Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis School Board approves major budget cuts
The Minneapolis Public School Board approved its 2024-25 budget Tuesday night without discussion.
MPS faced a $110 million gap due to the end of federal COVID-19 emergency funding and a decrease in revenue due to declining enrollment; increasing costs also contributed to the gap, according to the district.
The approved budget includes the assumption that 4.75% of positions will be unfilled, according to the resolution. It also bridges the gap by using assigned fund balance dollars, cuts to schools and department reductions.
The budget was presented at a Committee of the Whole meeting two weeks ago. According to the presentation, it includes funding cuts to schools — most significantly to magnet schools, Roosevelt High School and Camden High School, with each seeing a reduction of more than 10%.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, parents spoke in opposition to the loss of a fourth grade teacher at Lake Nokomis Community School – Keewaydin. They said it would lead to classes with more than 40 students.
“I’m not threatening, I’m not demanding, but we need another teacher. And for all the cuts that are about to happen, having enough teachers should be table stakes,” said Greg Thompson, a parent of an MPS student. “I know, to some extent, choices are limited, but please don’t put us in a position to choose between our community and our kids. I’ll choose my kids, and that, one way or another, is not in a classroom of 40.”
Heather McNiel, whose child is in fourth grade at the school, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS she was shocked to learn of the loss of the teacher within the past two weeks.
“We don’t believe in this kind of class size, and so what we’re very afraid of is parents who have the capacity will be moving their kids out, and we’ll lose even more funding and we’re creating a kind of death spiral in our schools,” she said. “This is kind of an untenable situation.”
The district did not confirm the reduction of a fourth grade teacher but said in a statement, “Minneapolis Public Schools is excited to see preliminary data showing higher student placements at several of our schools including Lake Nokomis Community School – Keewaydin. We have been working for many years to attract and retain as many students as we can. In the coming weeks and throughout the summer, we will closely review school and district enrollment data and work with school leaders to ensure our students have what they need to be successful. That may include additional staff and budget adjustments if necessary.”
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS requested the number of teacher positions being eliminated district-wide but has not yet received that information from the district.
The budget also includes reductions to central office departments, including a 50.9% cut to communications and marketing, a 42.8% cut to engagement and external relations and a 65.8% cut to strategic initiatives.
Minneapolis, MN
Man fatally shot in Minneapolis, 17-year-old arrested
The scene of the shooting on Thomas Avenue North. (FOX 9)
A man was fatally shot after an argument early Tuesday morning in Minneapolis.
Fatal shooting on Thomas Avenue North
What we know:
According to Minneapolis police, around 2:30 a.m., officers responded to the 1600 block of Thomas Avenue North on reports of a shooting inside a home.
At the scene, officers found a man with several gunshot wounds. The man was taken to the hospital, where he later died, police said.
Authorities say that an argument led to gunfire, and the suspect fled the scene before police arrived.
A 17-year-old was arrested in connection to the shooting, and police say they are investigating “connections” between the teen arrested and other violent crimes in Minneapolis this year.
What they’re saying:
“Another family has forever been impacted by senseless violence,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “Settling disputes with a firearm is completely unacceptable, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure justice in this case. Every available tool in the juvenile justice system must be used to protect young people who pose a danger to themselves as well as the community.”
What we don’t know:
Police did not specify the gender of the 17-year-old. And the other crimes the teen could be connected to were not specified.
The man who was fatally shot has not been identified.
The Source: A press release from the Minneapolis Police Department.
Minneapolis, MN
41-year-old convicted in triple homicide at Minneapolis encampment
A 41-year-old was found guilty in the murders of Christopher Martell Washington, Louis Mitchell Lemons, Jr., and Samantha Jo Moss at a homeless encampment in Minneapolis, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
According to a criminal complaint, Earl Bennett rode an e-bike to a tent in the encampment in October 2024, asked to see one of the victims inside and began shooting shortly after being allowed inside. Surveillance video showed him leaving the tent and riding away on his e-bike.
Washington and Lemons were declared dead at the scene, and Moss died at the hospital a week later.
Woman dies nearly a week after triple shooting at Minneapolis encampment; suspect charged
Bennett is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 16 in this case, the attorney’s office said.
Other cases
Bennett is also a defendant in two other cases.
He was shot by law enforcement after pointing a gun at officers in St. Paul days after the murders.
Officers later learned Bennett had shot and critically injured a man earlier in the evening at a sober living home on the 3500 block of Columbus Avenue South.
The gun Bennett pointed at officers in St. Paul matched the casings found at both the encampment and sober living home shootings.
SPPD releases bodycam of officers shooting and injuring man charged in encampment triple homicide | Man seriously injured in Minneapolis shooting, suspect not in custody
These cases both remain open.
Minneapolis, MN
Jury finds man guilty of murder in Minneapolis homeless encampment shooting
A jury found a man guilty in the murders of three people at a Minneapolis homeless encampment, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Earl Bennett was found guilty on three counts of second-degree intentional murder for the Oct. 27, 2024, shooting at a small encampment next to railroad tracks near Snelling Avenue and East 44th Street.
The victims were identified as 38-year-old Christopher Martell Washington of Fridley, 32-year-old Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr. of Brooklyn Center, and 35-year-old Samantha Jo Moss of St. Louis Park.
Charges say investigators obtained surveillance video from the area that allegedly captured the suspect, later identified as Bennett, arriving on an electric bike and entering a tent at the encampment. About 15 minutes later, video captured the sound of several gunshots before Bennett exited the tent and left on his bike.
The manager of a sober house in south Minneapolis, where Bennett is accused of severely injuring another man, identified Bennett as the suspect in the surveillance video from the encampment shooting.
Later that same night, officers in St. Paul responded to a shots fired call near Snelling and Charles avenues. Upon arrival, they found a man, later identified as Bennett, with a gun.
As officers approached, Bennett pointed the gun to his head, police said. Officers began talking with him, trying to get him to surrender, but he then started walking south down Snelling. Once he reached the Snelling and University area, he began walking around in the intersection, according to police.
Police said officers fired “less lethal” rounds at Bennett to try and get him to surrender, but he still would not.
Bennett then pointed his gun at police, according to the department and witnesses, and that’s when officers shot him.
The four officers who shot Bennett were all cleared of criminal charges, with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office concluding the use of deadly force was legally justified under state law.
Bennett also faces charges of second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection to the armed encounter with officers in Ramsey County.
In Hennepin County, Bennett was also convicted of illegally possessing a firearm.
Bennett’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 16.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
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