O.J. Simpson, the football star and Hollywood actor acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend in a trial that mesmerized the public and exposed divisions on race and policing in America, has died. He was 76.
The family announced on Simpson’s official X account that he died Wednesday of prostate cancer. He died in Las Vegas, officials there said Thursday.
Simpson earned fame, fortune and adulation through football and show business, but his legacy was forever changed by the June 1994 knife slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles. He was later found liable for the deaths in a separate civil case, and then served nine years in prison on unrelated charges.
The ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft said they will delay their planned exit from Minneapolis after city officials decided Wednesday to push back the start of a driver pay raise by two months.
The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to implement the ordinance on July 1 instead of May 1. Some council members said this gives other ride-hailing companies more time to establish themselves in the market before Uber and Lyft potentially leave, and it gives Minnesota lawmakers a chance to pass statewide rules on pay for ride-hailing drivers.
Council member Robin Wonsley, the lead author of the ordinance, said the delay would lead to better outcomes for drivers and riders, and lay a stronger foundation for a more equitable ride-hailing industry statewide. She called the current industry model “extremely exploitative.”
The Minnesota Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Thursday regarding the St. Paul City Council’s decision to not require an Environmental Impact Statement for the construction of the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena.
The Advocates for Responsible Development — a group concerned with the impact the arena will have on both the environment and residents in the area surrounding St. Thomas — filed a petition with the Minnesota Court of Appeals against the University of St. Thomas on Nov. 1, 2023.
The City of St. Paul, represented by Daniel Stahley, and the University of St. Thomas, represented by Elizabeth Schmiesing, countered the ARD’s argument by assuring the court that the city council’s decision to not require an EIS was sound.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has 90 days to file a written decision on the case.
Eli Andersen can be reached at ande4516@stthomas.edu.