Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis firefighters extinguish Minneapolis apartment garage blaze
The Minneapolis Fire Department woke up Christmas morning with work to do after a fire was reported in an apartment basement garage.
The Minneapolis Fire Department announced they were working to extinguish the fire around 5:30 a.m. at an apartment on the 1800 block of LaSalle Avenue.
Firefighters previously reported they were dealing with a car fire. However, it was later determined that the source of the blaze was coming from a mattress and bedroom furniture on fire in the garage.
The basement garage and building are being ventilated, and all residents were able to return to the apartment.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis City Council to vote on imposing fees for MPD officers' off-duty work
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minneapolis City Council plans to vote on an ordinance that would charge fees for city police officers who participate in off-duty work.
MPD off-duty police work
Big picture view:
The new ordinance would allow the city to charge fees to Minneapolis Police Department officers who use city-issued weapons, uniforms and vehicles to conduct off-duty work. The goal of the ordinance is to help recoup the costs associated with these activities and offset the administration liability coverage expenses.
Estimates based on MPD data suggest these fees could have generated up to $1.4 million in 2024, according to the city council.
The ordinance was unanimously passed by the Minneapolis Public Health and Safety Committee on Jan. 22, sending it to the full council for a vote.
What’s next:
The Minneapolis City Council will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, followed by a press conference after the meeting adjourns.
The backstory:
A court ruling from the mid-1990s mandates that Minneapolis must allow MPD officers to participate in off-duty work – enabling them to take private security jobs paid directly by private companies. While working these jobs, the officers use city-issued weapons, vehicles, uniforms, and are covered by city liability.
Minneapolis, MN
Lucky Cat Records brings good fortune to iconic corner
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – When it comes to the evolution of Minnesota music, few intersections are as instrumental as 26th and Lyndale in south Minneapolis.
Michelle Swanson, Lucky Cat Records owner (FOX 9)
A new spin on a local landmark
What we know:
At Lucky Cat Records, vinyl heads can get their fix from the store’s new and vintage stacks of wax, but it is also a mini-museum for the local music scene.
“With all the history here, it’s really big shoes to fill,” said owner Michele Swanson.
Swanson opened the shop this past summer after learning the historic space was available, even though the retired Delta Airlines manager had never run a record store before.
“It’s something I never planned on. There’s a pie in the sky sort of idea that came to fruition and it’s just been fantastic,” said Swanson.
When it began
The backstory:
Back in the 70s and 80s, the space was home to Oak Folkjokeopus, which was a mecca for legendary local bands like The Suburbs, Soul Asylum and Husker Du, who hung out to listen to punk and post punk records, while also frequenting the CC Club across the street for a drink.
In fact, The Replacements were discovered here when their frontman Paul Westerberg handed the band’s demo to their future manager Peter Jesperson, who was working at Oar Folk.
After Oar Folkjokeopus closed in 2001, employee Mark Trehus ran Treehouse Records in the building until 2017.
The shop sat empty for 7 years until Swanson decided to bring another record store to the neighborhood.
“This space is so special and I really wanted to make sure to honor the past, not only Oar Folk and Treehouse and what came before, but all the artists and all the music community,” said Swanson.
Dropping the needle on a new era
What they’re saying:
There are nods to the past beyond just the posters on the wall.
The sign out front is in the same font as the one for Oar Folkjokeopus.
For opening weekend last July, Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson performed in the store with a surprise encore with the son of Minnesota legend Bob Dylan, Jacob Dylan and The Wallflowers, who happened to have a show in town.
Swanson named her shop after the items she saw in every storefront while traveling in Japan with Delta, but she hopes her focus on local music will hit a groove with a new generation of fans without skipping a beat.
“It’s been just amazing being able to open a record store in this kind of hallowed spot and this place. We just hope to continue to be part of the community and to be something that’s valuable and also a place where we can continue to educate people about the past,” said Swanson.
Minneapolis, MN
MN Border Patrol Stops $1.34M Shipment Of Fake Chinese Engines
MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Minneapolis-St. Paul’s Express Consignment Facility says they intercepted 42 pallets containing a total of 1,134 fraudulent gas engines on Jan. 23.
The engines, which came from China, had an appraised value of $1.34 million.
Each pallet contained 27 gas engines and was heading to various businesses across the U.S. The engines were seized for not providing the proper documentation and were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
“I’m extremely proud of the diligent and professional work of CBP officers and import specialists who applied their keen knowledge and expertise to effectively target, identify and hold these suspicious shipments,” said LaFonda D. Sutton Burke, the Chicago Field Office director in a statement.
“This is an unusual seizure, but a critically important one, and our officers once again show how their training and skill enables CBP to be a strong frontline of defense against faulty goods that can endanger the lives of innocent citizens.”
CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo at U.S. ports of entry. They look for illegal drugs, unreported cash, weapons, counterfeit products, banned agricultural items, and other dangerous goods. These efforts help protect public safety, U.S. businesses, and the country’s economy, officials said.
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