July 6, 2016

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TOP HEADLINES INSIDE:

CITIZEN SCIENCE MOVES RESEARCH FORWARD AT UNIVERSITY PAGE 3

■■ Police investigating shooting near campus

AT ZOONIVERSE, EVERYDAY PEOPLE COLLABORATE ON PROJECTS.

■■ Officers will be better equipped for crises

The Dinkytown shooting may qualify as a hate crime. PAGE 2 500 MPD officers will receive mental health training. PAGE 5

PARTLY CLOUDY HIGH 87° LOW 67°

U OF M

MINNEAPOLIS

ST PAUL

SUMMER EDITION

JULY 6-JULY 12, 2016

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT MNDAILY.COM

ATHLETICS

LAW SCHOOL

Amid allegations of drug use on the team, prosecutors did not file charges against those involved.

helps inmate gain release

No charges for Robinson, wrestlers Law program BY DAVID CLAREY dclarey@mndaily.com

No charges will be filed against University of Minnesota wrestlers involved in the alleged sale and use of Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug. In addition, the team’s head coach, J Robinson, will not face charges for attempting to resolve the issue internally. While the announcement signals an end to a police investigation of alleged drug sales, the coach remains under scrutiny from an internal investigation following claims that he obstructed the investigation. Police records show that Robinson sought to resolve the issue in-house and refused to fully cooperate with University of Minnesota Police Department investigators when they u See XANAX Page 8

U professor JaneAnne Murray successfully secured clemency for an inmate on a life sentence. BY JESSICA HART jhart@mndaily.com

LIAM JAMES DOYLE, DAILY FILE PHOTO

Gophers wrestling head coach J Robinson addresses the team for announcements before their practice on Jan. 20.

SCIENCE

Tracking the night sky

For Teresa Griffin, the prospect of life outside prison looked bleak. Incarcerated at 26, Griffin — who had spent nearly 30 years in federal prison on a life sentence for cocaine trafficking — was given new hope, however, after a University of Minnesota professor took up her case and helped her gain early release. As part of a clemency initiative begun by President Obama’s administration in 2014, Law School professor JaneAnne Murray and a group of the school’s students have volunteered to represent inmates preparing applications for reduced sentences. Over the past two years, the University’s Clemency Program — spearheaded by Murray — has grown to 15 students, with four currently active. In that time, Murray and her team have submitted 18 petitions, and the group is working to increase that number, she said. u See CLEMENCY Page 10

PROSPECT PARK

For Glendale, designation is key objective Supporters of the housing units say a historic designation could save it from demolition. BY RAJU CHADUVULA rchaduvula@mndaily.com

ZACH BIELINSKI, DAILY

University of Minnesota grad student Karl Young adjusts one the of telescopes at Universe in the Park at William O’Brien State Park on July 2. Universe in the Park is a summer outreach program hosted by the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics at local and state parks to teach interested attendees about planets and the universe.

Universe in the Park, a University astrophysics outreach program, leads stargazing sessions throughout the summer. BY AARON JOB ajob1@mndaily.com

s Norm and Toots Marohn of AndoA ver, Minn., waited for the program to begin, their granddaughter Hannah impa-

tiently flipped through a book on naturalism. “We’ve tried going to this event before — maybe three or four times we’ve tried — but it’s always been cloudy,” Toots Marohn said. The Marohns were camping with their children and grandchildren at William

O’Brien State Park on the St. Croix River over the weekend of July 1, where on a clear evening they attended Universe in the Park — a weekly summer telescope obser vation program organized by the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics and the University of Minnesota. Evan Skillman, a professor of astrophysics and Universe in the Park director, said he founded the program 11 years ago with funding from a NASA outreach grant. The program, now funded through the Minnesota Space Grant Consortium, is put on with help from state and local parks.

u See ASTRONOMY Page 5

The Prospect Park Association has officially asked for a historic designation for a complex of low income townhomes to help thwart its demolition. The resolution — passed last week by the Prospect Park Association’s board of directors after months of deliberation — asks Minneapolis Ward 2 City Council member Cam Gordon to nominate the neighborhood’s Glendale Townhomes for historic designation. The move protects the cluster of houses from demolition for up to 18 months. Some Glendale residents have been at odds with the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority for nearly two years, spurring the formation of resident group Defend Glendale to protest MPHA plans to raze the townhomes, relocate residents and build new buildings before moving the residents back. In October 2015, PPA took an official stance to advocate for restoration of the buildings without demolition, said PPA board member Joe Ring. u See GLENDALE Page 12

CITY COUNCIL

Old tires spur health concern Some parents and city officials are advocating safer alternatives to rubber playground mulch. BY RYAN FAIRCLOTH rfaircloth@mndaily.com

When Nancy Brown registered her child for preschool at Lyndale Community School, she noticed a strong odor wafting from the school’s playground. The odor was that of rubber tires from the mulch on the playground’s infill. After researching the mulch, Brown discovered that there are health concerns associated with the recycled mulch and decided to act. She made a petition urging Minneapolis Public Schools to remove the materials, which has gained more than 2,400 signatures. Now, the Minneapolis City Council has taken interest in the topic and will take public

comment on use of waste tires in city schools July 11. The debate comes as other school districts in the state, including Duluth and Edina, have debated the use of recycled rubber on playgrounds and sports fields. Groups like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said they would study the issue to determine whether the recycled tires pose a health risk to children. Lee Setter, MPS manager for environmental health and safety, said the district started using the rubber to protect kids from falls. “Our focus is all about injury prevention, and rubber mulch … for the amount of thickness of material you have and the height of the equipment, provides the best fall protection,” he said. Setter said the district knows of the health u See RUBBER Page 10

KELSEY CHRISTENSEN, DAILY

A custodian at Sheridan Elementary School in northeast Minneapolis holds rubber tire mulch that is found on the school’s playground July 1. Tire mulch includes heavy metals such as lead.

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July 6, 2016 by The Minnesota Daily - Issuu