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St. Paul Public Schools unveils book vending machine
Inspiring children to read can come from parents, friends and even a vending machine.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Benjamin E. Mays Elementary has new vending machine at school — and it’s not filled with beverages, but rather, books.
It’s meant to inspire students like Ga’liyah Starr to read. Her mother, Khim McAdory, says 4-year-old Starr already loves books — even if she can’t quite read yet.
“She’s not really reading yet but she’ll point at the words,” McAdory said. “We have a lot of books at home.”
Now the pre-K student has access to even more books to take home from school. Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood brought in the book vending machine Wednesday, unveiling it in a ribbon cutting ceremony alongside Mayor Melvin Carter, who went to kindergarten at the same school.
“When I was your age, we would open the books, and not a lot of the books had people in them that looked like me,” Mayor Carter told the children.
All of the books inside the vending machine are written by local Black authors, including Dr. Artika Tyner, founder of Planting People Growing Justice, and news reporter Shayla Reaves.
“I love my students being able to see themselves reflected in books,” said Starr’s teacher, Naomi Loving. “The more opportunities we can get books in students hands, the more excited they are about it.”
Instead of paying money, students will earn tokens to use in the machine.
“Getting it out of a vending machine has this whole air of excitement to it,” Ward 2 City Council Member Rebecca Noecker said.
This is the second book vending machine within St. Paul Public Schools. The other is at Maxfield Elementary School. Those involved say this program aligns with other commitments to improve literacy rates among elementary students. Back in the fall, the district launched SPPS Reads, an initiative incorporating evidence-based, Science of Reading practices.
“It might be something different we don’t have, so it’s always a good thing, yeah, to get something different and new,” McAdory said.
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The Ground Delay went into effect shortly before 7:30 a.m. The FAA says departures to MSP from across the U.S. are being delayed 62 minutes.
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal aviation officials have issued a Ground Delay for Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) International Airport due to accumulating snow and ice.
The Ground Delay means departures to MSP from across the U.S. are being delayed an average of 62 minutes as runway crews deal with accumulating snow and ice from the winter storm system sweeping across parts of Minnesota.
The delay is in effect from 7:21-9:59 a.m. Central Standard Time, according to the FAA website. De-icing operations began at MSP at 5:30 a.m.
Those who were planning on picking up travelers from the airport are advised to contact those individual carriers or check out the arrivals and departures section on the MSP website.
KARE 11 is following this situation and will have the latest information as the morning unfolds.
Robbinsdale Police Captain John Elder says while the victims were located in his city, the actual shooting took place late Wednesday in Minneapolis.
ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — Investigators are looking into a shooting that took place late Wednesday involving two communities.
Robbinsdale Police Captain John Elder told KARE 11 that squads responded to a 911 call just after 10:30 p.m. reporting that two people near the intersection of 35th and Beard avenues north had been shot.
Officers arrived and found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. First responders immediately provided lifesaving aid, including putting tourniquets on both victims. They were rushed to North Memorial Medical Center, where one man is considered in critical condition.
Investigators soon learned that while the victims were found and treated in Robbinsdale, the actual shooting took place across the border in Minneapolis. Elder said the two departments will be cooperating to investigate the shooting and locate suspects.
At this time no one is in custody.
Toledo’s mayor and city councilors met Wednesday to discuss the letters after receiving them in the mail. Lincoln County leaders also received copies.
TOLEDO, Oregon — The city council for the small Oregon coast city of Toledo planned to meet Wednesday to discuss a racist letter sent to several city leaders.
Toledo has a population just under 4,000 residents and is located outside of Newport. It’s led by a guy who knows just about everyone — or so he thought.
Last week, Toledo Mayor Rod Cross got a shock in his mailbox at home, with a letter entitled “The Brown Round Up, Part One.”
“If you see a bunch of brown folks getting in a car, write down the plate number,” it read, in part. “… Starting the last part of January 2025, this nation will commence the largest roundup of brown illegals in our history.”
It continues on, explaining how to “help” that effort. “For example, parking in a church parking lot and taking down license plates and car makes and models of folks that are brown (as well as at) schools as you wait in line to pick up the kiddos or the grandkids. If you see brown folks, record the plate number.”
Cross said the letter was sent to his home and the homes of other members of the Toledo City Council.
“I’m a proud American veteran. And this country does not stand for that,” he said.
With a sigh, Cross recalled, “I’m like, ‘Is this a joke going on?'”
Though the letter had a Portland post office stamp, the P.O. box on the return address is fake.
It showed up in the mailbox of Lincoln City Mayor Susan Wahlke, who said it’s been turned over to Lincoln City police.
“I want people to know that Lincoln City is an inclusive and welcoming community,” she told KGW.
Lincoln County said, “Our commission and our office are disgusted by and reject this call for wholesale racial targeting.”
“I think small towns were targeted. I think the targeted places that they thought there might be a receptive audience,” Cross said. “I also think that they targeted small towns because of, to be honest, our lack of resources to investigate this.”
Cross added that the whole thing came as a surprise: “In Lincoln County, I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation about illegal immigration, and I’ve lived in Lincoln County for 28 years. So, this was this was striking to me because I don’t hear anything about this from even our constituents.”
But the letters come as President-elect Donald Trump promises “the largest mass deportation program in history” when he takes office for his second term in January, while his incoming border czar, Tom Homan, is already making plans to mobilize federal agents.
However, Oregon and Washington are sanctuary states; state law prevents local jails from working with federal immigration enforcement.
Cross said he understands how broken the U.S. immigration system is, but he said if someone has a concern, he wants to hear from them.
“Our residents, my number one goal is to keep them safe,” he said.
