Twin Cities Gang Bust, HCMC Warns It May Not Survive Without State Help
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40 segmentsSo good, so good, so good. New summer arrivals are at Nordstrom rack stores now. Get ready to save big with up to 60% off brands like Rag and Bone, Levi's, Adidas, and free people. Join the Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. Most of us are one good deal away from finally replacing that worn out rug. Fixing up the backyard or getting the bedroom we actually want. Good news. That deal's almost here. Wayfair's Black Friday and July sale. Get up to 80% off area rugs and up to 60% off outdoor and bedroom furniture. Shop Wayfair's huge selection of styles and find the piece to fit your style, budget, and space. Plus, free shipping. Black Friday in July ends July 27th. Shop today at Wayfair.com. Every style, every home. You're listening to Four Things to Know, a WCCO Daily News podcast. Today is Wednesday, February 25th. I'm Maria Lizignolli. And I'm Johnny Connor. Thanks for listening to Four Things to Know. Now, before we get to today's top story, we want to tell you about our episode from yesterday. You may have missed it because it didn't post until late last night. We had a technical error. So very sorry about that, but it is now available if you want to go back and check it out. Now to today's top story. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Minneapolis announced federal charges against members and associates of a, quote, violent Minneapolis street gang. They say it's the result of a joint investigation. This morning, the FBI told us they were working with their federal and local partners to execute search and arrest warrants throughout the Twin Cities area in connection with a violent drug trafficking organization. They also said there was no known threat to public safety. Here's more from U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. I'm pleased to announce the federal charges today in arrests of five individuals along with seven others who are facing state charges, who have been important players in the open-air drug market of South Minneapolis along Lake Street. These individuals are associated with a gang known as the family mob. They include individuals with long histories of drug and violent crimes, including murder. Our investigation shows that combined those charged were responsible for the distribution of enough fentanyl for more than three and a half million lethal doses in the last seven months. Our officers are committed to identifying and targeting those who are responsible for causing the most harm to our residents. Their knowledge of gang activity and their persistence led directly to this meaningful enforcement action. And it demonstrates the power of our partnerships when we are working together. Number two today, financial troubles at the Hennepin County Medical Center. Leaders with HCMC are opening up their books and pleading for lawmakers to help. Adam Duxter listened into a Senate committee hearing and has the update. You'll also hear from Angela Conley. She's the Hennepin County Commissioner of District 4.
They're saying the situation has never been as serious as it is right now. They've already cut $50 million from the budget so far this year. They say there is another $150 million to cut from the budget before 2026 is over. And they say with more cuts coming in 27, without help from the states, they do not have the money. to last beyond this calendar year. Again, we just heard them talk to state leaders, HCMC leaders, along with leaders from Hennepin County, testifying before the Senate committee hearing today, highlighting the importance of the work that they do as a level one trauma center that offers the majority of care to Minnesotans who have no insurance. They're asking the state to approve a one cent sales tax for Hennepin County that they say would cover their costs. Without it, they say time is ticking. I need a health tax to keep this hospital open. There's no other way to do it. So once a health tax will keep this hospital stabilized, it will bring in the revenue that we need ongoing. We need a source of revenue that's stable. We can't rely on property taxes to do it. In fact, we wouldn't be able to levy high enough to do it. And we can't put that burden on the backs of property taxpayers. So we are very limited in the amount of revenue or income that comes in. We reported earlier this week that HCMC has already cut 100 beds and five departments. And tonight on WCCO, Adam will sit down with the medical center's CFO. Number three, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar shouted several times at President Donald Trump last night during his State of the Union address. Congresswoman Omar shouted, you have killed Americans and you should be ashamed. Protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who blocked the removal of criminal aliens. This morning on CNN, she was asked if she had any regrets about that interaction with the president. I do not. And I think many people look at that moment when the president says it is our responsibility to protect Americans. And he does not acknowledge the fact that two Americans, two of my constituents, two of our neighbors, were killed. And it was important for me to... just remind the American people that the president and his administration was responsible for killing two American citizens. President Trump did not mention Operation Metro Surge or the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Preti during his address last night. Number four, state lawmakers are pushing for new support for school counselors across Minnesota. At the Capitol this morning, Senator Susan Faw and Representative Kayla Berg introduced a bill that would require every school to have a counselor and ensure counselors spend at least 80% of their time working directly with students. Here's Senator Faw. Right now in Minnesota, we're 48th in the nation for student-to-school counselor ratio.
