🕹️ The drone debate

The Drone Debate

The St. Paul Police Department wants to expand its drone program through a federal grant of up to $200,000. But on Wednesday, the City Council sidelined that grant application in response to growing public backlash over surveillance technology. Nothing changes about the drones police already have docked on three buildings. Earlier this week, St. Paul police credited its drone program for helping rescue a 5-year-old boy from a pond. Police say the drone helped them respond faster, which led to an officer scooping up the boy to safety. [Pioneer Press / KARE 11]

• Across the river: The Minneapolis City Council rejected a contract with Skydio in July, the same drone company used by the St. Paul Police Department. The city was seeking to replace its current drones from DJI, after the federal government banned the Chinese tech company from selling in the U.S. Council members cited Skydio’s past sales to ICE and Israel as reasons for declining the contract. The drones would have primarily been deployed to north Minneapolis to quicken officer response times. [Minnesota Reformer / 🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]

Boo: ‘Ghost students’ are a college’s horror movie villain. Cleo Krejci at MinnPost reports Minnesota State is using $3 million allocated by the Legislature to install software to root out fake students, which fraudsters use to claim financial aid. Sen. Heather Gustafson, cautious of another Minnesota fraud story, emphasized this is a nationwide problem. [MinnPost]

The people’s sport: In a world of pay-to-play, Racket reports two leagues are making soccer more accessible. Sol of the Cities Futsal League has a “serve-to-play” model, wherein athletes exchange community service for playtime. La Liga de Sueños minimizes costs for families in Worthington. Maybe through more initiatives like these we can achieve Mauricio Pochettino’s dream after all? [Racket]

Winner: The purple hue of the University of Minnesota's newest ice cream isn't ube; that’s a swirl of aronia berry with apple crisp. The university is celebrating its 175th anniversary with North Star Apple Crisp, the winning flavor from a pool of 500 community submissions. Creators Paul and Heather Wright of Wright Farms run the largest aronia berry orchard in Minnesota. I can’t wait to try it during my next trek to the Minnesota Arboretum, but you can also get it on campus. [U of M]

Traumatic calls: It seems like overtime costs are running rampant in Twin Cities government. It costs the Minneapolis Fire Department $12,000 a day in overtime to cover PTSD-leave for firefighters. Mayor Jacob Frey wants to allocate $3.4 million in overtime for MFD in 2027. According to the Fire Chief, about 16 firefighters are on PTSD-related leave. [KSTP]

$4 mil: Who wants to buy the former Psycho Suzi’s before a developer flattens it into something else? The Brookshire Company posted a walkthrough of the space; it’s billed as a turnkey restaurant, but the pitch to developers “looking to do something on the Mississippi” is a little ominous to me. [The Brookshire Company]

• Foreperson, Master Plumber at Municipal Building Commission (Minneapolis City Hall) | $60.70 per hour
• Communications Manager at Fantasy Flight Games | $75k–$85k per year
• Housing & Youth Engagement Director at The Bridge for Youth | $88k–$98k per year
• Senior Accountant and Financial Analyst at Minnesota Orchestra | $85k–$105k per year
• Director, Corporate Communications — International Dairy Queen, Bloomington | $163k–$204k per year
• Marketing Coordinator — Michaud Cooley Erickson, Minneapolis | $68k–$83k per year
• Social Media Manager — Minnesota Wild | $65k–$80k per year