Minneapolis, MN
First licensed Somali-owned day care in state damaged in south Minneapolis fire
MINNEAPOLIS — Hours after her home burned down, Hawo Gurey stood on the sidewalk looking at the remains trying to figure out how to rebuild.
Not for herself, though. She was more concerned about the families that had come to rely on the day care business that was also housed inside the property.
“This is very devastating. It’s going to impact my business in a large way. I am no longer going to be able to care for the kids I was going to care for. It’s going to affect the mothers and children that were gonna be taken care of,” Gurey said.
If you learn more about her life story, you’ll find that taking care of others is what Gurey does.
In 1991, Gurey became a refugee of civil war in Somalia, taking a bullet to the shoulder.
“I flee with my siblings and I was able to take care of them. My mother passed away in her own home. She was shot. We came to Kenya and fortunately, I was able to come to America,” she said.
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After several years in a Kenyan refugee camp, Gurey and her young children arrived in Minnesota.
She says she received so much help taking care of her children here, she wanted to pay it forward.
“I started off helping moms who didn’t speak English, who didn’t have people to take care of their kids so they can go to work,” she said. “There’s many parents that were not able to get help or assistance from the government but I was able to help and help them until they are able to get assistance or get help or homes or work.”
Gurey eventually opened the first licensed Somali day care in the state.
Since then, she’s watched over thousands of children until Wednesday morning’s fire.
The Minneapolis Fire Department says the fire started in a dumpster outside in a pile of debris before it spread to two adjacent homes. It’s something Gurey isn’t surprised to hear.
“There was a homeless person living in that corner. And I asked them to move out a few times. I didn’t want to call the police on them I didn’t want to cause them any harm, but they still wouldn’t move,” she said. “I spoke to my landlord two or three times that children were being cared for here and that they need to be doing something about it. So they moved away from my home to the home next door to me. Nothing was really done and this is what it came to. ”
Her focus now is rebuilding and reopening for those families that have come to rely on her.
“I gave many hours to parents so they’re always always have somewhere that safe to bring to their children. From 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., I am the only place that is always there to provide care for children,” she said, pointing at the charred remains of her home and business. “It’s not important of what I had, but who I was caring for it was the most important thing to me.”
The West Bank Business Association has started a GoFundMe to help the business impacted by the fire.
The scene of the crash at 26th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis woman was sentenced for her role in a deadly crash that killed two women and injured two other people in December 2024.
READ MORE: Minneapolis woman charged in fatal high-speed crash faces additional charges
Woman sentenced in fatal Minneapolis crash
Big picture view:
Prosecutors say Teniki Steward drove a Buick Enclave into a bus shelter and a Ford Explorer after speeding through a red light.
Both of the women in the Ford Explorer died in the crash. They were identified as 53-year-old Ester Jean Fulks and 57-year-old Rose Elaine Reece.
During the crash, the Ford Explorer went off the road, injuring a 17-year-old boy who was waiting for a school bus.
The passenger in Steward’s vehicle also suffered injuries.
Minneapolis police said that Steward was also injured in the crash.
Steward pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges.
What they’re saying:
During the sentencing, the daughter of one of the victims had a statement read on her behalf:
“There’s nothing that can truly prepare you for the moment your entire world is taken from you. Losing my mom has left a pain in my heart that words will never be able to explain.”
What’s next:
Minnesota law requires that Steward serves at least two-thirds of her sentence, a bit under eight-and-a-half years, in prison.
Fatal Emerson and 26th crash
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint, through surveillance videos from the scene of the crash and witnesses, investigators learned that Steward, driving the Buick Enclave, had been driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Emerson Avenue North.
Before the fatal crash, Steward sped through the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, running a red light and nearly causing a crash, the charges said.
Steward then continued to speed northbound down Emerson Avenue North, and ran another red light at 26th Avenue North, hitting the Ford Explorer, which was traveling eastbound, according to the complaint.
The Ford Explorer had been at the intersection of Emerson and 26th on a green light.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared the following statement:
“This was an egregious act that took Rose and Esther’s lives and injured a child waiting to go to school at a bus stop. Ms. Steward was driving at extremely dangerous speeds on city streets and narrowly avoided multiple collisions before the incident occurred. Third-degree murder charges are appropriate to hold her accountable and protect our community.”
The Source: This story uses information gathered from an Olmsted County court appearance and previous FOX 9 reporting.
A motorcyclist is dead after an early morning crash in Minneapolis Friday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said that at 1:20 a.m., a Suzuki Motorcycle going north on I-35W at Johnson Street hit the left side of the median guard rail.
The motorcycle continued north for about another quarter mile before coming to a rest on the right-hand side.
State Patrol said the rider came to rest on the left shoulder. He was later identified as 21-year-old Andrew James Neuberger.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Rochester Spartans boys volleyball team played its second game on consecutive nights. The Spartans beat Minneapolis Camden 3-0.
Rochester’s next game will be Tuesday, April 21, at St. Anthony Village at 7:00 p.m.
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