PRINCE-MURAL

Minneapolis mural of pop icon Prince to be finished in June

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A downtown Minneapolis mural honoring pop superstar Prince will be unveiled in June. Officials with the Crown Our Prince project say the painting is scheduled to begin on May 16 on a parking ramp near near First Avenue and 8th Street. The artwork will be carried out by 33-year-old Hiero Veiga, a Black Florida street painter known for the rendering on the exterior wall of Miami’s Museum of Graffiti. Organizers say the $500,000 Minneapolis project has been in the works for seven years. A block party is scheduled for June 2 to celebrate its completion. This month marks six years since Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park home in Chanhassen.

OFFICER SHOT-MINNESOTA

Roseville officer injured in shootout released from hospital

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A suburban Minneapolis officer who was seriously injured when a gunman fired more than 100 rounds in a shootout with police has been released from the hospital. Officer Ryan Duxbury was greeted by a line of squad cars and applauding officers from Roseville and other local departments as he emerged from Regions Hospital Friday in a wheelchair. The Star Tribune reports that Duxbury required surgery to remove a bullet from his neck after he was shot by 53-year-old Jesse Werling in a residential Roseville neighborhood on Tuesday. Werling, who moved around the wooded area and continued to shoot at officers and houses after Duxbury was injured, was eventually shot by police and later died. Werling was known to police because of previous mental health-related calls.

ARMED ROBBERY-SENTENCE

Minneapolis man sentenced to 12 years for armed robbery

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for an armed robbery that injured one person. Abdiweli Mohamed Jama pleaded guilty in November to robbery and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. The robbery took place in November 2020. Authorities say the 32-year-old Jama was armed with a pistol when he attempted to rob Market Barbecue in Minneapolis. An employee was shot once in the shoulder and once in the knee during a struggle to get the gun from Jama. Jama was ordered to serve five years of supervised release at the end of his prison term.

RACIAL JUSTICE-ACTIVIST CONVICTED

Well-known Milwaukee activist convicted in Kentucky robbery

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A prominent Milwaukee activist known for his protests against police brutality has been found guilty of first-degree robbery in Kentucky. Khalil Coleman was a leader of marches in Milwaukee during the summer of 2020, after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. He was arrested in Elsmere, Kentucky in February 2021 after authorities said he was part of a group that tried to rob a drug house. The 36-year-old Coleman has denied committing a crime. In addition to the conviction, he was found not guilty Friday on a separate charge of unlawful transaction with a minor. Coleman faces up to 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

FORMER CHIEF CHARGED

Former Alexandria police chief charged with theft

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Alexandria police chief was arrested and charged with theft for using city funds to purchase items for his personal use. After a yearlong investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the 57-year-old Richard Wyffels, who retired in September 2020, charged more than $65,700 to a city-issued credit card, beginning in December 2014. None of the items that were purchased could be found in the Police Department. The Star Tribune reports Wyffels was arrested Friday. An attempt to reach Wyffels was not successful. The investigation is ongoing.

MINNESOTA ATHLETES-PAY

Minnesota plans to pay athletes for academic success

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota plans to start paying its athletes for doing well in the classroom. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle announced the move Friday. The NCAA currently allows schools to give academic bonuses of up to $5,980 annually to athletes as per a federal judge's mandate two years ago. The university set a school record over the past year with 431 academic All-Big Ten selections, 180 Big Ten distinguished scholars and 15 academic All-Americans. ESPN reported earlier this week that 22 of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools plan to pay athletes for high academic performance. Wisconsin was the only Big Ten squad.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

St. Paul school board to vote again on lifting mask mandate

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The St. Paul school board is set to vote again on whether to lift the district's mask mandate. The Pioneer Press reported Friday that the board will vote Tuesday. The board voted 3-2 on March 22 to keep the mandate in place, rejecting the superintendent's recommendation to drop it. The board said then it expected COVID-19 cases to rise after spring break and vaccination rates were low for people of color. But the Pioneer Press reported that it's been almost two months since the district has reported more than 13 new cases involving students, staff and visitors in a single day.

SEXUAL ASSAULT-ARREST

Police arrest man for sexually assaulting 5-year-old in 2016

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Police have arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl waiting for her school bus in St. Paul in 2016. The Pioneer Press reports that investigators collected DNA evidence at the time of the assault but periodic database searches didn't turn up any matches until this past December. The match led police to a 19-year-old man. Officers arrested him in Cahokia Heights, Illinois, on Monday. He is awaiting extradition to Minnesota. The man would have been 13 at the time of the assault.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022