Minneapolis, MN
Effort to revive Minneapolis 2040 plan moves forward in Minnesota House | Finance & Commerce
A version of the bill that would exempt cities’ comprehensive plans from certain lawsuits under the Minnesota Environmental Review Act has made its way into the state and local government supplemental budget bill.
This policy would exempt comprehensive plans from being sued under MERA for creating dense housing and would be retroactive to March 2018. The policy was amended into the supplemental budget bill on April 18 with a unanimous voice vote by the State and Local Government Finance and Policy Committee. Advocates for the bill say they are waiting to see what the Senate does with the policy, but they are “cautiously optimistic.”
The retroactive nature of the policy would create protection for the city of Minneapolis’ 2040 Comprehensive Plan, a plan that removed single-family-only zoning and has been cited by researchers as being a reason for Minneapolis keeping its rent increases lower than the rest of the nation. However, a lawsuit against the plan, under MERA, brought its implementation to a halt.
Rep. Sydney Jordan, the sponsor of the original bill House File 4028, said in an interview with Finance & Commerce that she was “nervous” about the bill’s status because the Legislature is “full of ups and downs.” She said, however, that she’s grateful the bill was included in the state and local government supplemental budget bill because of the issues facing Minneapolis.
“It was a bill that was necessary for my city that I represent,” Jordan said. “I felt it was important, especially because my city was trying to make sure we were permitting housing and permitting density, which is much more beneficial for the environment than promoting less-dense sorts of development.”
The bill would provide shelter for all cities in the Twin Cities metro that are planning for density under MERA, not just Minneapolis, said PeggySue Imihy Bean, the president of the American Planning Association Minnesota Chapter.
Jordan said that there is more work that needs to be done to the policy and that there are more stops for the state and local government supplemental budget bill. But she said she is confident the needs can be addressed by the end of session.
The Senate version of the bill, Senate File 4183, made it through its committee assignments, receiving a vote from the Transportation Committee, the Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee, and was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill by the State and Local Government and Veterans Committee at its March 26 Committee meeting.
Sam Richie, a lobbyist for the Minnesota chapter of the American Planning Association, said he and others who are pushing the policy feel “cautiously optimistic” about the Senate including it in the omnibus bill. Richie said he thinks they have support from legislators, but said he is waiting for something to be in writing.
Jack Perry, a lawyer at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP who represents the groups that brought the lawsuit against the Minneapolis 2040 Plan, said he is “confident” the bill will not pass the Senate.
When probed on what would happen to the lawsuit if the exemption is included in the final omnibus bill and signed by Gov. Tim Walz, Perry said the question was “phony” because he doesn’t think the bill will get “anywhere near Walz’s desk.”
Perry called the city of Minneapolis “radical intransigents” and compared it to the character Veruca Salt from the 1971 film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” who insists her parents give her whatever she wants.
“I don’t think there’s the votes in the House,” he said. “I don’t think there’s votes in the Senate because people do not want to reward Veruca Salts.”
Lawmakers consider exempting comprehensive plans from environmental lawsuits
Local officials lobbied hard against statewide zoning bill
A Minneapolis grocery store owner faces felony charges in what investigators say was a million-dollar food assistance fraud scheme.
Abdid-Wahid Mohamed is accused of using other people’s EBT cards to get more than a million dollars to buy items from wholesale stores that he later sold at his own store.
EBT cards work like debit cards for low-income families who receive government-paid benefits.
Investigators said Mohamed owned Minnesota Food Grocery LLC near West Lake Street in Minneapolis and was seen buying items such as energy drinks and baby formula with EBT cards that did not belong to him.
Investigators said Mohamed then loaded the goods into his vehicles and took them to Minnesota Food Grocery, where they were unloaded and placed on store shelves for resale.
The court filing says one woman identified as F.F. told investigators she had not paid for groceries at Minnesota Food Grocery for more than 1.5 years after agreeing to let Mohamed use her EBT card.
The charging document says that between March 8, 2021 and Aug. 10, 2021, Mohamed received $1,141,082 in EBT payments.
If convicted, Mohamed could face up to 20 years in prison.
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.
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