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Former Great Fans shop on Snelling Ave. could become Little Africa Plaza — a pan-African grocery, museum, office and retail center

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

Standing in front of the long-vacant Great Fans and Blinds shop on Snelling Avenue, Gene Gelgelu talks up his $4.5 million dream of converting the two-story building into “Little Africa Plaza,” the bustling commercial center of a community on the move.Measuring nearly 15,000 square feet, the boarded-up building is little more than 12 months away, in his eyes, from reopening as an African foods grocer adjoining two smaller retail stores at ground level, as well as a pan-African museum of continental art and culture.Upstairs on the second floor, Gelgelu, himself an Ethiopian immigrant, plans to locate the new headquarters of African Economic Development Solutions, the nonprofit he launched on University Avenue in 2008.‘Little Africa’Could Little Africa Plaza become the commercial heartbeat of St. Paul’s official “Little Africa” commercial district?Given the growing numbers of African immigrants in the area — this weekend marked the ninth...

Man sentenced to probation for raping homeless woman at downtown St. Paul parking ramp

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

A Brooklyn Park man was sentenced to seven years of probation Monday for beating and raping a homeless woman at a downtown St. Paul parking ramp in 2017.Liban Mohammed Dahir, 30, was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct in November 2019 after his DNA in a burglary case in Massachusetts linked him to the April 6, 2017, assault.Liban Mohammed Dahir (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)Since the charge, court proceedings were delayed because of the pandemic, Dahir failing to appear at three hearings and his subsequent civil commitments for being mentally ill and chemically dependent. In February, after further treatment at the Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center, Dahir was found to be mentally competent to stand trial in the case, court records show.The downward departure from state sentencing guidelines handed down by Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro was “per agreement of parties,” court records say.In May, Dahir pleaded guilty ...

Lake Elmo officials move into new $12.7 million city center

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

The new Lake Elmo City Center is open to the public, and officials are planning an October gathering to celebrate its completion.The new $12.7 million project, completed last month, includes council chambers, offices for city staff and Washington County Sheriff’s deputies and a fire station.“We’ve been working out of a construction trailer for 16 months, so we’re very happy to be in the new space,” said City Administrator Kristina Handt. “This new building will allow the city to more efficiently work  together to serve our residents and businesses.”The city council voted in 2018  to issue bonds to buy the two-story Brookfield Building, 3880 Laverne Ave., just across the parking lot from the old Lake Elmo City Hall. Construction crews gutted the building “down to studs and rebuilt everything and added on the fire-apparatus bay and the council chambers and community room,” Handt said.Staff had outgrown the former 1980s-era city hall on Laverne. From 2014 to 2018, the city spent $33,00...

Hearing delayed in child sex crime case due to language barrier

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

ST. LOUIS – An Afghan man accused of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old boy last month appeared in St. Louis Circuit Court on Monday for a bond hearing.An attorney for Osmani Haji Gul wants his client released on bond. However, the judge delayed the hearing two weeks due to a language barrier. Gul speaks Pashto, and the judge said cited difficulty finding a certified translator.The court has vendors who provide certified interpreters as quickly as possible, but it can take longer with less common languages, such as Pashto. Translation certification is conducted through a program via the Office of State Courts Administrator.This was not Gul’s first court appearance. A hearing was also postponed from last week for the same reason. Almanacs predict cold, wet winter — but can you trust them? Gul, 34, was charged with first-degree sodomy, sexual misconduct, attempted statutory sodomy, and four-degree assault in connection with two alleged incidents.Police claim the most recent incident o...

Northeast Missouri community comes together to help rural town devastated by tornado

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

BARING, Mo. – It was another wild weekend of severe weather across the bi-state, with a few tornado touchdowns doing significant damage to rural communities. One community hit hard was Baring, Missouri, in Knox County.“They had propane tanks spewing; people are yelling; people are trapped; the power’s out,” said Echo Menges, a reporter with the Edina Sentinel.Menges sets the scene following the EF-2 tornado that tore through the small town of Baring Friday night shortly after 11 p.m., damaging 62 buildings, with 32 homes beyond repair.Victim Terry Fast described his experience.“I woke up and the ceiling started coming down, and I didn’t hear no sound or nothing, so I didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “I just tried to do the best I could. Everything was raining on me; I had to get my umbrella out.” Almanacs predict cold, wet winter — but can you trust them? Fast only suffered minor injuries. Remarkably, no one was killed or seriously injured in the storm, which produced wind...

