Sarah Mearhoff, West Central Tribune

Sarah Mearhoff

West Central Tribune

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Past:
  • West Central Tribune

Past articles by Sarah:

Officer Kimberly Potter's charges increased to 1st-degree manslaughter

Kimberly Potter, who was a police officer for 26 years, says she mistook her gun for her taser when she fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a Black man, outside of Minneapolis in April. → Read More

Minnesota State Fair: 'Do what's right' and wear a mask, no matter vaccine status

The Minnesota State Fair is "strongly urg(ing)" attendees to wear face masks, no matter their vaccine status. But they won't mandate them, saying a mandate would be "extremely difficult" to enforce. → Read More

Sex trafficking victims helped US attorney for Minnesota convict hundreds of predators in the '50s

In the federal government's crackdown on sex trafficking in the 1950s, law enforcement made an alliance with trafficking victims, whose testimonies helped fuel the arrests of more than 100 perpetrators in the Midwest. → Read More

Minnesota reports 3,314 COVID-19 infections over the week, 18 deaths

Active hospitalizations rose by 108 over the same period. → Read More

Minnesota Governor restricts anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, pushes Legislature for ban

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order restricting conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors, but urged the politically divided Legislature to pass an outright ban into law. → Read More

Money, sex and power: The 1963 murder of Carol Thompson by her attorney husband shocked the Twin Cities

When Carol Thompson was brutally attacked in her picturesque St. Paul home on March 6, 1963, the Twin Cities were shaken up. Her husband T. Eugene Thompson would eventually be convicted of conspiring the first-degree murder gone wrong. → Read More

Minn. House and Senate overcome public safety budget impasse — for the most part

House and Senate leaders say there are "some minor issues" remaining between Democrats and Republicans, but they're confident the budget will be complete before lawmakers' June 30 deadline. → Read More

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to end COVID peacetime emergency, executive powers on Aug. 1

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told reporters Friday that he will cease his peacetime emergency executive powers on August 1. He first declared an emergency in March 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic began spreading through Minnesota. → Read More

Minnesota House OKs housing budget, eviction moratorium off-ramp

Part of the state's housing budget includes an off-ramp for Gov. Tim Walz's eviction moratorium: a major bargaining chip between legislative Democrats and Republicans. → Read More

With transportation budget on its way to Senate, Minnesota hopes to avoid pulling contracts

Gov. Tim Walz on Monday said that the Minnesota Department of Transportation budget needs to be complete by Thursday, or else the state will have to notify contractors that it will be unable to pay them. → Read More

CALL OUT: How would you be impacted if Minnesota's state government shuts down?

As legislators' June 30 deadline to pass a state budget approaches, a potential state government shutdown is looming. We want to hear from readers about how that could impact you. → Read More

What has changed in the year since George Floyd was killed?

The death of Minneapolis man George Floyd on May 25, 2020, sparked a cultural movement and nationwide calls to address systemic racism. How have lawmakers responded to those calls in the year since? → Read More

Minnesota Republicans wary of including police reforms in public safety omnibus

Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, said on Monday, May 3 that Senate Republicans are trying to keep the focus of the biannual public safety and judiciary budget bill package "narrow," leaving out policy proposals like police reform. → Read More

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz targets teens in new vaccination campaign

The Governor's Office's new focus on vaccinating teenagers comes as positive cases among young Minnesotans have climbed. → Read More

After Wright's death, Minnesota lawmakers look to curb police stops that can turn deadly

Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man from Brooklyn Center, Minn., was killed by police during a traffic stop on Sunday. His death has made lawmakers question: When should law enforcement pull drivers over? → Read More

Controversial court ruling sparks urgency in Minnesota Legislature to review sexual assault law

A comprehensive bill to strengthen Minnesota's sexual assault laws has gained new momentum after a controversial state Supreme Court ruling sparked national outrage. → Read More

Minnesota House pushes to update hate crime laws

Proponents of the bill say the bill would help the state collect accurate data on hate crimes, better train police officers to respond to hate-motivated incidents and protect communities targeted in prejudiced graffiti. → Read More

Police accountability group sees more than half of its reforms become Minnesota law

A working group focused on preventing deadly force police encounters has advanced 11 of its 18 legislative proposals in Minnesota's split Legislature. The group was established nearly a year before George Floyd died May 25, 2020, while in Minneapolis police custody. But Floyd’s death and the resulting public outcry propelled forward a package of bills in the Minnesota Legislature last summer… → Read More

Minnesota House bill would allow prosecutors to review past sentences for long-serving inmates

A bill in the Minnesota House would allow prosecutors to review past sentences for convicted felons, opening the door to early release. → Read More

Minnesota House votes down, then immediately revives SAFE Account bill in surprise vote

The move comes days after House leadership suddenly tabled the bill, lacking the votes to pass it. → Read More