Daily Digest: Report raps fired exec for MNLARS woes
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Good morning, and happy Thursday. Here's the Digest.
1. Report blames fired employee for troubled rollout of new licensing system. An outside investigator hired by the state’s information technology department found the official in charge of Minnesota’s troubled vehicle licensing system knew there were numerous defects prior to its launch last summer but failed to address them. The report says Paul Meekin, who was officially fired from his job at Minnesota IT Services last month, fell short of expectations related to pre-launch testing and several key management responsibilities, including communication and staffing. Meekin had been notified that testing might not be complete before the launch, but he “did not exercise reasonable diligence in addressing the concern,” according to the report. Investigators concluded that Meekin failed to provide “meaningful oversight,” fostered an environment where “decisions could not be questioned or challenged” and failed to have an adequate number of state employees who could work with contractors and “discharge managerial functions relating to MNLARS.” Meekin disputes the report and its conclusions. “Making one person a fall guy only perpetuates these IT disasters,” he said. (MPR News)
2. New rules for Minneapolis police body cameras. Effective immediately Minneapolis police officers will have to keep their body cameras powered on throughout their entire shifts, and officers will have to start recording videos at least two city blocks before they arrive at their call destinations. Those and other provisions are part of an updated body camera policy announced Wednesday by Minneapolis city officials. Mayor Jacob Frey said the new policy makes it clear when officers are required to use their cameras and lists the possible consequences for officers who don't follow the guidelines. "For the first time, we're giving the body camera policy teeth — by providing the first, clear disciplinary structure for instances when this policy is violated," said Frey. "This is a stronger, clearer and more precise policy." Under the updated policy, officers who turn off or don't activate their body cameras during use of force incidents may face 40-hour suspension or termination. (MPR News)
3. Farmers fret over tariff talk. Minnesota’s 2018 soybean crop lost $152 million in value in the commodities futures market hours after China threatened Wednesday to place a 25 percent tariff on soybeans imported from the United States. Commodity futures are in constant flux, the state’s soybean farmers know. But they also see a serious threat should actions ever replace words. “If the futures price drops 40 cents a bushel on talk, what’s it going to do if this really happens?” asked Bill Gordon, who grows and sells 1,000 acres of soybeans a year on his farm near Worthington. As the U.S. and China move closer to a trade war, no one involved with Minnesota’s leading agricultural export wants to find out. “Soybeans are the big dog in the room,” University of Minnesota grain market economist Ed Usset explained. “China will import more soybeans this year than our entire country produced four years ago.” (Star Tribune)
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4. Winter may not be over but road construction season is here. The Minnesota Department of Transportation on Wednesday unveiled $1.1 billion in state road and bridge projects for 2018, including the replacement of the iconic Mississippi River bridge at Red Wing and a resurfacing a stretch of Interstate 35 in the north metro. Many of the 253 projects are already underway and represent "critical investments in Minnesota's aging transportation system," said MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle, who also announced 49 airport, port and railroad projects worth $32 million. Despite road and bridge spending topping $1 billion this season, he said the long-term transportation funding picture "remains bleak compared to the system's needs." (MPR News)
5. Judge tosses cop's suit against Hodges. A judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Minneapolis police Lt. John Delmonico against former Mayor Betsy Hodges over text messages she sent to former police Chief Janee Harteau in April. Hodges blocked Harteau’s decision to appoint Delmonico, a former police union leader, as inspector of the Fourth Precinct, and the dispute between the chief and mayor over the appointment was carried out mostly by text message. Hennepin District Judge Jacqueline Regis wrote in a decision filed Tuesday that Hodges had good reason to discuss the appointment candidly with Harteau, the messages were “integral to the performance of her job,” and therefore her text messages are immune from defamation claims. (Star Tribune)
The Digest is taking a break tomorrow and will be back Monday.