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U of M students testify at Capitol
Identity Dinkytown was supposed to open at the end of August, but students are still not allowed to move in.
MINNEAPOLIS — It’s a story first reported back in August, University of Minnesota students ready to start a new school year find out the apartment complex they were supposed to move into wasn’t ready.
On Wednesday, some of those students took their concerns to the state Capitol.
In a joint hearing of the Senate Housing and Homeless Prevention Committee and the Senate Higher Education Committee, lawmakers said they intend to make student renter protections a priority in the next session.
But that doesn’t help any of them now, as some are still scrambling to find permanent housing.
“My biggest concern right now is safety,” said junior Wadj Suliman.
Suliman said the builder told her and other tenants they could move in on Aug. 27, even collecting first month’s rent, before admitting the next day that construction was behind schedule.
The builder, CA Ventures, even failed a safety inspection and then a group of people recently filed a lawsuit against them. CA Ventures has denied KARE 11’s interview requests multiple times since the first report on Aug. 3, 2023.
“I urge you to pass legislation that will keep anything like this from happening in the state of Minnesota from ever happening again,” said student Emalyn Goodart. “Students deserve to have their needs met by the landlord when something like this happens, and those needs include the option to be let out of a lease.”
President of the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association, which includes Dinkytown, Vic Thorstenson, says private equity real estate firms are changing how communities are being built.
“It’s become a matter of who is owning these buildings and running them, and it’s not mom and pop landlords anymore,” said Thorstenson. “Their first priority is to their shareholders and not to the tenants and not to the parents paying the rent in most cases. And it certainly isn’t to the neighborhoods around them.”
It’s unclear if the city can take action against Identity Dinkytown, only confirming the complex hasn’t scheduled another safety inspection.
Lawmakers say they plan to investigate the effects this problem has on housing all across the state in the next legislative session.
“It’s just how I feel about the entire management right now, is that I just can’t trust them,” said Suliman.
Identity Dinkytown has offered tenants gift cards and other housing at a nearby hotel.
They were also invited to the public hearing, but lawmakers said they declined to attend due to short notice, despite being told two weeks ago.
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Kare11
SouthWest Transit tests out self-driving cars
New autonomous driving vehicles are hitting the roads in Eden Prairie.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — SouthWest Transit tested its new self-driving vehicles in Eden Prairie Wednesday.
Riders will be able to travel to and from specific stops using the “Spare” app. SouthWest Transit also says this will connect riders to residential areas, workplaces, and shopping. It will also include a stop at the Southwest Light Rail.
“It’s really exciting for me, but I think it’s exciting for Eden Prairie and it benefits our residents and our businesses,” said Eden Prairie mayor Ron Case.
“We really believe in a future where everyone has access to mobility no matter who they are or where they are, and this represents more than just an advanced piece of technology, it’s a commitment to expanded access,” said vice president of customers with Space, Quinn Kliman.
The service is free and will run on weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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16-year-old injured in north Minneapolis shooting
Police say the shooting occurred in an alley between Oliver Avenue North and Penn Avenue North at around 5:30 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS — Police are investigating after a teen was injured in a shooting Wednesday evening in north Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Police Department was called to an alley between Oliver Avenue North and Penn Avenue North at around 5:30 p.m. on reports of a possible shooting. When officers arrived, they found a 16-year-old boy who had been shot.
Police say the teen heard a vehicle and gunfire before realizing he had been shot.
Officials say the boys is expected to survive, and no arrests have been made.
*This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Kare11
Hit and run crash leaves 10-year-old girl hurt in Minneapolis
Police say it happened near Lowry and Sheridan Avenue N.
MINNEAPOLIS — A 10-year-old girl was taken to the hospital Wednesday after being hit by a vehicle.
It happened near Lowry and Sheridan Avenue N, according to Minneapolis police, shortly before 8 p.m.
Police say the girl was running across the road when she was hit by a grey SUV that did not stop. Her injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
No one has been arrested in the case yet, according to officials.
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