A man accused of being involved in an attack on a Fridley High School student during a basketball game has pleaded guilty in Hennepin County Court Court documents state Dursa Muktar Mohamed pleaded guilty to second-degree riot and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle a second-degree assault charge will be dropped during his sentencing hearing His sentencing has been scheduled for June 5 Mohamed was one of five taken into custody on Jan 28 following an attack on a Fridley High School basketball player during a varsity game in New Hope According to the New Hope Police Department five people — three adults and two juveniles — approached a student sitting on the bench during the basketball game and assaulted him with a pipe District officials say the suspects left the gym in a vehicle the pursuit led to the suspect’s vehicle leaving the roadway Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KSTP via our online form or call 651-646-5555 You can search using the name of your loved one or any family name for current or past services entrusted to our firm The Family Interactive feature enhances An Amazing Life Authorized family members can securely access their loved one's memorial website settings at any time Please enter the name and email details so that we can send your friend a link to the online tribute No names or addresses will be collected by using this service Provide comfort for the family by sending flowers or planting a tree in memory of Malvin Fridley Please enter your question or comment below: A receipt has been emailed to the address provided Agreement with Policy and Continued Use of Site Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in this book We encourage you to share your most beloved memories of Malvin here so that the family and other loved ones can always see it and can even comment on those shared by others it will also remain on this memorial website in perpetuity PLEASE NOTE: The reproduction of any copyrighted images is forbidden without express written permission from the copyright holder any image in violation of any copyright laws you will receive two daily updates containing all new stories one week prior to the anniversary of death The email will only serve as a reminder should you choose to connect with the family at what will no doubt be a difficult time Please select your relationship to the deceased and add your email address before submitting The community is rallying around the Fridley American Legion It’s in danger of closing in less than two weeks — something that’s become more common across the country 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS spoke to people determined to keep the legion open forever Kellie and Garret Hendrix got engaged at the Fridley American Legion Post 303 She was going to be my woman for the rest of my life,” said Garret The couple has been married for eight years — giving credit to the legion for their unwavering love A proposed bill in the Minnesota House is aiming to create property tax exemptions for places like VFW’s and American Legion According to HF195 Stillwater and Marshall American Legions have also struggled and had to sell posts “We’ve been having some issues and haven’t been able to recoup since COVID we’re trying to do what we can to save the legion,” Club Manager Jenny Chevre said “It’s a nationwide problem — we can’t recruit the young kids,” Mike Doolittle come in and support so the next chapter of memories can unfold A link to a GoFundMe for the American Legion can be found HERE Four men and one juvenile are charged in connection with an assault on a Fridley basketball player with a tire iron during a high school basketball game on Tuesday 18; and a 16-year-old juvenile were all charged with one count each of second-degree assault and second-degree riot Mohamed was additionally charged with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle None of the suspects were Cooper High School students or affiliated with Robbinsdale Area Schools All five suspects were arrested Tuesday following the attack at Cooper High School on a player from Fridley sitting on the bench a group of five to six males arrived at Cooper High School in New Hope carrying a tire iron and a knife Surveillance video shows the group of men talking in the hallway outside of the gym before making their way to the game and walking straight toward the bench where the victim sat The complaint states that as the men approached the victim Khanyare started to run at him before hitting him on the head with the metal tire iron Law enforcement says the victim was “totally unaware” the attack was about to happen The other suspects joined Khanyare in the attack by trying to hit the victim with their fists and other weapons The surveillance video shows Ali appeared to act as a lookout during the attack before fleeing with the other suspects The suspects left the scene in the vehicle they arrived in The vehicle then crashed as it tried to enter an on-ramp to a nearby freeway Officials say the victim needed six staples to close the cut on his head The extent of the victim’s injuries are not clear Ali and Khanyare are all due in court Friday at 1:30 p.m Fridley Public Schools says they are investigating a claim that a bus driver slapped a student Thursday morning According to a letter from the district to preschool families and staff a caregiver for a student told school administrators that a bus driver physically slapped their student The district says the driver is not an employee of Fridley Public Schools but they are working with the transportation vendor who employs them The incident has also been reported to the Minnesota Department of Education “Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students at all times remains our highest priority,” the district wrote in a statement “We are taking this matter extremely seriously We are investigating per Fridley Public Schools policies and procedures and state law.” Parents with questions or concerns are asked to contact the school office A Fridley family is calling attention to school bus safety after their 4-year-old son was left on the bus for hours Fridley Public School District confirmed the incident happened on Friday Kidance said his 4-year-old son is normally excited to go to school but his parents said lately he only feels safe at home When Fridley Preschool lets out for the day When Kidance went to pick up his young child from the bus stop on Jan I kept crying,” Andu said in tears. The parents called Fridley Public Schools for answers They were told their son was marked absent for the day His father went to the school to try and find him They couldn’t find him,” Kidane said.Kidane said the school called the bus company They said high school students found the young child sleeping on the same bus he boarded in the morning His parents believe he was on the bus for over four hours Fridley Public Schools sent a statement confirming he was “unintentionally” left on the bus saying in part “We are deeply concerned about this incident.”The school said as a precaution they’ve added additional supervision for when students get to school and an expedited check in with parents if students are marked absent.“Our kids need to be in [the] safe environment to go into school,” Kidane said.5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reached out to the bus companies listed on the school district website to get in touch with the bus company responsible We are still waiting for a response.  