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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis firefighters form first all-Native American crew

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Minneapolis firefighters form first all-Native American crew


Growing up as a kid in Minneapolis, Johnny Crow never saw Native American firefighters manning the trucks responding to emergencies in his Phillips neighborhood south of downtown.

Still, it didn’t deter Crow, a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, from becoming a firefighter for the city — a decision he looks back on with pride.

“That made a huge difference in the community for them to see a Native man with long hair that looks like me on a fire rig going to 911 calls,” Crow said.

About six months ago Crow, 37, and three other Minneapolis firefighters — Bobby Headbird, 38, Capt. Michael Graves, 41, and fire motor operator Jesse Strong, 45 — teamed up at Fire Station 6 downtown to respond to emergency calls on Engine 10. It’s the first time the city has had an all-Native crew, who spoke about their jobs ahead of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday.

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Graves, who was recently promoted to captain, said bringing the crew together was intentional, with the goal of showing Native American kids and adults alike that they can also work for the fire department. The four said they hope it can help build trust between the department and the communities they serve.

“That they would see people that look like them, and kids could see someone to look up to and something to aspire to, that was a big conversation we had,” said Graves, a member of the Red Lake Nation.

Along with responding to fires and emergency medical calls, the group has gone to various community events in the city’s Little Earth and Franklin neighborhoods, which both have high Native American populations. The response has been positive, Graves said, with some captains telling him callers will sometimes say they wish the all-Native crew would be the ones to respond.

“We had a call not far from here where it was unhoused Natives, and when we showed up, they were just completely different than when another crew responded,” Graves said.



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Minneapolis, MN

MPD asks for tips 2 years after murder of 28-year-old

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MPD asks for tips 2 years after murder of 28-year-old


Minneapolis police are asking for tips relating to a homicide that occurred two years ago.

Officers responded to the intersection of Second Street and Third Avenue Northeast on Nov. 7, 2023, on multiple reports of shots fired.

There, they found 28-year-old Malik Payne inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head. He was brought to the hospital, where he died of his injuries the next day.

Man dies day after northeast Minneapolis shooting | $10,000 CrimeStoppers reward offered for information to solve deadly shooting case

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Police say this case has been difficult to solve due to limited information. MPD is asking anyone who was in the area on the night of the murder, or anyone who saw or heard anything unusual, to come forward.

“Even the smallest piece of information may help bring closure to Malik’s family and hold those responsible accountable,” police wrote in a Facebook post.

You can submit a tip to MPD by email at policetips@minneapolismn.gov or leave a voicemail at 612-673-5845.  

You can also submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers online or by calling 800-222-8477.

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Minneapolis, MN

4 arrested, 6 guns recovered after stolen vehicle stopped by authorities in Minneapolis

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4 arrested, 6 guns recovered after stolen vehicle stopped by authorities in Minneapolis


Four people in a stolen car were arrested by authorities in south Minneapolis on Thursday afternoon.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said that a white Jeep reported as stolen out of Maple Grove was allegedly involved in multiple auto theft tampering and dangerous driving incidents earlier on Thursday.

In the late afternoon, the same car was involved in at least one incident involving guns being pointed at people, officials say.

The HCSO Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF) found the vehicle in the afternoon, and when detectives tried to stop it, the car drove away.

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Authorities say the VOTF and Minnesota State Patrol successfully deployed stop sticks to disable the car. As the driver stopped and ran from the vehicle, a passenger got into the driver’s seat and hit the original driver before the car fully stopped.

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS photographer captured video of authorities processing the scene near Aldrich Avenue South and West 28th Street.

All four people were taken into custody, and two were brought to the hospital.

The sheriff’s office added that six guns were recovered at the scene.

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Minneapolis, MN

Progressives hold majority on Minneapolis City Council, lose power to override vetoes

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Progressives hold majority on Minneapolis City Council, lose power to override vetoes


The progressive wing of the Minneapolis City Council will keep its majority but lose its ability to override the mayor’s vetoes in its next term. The political makeup of the incoming council will likely allow Mayor Jacob Frey to avoid the kind of pushback on his power that shaped the last two years.

Mayor Frey will start third term without threat of veto-proof supermajority

What we know:

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The progressive arm of the Minneapolis City Council lost a seat on Tuesday night when incumbent Katie Cashman lost her reelection bid in Ward 7 to newcomer and moderate Shelley Madore.

The loss of a progressive voice leaves that wing of the council without the ability to override a mayoral veto.

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Council clashed with mayor, sometimes overrode vetoes

The backstory:

The progressive faction of the council took control after the 2023 election and occasionally found two additional votes to get the nine needed to override a mayoral veto. It wielded that power against the mayor nearly a half-dozen times since then, including in February 2024 to override a veto of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war; in March 2024 to override a veto of a measure to raise the minimum wage of rideshare drivers; in October 2024 to override a veto on carbon emissions fees; in December 2024 to override a veto on a $1.9 billion budget; and in February to override a veto of a proposal to study a pedestrian mall at George Floyd Square.

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What they’re saying:

“The other part that we’re really focused on is trying to get consensus around public safety. It’s a really complicated issue, from support for law enforcement, a humanitarian response to homelessness and some of the addiction issues, livability issues that we have in our city,” said Adam Duininck, Minneapolis Downtown Council CEO. “The [Minneapolis] Downtown Council and the D.I.D. [Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District] respond to these issues as well as anybody, and trying to forge that consensus will hopefully be easier with the new city council.”

What’s next:

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The incoming council will be sworn into office in January. It will be the first council in nearly a decade to serve a four-year term.

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