Hennepin County attorney faces a backlash over her decisions. But she vows to press on.

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Voters in Minnesota’s most populous county elected Mary Moriarty as their top prosecutor after she promised to deliver change in a community where George Floyd was murdered and a nationwide reckoning on racism in the criminal justice system was born.

After Moriarty, a former public defender, became the Hennepin County attorney in January 2023, she vowed to make police more accountable and change the culture of an office she believes had long overemphasized punishment without addressing the root causes of crime.

Her election came as the Minneapolis area was still reeling from the 2020 murder of Floyd by a police officer and the resulting protests and prosecutions of police. Moriarty’s two immediate predecessors had been in office for a combined 31 years, and her promises of dramatic changes had the backing of the state Democratic Party, community leaders and voters hungry for a new approach.

But only 18 months after beginning her four-year term, Moriarty faces fierce backlash, even among some former supporters. Her critics have questioned her decisions to seek lighter sentences for violent crimes in some cases and to divert more people to programs rather than jail.

Moriarty has had public spats with the state’s Democratic governor, and in some cases, she has been caught between groups with divergent political views.

She bore heavy criticism from police officers, local officials and some progressive activists after she charged a white state trooper for the fatal shooting of a Black man last summer, only to later reverse course and drop the charges.

Leaders with the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association had waged a high-profile campaign urging Tim Walz, the state’s Democratic governor, to reassign the prosecution away from Moriarty. Recently, the association filed an ethics complaint against Moriarty, alleging she knowingly made false statements about the case, a claim she has denied. Meanwhile, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that Moriarty initially hired to handle the trooper’s prosecution ended up billing Hennepin County for $578,000. The firm’s lawyers eventually concluded that the defense had a strong case.

Even as Moriarty remains committed to her approach, she acknowledged that some of her initial support has dwindled.

“There have been times I’ve asked myself, Is this the city where George Floyd was murdered? But at the same time, if I look historically, anytime there’s been progress, there’s always backlash,” Moriarty said. “There’s nothing different about this than when people in the past have tried to change systems that have been in place for decades.”

Moriarty was elected among of a wave of progressive district attorneys who took office following the murder of Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. In Oregon, voters in May replaced a progressive district attorney with a centrist candidate backed by police groups who vowed to be tough on crime in the Portland area amid frustrations over violence tied to homelessness and drug use. That same month in California’s Bay Area, Alameda County supervisors set a recall election for a district attorney who ran on a platform of offender rehabilitation and police accountability.

The crop of progressive prosecutors promised a more thoughtful approach to holding people accountable, but for many it has been a challenge that has left them vulnerable to complaints that they have endangered public safety.

Moriarty, a former chief public defender for the county, was elected over a former judge with nearly 58% of the vote.

Some of her former supporters now say her approach has gone too far. Matt Pelikan, a former Democratic candidate for attorney general who donated to Moriarty’s campaign, said the office under Moriarty has taken a permissive approach, resulting in some criminals getting released from custody, only to quickly reoffend.

“I supported Mary because I believed, and I still believe, that the old formula wasn’t working,” Pelikan said. “But I think Mary has gone further and not abided by the goals of that office, which are safety and justice.”

Under Moriarty’s leadership, more cases have been subject to “diversion,” which often involves referring someone who has committed a crime to a program they must complete so they can avoid jail time.

Jared Mollenkof, who worked with Moriarty as a public defender, said she has made juvenile prosecutions fairer by restructuring the county’s approach to prosecuting juveniles, emphasizing alternatives to incarceration.

“I think that there has been a real refocusing to allow prosecutors to make offers that were previously unavailable to them, either due to office policy or just for monitoring perceptions of what was acceptable,” Mollenkof said.

In 2023, the number of youth cases diverted by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office increased by 36% compared with 2022. For adult cases, that number increased by 81% in 2023 compared with 2022.

Moriarty’s office said initial data shows that those who have participated in diversion programs are less likely to reoffend than those cases that aren’t diverted. Critics say Moriarty has downplayed the concerns of crime victims and damaged public trust in her office.

Martha Holton Dimick, the former judge whom Moriarty defeated in 2022, said Moriarty is making decisions based on gripes she developed as a career public defender battling with attorneys from the same office she now leads.

“I told people on the campaign trail that this was her revenge tour,” Dimick said.

In an interview, Mike Freeman, Moriarty’s predecessor, declined to speak in detail about Moriarty’s performance but said he thinks some of her juvenile justice initiatives had “gone too far” and that the office had lost a number of experienced attorneys since she was elected.

