Star Tribune
In Duluth, hundreds walk in candlelight vigil to honor slain family
DULUTH – The Nephews’ home was uncharacteristically dark on Wednesday evening, without even the omnipresent light from off the back deck, where the late Kat Ramsland had kept her beloved plants. But the yard was aglow with the handheld candles and battery-powered tealights of the hundreds of people who gathered for a walk to remember the members of two families recently killed.
It’s been a week since Erin Abramson, 47, and her son, Jacob Nephew,15, were found dead from gunshot wounds in their home on Tacony Street, then Ramsland, 45, and Oliver Nephew, 7, were later discovered also dead from gunshot wounds alongside Tony Nephew, who seemingly killed all four before taking his own life at the home on a corner lot across the street from Denfeld High School.
The quiet walk organized by neighbors covered the nearly mile-long route between the homes in the West Duluth neighborhood. At both stops, the names of the victims were said, bells chimed and sky lanterns were lit in their memory.
“No one knows what to do,” said one of the organizers, Ramsland’s neighbor Lindsey Jungman.
They’ve found comfort in tending to Oliver Nephew’s gift library in the side yard, a spot he made for passersby to take a gift or leave a gift. The neighbors have been making sure the recent onslaught of donations, stuffed animals and toys, have stayed dry. By the end of the memorial walk, tiny lights lined the space.
City Councilor Janet Kennedy, Mayor Roger Reinert and Police Chief Mike Ceynowa were among the walkers. Abramson’s running group wore glow-in-the-dark neon. Former art students of Ramsland, who taught at Lake Superior College, chatted amongst themselves about her favorite drink — iced caramel macchiatos. Squad cars from the Duluth Police Department, lights activated, led the flood of walkers through the streets and blocked intersections.
Also there: members of Twin Ports Ghostbusters, who dress in tan jumpsuits, drive a variation on the Ectomobile and raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. Oliver Nephew was an honorary member of the group, with his own tan uniform. Dawn Jensen held a smiling photo of him, big grin, taken during a parade in Superior.
The Ghostbusters crew met him when it was invited to his 6th birthday party — the sort of Oliver Nephew event that turned into a block party. He was known for knee-high hugs and his red curls, and was a one-kid welcome wagon.
Metro Transit fares will be lowered and simplified after the new year after a series of changes were approved by the Metropolitan Council on Wednesday.
The changes, which take effect Jan. 1, include:
Additionally, at some point in 2025, people who qualify for the Transit Assistance Program, an income-based program, will pay $1 fares for up to two years before re-applying is necessary.
Metro Transit said in a news release the price changes are expected to draw an additional 926,000 rides in 2025, which will offset some of the costs associated with lower fares.
Through September this year, ridership has increased 8% compared to last year.
“Making transit easier to use is key to growing ridership, and we believe simplifying fares will help do just that,” Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras said. “These changes also support our belief that cost should not be a barrier for those who want or need access to our services.”
Star Tribune
Vandals uproot 60 new trees on St. Paul riverfront tossing many in the Mississippi River
Sixty newly-planted trees along St. Paul’s riverfront were uprooted Wednesday night, and most were tossed into the water, in an act of vandalism costing tens of thousands of dollars.
“I’m incredibly sad. It’s hard to fathom,” said Karen Zumach, the director of community forestry for St. Paul-based non-profit Tree Trust, which contracted with the city to plant the trees with the help of high school students in October. “I like to think that trees are the least controversial thing we deal with these days.”
The trees were planted over two days along Shepard Road, in the area of Upper Landing Park and the Sam Morgan Regional Trail.
Photos taken by city staff Thursday showed a long row of piles of upturned dirt circling around holes in the ground where the trees once stood. All but 14 of them were tossed into the Mississippi River, rendering them unsalvageable, Zumach said.
The St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department estimated the damage comes to $40,000.
The St. Paul Police Department confirmed Thursday it received a report of the vandalism and an investigation is ongoing. The city parks department said in a statement the vandalism is believed to have occurred overnight.
The 14 trees that did not end up in the river have been reinstalled, Zumach said. The process to replace the others has yet to be determined, but the planting season has already passed.
About 25 high school students helped plant 250 trees while school was out during the annual MEA conference for state educators in October, Zumach said.
The Minneapolis City Council was unable to override Mayor Jacob Frey’s recent veto of an ordinance that would give some organizations first dibs on buying certain rental housing units in an effort to preserve affordable housing.
Under the proposal, if the owner of certain rental units wants to sell, they would have to give certain “qualified organizations” the first shot at buying their property, with exceptions for sales to renters or family members, for example.
Frey wrote in his veto letter that “now is not the time to make it harder to invest in our city’s housing stock.” He said while he agrees with the goal of preserving affordable housing, he doesn’t believe the ordinance will accomplish that in the current housing market.
“I appreciate the intention behind this ordinance, and in a different housing market when investment was more free-flowing, I may have a different perspective,” he wrote.
Supporters said the proposal would keep thousands of units of affordable housing available and prevent large investment firms from gobbling them up — and potentially hiking rents to reap profits.
The council voted 7-5 to override Frey, but needed nine votes.
Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, who co-authored the ordinance, argued when it was before the council on Oct. 31 that it would help small, local developers buy property that’s now being bought up by national investment firms or hedge funds.
Council Member Linea Palmisano said she was torn on the ordinance when it was before the council, saying the city has an affordable housing crisis, but that she was concerned about unintended consequences, such as whether first-time home buyers wouldn’t be able to compete. She voted for it then, but voted against an override on Thursday.
