Star Tribune
George Floyd family fund accepting grant applications to help businesses, nonprofits
Billy Jones is hopeful that $500,000 in grants from George Floyd’s family will support the businesses at 38th and Chicago, an area struggling to recover since Minneapolis police officers killed Floyd there in May 2020.
He opened Onyx Coffeehouse there in April “to connect community members in all walks of life, people who typically probably wouldn’t cross each other’s paths.” But Jones has heard about many people staying away from the intersection known as George Floyd Square — whether out of fear or respect.
“I’m definitely applying,” he said. And even if the grant money goes toward surrounding organizations, he added, “a win for my neighbor is a win for me.”
Floyd’s relatives, community leaders and civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Jeff Storms announced this week the opening of the grant application process for the Ward 8 Community Benevolence Fund to support Black- and minority-owned businesses and organizations in the neighborhood where Floyd was murdered.
Floyd’s family donated $500,000 to the fund — from its $27 million civil settlement with the city of Minneapolis — to uplift the local people and institutions harmed by systemic racism. The fund is now accepting applications for grants that, among other purposes, would support the renovation or expansion of businesses, training initiatives, and programs for arts and civil rights awareness.
“What we hope to accomplish first and foremost is to get funds in the hands of those businesses in the Ward 8 community near where George was murdered that were impacted so heavily following George’s murder,” said Storms, who is president of the fund’s board. “And we’re also looking to get money in the hands of nonprofits that benefit that area and work in that area.”
Sam Willis Jr. is eager for his and other businesses in George Floyd Square to receive more support. He was preparing to open his restaurant Just Turkey when the pandemic hit. Then Floyd was killed. The opening was delayed until that fall, and he received $50,000 from the city. But he lamented that the stretch still suffers from a loss of customers and “looks like a Third World country.”
“I’m going to look into it and do the best I can to … go through the process,” he said of the grants.
The grant application guidelines will be discussed during a town hall meeting from noon to 1:30 p.m. Jan. 27 with fund board members and City Council President Andrea Jenkins. The event will be held at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, 1101 Harmon Place, Room MSL238. Reservations are recommended by emailing info@theward8fund.org.
Applications must be submitted to the fund’s website, and grants will be funded at the levels of $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000, but larger grants will also be considered.
“I hear from businesses and community members quite frequently, and people are frustrated with the sort of level of support that has been offered to this community,” said Jenkins.
She praised Floyd’s family for donating funds to help the community.
Star Tribune
Judge gives driver year in jail for being drunk, fatally hitting man in Minnesota street
A driver was given a year in jail Wednesday for being drunk when he fatally hit a man in the street near St. Cloud.
Tyler J. Nies, 26, of Sartell, Minn., was sentenced in Benton County District Court after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the crash shortly before 11 p.m. on July 28 in Sauk Rapids near the intersection of N. Benton Drive and N. 8th Street that killed Kevin D. Oehmen, 47, of Sauk Rapids.
Judge Robert Raupp opted for the year in jail while setting aside a 5¾-year term. Raupp also ordered Nies to serve 10 years’ probation, perform 80 hours of community work service, complete a chemical assessment attend a victim impact panel, abstain from mood-altering chemicals and stay away from bars.
According to the criminal complaint:
An officer at the scene noticed that Nies smelled of alcohol. Nies initially said he had one beer before driving his pickup. A preliminary breath test by the officer measured Nies’ blood alcohol content at 0.129%, more than 1 1⁄2 times the legal limit in Minnesota.
Upon further questioning, Nies said that before driving he drank three beers, which were about 16 ounces each.
Nies told police he was heading north on Benton Drive in the right-hand lane and suddenly saw a man walking in the grassy area next to the curb “like he was going to cross the road,” the complaint read. Police Chief Perry Beise added that Oehmen was on a street with no marked crosswalk.
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A small fire of three to five acres has been detected in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but it was holding in place as of Wednesday morning.
The fire was discovered Tuesday and is located on an island in Wood Lake, north of County Road 18, according to a news release from the Superior National Forest. The area is to the northeast of Ely.
The release said the fire was smoldering and holding in place due to good overnight relative humidity levels and light to no wind. However, Superior National Forest is experiencing drought conditions and above average temperatures, and increased winds are expected later this week.
The Forest Service is using aircraft to cool the fire and initiate suppression actions. Firefighters are also engaging with the fire, but ground conditions are difficult, the release said.
“This is an ever-changing event, and we ask the traveling public to stay away from the area and seek alternate routes,” the release said.
The fire is burning among timber and heavy, dead balsam fire, the release said. The origin has not yet been investigated, but it is believed to be human caused.
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Taylor Swift drove more than 337,000 visitors to vote.gov with Kamala Harris endorsement
Judge gives driver year in jail for being drunk, fatally hitting man in Minnesota street
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