48th, that's unacceptable. Frankly, it's kind of embarrassing that we're at the very bottom. If we're serious about academic achievement, if we're serious about students' well-being, if we're serious about preventing crisis before it happens, then we must be serious about making sure that we have school counselors in every single school. The proposal comes as more than 70 counselors gathered for school counselors' day on the hill, with supporters saying students need increased mental health support as they navigate growing stress and trauma of ICE operations in Minnesota. Those are the four things to know today. Now let's check in on our forecast. Hi, next weather meteorologist Lisa Meadows. Here's your forecast for it tonight. We're down to 16, your overnight low, heading into tomorrow, warming up to 41, a little bit of light snow, possible east of I 35 overnight into tomorrow, but a warming turn for the rest of the work week. And now, here's more to know. We're waiting to learn more about a homicide late last night in Minneapolis. It happened near East 18th Street and 1st Avenue South. Minneapolis Police told us a man was killed. There were reports of a shooting just after 1030 on the Minneapolis Police Public Dashboard. We'll keep you updated as more details are made available. Look for those on air and online at WCCO.com. Police have arrested the suspect accused of opening fire at the Maplewood Mall on Sunday. A man was hit in the hip but survived. Police say the gunman was a juvenile boy and he was arrested yesterday. They did not release his name. Three other boys were arrested on riot charges. Investigators say it started as some kind of fight. Fleet Farm says it'll pay the state of Minnesota $1 million and change store policies when it comes to gun sales. It comes as a settlement to a years-long lawsuit against the retailer at the hands of the Attorney General's office. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says the retailer sold dozens of guns to straw purchasers. That's when someone buys a gun on behalf of someone who legally can't. One of these guns was used to shoot and kill 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley in October of 2021 at St. Paul's Truck Park Bar. The man who sold the gun to the shooter was sentenced to 25 months. And yesterday, the years-long battle against Fleet Farm was settled. The new policy will include more training for staff, new software to track gun sales across stores, and a new monitoring system that alerts staff to purchasers linked to gun crimes. It'll also include a new discipline policy for staff who don't notice the signs of straw purchases.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was in Washington, D.C. last night for an unofficial rebuttal to the state of the union that he called the state of the swamp. Fry spoke about Operation Metro Surge, saying he wants to offer a different vision for America. He also pushed for other local leaders to stand up and speak out. This is not about partisanship. You all know that very well. It's not democratic to believe in the Constitution. It is not Republican to believe in due process. It is not liberal or conservative to think you should be able to walk down the street without being questioned because of the color of your skin. Mayor Fry said Minneapolis has shown the world that the forces of terror and division cannot conquer a city that loves its neighbors more than it fears retribution. Today across Minnesota, you'll likely notice flags are flying at half staff. Governor Tim Walz ordered this in honor of the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson. Jackson was known for his work in fighting for civil rights, mobilizing voters, and calling for keeping hope alive. He died on February 17th after a battle with a neurodegenerative disorder. He was 84 years old. Let's talk sports. The Wild's three-team USA players were in Washington, D.C. yesterday. The word is they will play in tomorrow's game at Colorado, but they have not yet returned to practice. Head coach John Jim Himes was still not back at practice yesterday in St. Paul either, but Team Sweden's Jewel Erick-Senac was. Now, Maria, the Swedes lost to the U.S. in the Olympic quarterfinals, but now X says his focus is flipping back to NHL play. Got a few days off here in Minnesota, so just try to get back into the time zone again and just try to relax and get away a little bit from hockey for three days. Fun experience. Being in a village like that during an Olympics, it's different. It was fun for sure. And quickly to football news, former Vikings general manager Quasi Adolfo Mensa has a new job. He is back in the San Francisco 49ers front office. So far, it is an undefined role. We're working to learn more exactly what he's doing. But right now, NFL evaluators, including Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, they are in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. What's the NFL Combine? That is, it's a draft basically scouting process where teams put the players through all these workouts, like the 40-yard dash, how fast or how hard they can lift, things like that. And then it kind of ebbs and flows with their draft stock. Interesting. A little bit of Olympics for football players. There you go. Sure. It's time to take a breath with your daily bright spot. Well, the results are in and eight min-dot snow plows will soon be sporting new and catchy names. So topping the list this year, oh for sleet's sake. I like it. Which is such so Minnesotan. I love it. Let's hear the other options. Okay, so Flourious George.
Like Curious George. I didn't put that together. Okay. Other top ones were Sled Zeppelin. Okay. Okay. And K-pop Blizzard Hunter. Now, you have to tell me about this one. Okay. Do you watch Netflix? Not really. Okay. So you haven't seen K-P. And you obviously don't have children because kids are obsessed with this movie called K-pop Demon Hunters about a... K-pop band that also fights demons. Wow. And it's on Netflix. Interesting. The kids would approve of this name. Oh, the kids would love this name. I wonder if a kid submitted it. Is that a possibility? Maybe. Maybe. I love that. Another one that I love is a nod to Taylor Swift and her most recent album. And this one is called The Life of a Snow Girl. Not life of a showgirl. Taylor Swift always finds her way into anything award worthy. She really does. It almost always ends up on this Mindot snowplow naming contest. She's in the mix. She's got a way. She does have a way. Did you like her album? Yeah, I did like that album. It was really good. It's fun. I ran to it the other day. No way. When it wasn't snowing out when it was like 50 degrees. Yeah, that was great. We'll be there for a while. Yeah. Well, I also think we're due for one more big snowstorm. You know, we got to. We got to have at least one more big snowstorm this winter. It feels like the list comes out so late. What is February 25th? Right. It's like we're already halfway through winter. But no, no, no. They should do their booth, the Mindat booth at State Fair. Put in your names for the following winter. And then we're going to have them. Brilliant. You know, each different Snow Nami could have a different plowing. Yes. That is, let's get Mind out on the phone. Yeah, I'll call them later. Oh, well, hey, thank you so much for joining us here on Four Things to Know. With Johnny Connor, I'm Maria Lizignolli, and we're here with the news you need every weekday afternoon by 3 o'clock. Listen to Four Things to Know, a WCCO Daily News podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.
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