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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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Earthquake strikes off California; tsunami warning issued

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EUREKA, Calif. — A strong earthquake was felt widely across Northern California on Thursday, and some residents along its coast were urged to evacuate inland due to the threat of a possible tsunami.

The quake struck at 10:44 a.m. west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County near the Oregon border, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It was felt as far south as San Francisco, where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by smaller aftershocks.

The National Weather Service urged residents along the Northern California coastline, including in the San Francisco Bay Area, to move inland due to the threat of a possible tsunami. A wave could reach the San Francisco coastline as early as 12:10 p.m., according to Rachel Kennedy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office that covers the Bay Area.

Kennedy said forecasters are waiting to get a report on how high potential waves could be. She called it ‘’a pretty dangerous situation.‘’

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, has stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland.

The San Francisco Zoo’s visitors have been evacuated as a result of the earthquake, the zoo said in a post on the social media platform X. The animals have been secured and staff has been moved to higher ground.

Throughout Northern California phones buzzed with a tsunami warning from the National Weather Service that said: ‘’A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you. You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.‘’



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Ilhan Omar re-elected vice chair of Congressional Progressive Caucus

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was unanimously re-elected vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Thursday.

She’ll help lead the progressive arm of congressional Democrats at a time when it’s likely to play a key role in serving as a resistance to incoming Republican President Donald Trump.

“With Biden, we had an opportunity to push him to implement good policy,” the Minnesota Democrat said in an interview Thursday. “With Trump, our opportunities are going to be to push him not to implement bad policy.”

As Trump is set to have a trifecta in Washington, Omar acknowledges there may be limitations to the caucus’ power.

But she does not think the caucus will be completely powerless, given that Republicans will hold only a slim majority in the House and will need to work with Democrats at times. The caucus has nearly 100 members, mostly in the House.

Omar said the caucus did not meet with Trump when she served as its whip when he was still in the White House. And though the caucus has not yet discussed whether it will meet with Trump this time, she said if the opportunity to meet him does exist “why not” do it.

“I think we should all be open to doing whatever it takes to make sure that we are able to do the work that causes the least harm and meet and have conversations with anyone that’s willing to meet and have conversations with us,” she said of the prospect of meeting with Trump.

Rep. Greg Cesar, D-Texas, will lead the committee as chair, replacing current chairwoman Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. And Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill. was elected to the role of whip, replacing Cesar. Both were also elected unanimously on Thursday.



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After contamination scare resulted in shutdown, Hennepin County crime lab is again fully operational

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The forensic science lab in Hennepin County is once again fully operational and processing casework after it was shut down for several weeks because scientists at the lab identified a contaminant in their DNA samples.

In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office said since halting DNA analysis, its staff reviewed more than 50,000 DNA samples and recommend fewer than 10 cases for retesting. At this point, there has not been any additional request for retesting.

The original contamination was traced back to a plastic plate supplied from a third-party vendor. That vendor is a global provider to forensic labs, and the contamination first identified in Hennepin County has now been found in labs across the world.

“The knowledge and expertise that these forensic scientists bring to Hennepin County and the criminal justice system, at large, is invaluable,” Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt said in a statement.

The lab is using a replacement product and after completing testing on that product, “the lab is now able to resume DNA testing and analysis,” the release said.

In November, the Hennepin County Board approved a $223,000 contract with the Life Technologies Corporation for new DNA testing equipment and materials for the crime lab. Capt. Steve Labatt, director of the lab, said they had cut ties with the previous vendor that had provided the contaminated plates used in DNA extraction.

About half of the contract with Life Technologies will pay for validating new instruments from the vendor being installed in the lab. Labatt said the FBI requires all forensic labs to undergo extensive testing of new equipment before it can be used on case work.

“New instruments are not plug and play,” he told commissioners on Nov. 12. “The validations have to be reproducible.”



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