Star Tribune
Man beat woman to death outside Minneapolis church
A man who allegedly told police he had no memory of the act was charged in the beating death of a woman outside a church in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Byron Vinicio Vargas Bautista, 38, of Minneapolis, was charged with second-degree murder with intent last week in Hennepin County District Court in the death of Felisha Smith.
Members of Smith’s family spoke with Fox 9 earlier this year and identified her as the 58-year-old victim. She had been living at a skilled nursing facility at the time of her death.
According to court documents:
On July 14, Minneapolis police were called to a church near the intersection of Oak Park Avenue N. and Penn Avenue N. where they found Smith’s body. She had been beaten to death with “hemorrhaging around her brain, neck, and clavicle, and her hyoid bone was fractured.”
Witnesses said they saw Smith with a “Latino man” the night before. Police used surveillance videos to trace Smith and Bautista’s movements that night. They were together near the corner of Lake Street and Chicago Avenue and then took Metro Transit buses throughout the city before exiting near the scene of the crime. Traffic cameras appeared to show Bautista carrying Smith part of the way toward the church. Later he is seen going back-and-forth to the scene of the crime before eventually leaving.
Two months later, Minneapolis police on patrol in south Minneapolis saw Bautista and recognized him as the unknown man from the surveillance video.
Bautista was read his rights and told investigators that he did not know Smith or have any memory of what he did on the night of July 14. When he was shown photos of the suspect in the crime, he told police it was him.
Star Tribune
Investigators searching for additional victims as Hastings man faces child porn charges
A 27-year-old Hastings man has been accused in federal court of producing child pornography over a roughly two-year span, and investigators are trying to identify additional potential victims.
Hunter James Geidlwas charged with four counts of either production or possession of child pornography in federal court Dec. 10. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to the charges, Geidl employed and used minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for producing explicit videos from July 2022 to March 2024. He is also accused of possessing a video file of pornographic material involving a minor in 2022.
Geidl made his initial appearance in court Friday and remains in custody, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
Investigators believe other minors may have been victimized and ask that if anyone believes their child has been in contact with Geidl to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.
“She was really into the Replacements. So for her to have her dad suddenly playing in the band, it would be like my dad joining the Rolling Stones.”
Slim Dunlap, right, with Paul Westerberg during a 1987 Replacements concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis. (Brian Peterson, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Dunlap played guitar on the final two Replacements studio albums, also including 1991’s “All Shook Down.” Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson later credited him for sparking a new spirit in the band and extending their run during their waning years.
After the break-up in 1991, Dunlap toured with Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites, who led the first fundraising campaign on Dunlap’s behalf in the days after his stroke.
Finally, in 1993, Dunlap got his own chance to shine as a singer/songwriter.
He channeled his love for Hank Williams, Chuck Berry and vintage blues alongside the Replacements’ Stones and Faces influences on his debut album, “The Old New Me,” issued by former ‘Mats manager and Twin/Tone Records co-founder Peter Jesperson on the Medium Cool record label. A second solo album came three years later, “Times Like This,” similarly earning a cult-loved status — especially among fellow musicians.
Springsteen publicly raved about those records numerous times, including in a 2014 interview with NPR’s Ann Powers: “I hope I get a chance to cut one of his songs,” said the Boss. “Check out the two Slim Dunlap records, because they’re just beautiful rock ‘n’ roll records. I found them to be deeply touching and emotional.”
A 59-year-old utility worker died Tuesday after falling from the bucket of a boom truck at a job site north of Big Lake, according to Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Ben Zawacki.
Thomas L. Stewart of Dayton fell about six to eight feet and suffered significant head injuries while working in the ditch on the north side of 241st Avenue NW, just west of 185th Street in Orrock Township.
First responders performed life-saving efforts at the scene before Stewart was transported to St. Cloud Hospital, where he was pronounced dead late Tuesday.
Stewart worked for the Minnesota-based utility company Connexus Energy. In a response to a Facebook post about the incident, a representative from Connexus thanked people for their thoughts and prayers, and clarified the utility worker was not electrocuted in the incident.
“We’re heartbroken over the passing of our friend and colleague but we are waiting for family and friends to be notified so we cannot share additional information,” Stacy Downs, communications specialist at Connexus, said Wednesday.
Health insurers limit coverage of prosthetic limbs, questioning their medical necessity
DNC chair candidate Martin O’Malley says Democrats need to learn from “very bad loss”
Biden sets new climate goal for slashing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions
Health insurers limit coverage of prosthetic limbs, questioning their medical necessity
DNC chair candidate Martin O’Malley says Democrats need to learn from “very bad loss”