Star Tribune
Anonymous donor offers $10K reward to find who killed St. Paul woman in 1988
An anonymous donor is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to finding whoever killed a young mother 35 years ago in her St. Paul home.
Someone entered 23-year-old Cheryl Prokop’s home at the Vista Village Townhomes in the 600 block of Kansas Avenue and strangled her overnight on Dec. 2, 1988.
Prokop’s 4-year-old daughter, Katy, found the body later that morning and went to the apartment caretaker’s office to report what she had seen.
The St. Paul Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said Friday they have been actively investigating the killing since it happened, but no information has led to anyone responsible for Prokop’s death.
“We’ve waited for 35 years to understand why Cheryl was killed and who did it,” her father, Dick Prokop, said in a statement accompanying announcement of the anonymous donation. “Nothing can bring her back, but maybe this reward will help lead to some answers. If you know what happened, please report what you know.”
Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), said, “Despite decades of forensic and investigative efforts, available evidence has not led us to the person or persons responsible for Cheryl’s death. But we’re continuing to work this case and are hopeful the reward will result in new information.”
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry added, “We as a department never forget victims and their families who are left behind seeking answers. We will continue to seek those answers and are committed to providing closure for families and bringing every offender to justice.”
Police back then said Prokop’s daughter reported seeing one or two intruders that night.
Homicide detectives said they suspect that whoever killed Prokop likely entered through a ground-level window that was found pushed out. Entry also could have made through an unlocked door, a police lieutenant added.
Police saw in the West Side apartment signs of a struggle. Her body was found in a hallway. She appeared to have been strangled with a curtain-type cord.
Prokop was a 1984 graduate of St. Paul Humboldt High School and was enrolled at the time of her death in a medical secretary program at what is now called St. Paul College. She was months away from graduating.
If a tip leads to an arrest and conviction in this case, the anonymous donor will pay the reward in coordination with the family and law enforcement.
Anyone with information about who is responsible for Cheryl Prokop’s death is urged to contact the BCA at 877-996-6222 or at bca.tips@state.mn.us. Tips can be provided anonymously.
After splitting their two-game West Coast trip to begin the season, the Wolves improved to 2-1 with a 112-101 win over Toronto in their home opener. It was a wire-to-wire win that featured some strong bursts of play from the Wolves and other times when their decision-making was suspect. But those moments when they were on, specifically the start of the game and most of the third quarter, were enough to carry them against a shorthanded Raptors team that was without RJ Barrett, Bruce Brown and Immanuel Quickley.
Julius Randle had 24 points while Anthony Edwards had 24 on 21 shot attempts. Donte DiVincenzo had 16 off the bench. Nickeil Alexander-Walker left the game in the fourth quarter and did not return, though he was in the bench area for the final minutes after going to the locker room briefly.
The Wolves’ starting lineup had its best stretch of basketball on the season after that unit started off sluggish in the first two games. Mike Conley, who was 3-for-16 to open the year, hit two early threes to set the tone, though Conley would finish 2-for-8.
Donte DiVincenzo replaced him at point guard halfway through the quarter and continued the hot shooting from the point guard slot with three threes of his own. The Wolves forced five Toronto turnovers and had a 32-18 lead after one.
Coach Chris Finch toyed with some different lineup combinations in the first half as he had Conley and DiVincenzo begin the quarter together while having Joe Ingles run the point later in the quarter. It led to an uneven second, and the Wolves led 56-44 at halftime.
But the Wolves played inspired coming out of the break. Jaden McDaniels, who didn’t take a shot in the first half, had nine points in the opening minutes of the third. Edwards hit a pair of threes as they pushed their lead to 22. The Wolves weren’t sharp closing the night, and the Raptors had the game within right inside of two minutes, but the Wolves had built enough of a cushion.
Rudy Gobert. Gobert had 15 points and 13 rebounds and was the beneficiary of some lobs from his teammates like Edwards, Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Joe Ingles. Gobert also finished with four blocks.
Gobert had two blocks on one possession in the fourth quarter that got the crowd off its feet and Gobert pounding his chest. Gobert blocked D.J. Carton and Jamison Battle.
Star Tribune
Trump denigrates Detroit while appealing for votes in a suburb of Michigan’s largest city
NOVI, Mich. — Donald Trump further denigrated Detroit while appealing for votes Saturday in a suburb of the largest city in swing state Michigan.
”I think Detroit and some of our areas makes us a developing nation,” the former president told supporters in Novi. He said people want him to say Detroit is ”great,” but he thinks it ”needs help.”
The Republican nominee for the White House had told an economic group in Detroit earlier this month that the ”whole country will end up being like Detroit” if Democrat Kamala Harris wins the presidency. That comment drew harsh criticism from Democrats who praised the city for its recent drop in crime and growing population.
Trump’s stop in Novi, after an event Friday night in Traverse City, is a sign of Michigan’s importance in the tight race. Harris is scheduled for a rally in Kalamazoo later Saturday with former first lady Michelle Obama on the first day that early in-person voting becomes available across Michigan. More than 1.4 million ballots have already been submitted, representing 20% of registered voters. Trump won the state in 2016, but Democrat Joe Biden carried it four years later.
Michigan is home to major car companies and the nation’s largest concentration of members of the United Auto Workers. It also has a significant Arab American population, and many have been frustrated by the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza after the attack by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
During his rally, Trump spotlighted local Muslim and Arab American leaders who joined him on stage. These voters ”could turn the election one way or the other,” Trump said, adding that he was banking on ”overwhelming support” from those voters in Michigan.
“When President Trump was president, it was peace,” said one of those leaders, Mayor Bill Bazzi of Dearborn Heights. ”We didn’t have any issues. There was no wars.”
While Trump is trying to capitalize on the community’s frustration with the Democratic administration, he has a history of policies hostile to this group, including a travel ban targeting Muslim countries while in office and a pledge to expand it to include refugees from Gaza if he wins on Nov. 5.
Star Tribune
‘Take our lives seriously,’ Michelle Obama pleads as she rallies for Kamala Harris in Michigan
”We are looking at a health care crisis in America that is affecting people of every background and gender,” Harris told reporters before visiting the doctor’s office.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden went to a union hall in Pittsburgh to promote Harris’ support for organized labor, telling the audience to ”follow your gut” and ”do what’s right.”
Harris appeared with Beyoncé on Friday in Houston, and she campaigned with former President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen on Thursday in Atlanta.
It’s a level of celebrity clout that surpasses anything that Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has been able to marshal this year. But there’s no guarantee that will help Harris in the close race for the White House. In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost to Trump despite firing up her crowds with musical performances and Democratic allies.
Trump brushed off Harris’ attempt to harness star power for her campaign.
”Kamala is at a dance party with Beyoncé,” the former president said Friday in Traverse City, Michigan. Trump, the Republican nominee for president, is scheduled to hold a rally in Novi, a suburb of Detroit, on Saturday before a later event in State College, Pennsylvania.
