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Minneapolis businesses, residents displaced following dumpster fire

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Minneapolis businesses, residents displaced following dumpster fire


Minneapolis businesses, residents displaced following dumpster fire

Several Minneapolis businesses are closed and residents are displaced in Uptown after a dumpster fire caused long-lasting damage.

Three businesses off West Lake Street near the fire had to shut their doors because of damage.

One of those businesses, Face Day Spa, is assessing damages and mapping out how to move forward.

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“I’m still in shock. It just gets a little bit harder, especially as I see bills continuously coming out, and no money coming in,” Matisse Johnson, Face Day Spa owner, said.

It’s been one week since Johnson was told it’s not safe to have clients inside her spa.

The Black-owned business opened up in Uptown five years ago to provide a safe space for the Black community to experience luxury and relaxation.

“I put my blood, sweat, and tears into creating the space, and most importantly, it’s a safe space for my staff,” Johnson said. “People view this as a luxury and somewhere to come and have that experience in the Black community is huge.”

A place of relaxation turned to the center of stress on July 22.

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Around 3:30 a.m. last Monday morning, a security camera caught a man walking up to a dumpster and lighting a fire. The video shows the flames crawl up the building burning everything in its path.

Johnson is now stuck with smoke damage and no electricity.

About 80 appointments per week are canceled and her team is unemployed until further notice.

“It’s hard, it’s really hard. I don’t mean to cry, but this is definitely my baby and I have nothing but this,” Johnson said.

On the top floor of the same building, tenants were sleeping in their apartments when the fire broke out.

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“I was just faced with like a hallway full of smoke and fire coming through the back door,” Rose Opstad, building tenant, said. “It’s really overwhelming.”

Everyone got out safely. Now they’re packing up what didn’t turn to ashes.

The property manager tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that repairing some of the units will take at least five months and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Back on the first floor, Johnson has to replace furniture and wallpaper and throw out products battered with smoke damage.

Smoke damage can be an invisible threat. In some cases, it can’t be seen, but it’s often trapped in furniture, walls, and floors.

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The damage is forcing her to tear down everything she’s built.

“This is something that I created and that I take pride in and it’s all I have. It’s my only form of income,” Johnson said. “I am going to trust in God and I’m going to work as hard as I’ve worked to get it open.”

A fundraiser has been set up to help the business cover lost wages and rent.



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Minneapolis, MN

‘They’re in good hands': Balloon release honors north Minneapolis crash victims

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‘They’re in good hands': Balloon release honors north Minneapolis crash victims


Dozens wept and embraced before releasing scores of balloons Saturday over north Minneapolis to remember two community pillars who were killed in a fiery car crash.

The crowd gathered near 26th and Emerson avenues to remember Esther Jean Fulks, 53, and Rose Elaine Reece, 57. They died on Dec. 16 when Teniki Latrice Elise Steward, 38, allegedly drove through a red light and struck their vehicle. A teenager waiting at a nearby bus stop also was injured.

Fulks and Reese “gave their love and their hard work and dedication to the community. And as you can see, there’s people out here for them,” said Fulks’ daughter, D’Nia. “I’m going to miss my mom. That was my world, I was with her day in and day out. I was hoping to come home to my mom, and it didn’t happen.”

“It means a lot,” Fulks’ son, Joseph Loyd, said of the neighbors attending the balloon release. “It shows what they contributed to the community and how much they meant to people. Not just their own families, but they touched countless other families and helped people.”

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Emmary Thomas places a candle at a bus stop during a balloon release Saturday for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece at 26th and Emerson avenues in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A memorial of flowers, balloons, candles and pictures on Saturday mark the spot near the site of the crash that killed Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Drakarr Lobley hugs a supporter during Saturday’s balloon release for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. Lobley is Reece’s son. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Family and friends said Fulks and Reece were pillars of the community who treated strangers like family and brought love to those around them. Both had worked as navigators for the Minneapolis Cultural Wellness Center since 1998, helping residents with food, clothing, shelter and other resources.

“They reminded us daily of the transformative power of service, love and cultural connection,” Elder Atum Azzahir, the center’s executive director, said in a statement. “They were not just navigators: They were beacons of hope, guiding people toward brighter futures.”

At the crash scene Saturday, loved ones embraced as they shed tears and shared memories. Anthony Hamilton’s “I Can’t Let Go” played as passing motorists called out condolences and words of support. Caution tape strung from a traffic cone near the intersection fluttered in the wind.



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Celebrating the winter solstice with a puppet procession in Minneapolis

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Celebrating the winter solstice with a puppet procession in Minneapolis


On Friday night, community members and artists with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre gathered atop a snow-covered hill in Powderhorn Park in south Minneapolis to celebrate the winter solstice together. 

In the center of the crowd, Minneapolis-based musician Sarina Partridge led a series of call-and-responses:

Musician Sarina Partridge leads a call-and-response song during a winter solstice celebration in Powderhorn Park.

Ben Hovland | MPR News

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“Welcome in, wild hearts,” she sang. “We will sing our way to wholeness.”

The solstice at 3:21 a.m. Saturday marks the beginning of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing with it longer days. Saturday will be the shortest day of the year, at 8 hours, 46 minutes and 10 seconds in Minneapolis.

A large heron puppet leads people through a snowy park

A 25-foot tall heron puppet leads hundreds of community members through the snow in Powderhorn Park.

Ben Hovland | MPR News

About 300 people had assembled at Avalon Theatre on Lake Street and walked a few blocks down 15th Avenue to the park. Many procession participants held up paper lanterns, while others carried larger-than-life handmade puppets, recognizable from events like the MayDay Parade and Puppet Lab as well as the theatre’s puppet library, which lets people check out puppets for free.

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In the Heart of the Beast’s vibrant puppetry has been a staple of Minneapolis’ Powderhorn and Phillips communities for nearly 50 years, and the organization has called the Avalon Theatre home since 1988. But in November, theatre leadership announced it was starting the process to sell the Avalon and look for a new home for its programming. 

In the Heart of the Beast’s interim executive director Elina Kotlyar said she hopes to continue to expand on the theatre’s current programming — and make it more accessible.

She said her dream is that the new space “can be reached by as many people as want to come.”

Windchill temperatures hovered in the single digits as the procession wound its way back to the Avalon, but the lanterns cast a warm glow on participants’ faces as they plodded along the quiet neighborhood street. 

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A child lets out a howl on his father's shoulders

Three-year-old Finn Miller lets out a howl while perched on the shoulders of his father, Josh Miller, during a winter solstice celebration.

Ben Hovland | MPR News

Back inside the theatre, community members shared homemade soup and watched musical performances. For Kotlyar, events like the solstice celebration are integral to bringing the community together.

“Tonight is simply an opportunity to be in the moment with other people,” she said. “And the warm soup is a bonus.”

People ladle soup at a long table as people walk by

Members of Sisters Camelot serve hot soup in the lobby of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre.

Ben Hovland | MPR News



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Minneapolis, MN

Woman blew past red light in fatal north Minneapolis crash, charges say

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Woman blew past red light in fatal north Minneapolis crash, charges say


Woman blew past red light in fatal north Minneapolis crash, charges say – CBS Minnesota

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A 38-year-old woman is facing two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in connection with Monday’s crash that killed two people and injured three others.

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