Star Tribune
Construction begins on Anoka County’s new Emergency Communications Center
Anoka County 911 dispatchers answer calls in the basement of the Government Center in downtown Anoka. With its low ceilings, the windowless room is noisy. Though more space is needed, there’s none to be had.
But that’s all about to change.
The county started construction Monday on a 42,000-square-foot Emergency Communications Center that will also house the county’s radio shop, which provides and maintains about 3,800 radios and 700 pagers used by law enforcement and emergency telecommunicators.
“The new, state-of-the-art building will allow them to do their job better and with less stress,” County Commissioner Julie Braastad said at Tuesday’s County Board meeting. “It’s certainly going to be a tremendous asset for public safety for Anoka County.”
Braastad, who serves as chair of the county’s Public Safety Committee, was among elected officials who attended a groundbreaking for the center, to be located off Hanson Boulevard in Andover.
In addition to features intended to make staff members’ work easier, including a locker room and large data and television monitors, the facility will have a mental health component built in. Staff will have access to a quiet room to step away and decompress, as well as a wellness/fitness room to help relieve stress.
“That the county is investing in a new Emergency Communications Center to enhance capabilities and to create a more positive working environment is tremendous,” Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise said in an email. “I also expect this facility will be a great recruiting tool as we look to continue to hire the best of the best emergency communicators.”
The communications center serves 11 law enforcement agencies and 17 fire departments in Anoka County. Call volumes have jumped from 109,000 calls per year in the late 1980s to more than 400,000 last year, county officials said.
The north metro county is expecting to spend $41 million on the facility, including $22 million on construction and $19 million for furniture and equipment. Federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars will cover about half the cost, with an additional $19 million coming from potential bonding or other sources, the county said.
Construction is projected to be completed in June 2024.
“The renderings they’ve put together look fantastic,” County Board Chair Matt Look said in a statement, “and I’m sure the finished building will be just as good.”
Betty Danger’s, the quirky northeast Minneapolis bar known for its Ferris wheel and miniature golf, has been sold for $3.5 million.
The property, located at 2501 Marshall St. NE and 2519 Marshall St. NE, was purchased on Nov. 15, according to the certificate of real estate value filed with the state. The primary buyer of the site is entrepreneur Joe Radaich, according to Taylor VerMeer, a spokeswoman for an undisclosed project planned for the site.
“While I can confirm that Joe Radaich is the primary buyer listed on this project, we are not able to share anything more at this time,” VerMeer said in an email.
Radaich has operated bars in the past, including Sporty’s Pub and Grill, which later became Como Tap. Radaich no longer operates Como Tap, an employee said on Tuesday. Radaich did not return requests for comment. Attempts to reach Leslie Bock, the Betty Danger’s previous owner, were unsuccessful.
The property’s mortgage payments are set at $18,886 per month with a 6.15% interest rate, the state filings show.
A Minneapolis nonprofit that served food to low-income kids has agreed to dissolve itself after a state investigation found it violated laws regarding its operations and financial transactions.
The move was announced Tuesday by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office began investigating Gar Gaar Family Services, also known as the Youth Leadership Academy, after it was denied from participating in a federally funded program to provide food to students after school.
The investigation then found additional issues, including:
An attorney who has represented Gar Gaar, Barbara Berens, could not be reached Tuesday afternoon. Neither Ali or Morioka have been charged in criminal court.
The settlement by the state and Gar Gaar requires it to begin the dissolution process within 60 days of a court’s approval. The nonprofit then must transfer its assets to other charitable organizations with a similar mission.
Gar Gaar, which means “help” in Somali, launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to help students in need, especially those in the Somali community. The group served meals outside of the school year as part of the Summer Food Service Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture but managed by the Minnesota Department of Education.
Gar Gaar received $21 million in reimbursements for serving 7 million meals — the top provider of summer meals in Minnesota in 2021.
What would have been a wild story was quickly put to rest Tuesday when Bloomington police issued a statement clarifying that no, it was not in possession of a recorded O.J. Simpson murder confession.
TMZ reported Tuesday afternoon that Bloomington police may have unwittingly come into possession of such a recording after arresting a former bodyguard of Simpson’s more than two years ago.
But about two hours after that report published, the suburban police department sent out a release that said the belongings seized during the arrest of Iroc Avelli had been inspected and officers “did not locate any information of evidentiary value for the Los Angeles Police Department.”
Here’s what police said happened:
Bloomington police arrested Avelli under suspicion of assault on March 3, 2022. Several items were taken by police in the process, including a backpack which contained multiple thumb drives, according to a statement.
They said Avelli and his attorney said one of the thumb drives in the backpack contained a recording of Simpson confessing to the infamous 1994 murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman, according to Bloomington police.
A search warrant was granted to inspect the thumb drives. A copy was obtained by TMZ, dated June 26, and the document only said the results from the search were “pending.”
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings