Minnesota Year In Review: Top Stories Of 2017

The year is almost in the books and needless to say, the Land of Lakes had some notable stories in 2017. If you were looking for something to talk about, there was no lack of topics and issues to discuss.

From police shootings to high-profile resignations, here are the top 10 Minnesota stories of 2017:

10. St. Olaf Student 'Fabricated' Racist Note: College President

In April, hundreds of students at St. Olaf College drew national attention when they began a "sit-in" protest after a student said a racist note was placed on her car's windshield. About a month later, the president of St. Olaf College announced a student confessed to writing a racist note and admitted it was "fabricated" as an apparent "strategy to draw attention to concerns about the campus climate."

9. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton Collapses During State Of The State Speech

Lawmakers gasped in January when Gov. Mark Dayton collapsed in the middle of his State of the State speech. About 45 minutes into his annual address, the governor began slurring his words slightly before slumping over his podium. "Get him to the ground!" someone yelled, as officials in the room rushed to his side.

8. Deadly YouTube Stunt Gets Minnesota Woman 180 Days In Jail

A Minnesota woman who shot and killed her boyfriend in a deadly YouTube stunt last June that they thought would catapult him to fame will spend 180 days in jail under a plea agreement reached last week. Monalisa Perez, 20, shot her boyfriend, Pedro Ruiz III, 22, as he held an encyclopedia in front of his chest.

7. Minnehaha Academy Explosion

On Aug. 2, a building at Minnehaha Academy's north campus in Minneapolis was destroyed by a natural gas explosion. Ruth Berg, the school's receptionist, and John Carlson, a Minnehaha Academy graduate who came back to work for the school after retiring from his first career, were killed in the blast.

6. Garrison Keillor Firing: Chris Thile, Former Colleagues React

Minnesota Public Radio fired former radio host Garrison Keillor in November after an allegation of "inappropriate behavior" was lodged against him by someone he worked with, the station announced. Keillor hosted "A Prairie Home Companion" since the variety show began in 1974 until he retired in 2016, when bluegrass musician Chris Thile took over.

The station did not elaborate on the nature of the complaint against Keillor, but noted in their statement that "discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or other inappropriate behaviors will not be tolerated."

5. Franken Resigns: 'Ironic' I'm Leaving While Trump Is In Office

Sen. Al Franken announced in early December his plans to resign from the Senate amid a slew of sexual misconduct allegations against him. Franken faced a flood of calls for him to step down from within his own party.

"In the coming weeks I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate," Franken said from the Senate floor Dec 7. "There is some irony that I am leaving while a man who bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who preyed on young girls runs for Senate with the full support of his party."

4. First Woman With Down Syndrome Competes In Miss USA State Pageant

A young woman named Mikayla Holmgren applied to the Miss Minnesota USA Pageant wholly unsure of her chances of getting in. Nine months later, on Sunday night at the Ames Center in Burnsville, Holmgren became the first woman with Down syndrome to compete in a Miss USA state pageant. She was awarded the Miss Minnesota USA Spirit Award and the Director's Award.

3. Philando Castile Shooting: Minnesota Officer Found Not Guilty

St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez was found not guilty on all charges relating to the fatal shooting of Philando Castile that drew national attention the summer of 2016.

Following the verdict, investigators released a dashcam video that shows Yanez firing seven shots into Castile's vehicle. Castile's final breaths immediately after the shooting were streamed publicly on Facebook Live by Diamond Reynolds, Castile's girlfriend.

2. Apple Valley Representative Accuses Lawmakers Of Harassment

Apple Valley Democrat Rep. Erin Maye Quade took office in January. After 11 months in office, Maye Quade said she's been sexual harassed several times. She also said she's not the only one.

Maye Quade is among the women saying they've been sexually harassed by Democratic state Sen. Dan Schoen. She said she's also been harassed by other lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Tony Cornish of Vernon Center.

"I am not alone in experiencing harassment at the workplace, and I am not alone in experiencing harassment at the Capitol," Maye Quade said in a statement. "As a candidate, I experienced it with Sen. Schoen, as a legislator, I've experienced it by multiple members of the majority and reported it."

Both Schoen and Conrish resigned from office following the allegations.

1. Why Did Minneapolis Police Shoot Bride-To-Be From Australia?

Justine Damond, 40, was weeks away from her wedding when she heard a noise Saturday night in the alley of the home in an upscale south Minneapolis neighborhood that she shared with her fiancé. How the 40-year-old bride-to-be from Sydney, Australia, ended up dead is a mystery that quickly became international news.

There's no police video of the response to a 911 call of about a possible assault that occurred around 11:30 p.m. Saturday in Fulton. Despite a departmental policy requiring police to wear body cameras, the two police officers who responded to a 911 call hadn't turned theirs on.

Less than a week after the fatal shooting, Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau abruptly resigned. Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, who sparred publicly with Harteau on several occasions, wrote Friday that "As far as we have come, I've lost confidence in the Chief's ability to lead us further — and from the many conversations I've had with people around our city, especially this week, it is clear that she has lost the confidence of the people of Minneapolis as well."

In November, Hodges lost her reelection bid to Jacob Frey in a campaign that centered on police reform.

Image via Stephen Govel, used with permission