One of those attorneys is Gretchen Gray-Larson, who worked at the county attorney’s office for 33 years. She said she is against “draconian” drug laws and favors a progressive approach to prosecution. But last July, she decided to retire, in part, because she didn’t want to work for Moriarty. She said her colleagues who have stayed have been overwhelmed by the departures and a stifling atmosphere.

“People are afraid to talk,” Gray-Larson said. “The morale is horrible.”

According to internal staff figures obtained at the end of June, Larson is one of more than 150 staffers to have left their positions with the office since the month Moriarty was elected. Overall employment at the office had risen by 21 staffers, though that figure includes administrative positions other than attorneys.

Now, Moriarty said she is delivering changes that have forced some prosecutors to interrogate uncomfortable truths about past failures.

“This is true of many prosecutors who were in office for decades, there is sometimes a difficulty in looking at your career and what you’ve done and acknowledging that you have done harm.”

Among Moriarty’s supporters, there is a sense that she has been kneecapped by entrenched leaders at the city and state levels.

Chaz Neal, 47, grew up in Minneapolis and, until a few months ago, resided in one of the city’s higher crime neighborhoods. Neal is Black, a political conservative and has a criminal record. Despite his right-leaning views, he supports Moriarty because of his experiences navigating the criminal justice system.

“I feel like if people look at her policies and read them, they will see that she is for the people,” Neal said.

Moriarty said she will run for reelection and plans to keep pursuing changes, regardless of any backlash.

“There are people, who have been critical, who are concerned about their own political ambitions and kind of pandering to whatever group they think will help them,” Moriarty said. “I have not done that.”

 

Rookie David Festa has promising start in Twins’ loss

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NEW YORK — The Twins were unable to come to an agreement on a trade that would have brought another starter into the fold ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. That means they’ll have to be reliant on those already within the organization.

And on Tuesday, they got a good look at a starter whom they expect to be part of their future. Though the Twins fell 2-0 to the New York Mets on Tuesday night at Citi Field, rookie David Festa was solid in his outing, giving up two runs on three hits in his five innings of work.

Byron Buxton #25 of the Minnesota Twins strikes out to end the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

After getting hit around in his first two major league starts, allowing 12 runs through 10 innings, Tuesday night marked the second straight promising effort from Festa, who is currently pitching in the rotation spot that had been occupied by the now-injured Chris Paddack.

In his last appearance, he cooled the Philadelphia Phillies’ lineup, one of the best in baseball, giving up one run in 4 1/3 innings in a bulk relief appearance.

While Paddack is injured and the Twins feel good about the top of their rotation led by Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, Festa, the organization’s top pitching prospect, was among the starters mentioned by president of baseball operations Derek Falvey as those whom they are looking to to step up.

“We’re going to have a lot of young guys that are going to have to play a role for us,” Falvey said. “These guys are going to be part of our future. They’re part of our present and future with (Simeon Woods Richardson) and Festa and Louie Varland and guys like Zebby Matthews and others that are down in Triple-A that could find a way. So these guys all need to be ready to contribute to the group, hopefully in a postseason setting.”

On Tuesday, the New Jersey native gave up a run in the fourth inning after a walk, balk, wild pitch and J.D. Martinez single, and one more in the fifth on a Mark Vientos home run. But he struck out six and generally faired well in his homecoming in front of a group of family and friends.

Despite his efforts, he took the loss as the Twins’ offense was quieted by Mets starter Sean Manaea, who fanned 11, walked just one and allowed just two hits in his seven innings.

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Blue Earth County commissioners consider removing flood-damaged Rapidan Dam

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The closed Blue Earth County Road 9 bridge next to the flood-damaged Rapidan Dam is unsafe to reopen and the county will pursue federal funding to remove it and build a new one.

That means it will likely be a few years before a new bridge is in place.

Meanwhile, at least some county commissioners appear to be in favor of removing the dam on the Blue Earth River, pursuing federal and state funds to help pay for removal and river restoration work.

“It’s tremendously complex,” Karl Jensen of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said of working through the federal and state agencies and making decisions on the dam and bridge. Corps officials as well as those from the Minnesota Department of Transportation met with commissioners at a work session Tuesday.

The 114-year-old dam south of Mankato was damaged as floodwaters last month carved around the west end, eroding land and causing a home to wash into the river and leading to the demolition of the landmark Dam Store.

County Engineer Ryan Thilges told the board they have four options on the dam: repair the current dam and fill the large void left by the new river channel, build a new dam, leave the dam in place as it is while improving the eroded riverbank or remove the dam.

He said the board will need to make a decision about the dam because that would affect the design of the new bridge.

Commissioners had no enthusiasm for repairing the dam or building a new one.

