Minneapolis, MN
Inside a Minneapolis neighborhood’s impromptu speed-skating race on a lake
An anonymous post on an unofficial Instagram page named “powderhornskatingclub” was all it took to coax nearly three dozen intrepid skaters onto the frozen lake at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis a few days later.
“That’s right baby. The Powderhorn Skating Championship is back!” the post said.
The origins of speed skating on Powderhorn Lake in Powderhorn Park date back to the 1930s and ‘40s when, according to the Minneapolis Parks website, a local ice track hosted national skating championships and even Olympic trials. In 1948, four of the nine skaters on the U.S. Olympic team were from the south Minneapolis neighborhood.
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Organizers said they wanted to honor Powderhorn Park’s history of speed skating and bring their neighbors out for some winter fun. On Saturday, skaters toed the starting line of the hand-shoveled track in two categories: beginner and intermediate. Heats consisted of one lap for beginners and two laps for the intermediate division.
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Before the start, Powderhorn community members Orren Fen and Helena Howard passed out handmade cardboard signs for a dozen or so spectators lined up on the frozen lake.
“We saw the flyer and I was like, ‘We should grab some flags and come on down,’” said Fen.
Racers were decked out in outfits ranging from figure skating tutus and Carhartt coveralls to neon-patterned singlets straight out of 1980s workout videos.
Mar Horns, who skated in the beginner heat, said her grandfather grew up competing on the ice at Powderhorn Park. “It’s cool hearing my grandpa talk about his time living here, then seeing people continue to have some of these really cool traditions.”
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“The real victory is being here with my friends and feeling my heart race as I skate around the ice,” said Spencer Polk, who finished first in the intermediate heat.
In the end, unofficial winners received tiny prizes that were thrifted from a store up the street, and awards for best outfits and most helpful shovelers were handed out as well.
MPR News video producer Anne Guttridge contributed to this story.
Convicted rapist plea deals allow repeat offenses
A two-time convicted rapist out on probation is back in jail after a judge sentenced a Minneapolis man in May, but he got credit for time served, so he never went to prison. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni has the details that were the result of a pair of plea deals.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A two-time convicted sex offender on probation kidnapped and raped a woman at a hotel in Bloomington in September, according to court documents.
Convicted sex offender kidnapped, raped woman he met on Snapchat: charges
The allegations:
According to court records, Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, 28, of Minneapolis, kidnapped and raped a woman he met on Snapchat.
Mohamed picked up the woman at her home in Mankato in September, then drove her to a hotel in Bloomington, where he held her against her will for several days and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
The victim told investigators that Mohamed told her, “You’re not going home,” after she got into his car, according to court documents.
She also told investigators that Mohamed took her phone and told her, “You’re not leaving,” when she tried to escape.
On Sept. 21, nearly a week after her kidnapping, the “very distraught and shaken up” victim jumped out of Mohamed’s car on Aldrich Avenue South in Minneapolis, where a resident called police.
Suspect convicted of two previous sexual assaults in Minneapolis
The previous cases:
The September incident happened less than four months after he was sentenced in two unrelated sexual assault cases, including one that involved a 15-year-old girl.
In May 2024, Mohamed was arrested and charged after prosecutors said he raped a woman he met on Snapchat at his apartment in Minneapolis.
In that case, the victim told a paramedic that she had been strangled and raped.
Mohamed threatened to shoot the victim unless she had sex with him, prosecutors said.
According to court records, a witness heard arguing and walked into a bedroom to find Mohamed on top of the victim. He threatened to kill the witness, prosecutors said.
In October 2024, he was charged in another rape that prosecutors said happened in December 2017.
DNA collected after his arrest in 2024 linked him to the 2017 case that involved a 15-year-old girl.
According to court records, Mohamed met the girl on Snapchat and picked her up in St. Paul. He drove her to Minneapolis, where two men got into the car, prosecutors said. One of the men pointed a handgun at the victim and forced her to perform oral sex on another man in the car before Mohamed got in the backseat and raped her, documents said.
Suspect struck plea deals, avoided prison time
The sentences:
In May, a Hennepin County judge sentenced Mohamed in the two rape cases. But under the terms of a plea agreement, he served no prison time.
For the 2017 sexual assault that involved a minor, he was sentenced to three years in prison, but the sentence was stayed for five years, meaning he did not serve prison time. He was sentenced to 364 days in the Hennepin County workhouse but received credit for time served. In addition, he was sentenced to five years of probation.
For the 2024 sexual assault, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison, but that sentence was also stayed, meaning he never went to prison. He was also sentenced – and received credit for time served – to 364 days in the Hennepin County workhouse. In addition, he was sentenced to a day of probation.
The response:
When reached via email on Monday for comment, a spokesman for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the cases, said he was “checking in with staff.”
Several communities across the Twin Cities are under a snow emergency on Sunday following a Thanksgiving weekend storm that dumped several inches on parts of Minnesota.
The National Weather Service reports 4.7 inches of snow fell at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, though there was a range of 3-6 inches of accumulation reported across the metro.
Snow emergency rules can be confusing, and can lead to pricey tickets and unwelcomed trips to the impound lot. So let’s break down the protocols in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Minneapolis rules
Starting at 9 p.m. on Sunday, you can’t park on either side of the street on snow emergency routes.
Starting Monday at 8 a.m., you can’t park on the even side of the street for any non-emergency snow routes.
Then starting Tuesday at 8 a.m., don’t park on the odd side of the street through Tuesday at 8 a.m.
The city said it is no longer using its snow emergency app, but notifications are sent out in the Minneapolis parking app. You can also register your information to receive alerts here.
St. Paul rules
In the capital city, it’s a bit more complicated. Snow emergencies go by day and night plow routes.
Starting at 9 p.m. on Sunday, parking is prohibited on all “night plow route” streets, which includes all of downtown.
Then starting at 8 a.m. Monday, don’t park on “day plow route” streets.
St. Paul’s snow emergency lasts until Thursday at 9 p.m. The city’s website also has an interactive map that you can check out to help you know where to park.
New Hope and Plymouth are also under snow emergencies, with parking prohibited on all city streets in both communities.
Click here for more information on snow emergencies and closings.
A man’s leg was amputated after a crash in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon.
Minneapolis police say they were called to Tenth Street South and Park Avenue around 2 p.m. after a report of a crash.
An initial investigation indicates a man was unloading a trailer when a car hit him, pinning him against a fence and causing his leg to be severed, a spokesperson for the police said.
Investigators are working to determine what led up to the crash. No arrests have been made and no citations have been issued at this time, Minneapolis police say.
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