Minneapolis, MN
Despite fire, hundreds of 911 calls, Minneapolis problem property still stands
MINNEAPOLIS — When the Dundry House Apartments caught fire in early April, it seemed the building would be on the fast track to demolition.
After all, the building had been vacant for months, leading to squatters, an abundance of 911 calls, and nearly a dozen overdoses on the property. When the building caught fire, an estimated 20 people were inside. When the fire was put out, the roof had collapsed.
Nearly a month later, however, the building stands. People routinely break into the boarded windows. More 911 calls routinely come in. This, all as its owner desperately tries to get it torn down.
Help for the homeless
Built more than 100 years ago, the Dundry House apartments sit tucked between the Interstate 35W and Interstate 94 interchange. Since 2002, local non-profit Hope Community Inc. has owned the 25-unit building, using it to help people transitioning out of homelessness.
Hope Community Interim Co-Executive Director Will Delaney says for years, it was an overall positive for the community, helping people who had previously experienced homelessness find secure, long-term housing.
After the pandemic, however, Delaney says things began to change. A detailed timeline presented to WCCO News portrays an increase in crime beginning in 2022. Then, an encampment began forming in a vacant lot adjacent to the building.
In May of 2022, Hope Community began paying for around-the-clock security at the building. Delaney estimates in total, the non-profit spent close to $500,000 on security throughout the time they paid for it.
Despite the additional security, people began breaking into the building. On June 9, 2023, someone stole the building’s gas and water lines. There was nothing the non-profit could do, Delaney said. They had to close the building, work to find homes for other residents, and board the windows and doors.
“It was one of the most difficult decisions, certainly of my professional career,” Delaney said.
Squatters broke through the boards and into the building the same day, 911 records show.
An emergency call
Records provided to WCCO News from the Minneapolis Office of Community Safety show 147 individual 911 calls to the Dundry House property over the past 18 months.
When the boards went up and squatters broke in this past June, police continued to receive calls for “prowlers”, “unwanted persons” and other trespassers. Around Thanksgiving, there was a fire. There was another on Christmas Eve. Then, on April 4th, came the biggest fire to date. The entire top floor of the building was in flames.
“It is like the bottom dropping out kind of moment,” Delaney said. “Immediately I knew, oh no – we’ve got a major problem.”
Prior to the fire, Delaney said Hope had been working with another non-profit, interested in purchasing the property and continuing to use it as transitional housing. When the fire happened in April, any hope the building could be salvaged fell flat.
Minneapolis Fire Department reported 15-20 people inside the building when the fire broke out. Luckily, there were no reported injuries.
The building was reboarded once more.
The first call for a trespasser inside came five days later.
A problem property
Delaney says he knew there would be no other option but to tear the building down. He says the day of the fire, he contacted the city – asking if they could assist in an immediate demolition.
Delaney was concerned should the building sit vacant, even after a fire, it would provide more chances for people to break in and set more fires.
The response from Minneapolis Regulatory Services Director Enrique Velazquez, obtained by WCCO News, shocked Delaney.
“They said because this was not an emergency, it didn’t meet their emergency definition from the city (to demolish),” Delaney said. “That it was up to the property owner to demolish it.”
Delaney says his non-profit has been quoted that the job to demolish could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We don’t have the resources,” he said. “I think every day this building stays standing, we’re risking another fire, another major incident.”
“I don’t know what the fix should be, but the building should go,” said Alex Johnson, who lives across the street. “It’s a lot going on here. It’s a lot. The police are always here. The fire department is always here… I don’t even know if there’s anything extra that the police can even do.”
Delaney says Hope plans to find a company to do the job. Still, it could take weeks.
“This is not a case of negligent landlords who are not paying attention, don’t care what happens – we care very much. We’re trying our best. We just need help from the city and other partners to do what’s right here,” he said.
Food insecurity in Minnesota: SNAP cuts and rising demand
Minnesota food shelves are facing growing pressure as potential federal SNAP cuts, rising grocery prices and increased demand strain already limited resources. Some providers also report impacts tied to recent immigration enforcement activity, with families hesitant to seek assistance. Wendy Behm of ACBC Food Shelf joins to discuss how organizations are responding, efforts to combat food insecurity across the state, and what’s at stake during the current legislative session. Learn more at acbcfoodshelf.com.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis grocery store owner is facing a felony charge after investigators say he trafficked more than $1.1 million in SNAP benefits using other people’s EBT cards.
SNAP benefits trafficking investigation leads to felony charge
What we know:
According to criminal charges filed in Hennepin County Court, Abdidwahid Mohamed, owner of Minnesota Food Grocery LLC, is accused of using EBT cards registered to other people to purchase items like energy drinks and baby formula at Sam’s Club and Costco between March 8, 2021 and August 10, 2021. The goods were then resold at his store.
The complaint states law enforcement says they watched Mohamed make the purchases and tracked him returning directly to his store with the items. Video surveillance and GPS data confirmed the trips, and investigators say many of the EBT cardholders were out of the country or denied shopping at the stores Mohamed visited.
The complaint states, “Mohamed received $1,141,082 in EBT payments” during the period in question. The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to help low-income households buy food, with benefits issued through EBT cards that work like debit cards.
