Minnesota Now

The family of Ricky Cobb II is speaking out about a decision to drop charges in his killing by a state trooper last year. We'll hear what they said to reporters this morning.

And we'll learn more about fallen Minneapolis Police Officer Jamal Mitchell from some of those who knew him best.

Are you listening to the show through earbuds? We'll learn how on-demand listening is affecting our hearing.

We'll meet a Minnesota high schooler who's been studying to become a monk since he was a baby, when the Dalai Lama identified him as a reincarnation of a holy leader.

Plus, we'll go behind the scenes of new Ojibwe and Lakota language dubs of Star Wars and The Avengers.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Indigenous communities in and around Minnesota are taking the future of their language into their own hands in exciting new ways. There are two upcoming Indigenous language dubs coming to screens this year — Marvel’s “The Avengers” and “Star Wars: A New Hope.”

Thomas Draskovic is a Lakota language and culture specialist in St. Paul. He voices Nick Fury in the Lakota language dub of “The Avengers,” which comes out on Disney+ June 14.

Anton Treuer is a professor of Ojibwe language at Bemidji State University. He voices several stormtroopers and a droid announcer in the Ojibwe language dub of “Star Wars: A New Hope,” which will be released later this year.

Both joined MPR News Guest Host Nina Moini to discuss their roles and the importance to Native communities.

The family of Ricky Cobb II is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Cobb’s killing by a Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan last July. The move comes after murder and manslaughter charges against Londregan were dropped this week by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. 

At a press conference in the Hennepin County Government Center on Tuesday morning, members of Cobb’s family called for groups like the NAACP of Minneapolis to peacefully protest the decision.

“We’re asking for call to action, from the NAACP, civic organizations, our divine nines, the churches, all of those ‘progressives’ that say that they reside in Minnesota — all of those good folk that have good common hearts and good spirits that reside here in Minneapolis,” said Cobb family attorney Bakari Sellers. 

Cobb’s brother Rashad Cobb said the system failed his brother. 

“The only ones who can run around playing wild, wild west games are the ones who are supposed to uphold the law?” Rashad Cobb said. “When we don’t uphold the law, we do time or we get charged for the crime. So why do we look at police who murder and don’t get charged?”

Moriarty has said she made the decision partly after hearing defense attorneys argue that Cobb was reaching for Londregan’s gun and that the trooper was in fear for his life. Sellers said he’s never seen a prosecutor drop charges based on such a commonplace defense argument. 

“Every officer in the United States of America that’s been charged or accused of shooting someone unarmed has stated that they have been in fear for their life,” Sellers said. “So trooper Londregan’s excuse is not anything new.”

Sellers said Moriarty also told the family that her office didn’t have enough manpower to prosecute the case. The prosecution’s case was thrown into disarray when the lead attorney removed himself from it.

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  Charges dropped against state trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II
  
  


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  Governor hasn’t ruled out reassigning state trooper case to attorney general
  
  


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  As charges are dismissed Moriarty defends decision to charge state trooper and criticizes ‘political circus’
  
  

Moriarty received approval from the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners to bring in an outside law firm at a cost of up to $1 million. Outside attorneys from Steptoe LLP made their one appearance in court last month. 

The special prosecutors released recommendations for the State Patrol from the case, including a prohibition on shooting into or from a moving vehicle and a greater emphasis on de-escalation. 

The prosecution was controversial from the very start, with police groups organizing protests at court hearings and calling for Gov. Tim Walz to remove Moriarty from the case.

Moriarty has condemned the “political circus” around the case and accused Londregan’s supporters of harassing members of Cobb’s family outside hearings, which an official with the Minneapolis Police and Peace Officers Association denied. 

Cobb was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis in July of 2023. Londregan and a partner were seeking to force Cobb from his vehicle when he shifted the car into drive and it began to pull away. Londregan fired multiple times into the car. Cobb’s car came to a stop at the side of the freeway and he was declared dead at the scene.

Public schools in Minnesota have a growing need to be equipped for a wide range of temperatures. School years in the state can be hot and muggy on either end and freezing in the middle.

And if students are uncomfortable, it’s difficult to focus on learning. A high school on the East Side of Saint Paul is wrapping up its first year with a new heating and cooling system that draws energy from the ground.

The district plans to install more of these geothermal systems at two other schools as part of its goal of cutting greenhouse gas pollution. The district is joining a larger wave of investments in geothermal energy.

Sahan Journal climate and environment reporter Andrew Hazzard wrote about the district’s switch and joined Minnesota Now to talk about it.

The World Health Organization says more than 1 billion teens and young adults are at risk of permanent hearing loss due to “unsafe listening practices.”

Those unsafe habits are made up largely from the rise of daily earbud use.

Peggy Nelson is an audiology professor at the University of Minnesota. She joined Minnesota Now to explain day to day risks to our hearing outside of people who work with loud machinery or attend the occasional rock concert.

Each month, Dr. Jon Hallberg joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about topics that are important to your health and take a deep dive into medical news.

Hallberg is a family medicine physician at Mill City Clinic and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

In this installment of Vital Signs, he addressed how weight loss drugs are changing the conversation around obesity and the new reality of marijuana usage.

On Monday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced she will drop murder charges against the state trooper who shot Ricky Cobb II last summer.

A juror in the Feeding our Future trial was offered a $120,000 bag of cash if they voted to acquit. An MPR News reporter who’s been following the trial broke down the situation.

We heard about memorial plans for Officer Jamal Mitchell who was shot and killed in the line of duty in Minneapolis last Thursday.

Plus, education programs for students who qualify for migrant status are kicking off for the summer. We spoke with a program coordinator about their value.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has dropped charges against state trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of motorist Ricky Cobb II.

Londregan was one of three troopers who tried to arrest Cobb during a traffic stop last summer in Minneapolis. Cobb tried to drive away and Londregan shot into the vehicle. Londregan pleaded not guilty to murder and assault charges last month.

Moriarty explained the choice to drop charges in a press conference Monday morning. Some of Moriarty’s most pointed statements were aimed at a prominent law enforcement association, which she accused of helping the defense drum up a “political circus,” making the situation more difficult for the family of Ricky Cobb II.

MPR News reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox joined guest host Nina Moini to break down what Moriarty said in the press conference. Imran Ali, the General Counsel for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, then responded to the county attorney’s remarks.

Monday marked a major development in the Feeding Our Future trial. The FBI has seized the cell phones of all seven defendants after an unnamed woman visited the home of a juror late Sunday and gave $120,000 to her father-in-law and promised to deliver more money if the juror voted to acquit.

MPR News correspondent Matt Sepic has been following the trial for the past month. He joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini to debrief the impacts of the attempted bribery.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off a loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the first game of the Western Conference finals. The teams stayed within a few points of each other for the entire game but Dallas prevailed with 108 points to Minnesota's 105. Guard Anthony Edwards said after the game that the Wolves weren't at their best - and will come back better for their game on Friday.

They aren't the only Minnesota team in a playoff series right now. PWHL Minnesota is tied with Boston in the league's first-ever championship series. Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to review the week in sports.