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St. Paul schools cancel classes, increase security after threats
HOPE Community Academy and Community School of Excellence have both cancelled classes Thursday as a precaution.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Two St. Paul schools have cancelled classes Thursday and a third has increased police presence after threats circulated online and on social media.
HOPE Community Academy and Community School of Excellence both made the decision to cancel classes. Hmong College Prep Academy will remain open, but with increased security.
A message was posted for HOPE Community Academy students and families on Facebook Wednesday night.
“We have been made aware of a shooting threat affecting several schools, including HOPE,” the statement reads. “We want to assure you that we are taking this threat very seriously and have reported the threat to local law enforcement. To ensure the safety of all students and staff, we’ve decided to close the school tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 12.”
St. Paul Police are working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and St. Paul school security to investigate the threats and ensure student safety.
These developments come after a wave of threats against schools nationwide. The St. Paul Public School District (SPPS) has not cancelled any classes as of Thursday morning as district officials do not believe the threats are credible.
The threats are circulating mainly on TikTok and Snapchat, and appear to have originated outside the area, according to SPPS officials.
Across the U.S., dozens of schools have reported fake online threats in the last 24 hours.
Family told 13News that 39-year-old Derek Sink visited a tanning bed on Friday and was found dead there Monday morning.
INDIANAPOLIS — UPDATE: Planet Fitness has released the following statement:
“We were deeply saddened by the passing of one of our members, and the franchise owner is working with the local authorities in their investigation,” said Chief Corporate Affairs Officer McCall Gosselin. “At Planet Fitness, we have robust operational brand protocols in place, as the safety and well-being of our members is our top priority. We are working closely with our local franchisee to ensure they are upholding those brand protocols.”
13News reached out to the Marion County Health Department and the Better Business Bureau. Both tell us they are aware of IMPD’s investigation, but are not launching any of their own at this time.
Police are conducting death investigation at a south Indianapolis gym after a man was found dead in a tanning bed Monday morning.
A sign on the door of the Planet Fitness on Hardegan Street, near U.S. 31 and County Line Road, Nov. 11 said, “tanning is currently unavailable.”
Family confirmed to 13News that 39-year-old Derek Sink went into a tanning bed on Friday, Nov. 8 and was found dead there Monday morning. Family said Sink struggled with drugs and a needle was found in the room with him.
The cause of Sink’s death has not yet been determined.
Sink’s aunt said they reported him missing on Friday. She said he was wearing an ankle monitor that helped investigators determine he never left the gym.
A woman who was at Planet Fitness that morning, before law enforcement showed up, said she and other members noticed a foul smell in the building that got worse near the tanning rooms. Now, she said she’s wondering how something like this could happen.
“The tanning bed has a door, I believe, but still, why are we not concerned that the tanning bed has been closed for three days, potentially?” Elizabeth Len asked.
Sink’s family called him a loving person. They said they hope to see stricter policies on cleaning and an end-of-day checklist for staff to prevent this from happening again.
13News reached out to IMPD and Planet Fitness. Police could only confirm they were investigating a death at that location and did not elaborate on the circumstances.
A spokesperson for Planet Fitness said they’re looking into what happened with the local franchise owner.
The announcement came just weeks after Minneapolis resident Davis Moturi was shot by his neighbor John Sawchak after a months-long dispute.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Police and the Minneapolis NAACP announced a strengthened partnership Tuesday to address neighbor disputes in the city.
The announcement came just weeks after Minneapolis resident Davis Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor John Sawchak after a months-long dispute.
“Mr. Moturi called the police several times. He did everything he was supposed to do. Unfortunately, the Minneapolis Police Department alone was not able to provide that help for him,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.
Police say the department receives more than 2,000 neighbor/tenant complaints a year, which amounts to about 45 calls a week.
Chief O’Hara says these cases are challenging for police to deal with on their own.
“These are often complicated cases and all of them are difficult for police to deal with, particularly those that are civil and do not rise to criminal issues or violence,” O’Hara said.
NAACP Minneapolis President Cynthia Wilson says community groups have long been involved in solving neighborly disputes, but a stronger partnership with police will help community leaders reach more residents who need help.
“This initiative was created to give more options,” Wilson said.
“We’re not going to solve every situation, but we are being proactive.”
Wilson says community leaders are still working out the finer details of how this strengthened partnership will work.
She says residents who are experiencing problems can still call the police for help, or one of several community groups that are involved in this new partnership.
“You’ve got social workers, you got community crime prevention, you got community engagement, inspectors, there are so many different arms to this that will allow us to impact the community effectively,” Wilson said.
Some of these community groups involved in this strengthened partnership include the Minneapolis Unity Community Mediation Team, NAACP Minneapolis, Indigenous Protector Movement, Little Earth Residents Association, New Salem Baptist Church, Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center, Voice of East Africa Women, Nuestra Lucha and Quorum.
Wilson says she and other community leaders are also looking for volunteers and mediators who may be interested in joining their cause.
Hours after this announcement was made, the Minneapolis City Council listened to concerns from the community during a scheduled public comment period Tuesday afternoon.
Dozens of community members showed up at the meeting to raise concerns about how Minneapolis Police handled Moturi’s complaints regarding his neighbor John Sawchak.
Some community members demanded changes such as asking Chief O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey to step down from their positions.
Other community members urged the Minneapolis City Council to wait until MPD’s internal investigation is complete before making any significant changes to the department.
During a press event Tuesday Chief O’Hara said the internal investigation into the Moturi case is still ongoing and there is no timeline for when the investigation will be complete.
The suit follows Minnesota-based UnitedHealth’s acquisition of LHC Group Inc., another home health and hospice provider.
MINNETONKA, Minn. — The Justice Department is suing to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys, citing concerns the combination would hinder access to home health and hospice services in the U.S.
The antitrust complaint was filed in Maryland federal court Tuesday. In a statement, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the government is challenging UnitedHealth and Amedisys’ proposed merger because “patients and their families experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives deserve affordable, high quality care options.”
The suit follows Minnesota-based UnitedHealth’s acquisition of LHC Group Inc., another home health and hospice provider. Since that transaction’s completion last year, the Justice Department said, UnitedHealth and Amedisys have emerged as the two largest providers of home health and hospice care in the country.
The department argues that eliminating competition between UnitedHealth and Amedisys “would harm patients who receive home health and hospice services, insurers who contract for home health services, and nurses who provide home health and hospice services.”
Four states’ attorneys general — from Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey and New York — are joining the Justice Department in the antitrust complaint.
UnitedHealth is seeking to add Amedisys to Optum, its subsidiary that provides care as well as pharmacy and technology services. Optum said Tuesday the acquisition “would be pro-competitive and further innovation.” It said it plans to “vigorously defend (itself) against the DOJ’s overreaching interpretation of the antitrust laws.”
Louisiana-based Amedisys added that it also remains committed to the deal, which it believes “will create more opportunities to deliver quality, compassionate and value-based care to patients and their families.”
Beyond its Optum unit, UnitedHealth Group also runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers, UnitedHealthcare. Last month, UnitedHealth reported a third-quarter net income of $6.06 billion on revenue of $100.82 billion.
