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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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Virginia adds floating bridge to Silver Lake, also known for largest floating loon

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Virginia has cut the ribbon on a 1,800-foot floating bridge that crosses Silver Lake and connects to a walking path, making it more accessible, according to the city.

It’s part of a project around one of the two lakes at the center of the city. Work began in 2023, clearing out old pavement and debris and widening Silver Lake Trail. Work on the dock started last summer.

The Silver Lake project was funded in part by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation provided more than $440,000 in regional trail grants. Silver Lake is both a fishing spot and the site of the world’s largest floating loon, a decades-old fiberglass waterfowl sculpture anchored in the water during the summer months. It has also been spotted at the Minnesota State Fair.

The city plans to add final flourishes to the pier. The ribbon-cutting took place in late November.



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Why Otter’s Saloon in Minneapolis is struggling

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Different owners, different names, but always a dive bar at this tiny wedge of an intersection, welcoming thirsty travelers inside its angled walls. Even during Prohibition. Especially during Prohibition.

This year came the Hennepin and First roadway improvement project. The saloon draped a banner over the door, reassuring visitors that, yes, behind the closed streets, ripped-out sidewalks and clouds of construction dust, Otter’s was still open for business.

The orange cones are gone now; the streets are open, and the new bike lanes beckon. But it’s hard for Vashro not to look around and see what she’s lost. Little bits of Otter’s Saloon, carved away for the greater good.

Patrons play in a cribbage tournament at Otter’s Saloon in Minneapolis on Nov. 30. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

When officials asked her for an easement for the new bike path, “I said yes, of course, people are welcome to come and bike. I gave them part of my sidewalk,” Vashro said. When they announced plans for a new bus line, she attended the meetings and found out those plans called for plopping the new F Line bus shelter directly in front of her door. All as she watched the saloon lose money, month after month. Revenue was down almost $5,000 in July, compared with the year before. Down another $5,400 in August. Down $7,800 by September.

“It felt like they just kept hitting me,” Vashro said. And then they put in parking meters in places that had never been metered — even in front of her dumpsters, so some weeks the garbage trucks can’t get in and the trash piles up.

Parking meters and parking spaces sound like small things. But these are small businesses. Vashro has been looking at those $3 drink prices and wondering how long she can hold out against an increase. There’s a jar behind the bar to cover the cost of the new meters for her bartenders and regulars, but she worries about how far her staff might sometimes have to walk to their cars at 2 a.m.



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St. Paul offering free co-working space, parking to repopulate downtown

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The city of St. Paul is helping fund a lottery early next year.

The jackpot: Free downtown co-working space and parking for six months.

This small effort is part of a larger push to revitalize downtown St. Paul after the pandemic and subsequent rise of remote and hybrid work drained the commuter crowd. Like downtowns across the country, St. Paul’s urban core struggled to recover foot traffic as it grappled with high office vacancies, the loss of some long-tenured businesses and a rise in homelessness and addiction.

The city is chipping in a few thousand dollars to help subsidize the program and its marketing.

“In the past, we knew that if we could attract companies to a city, they would bring their workers with them,” said City Council Member Rebecca Noecker, who represents downtown. “I started wondering if, in a time of hybrid and remote work, maybe what we need to do is attract people themselves and take advantage of the fact that we have something that very other few places can boast of, which is this incredible downtown.”

From now until the end of the month, people can fill out an online form for a shot at free access to Wellworth, a community-centric co-working space with internet and printers, conference rooms, rooftop patios and mail service. Wellworth will then reach out to schedule a short tour of the space, a requirement for entry into the lottery.

In early January, ten winners will receive a six-month membership that would otherwise cost $1,650, plus free access to a city-owned parking ramp nearby. Ten others will be offered a highly discounted $50-a-month memberships.

Beyond this, public and private officials are also uniting around a downtown investment strategy that aims to convert empty offices to housing, improve the pedestrian experience and move forward key redevelopment projects, like the Xcel Energy Center and Central Station light rail stop. That vision would take several years — and millions of dollars — to bring to fruition.



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