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Feeding our Future trial dates scheduled
Barring any plea deals, trials for 28 additional defendants are now scheduled, starting in November and lasting through all of 2025.
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal Judge Nancy Brasel has scheduled trials for most of the remaining defendants in the Feeding our Future child meal program fraud case. A total of 70 people have been charged in the case. Of those, 18 have pleaded guilty, five have been convicted at trial, two have been acquitted at trial, and one has died — leaving 44 defendants with pending cases.
The next trial is scheduled for Nov. 4 for five defendants — Haji Osman Salad, Sharmarke Isse, Farhiya Mohamud, Kawsar Jamam and Khadra Abdi. The court has set aside six weeks for that trial.
Then the highly-anticipated trial for Aimee Bock, the executive director of the nonprofit Feeding our Future, is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2025. Bock has 11 co-defendants, so Judge Brasel will split the group into three trials of four defendants each. That case is expected to last through May 9. Co-defendant Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh is a fugitive believed to be out of the country and is not scheduled for trial.
Mahad Ibrahim was supposed to stand trial with his seven co-defendants this spring, but his case had to be severed because of a scheduling conflict with his attorney. Ibrahim is now scheduled to stand trial April 14.
Two defendants, Ahmed Yasin Ali and Khadar Jigre Adan, are scheduled to stand trial Sept. 8, 2025.
A case involving three defendants is scheduled for Oct. 14, 2025. The defendant at the top of that indictment, Qamar Ahmed Hassan, has already pleaded guilty.
Five defendants including Sharmake Jama at the top of the indictment are scheduled to begin trial on Dec. 1, 2025.
Judge Brasel noted in her order that five defendants’ trials have yet to be set — Mekfira and Abduljabar Hussein, Mohamed Muse Noor, Ayan Farah Abukar, and Ikram Yusuf Mohamed. Judge Brasel notes in her order that if the defendants in any of the above scheduled trials plead guilty, then these defendants can be tried in their place.
Besides Eidleh, Judge Brasel wrote that two other defendants are fugitives — Said Ereg and Najmo Ahmed.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
