>>Ex-MPD officer King sentenced on state charges in Floyd killing
(Various) — Former Minneapolis police officer J. Alexander Kueng (KING), already in federal prison in connection with the death of George Floyd, today (Fri) received a three-and-a-half year state sentence, after pleading guilty just before trial in October to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Kueng will serve the state sentence concurrently with his three-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. Kueng did not speak during this afternoon’s virtual hearing.
>>Willmar paraprofessional facing multiple sex charges
(Willmar, MN) — A first court appearance on sex charges today (Fri) for a para-professional at Dream Technical Academy in Willmar who was arrested at the school Wednesday after an alleged victim told their mother they’d been assaulted by an acquaintance. 48-year-old Eric Leist (LIE-st) is charged with seven felonies and two gross misdemeanors, including first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person age 14 or under. His next court appearance is December 21st.
>>Another Minneapolis Business Closing
(Minneapolis, MN) — Marshalls, a downtown Minneapolis staple on the Nicollet Mall for over a quarter-century, is closing mid-January. The pending departure, preceded by nearby Nordstrom Rack last month, leaves downtown residents with virtually no department store options except Target’s flagship store, about a block from the retail giant’s corporate headquarters — at a time when civic leaders are imploring people to return to the central business district. At one time downtown Minneapolis had a wide variety of major department stores, including Donaldson’s and Powers, all clustered along what was to become the Nicollet Mall. The last to go was Macy’s, which had acquired Marshall Field’s after that company absorbed the venerable Dayton-Hudson department store chain. Dayton’s created Target in 1962 and the offspring ultimately eclipsed its parent
>>Brownie Led To Drug Bust
(Atwater, MN) — A brownie laced with THC in west-central Minnesota’s Atwater led to a drug bust in Spicer. The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Department Thursday responded to a residence near Atwater on the report of an overdose, possibly caused by someone eating a THC-laced brownie. The victim was taken to the Willmar hospital for treatment. The investigation led to a search warrant being executed by the c-6 drug and task force at an apartment in Spicer, where they found meth, marijuana, marijuana wax, and a cake pan containing about one and three-quarter pounds of THC-laced brownies. They also found items consistent with drug sales. They arrested a 24-year-old man who was a fugitive wanted by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, and a 23-year-old woman who lives in the apartment. They are now in the Kandiyohi County Jail awaiting drug and firearm charges.
>>10th Annual Kids “Clouds” Choir for a Cause Event at MOA
(Bloomington, MN) — The tenth annual Kids “Clouds” Choir for a Cause event is this evening (Friday 6 p-m) at the Mall of America. It celebrates the life and legacy of Zach Sobiech of Stillwater, who died of rare cancer in 2013. Zach wrote the song “Clouds” to say goodbye to his friends and family and it became a number-one song on I-Tunes and the Billboard charts. The choir and hundreds will sing it live tonight at the Mall of America rotunda. The event has raised three-and-a-half million dollars for cancer research.
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