Wal-Mart team sparks investigation
The backstory:
The investigation began when Wal-Mart’s Global Investigation Team flagged suspicious EBT transactions at Sam’s Club locations in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) was contacted in May 2021, and surveillance of Mohamed followed.
The complaint states on Aug. 10, 2021, law enforcement executed search warrants at Mohamed’s store and vehicles. He was arrested at a Sam’s Club in Bloomington with an EBT card and a handwritten note containing a PIN number. Interviews with more than two dozen EBT cardholders revealed that many claimed their cards were lost or had never been used at the stores in question.
One woman admitted she had not shopped at Minnesota Food Grocery for more than a year-and-a-half after agreeing to let Mohamed use her EBT card.
The complaint states the offense “involved a high degree of sophistication or planning or occurred over a lengthy period of time.”
What’s next:
If convicted, Mohamed faces up to 20 years in prison or a $100,000 fine.
The Source: Information from a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court.
Minneapolis, MN
Truck driver dead after crash sends Metro Transit bus into home in south Minneapolis
It happened early Monday morning in Minneapolis.
One person is dead and another is hospitalized after an early-morning crash in south Minneapolis on Monday that sent a Metro Transit bus into a home.
It happened at around 4 a.m. at 10th Avenue South and East 38th Street, just a few blocks east of George Floyd Square.
A spokesperson for Metro Transit police tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that a truck was speeding down 10th Avenue when it hit the back of the bus, ripping a tire off the bus and sending it into the front of a home.
The driver of that truck died, according to Metro Transit police, while the driver of the bus was taken to a hospital but is expected to be OK.
Officials say nobody besides the driver was on the bus at the time, and the home the bus hit was also empty at the time.
Investigators are still at the scene, working to clean up all of the debris and determine exactly what led up to the crash.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is at the scene and working to learn more. Download the KSTP app and follow 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on social media for the latest updates.
Minneapolis, MN
Atlanta Dream survive thriller in Minneapolis, edge Lynx 91-90 to open 2026 WNBA season
The Atlanta Dream trailed by double digits, fought back twice and still needed Angel Reese’s game-saving block in the final seconds to survive.
Atlanta opened the 2026 WNBA season with a 91-90 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday night, powered by Allisha Gray’s 24 points, Te-Hina Paopao’s pull-up jumper with 12 seconds remaining, and a performance that left little doubt about what this team intends to do this season.
Reese’s block on Emese Hof’s layup attempt in the closing seconds sealed one of the most dramatic opening-night wins before 10,821 fans at Target Center.
When Minnesota pushed its advantage to 13 points in the second quarter and the Dream looked like they were in serious trouble, Allisha Gray took over. The veteran guard finished with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-18 shooting, going a near-perfect 9-of-11 from the free throw line to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Gray’s ability to get to the line and convert kept Atlanta within striking distance throughout a game that could have spiraled out of control multiple times. She scored 11 points in the third quarter alone as the Dream chipped away at Minnesota’s lead.
Rhyne Howard was equally important on both ends, finishing with 15 points, five assists and three steals. Jordin Canada ran the offense efficiently with 12 points and six assists, and Paopao added six points and four assists in a composed performance off the bench.
With Atlanta trailing 85-87 and the clock winding down, Naz Hillmon stepped back and drained a 22-foot three-pointer with 2:44 left to tie the game and silence the fans in the Target Center. It was the shot of the night, and arguably the play that won Atlanta the game.
Hillmon finished with 15 points on an efficient 6-of-10 from the field, adding seven rebounds in 33 minutes. She was the Dream’s most reliable scorer off the bench and delivered her best basketball when Atlanta needed it most.
Rookie Madina Okot also impressed in her WNBA debut, scoring eight points on 3-of-6 shooting with four rebounds in just 10 minutes, showing the poise and physicality that earned her a roster spot out of training camp.
Angel Reese’s first game in a Dream uniform was complicated. She shot 4-of-11 from the field, committed five turnovers and picked up a first-quarter technical foul that gifted Minnesota a free point. At one point in the first half, she missed three consecutive shots on the same possession.
But Reese also grabbed 14 rebounds, nine on the offensive glass, blocked three shots, came up with two steals, and made the most important play of the game when it mattered most. Her block on Hof’s layup in the final seconds was the kind of athletic, instinctive play that changes games and defines seasons.
That is the player Atlanta acquired this offseason. On opening night, in the most pressure-packed moment of the game, she showed exactly why.
Minnesota had every opportunity to win this game and couldn’t finish it. Olivia Miles finished with 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting and eight assists to go along with eight free throws made. Kayla McBride scored 20 points and hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:11 left that looked like it might be the dagger.
Courtney Williams added 14 points and six assists, and the Lynx shot 50 percent from the field, a number that should have been good enough to win.
But 15 turnovers and an inability to execute in the game’s final minute proved too costly. Minnesota had chances to put Atlanta away in the fourth quarter and couldn’t. The Dream made them pay every time.
Atlanta continues its opening road trip Tuesday against the Dallas Wings before returning home for the May 17 opener against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces at State Farm Arena. Minnesota hosts Atlanta again on May 27.
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