“We’re down to remove or leave the dam,” Board Chair Kevin Paap said.

A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources representative said leaving the old dam in place means it would continue to act as a weir, funneling water to the west and eroding the bank further.

Commissioner Vance Stuehrenberg said that if the county leaves the current dam up it faces liability issues if people go onto it.

“Removing it seems the only option,” he said.

Jensen said that if the county wants to, the Army Corps could begin a study of the dam and river with an eye toward restoring the river’s ecosystem, which means allowing fish and other aquatic life to be able to travel up and down the river.

That could be done with the dam removed, or if it stays in place there could be options for utilizing the new channel around the dam for fish to swim through. But the water now coming around the dam is at a relatively high speed, which probably keeps most fish from being able to go upstream.

But such a feasibility study usually takes about three years. Then, if they were to undertake a project, the corps would have to get authorization and funding from Congress.

The county is also likely to seek funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for removing the dam. Federal funding would cover 75%, with 25% coming from local/state funding.

Federal bridge funding likely

The highway bridge just upriver of the dam was built in the early 1980s. The piers of the bridge are on bedrock, but the bedrock is sandstone, which can erode fairly easily under strong water flows.

A thick layer of sediment behind the dam had held the piers in place and prevented water from churning at the base of the piers. But much of that sediment washed down the river when the new channel was created.

Thilges said inspections of the bridge show it cannot be safely reopened to traffic. He said trying to repair and rebuild the piers with the bridge standing wouldn’t be feasible.

He said an early estimate for the cost of a new bridge is more than $18 million.

Kristine Elwood, of MnDOT, said the county is eligible for federal Highway Administration emergency funding to remove and replace the bridge. She said the feds would cover 80% with the state likely to cover the other 20%. There’s also a chance the federal agency would cover all the costs.

She said if the county wanted to add a wider bridge with a bike lane, the county would have to cover that added cost.

Elwood said the county has two years from the time of the flooding to get all federal authorizations and the funding. She said the board needs to begin making decisions and keep the process on schedule.

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Twins add reliever, not starter, at trade deadline

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NEW YORK — The Twins were looking to add a starter ahead of Tuesday evening’s trade deadline. But while plenty of starters were on the move in the past week, the Twins were unable to strike a deal to bolster their rotation.

When the 5 p.m. CDT trade deadline had come and gone, the Twins had made just one addition, trading minor league infielder Jay Harry to the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Trevor Richards, who is expected to join the team in New York for Wednesday’s series finale.

“When I look at it, at what ultimately transpired, we were in on some conversations about players that moved. But there wasn’t something that felt like it fit for us, ultimately that lined up,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “When I think about where we are now, relative to where we were before, it’s the way I always tend to feel when I’m at this point in the season: A lot of what you’re going to do is already in that room.”

The price for players within the American League Central — both the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers were sellers and traded starting pitchers — seemed to be much higher than the price for teams outside of the division, Falvey said.

And he also indicated that some of the asks from teams for players with little future control were for “some of the best players in our whole system.”

“We couldn’t find overlap and intersection there,” Falvey said. “This was not about something specific financially or otherwise. This was just about being able to find the right deals and teams being willing to deal more directly with us.”

The one deal they did pull off was a deadline day swap for Richards, who is a seven-year veteran who has pitched for four different teams.

Richards, a 31-year-old right-hander who will be a free agent after this season, has a 4.64 earned-run average across 52 1/3 innings this season. While Richards had a 2.57 ERA through June, he has had a tough month of July, giving up 15 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings. He has been historically tougher on lefties than righties, which should be helpful for the Twins.

“We’re adding a very good, proficient arm,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s really a guy that can match up against both lefties and righties. He has got an excellent changeup, and he just pitches. He can go two innings and maybe even more than that if you need him to. He fills a lot of different responsibilities and holes in a bullpen.”

His ability to go multiple innings is one of the reasons the Twins preferred him over Josh Staumont, whom they designated for assignment on Tuesday to create space on the 40-man roster.

Falvey also said he views Justin Topa, who is currently rehabbing from a knee injury and nearing a return, as another deadline addition because he has been out for the entire season thus far.

While the Twins, who are tied second place in the division, weren’t as aggressive as the first-place Cleveland Guardians or Kansas City Royals, the team they are tied with, Falvey said he believes the group within the clubhouse “is going to help elevate us the rest of the way.”

“We’ve competed to this point, put ourselves in a good position. And now we’ve got to go find a way to compete the rest of the way and hopefully finish off an opportunity to really get to where we want to go in the postseason,” Falvey said.

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