Mary Moriarty will not seek a second term as Hennepin County Attorney:

The surprise announcement comes as Moriarty hopes to put more attention on the reform efforts of her office than the controversies that have swirled around some of her charging decisions.

Lessons from a first-timer on what not to do in the Boundary Waters

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Reposted by elliot hughes

Alex Chhith @alexchhith.bsky.social · Aug 4

My story on going to the Boundary Waters for the first time is up!! This is one where you won’t be afraid of looking at the comment section!! #outdoors #minnesota

www.startribune.com/what-not-to-...

Easy routes through beautiful terrain come with one problem: Everyone is there.

Draw your own map of Uptown to help settle the neighborhood’s boundaries

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Jul 25

You can also enter the debate yourself and draw your own Uptown border:

Tell us where your Uptown begins and ends: Lake and Lyndale? West of Bde Maka Ska?

Various sources yield everything from maximalist expanses to tightly bound to W. Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue.

elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Jul 25

Nobody can agree on where Uptown starts and ends. Is there a true definition?

MPR’s parent company announces layoffs due to state and federal funding cuts

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Reposted by elliot hughes

Aleesa @akuzee.bsky.social · Jul 24

Tough day in the newsroom, and for our colleagues at The Current and YourClassical.
5-8% layoffs for our company coming down the pike.
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...

American Public Media Group leadership announced Thursday that it will be laying off employees and making other cost reductions after state and federal funding cuts led to a $6 million budget gap.

www.mprnews.org

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Jul 20

I will say that last night I saw “Eddington” and there were audible groans in the audience when footage of Jacob Frey made a surprise cameo

Minneapolis DFL convention endorses democratic socialist Omar Fateh for mayor over Jacob Frey

Incumbent Frey’s campaign said he’ll appeal Fateh’s Saturday victory in the party’s mayoral endorsement.

Will the Minneapolis DFL endorse a democratic socialist for mayor? It could happen Saturday.

elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Jul 17

The suspense is whether state Sen. Omar Fateh, a democratic socialist, will win the endorsement, or whether two-term Mayor Jacob Frey will succeed in blocking Fateh, resulting in the party issuing no endorsement:

The city’s DFL convention will pit democratic socialist state Sen. Omar Fateh against Mayor Jacob Frey.

Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis to reopen to the public Aug. 9

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Jul 8

The full length of Minneapolis’ Stone Arch Bridge is set to reopen to the public Aug. 9 following more than a year of repairs:

The bridge, which has closed in halved sections since spring 2024, will reopen with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring food trucks and other entertainment.

Walking Minneapolis, from top to bottom

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elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Jul 3

walking great distances wahoo!!!!!

We trekked (almost) the vertical length of the city, a novel way to experience the place you live. Just be sure to pack a rain jacket.

Inside Amazon’s Shakopee warehouse, new state law puts spotlight on worker safety

elliot hughes @elliotshughes.bsky.social · Jul 2

The safety record of Amazon's Fulfillment Center in Shakopee has drawn scrutiny for years. More than a year after new statewide safety regulations have taken hold, workers still say the company is not doing enough to keep them safe:

The state has begun to take enforcement action against companies including Amazon that are slow to adopt the new regulations, which are meant to reduce injuries.