GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Hennepin County deputies to hand out repair vouchers, not tickets
Pulled over for a broken taillight in Hennepin County? Instead of getting a reprimand, you may now get some help. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is joining more than 70 other Minnesota departments taking part in a repair voucher program called "Lights On!" Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 29, deputies will no longer issue fix-it tickets for broken headlights, taillights, brake lights or turn signals. Instead, they'll hand out vouchers to have the issue fixed at a participating auto service provider. The program is a partnership between MicroGrants, a Minneapolis nonprofit, and local law enforcement. MicroGrants' mission is to help low-income people break the cycle of poverty. If cited, the driver has 60 days to take their car into a participating shop and redeem their coupon for a free bulb replacement. The shops charge MicroGrants a reduced cost for labor and parts, but drivers seldom have to pay a dime.
A Roman Catholic priest apologized after making controversial statements in a homily earlier this month. In a statement released by the St. Paul-Minnesota Catholic archdiocese, Father Nick VanDenBroeke apologized for the comments he made on Jan. 5 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Rice County, Minnesota. The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the Minnesota Catholic Conference to repudiate the statements on Wednesday. According to CAIR, Father VanDenBroeke told his congregation that there was an exception to the Christian concept of "welcoming the stranger," and that as Americans "we should not be allowing large numbers of Muslims asylum or immigration into our country." The homily was issued on Immigration Sunday. According to the Minnesota Catholic Conference, Immigration Sunday is a time for Minnesota Catholics to "show their commitment to welcoming migrants and refugees in our communities through our prayers, education, and actions."
After a fundraising campaign in the fall of 2019, Lord of Life members came up with $15,000 — and they were stunned to learn in December that the donation helped destroy $1.6 million in medical debt for 472 families down south. Dozens of churches across the U.S. have decided to join forces with RIP Medical Debt in recent months, but Lord of Life is the first in Minnesota to do so. Millions of people owe some form of debt to health providers, sometimes with devastating consequences: A majority of American bankruptcies can be attributed to medical debt. Lord of Life wanted to assist Minnesota families with medical debt, but state protections limit debt purchasing. That's partly why the church's donations helped families in high-need areas of Arkansas and Texas. The congregation does, however, plan to raise more money in 2020 and hopes that Minnesota families can be a part of their efforts.
