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Anoka’s sipping and strolling pilot project ends Saturday

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The Minnesota Legislature’s experiment with a social district in Anoka has worked well according to community leaders.

ANOKA, Minn. — A town known for antiques and Halloween got on the map for something else in the past month, a legislative experiment in casual drinking known as the Anoka Social District.

State lawmakers and local figures launched the one-month pilot on September 6, allowing people to sip wine, beer, and cocktails in specially marked plastic cups as they stroll through downtown popping in and out of businesses.

“The sip and stroll concept’s been working very well,” Anoka City Council Member Erik Skogquist told KARE.

“It’s interesting to see over the last month who’s been embracing this. There’s been a lot of businesses — antique stores, a quilt shop — and all of them have been saying this is something we think is great.”

Skogquist said visitors have respected the placards in the windows of businesses inside the district. Those signs tell you where you can buy a drink to go, what stores welcome strolling drinkers, and which ones don’t.

“It gets a lot of new people in town. That’s something I’ve heard from a lot of people. And more exposure. Not necessarily more drinking, but more exposure and more new faces.”

At Amore Antiques Friday afternoon owner Brandon Altenweg was working on a window display and planning the big Anoka Vintage Fest that will draw 90 antique and vintage clothing vendors to downtown on Saturday.  

The event, which will raise money for the Haven4Heroes charity for veterans, coincides with the final day of the social district experiment.

“The social district has been a great, novel idea. People feel cool sipping their beverages. and we’ve had no issues when they come inside. No one’s spilt anything. People are really respectful,” Altenweg told KARE.

He believes the social district concept will be expanded by the legislature because it has worked so well in this city and other states have established drinking zones.

“The social district is really made for events like Anoka Vintage Fest, or the food truck festival, or River Fest. It’s made for these big events, which, Anoka is set up perfect for those.”

The 2023 legislation that created the experiment also requires the City of Anoka to file a report with the legislature within the next two years.  The city must provide details on how the social district was designed, how participating businesses were selected, and how it all worked.

The bill also requires the city to recommend ways to tweak the social district concept before making it available to communities across Minnesota.

Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries



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Police looking for man charged in murder of pregnant ex-wife

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Prosecutors say Mychal Allan Stowers was on work release from prison when he shot his pregnant ex-wife, and then shot another man during a carjacking.

ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul police are looking for a man now charged with two counts of second-degree murder after allegedly shooting his ex-wife and her unborn child. 

A criminal complaint filed against 37-year-old Mychal Allan Stowers details the two murder counts as well as carjacking and assault charges associated with his getaway. 

St. Paul squads were dispatched to 139 Sycamore St. E. just after 9 p.m. Oct. 19 on reports of shots fired. Arriving officers were met by residents who told them they heard gunshots in apartment 3. Police entered the apartment and found a woman laying on the floor surrounded by spent 9mm shell casings. Paramedics responded and declared the victim dead just before 9:30 pm. 

Police later identified the victim as 35-year-old Damara Alexis Stowers.

Investigators on the scene found a loaded handgun on a bed in a different bedroom, along with photos from an ultrasound. In the apartment mailbox were two letters, one addressed to the victim and the other to a Mychal Stowers. While officers were in the apartment a cellphone rang, and the contact name that showed was “My$hon Stowers.” 

Neighbors described seeing a heavyset man in his late 30s or 40s running from the scene. One told officers he heard four or five shots from the apartment, walked outside, and soon heard two more from a few blocks away. 

The owner of the building told police the victim was in the process of being evicted, and that her ex-boyfriend had been living in the apartment with her, which was against the lease. 

Additional officers were dispatched to 99 Acker Street, a few blocks from the apartment shooting scene, at around 9:15 p.m. on reports of a carjacking. They found a man who had been shot in the leg, breaking his femur. The victim’s friend said they were standing outside a running vehicle when a heavyset Black male ran up, said something they did not understand and then shot the victim. The assailant then stole the running gray Audi. 

The complaint states that on the same day an employee of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office reported that Mychal Stowers called, said he had shot someone and wanted to turn himself in. Despite the call, Stowers did not turn himself in. 

Records from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) show Stowers was released from prison in March after serving time for another murder, was on work release and supposed to be living at a halfway house. He had had been granted a pass to visit his “ex-wife” at 139 Sycamore. 

Preliminary tests show the same gun fired spent shells recovered at both the murder and carjacking scenes, and the defendant matches descriptions of the shooter from witnesses at both scenes.

At this time Michael Stowers is not in custody.  



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Man gets 20 years in north Minneapolis apartment murder

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Donald Edmondson suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest at his north-side apartment building on Nov. 24, 2023.

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man who pleaded guilty to entering another man’s apartment and shooting him to death last year was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office released a statement saying 59-year-old Walter Hill was sentenced on second-degree intentional murder charges in 60-year-old Donald Edmondson’s November 2023 killing.

Prosecutors said Hill was given 337 days of credit for time already served.

“Mr. Edmondson should still be alive,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “A violent act committed with such disregard by Mr. Hill has taken him from his family. This sentence delivers accountability and protects our community, and I hope it brings some measure of peace to Mr. Edmondson’s loved ones as they attempt to move forward with their lives.” 

According to police, Edmondson suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest at his north-side apartment building on Nov. 24, 2023. 

The attorney’s office said Hill entered his guilty plea Monday.



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Kris Lindahl, ‘Call of Duty’ partner on new billboards

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Turns out, Twin Cities realtor and billboard personality Kris Lindahl is in on the joke.

MINNEAPOLIS — The makers of the video game “Call of Duty” launched a new, locally inspired campaign Friday, coinciding with the release of the franchise’s newest installment, “Black Ops 6.”

Motorists might notice real estate agent Kris Lindahl, famously seen with his arms out over every interstate in town, was replaced by *ahem* “The Replacer,” an Activision character played by actor Peter Stormare. 

For the next few weeks, The Replacer will step in for Lindahl not only on billboards but also on advertisements across television, streaming and social media platforms.

But why does Lindahl need The Replacer’s help, you might ask? 

So he’s free to play “Black Ops 6,” of course.

The Replacer isn’t new to Minnesota. He also once stepped into the shoes of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.



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