>>One Person Dead in Head-On Semi Crash
(Fergus Falls, MN) — A person is dead after a head-on semi-crash in Fergus Falls this morning. State Patrol responded to the crash on State Highway 210 near Wall Lake around 9:20. The driver of the passenger vehicle was pronounced dead. The semi-driver was brought to Lake Region Healthcare for non-life-threatening injuries.
>>AG Ellison Sues St. Paul Charter School’s Former Superintendent for $5M Hedge Fund Investment
(St. Paul, MN) — A St. Paul charter school’s former superintendent is being sued by Attorney General Keith Ellison for his “reckless, illegal investment” in 2019 that cost the school $4.3 million. Ellison alleges Christianna Hang, who started Hmong College Prep Academy (HCPA) in 2003, invested in Woodstock Capital Partners LP, a hedge fund, against the school’s legal and accounting advisors’ advice and Minnesota law. Hang subscribed HCPA to the partnership, wiring $5 million of the school’s money to Woodstock. She resigned in 2021 after details of the failed deal became public. Ellison is also asking for HCPA to reform the school’s governance and investment practices.
>>Woodlake Nursing Home Workers File Notice to Start 5-Day ULP Strike
(New Hope, MN) — 185 union nursing home workers at Woodlake in New Hope have filed a 10-day notice, meaning they could begin a 5-day Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike next Friday. The group claims their employer is not keeping promises on pay and benefits during the home’s sudden sale this year, along with seniority issues, wages for new hires, and issues workers face with access to benefits on pay stubs. Bargaining sessions are scheduled on December 9 and 16.
>>Edina Financial Advisor Must Pay $2.1M in Restitution, Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Wire Fraud
(St. Paul, MN) — An Edina financial advisor must pay $2.1 million in restitution in a wire fraud scheme where millions in client investment funds were misappropriated. 48-year-old Kristi Berge, founder and CEO of Keep Safe Investments, LLC, a.k.a. KSI Financial, was sentenced to 30 months in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud earlier this year. From June 2020 through February 2023, Berge used nearly $2.1 million in client funds to purchase multiple properties in Edina for her real estate business. She attempted to conceal the fraud by labeling the withdrawals as “management” or “administrative” fees, creating false records claiming she had authorization.
>>Free Palestine Coalition Rallies 1 Week Ahead of SBI Meeting
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota’s Free Palestine Coalition will rally outside State Auditor Julie Blaha’s St. Paul office tonight, a week before the State Board of Investment (SBI) meeting. The group has been pressuring the SBI, chaired by Blaha, Secretary of State Steve Simon, Governor Tim Walz, and Attorney General Keith Ellison, to divest from Israel for years. They claim state worker pensions are being used to further enable genocide instead of investing millions in more humane and equitable portfolios.
>>Minneapolis Man Charged with 4 Counts of Armed Robbery
(Minneapolis, MN) — A Minneapolis man faces four counts of armed robbery related to two separate incidents. On June 7th, 25-year-old Korey Hale brandished a rifle while robbing a drug store. The next day, Hale did the same while robbing a bank. Hale is charged with one count each of Hobbs Act robbery and armed bank robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a bank robbery.
>>Rochester Man Charged with Stealing Over $3K Worth of Trading Cards
(Rochester, MN) — A Rochester man is accused of stealing $3,400 worth of trading cards from a Rochester business by impersonating a vendor. Police responded to the theft on Tuesday night, learning the suspect, 44-year-old Joshua Mueller, would pose as a vendor to enter the store’s off-limits areas. Mueller would bring his boxes into the store, cut open the bottom of the store’s boxes containing trading cards, then put the cards in his boxes and flee. He’s due in court later this month.