DPS puts McAuliffe International School’s interim principal on leave amid “seclusion room” investigation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

Denver Public Schools put the interim principal of McAuliffe International School on paid leave Monday, days after the district announced its investigation into the use of a locked “seclusion room” at the middle school as a form of discipline for students. Micah Klaver had succeeded Kurt Dennis, who previously led the school and was fired last month, as interim principal. But at a news conference Monday, school board Vice President Auon’tai Anderson alleged Klaver also was potentially involved in putting students in the room.DPS spokesman Bill Good confirmed Klaver was placed on administrative leave, but did not offer a reason. The district’s Northeast Denver Innovation Zone board, which helps oversee the school, sent a letter to parents announcing DPS’s decision, saying Klaver was put on “paid, non-punitive” leave and that the decision “does not suggest that Mr. Klaver has acted in any inappropriate manner.”McAuliffe’s new...

Global cannabis company buying Breckenridge Brewery and seven other brands from Anheuser Busch

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

Tilray Brands, a major player in the global cannabis sector, is increasing its foothold in the craft beer space — and in Colorado — with the purchase of eight brands from Anheuser Busch In Bev, including Littleton-based Breckenridge Brewery.The deal, announced Monday, is poised to make Tilray among the largest craft brewers in the United States and position the company to become a leader in the cannabis beverage space.In addition to Breckenridge Brewery, Tilray has agreed to acquire Shock Top, Blue Point Brewing Co., 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Redhook Brewery, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Square Mile Cider Company, and HiBall Energy. Those will bolster its already robust portfolio that includes SweetWater Brewing Co., Montauk Brewing Co., Alpine Beer Co. and Green Flash Brewing Co.According to the Brewers Association’s most recent figures, Tilray was the 9th largest craft brewer in the country. The company expects it will crack the top five once this deal goes through, something...

Judge halts age limit on Colorado gun purchases as lawsuit continues

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

A new Colorado law restricting gun purchases to people 21 and older is not in effect while a broader lawsuit challenging its constitutionality plays out, a district court judge ruled Monday afternoon.District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer granted the preliminary injunction in response to a lawsuit brought by guns-rights organization Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and two Coloradans older than 18 but younger than 21.In the ruling, Brimmer wrote Gov. Jared Polis “failed to meet his burden to demonstrate that SB23-169 is consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearms regulation.” The individual plaintiffs, he added, “have demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits” of their case.The lawsuit challenged the age limit law, as well as another measure that would institute a waiting period for all firearm purchases in the state. The age limit law went into effect Monday. The judge did not rule on the waiting period law, which is slated to go into eff...

Avelo Airlines announces half-off flights for September, but time is running out to book

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

Avelo Airlines is slashing prices for flights in September to commemorate the end of summer and celebrate the beginning of the fall travel season.Travelers looking for fly between Sept. 1 through Sept. 30 can receive 50% off flights by using the promo code: Sept50.The flights must be booked on AveloAir.com by midnight on Tuesday, Aug. 8.Avelo Airlines Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said the massive sale is part of the company's goal to "inspire travel," which is already made more possible by the discount airline's affordable fares."Enjoying a family vacation or long weekend getaway in the fall is now more affordable than ever," Levy said. "With dozens of beautiful and relaxing destinations to choose from, September is the perfect time to explore somewhere new or revisit a familiar favorite."  Flights from Burbank to Glacier National Park now taking off Avelo currently services 47 destinations across 25 states and Puerto Rico. All flights through the airline are nonstop and...

Bryan Randall, Sandra Bullock's longtime partner, dies at 57 from ALS

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:37 GMT

Sandra Bullock's longtime partner Bryan Randall has passed away after a private three-year battle with ALS. He was 57 years old. Randall died over the weekend and released a statement, which was obtained by People magazine. "It is with great sadness that we share that on Aug. 5, Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with ALS," the statement said. "Bryan chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request."The model-turned-photographer's family then thanked the health care workers who helped them through this time. Sandra Bullock attends the Los Angeles premiere of Paramount Pictures' "The Lost City" at Regency Village Theatre on March 21, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)"We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own f...