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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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Mounds View mermaid statue may rise again

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The Mounds View mermaid may rise again.

Six years after she was taken down from her rooftop perch at the Mermaid Entertainment and Event Center, a 38-foot fiberglass mermaid statue will soon be restored and made ready for a new life back near her old spot, Mounds View Mayor Zach Lindstrom said.

“We’re going to get ready to bring her back,” he said.

The re-emergence of the city’s beloved giant statue got underway Thursday when Lindstrom and Mounds View resident Dan Mueller met at the Mermaid Event Center. There, with a bit of ceremony orchestrated and photographed by Lindstrom, Mueller purchased the statue for $1 from a representative of the Triple Shift Entertainment company, which owns the Mermaid center. The statue has lain in the company’s parking lot — on wooden pallets, under a brown tarp — since its removal in 2018 due to concerns that she was sinking into the roof.

Mueller said he was surprised by the mayor’s news that they could buy the mermaid, but he gladly agreed to help out. Mueller, the husband of former Mounds View Mayor Carol Mueller, has a long history with the mermaid statue as well as the Mermaid bowling alley, bar and restaurant. He met his wife at the Mermaid 47 years ago, and in the 1970s while weathering a storm at a gas station across the street, Mueller and a friend saw the original mermaid get blown off of the roof.

“It blew her across Highway 10,” Mueller said. He and some friends picked up the statue and took it to someone’s house. He doesn’t know whatever became of it, but says a new mermaid that’s both heavier and larger took the place of the original.

Mueller said he was a frequent visitor to the Mermaid back then. It had live music in the basement on Friday and Saturday nights: “It was just a fun place to go.”

Dan Mueller holds the $1 bill he used to purchase the Mounds View mermaid; in his left hand is the bill of sale that says the mermaid will be restored and reinstalled at the Mermaid Entertainment and Event Center. (Zach Lindstrom /Provided by Zach Lindstrom)

When the mermaid statue came down in 2018, it felt like a bit of city history had been lost.



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Bloomington city manager tapped as next CEO of Catholic Charities Twin Cities

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Bloomington City Manager Jamie Verbrugge has been hired as Catholic Charities Twin Cities’ next president and CEO.

Verbrugge has spent more than 20 years in public administration in the Twin Cities, having held positions in Brooklyn Park and Rosemount before arriving in Bloomington in 2015. City officials there credit him for helping make advances in affordable housing and sustainability, and diversifying the city’s workforce.

“His deep personal connection to Catholic Charities paired with his proven professional track record, commitment to public service, and strong leadership skills made him an ideal candidate,” Desirae Butler, chair of nonprofit’s board of directors, said in a statement.

Verbrugge will succeed Michael Goar, who was appointed president and CEO of Sisters of Charity Health System earlier this year.

Catholic Charities Twin Cities operates six adult emergency shelters for the homeless, nine affordable housing facilities and various services for children, families and disabled persons, according to its website. It assists more than 33,000 people.

“I am honored to join Catholic Charities as its new president and CEO,” Verbrugge said in a statement. “It is an incredibly meaningful opportunity to lead an organization with such a strong foundation.”



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Minneapolis Mayor Frey lowers proposed tax hike as council digs into budget

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Mayor Jacob Frey proposed to cut his recommended 2025 budget’s property tax levy increase on Friday as the city council dug into his plan and days after a Council Member Emily Koski announced a run for mayor and proposed a nearly identical change.

The Minneapolis City Council on Friday began debating revisions to Frey’s budget in what promises to be a series of marathon “markup” meetings before the council votes on a final budget Tuesday night. Council members proposed a whopping 73 amendments to Frey’s budget, and began going through them on Friday. The meeting was contentious from the start, with Council Member Linea Palmisano accusing her colleagues of locking her out of talks.

“We are equal members of this body and we need to start acting like it,” she said.

Frey said the council amendments add “wants” while cutting needs; divert city funds to private organizations; and irresponsibly deplete the city’s cash reserves. He said the council’s amendments cut core services in order to increase spending to nonprofits, “pet projects” in wards and “unvetted, one-time programs.”

Frey said if the council disposed of amendments like that, he’d support reducing his proposed hike by using over $780,000 in unspent federal pandemic funds; cutting $2.3 million from 20 departments; and cutting $5.7 million from a technology improvement plan. The council declined, however, to go along with Koski’s proposed levy decrease, but approved other cuts that bring the levy increase down to 6.9%.

Some council members were offended by Frey’s characterization of ward projects as “pet projects.” Council Member Katie Cashman suggested the mayor was trying to “one-up” the council’s budget cuts.

Much was made of the fact that Frey put out a news release and letter Friday laying out his proposal to reduce the levy increase. Council Member Jason Chavez accused the mayor of “legislating through press releases” instead of talking to council members.



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