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Duluth man pleads guilty to criminal sexual conduct with girls

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DULUTH – With freshly selected jurors waiting nearby for the start of an expected days-long trial, a Duluth man facing criminal sexual conduct charges took a last-minute plea deal instead of facing the women he abused when they were children.

Clint Franklin Massie, 49, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning at the St. Louis County Courthouse to the four counts from incidents dating back to 2008-09 when two of his victims were young girls. The deal dismissed one of the counts against him. His sentencing is scheduled for March 20, and he could end up with more than nine years in prison. Massie, who was initially charged in February 2023 and has been out on $300,000 bail, was released until his sentencing.

In each case, the victim was known to Massie — whether they were related or through their shared membership at Old Apostolic Lutheran Church. He was friends with their parents and regarded as a fun, child-free uncle, according to reports from the investigation.

Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Michael Ryan told the court that the victims were satisfied with the deal.

“They have been involved in talking this through,” he said to Judge Dale Harris.

After Massie pleaded guilty, would-be witnesses and their supporters filed into the courtroom filling rows. Massie, dressed in a dark suit coat and khaki pants, turned to look. Ryan questioned him on the victims’ accusations — four specific scenarios where he had touched girls: during a sleepover at his house, when alone on a tractor, or beneath a blanket while others were in the room.

Massie said in court there were a lot of big gatherings and shared meals within this the group. It wasn’t unusual for one of the many children to sit on his lap.

At times Massie paused and said he couldn’t remember exact details or motives. At other times he deferred to what he told investigating officers last year. In each instance he ultimately agreed with the scenario presented by the prosecution.



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Vikings’ nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year is C.J. Ham

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Vikings veteran fullback C.J. Ham is the team’s nominee for the 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the team announced Thursday morning.

The Walter Payton Award is considered the league’s most prestigious honor and recognizes players who show a commitment to impacting their communities beyond the football field.

Thirty-two nominees, one from each franchise, will be recognized during the week of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The 2024 winner will be announced during NFL Honors on Feb. 6 on Fox and NFL Network.

Ham, who is from Duluth, and his wife, Stephanie, have supported a number of regional organizations and causes since Ham signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Augustana University in 2016.

On Dec. 10, the Hams and the Vikings will host the Southside Village Boys and Girls Club at TCO Performance Center in honor of his nomination. Ham spent time as a child at the Boys and Girls Club as his parents worked and has participated in a number of events benefiting locations across the Twin Cities.

“He truly is Minnesota’s favorite, and rightly so — and he doesn’t take that for granted, either,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said in a press release.

Ham started the Ham Scholarship Fund with his wife in 2022. Its goal is to provide financial support to students of color in the Duluth area so they can pursue higher education and improve retention and graduation rates.

C.J. and Stephanie Ham also host the annual “Pamper Her Purple” event for women who have survived cancer or are being treated for cancer. In October, 15 women received a day of pampering and dinner for the fourth annual event.



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Stretches of two metro area freeways will shut down this weekend

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Thousands of motorists in the east and south metro face long detours this weekend as portions of two freeways will be closed due to construction.

In St. Paul, both directions of I-94 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday between Hwy. 61/Mounds Boulevard and Hwy. 52/E. 7th Street.

In Bloomington and Richfield, westbound I-494 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between I-35W and Hwy. 100.

Eastbound lanes between Hwy. 100 and Hwy. 77/Cedar Avenue will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday. Then the closure will shrink, and only be in place between Hwy. 100 to I-35W. Those lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.

Drivers will be directed to use Hwy. 100, Crosstown Hwy. 62 and Cedar Avenue to bypass the closures, MnDOT said.

The closures on I-494 are related to a major rebuilding of the freeway to add an EZ Pass lane in both directions, rebuild bridges over I-494 and add a new ramp at the I-35W/I-494 interchange.

City of St. Paul crews will finish taking down what is left of the Kellogg Boulevard/3rd Street bridge over I-94.

A portion of the bridge connecting downtown St. Paul and the city’s East Side has already been demolished, and crews will finish the work this weekend. During the closure, eastbound motorists will be directed to use northbound I-35E to eastbound and southbound I-694 and reconnect with I-94 in Woodbury. Westbound drivers will be sent north and east on I-694 then south on I-35E, MnDOT said.



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Architecture writer, Minnetonka McMansion critic Bette Hammel dies

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“I told my mom that story later and just she said, ‘Oh no, it’s just because of Dick,’” who had been gone for more than 20 years by that time, Susan Hammel said. “I’m like, ‘No, mom, they love you, too.’”

Hammel is survived by daughter Susan Hammel and son-in-law Dan Broberg, grandchildren Danny and Caleigh, and stepchildren Anne Hammel and Stephen Hammel, among other family members and friends. A visitation and funeral mass will be held Dec. 17 at St. Bartholomew’s Catholic Church in Wayzata.



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