>>Twin Cities Healthcare Workers Hold Vigil for Killed Professionals in Gaza
(Minneapolis, MN) — Twin Cities Healthcare Workers for Palestine, co-sponsored by other metro justice groups, are holding a vigil in Minneapolis today to honor healthcare professionals killed in Gaza due to the Israel-Hamas war. The United Nations says Israeli Occupation Forces (OIF) have killed at least 337 medical workers in Gaza since the first attack on October 7th, 2023, with only 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remaining partially functional. The group asks healthcare workers attending to wear scrubs, white coats, stethoscopes, and other healthcare-profession symbols.
>>Winona Man Charged in Online Sextortion Scheme Targeting Minors
(Minneapolis, MN) — A man from Winona is facing federal charges for an alleged online sextortion scheme that victimized more than 60 minor girls. Court documents show that 30-year-old Valentin Quintana used social media apps to threaten, sexually manipulate, and exploit girls between the ages of nine and 12 in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Zealand, and elsewhere from April 2022 to June 2023. Prosecutors say Quintana used fake identities, lied about his age, and posed as a minor girl himself. He’s jailed on 15 child pornography charges.
>>Three People Charged in SLP Fights that Canceled Classes for SLP High School
(St. Louis Park, MN) — Three individuals face charges in connection with two fights that led to the cancellation of classes at St. Louis Park High School last Friday. Latoys Milon, 41, along with her children, Abreeha Smith, 22, and Jerome Smith Jr., 19, are each charged with one count of third-degree riot and fourth-degree assault. Police responded to the school around 2:14 p.m. after receiving reports of a parent threatening to assault students. Charging documents say the parent, Milon, alleged that her daughter was attacked by a group of Somali girls. There were a total of four victims. As of Thursday, none of the suspects are in custody.
>>ATV Breaks Through Ice on Meeker County Lake, 2 Riders Okay
(Dassel, MN) — Two men are expected to be okay after their A-T-V broke through the ice on Lake Jennie near Dassel in Meeker County. The sheriff’s office says two separate groups were ice fishing Thursday evening and went through the ice on the same area of the lake. Deputies say the A-T-V riders, 64-year-old Steven Huebner of Hutchinson and 18-year-old Josiah Smock of Dassel, both made it back to the landing uninjured. They say a juvenile was also stranded on the lake due to the fog and was rescued by an airboat. Sheriff Brian Cruze is reminding everyone to use extreme caution before going out on lake ice.
>>MN DNR Plans with $150M One-Time Investment
(Undated) – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is laying out how it plans to spend nearly 150 million dollars in one-time money from the state. Get Out MORE (Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences) was one piece of Governor Walz’s $72 billion One Minnesota Budget. DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen says the investment “makes sure that those diverse experiences meet the needs of today’s Minnesotans and future Minnesotans.” For more information on the Get Out More allocations head to the DNR’s website.
>>Judge Approves Sale Of St. Cloud Mall
(St. Cloud, MN) — A district court judge in Stearns County has approved the sale of a mall in St. Cloud to a company in Delaware. The Crossroads Center was put up for sale after its former owners failed to pay the 84-million dollar mortgage on the property. The mall has been open since 1966 and includes anchor stores like JCPenney, Macy’s, Target, and Scheels.