Star Tribune
Duluth man pleads guilty to criminal sexual conduct with girls
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.
Star Tribune
St. Paul’s McNeely Conservatory at Como getting wheelchair ramps
Longtime elevators, which were often out of order, will be removed and replaced with ramps that will open in January. There is no Holiday Flower Show this year.
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Star Tribune
When greater Minnesota isn’t welcoming
She and her wife decided to move to Duluth.
“I do think America can do better, be kinder, and talk to each other more,” she wrote. “But in this current environment of hate and small-mindedness, I’m glad I don’t live in Becker/Clear Lake anymore, and that I don’t have to be ‘the only gay in the village’ anymore.”
After the election, I received a message from Brent Nelson of Minneapolis, who grew up in rural central Minnesota and who took exception with my column about why greater Minnesota voted for Donald Trump.
Nelson wrote that he refuses to use the term “greater Minnesota” because it implies that there is something better about rural Minnesota. He felt that the reasons people gave me for voting for Trump such as gun rights and grocery prices were “fake polite” answers intended to disguise their real motives.
“They are bigoted transphobic racists — they are just too cowardly to admit it,” he wrote.
Greater Minnesota is changing. For seven years, I put together the “Santa” letters for the Echo Press in Alexandria, typing in and formatting all the Christmas wishes sent in by local schoolchildren. Last year, I received my first letter in Spanish. I let it run as it was, knowing how much it would mean to that child’s family to see their own language in print. There are also members of the LGBTQ community who live here and aren’t hiding who they are.
Star Tribune
Luigi Mangione charged with murder in UHC CEO killing
Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested Monday while eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Penn., after an employee recognized him and called authorities.
Mangione was also charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count of second-degree possession of a forged document, and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a firearm, online court documents in New York show. The New York criminal complaint against Mangione remains sealed.
In Pennsylvania, he was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police.
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson last week in front of a Midtown Manhattan hotel. Thompson, of Maple Grove, was headed to an investors conference on Dec. 4 when he was shot from behind by a man. That man then ran off, and had been seen on surveillance cameras shortly after riding a bicycle into Central Park.
Thompson’s killing set off a weeklong search for the gunman, who was arrested Monday. In a news conference Monday afternoon, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified the man as 26-year-old Mangione.
Mangione is due to appear in a New York court later this month.