Fridley Public Schools’ full statement can be found below a preschool student was unintentionally left on a bus operated by our district’s contracted bus service provider during an afternoon route The bus driver then continued on their route for older students When a high school student departed the bus they informed the driver that a preschool student was still on the bus The driver then immediately addressed the situation and the preschool student was reunified with their parent a short time later The parents of the student were notified of what took place We are deeply concerned about this incident We contracted with the bus service provider to provide safe and reliable transportation We have remained in close contact with them as they conduct their investigation and take appropriate corrective action we have been reviewing our policies and protocols we have added additional supervision as students arrive at school and an expedited check-in with parents of students who are absent Five people are in custody after attacking a high school basketball player with a pipe during a game at Cooper High School on Tuesday are in custody after reportedly attacking a Fridley High School student during a basketball game Tuesday A letter from Robbinsdale Area Schools (RAS) stated that six individuals entered the school while a varsity boys basketball game against Fridley High School was happening the suspects assaulted a Fridley player on the bench using a pipe The individuals were not Cooper High School or RAS students School resource officers and coaches moved the student-athletes to a safe place the pursuit led to the suspect’s vehicle leaving the roadway with three adults and two juveniles being placed in custody and the school affiliations of those involved are still unclear “We are deeply grateful for the swift and calm actions of the SROs who prioritized the safety and well-being of everyone present The safety of our students and community is always our highest priority Fridley High School’s care and support staff are available to assist any student who may need support as a result of this incident.” “We remain committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for our school community If your student has concerns or needs support following this incident CHS Care and Support staff are available to help.” A driver has been charged in connection with a fatal crash in Fridley on Monday morning faces two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of driving while under the influence of alcohol Authorities on Wednesday identified the victim of the crash as Romell Sandoval Roca authorities responded to the crash just before 11 a.m on Monday on the 6600 block of East River Road NE officers found Rodriguez-Torres reportedly walking around one of the vehicles he had a two-inch cut on his forehead and smelled of alcohol Authorities executed a search warrant for a blood draw but the results were not included in the criminal complaint A witness told police he heard the SUV’s tires screeching and brakes locking up as Rodriguez-Torres was driving The witness said he appeared to be driving around 80-90 mph The witness said that Rodriguez-Torres was coming around the bend at Rice Creek Way NE and East River Road when he lost control and hit the vehicle next to him The Dodge went off the road and hit several trees and other property The SUV flipped several times before hitting trees Other witnesses gave a similar version of events staff found suspected marijuana on Rodriguez-Torres’ person Prosecutors also noted that he has multiple previous speeding convictions Fridley Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday following a “reported threat to school safety.” According to a post on Facebook all classes and school activities are canceled on Wednesday “We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause our families We also encourage everyone to continue speaking up if they see or hear anything that could represent a potential school safety issue,” the post added The district also put a message on its website saying they “encourage everyone to continue speaking up if they see or hear anything that could represent a potential school safety issue.” There are other hidden costs to Inclusive Access Library Student Council surveyed students in Shannon We displayed posters welcoming students to share how much they paid for textbooks and how they felt about the amount they paid by placing stickers on a graph The stickers were labeled for feelings about their textbook costs — either good If the students do not opt out of the program before the add-drop deadline the cost of the materials is charged to their account.  this seems to be a fairly straightforward and helpful method for accessing educational materials Students do not have to worry about searching for the least expensive textbook option and they can access their textbook on any device Professors can select textbooks which include pre-programmed coursework This appearance gives a fooling impression that Inclusive Access is the cheapest But this representation of Inclusive Access is, unfortunately, not the full story. These materials are not “the lowest cost” for students. They are only lower than the price of newest textbooks sold directly from the publishing company. In fact, they are often more expensive than secondhand textbooks As long as the price of Inclusive Access materials is less than the publisher-set price booksellers can still claim the “lowest cost” label Inclusive Access includes a slightly less expensive “rent” option where students can pay to rent electronic access to the textbook for the semester students lose access to the educational text they paid for and are unable to recoup any textbook cost through later sale No longer can textbooks be passed on to their peers in the used textbook market.  Inclusive Access materials are not a clear-cut cheap option despite being advertised as such used textbooks are much cheaper than Inclusive Access texts the used textbook market benefits students by allowing us to make back some of the money spent on textbooks and providing other students with cheaper copies It gives students greater choice in the textbook market and has historically functioned to make higher education more affordable Inclusive Access texts — especially when they include mandatory pre-programmed coursework that cannot be reused — are wiping out the used textbook market by preventing students from reselling or passing along texts after a semester has ended There are other hidden costs to Inclusive Access. If students choose to “opt-out” during the privacy statement But not agreeing to the privacy statement leaves them vulnerable to data mining they might not be aware of Each publisher can scrape reader usage data — things like frequency and time of textbook use Depending on the publisher and its privacy policy used for product development and sold to other companies along with your identifying information we feel that most of our peers are not aware that they are signing away their rights to data privacy.  other universities have started to adopt Open Educational Resources The Open Education movement has been gaining steam since the early 2000s and it is well positioned to take on predatory models of learning typically published under an open copyright license They are defined by the 5 R’s — retaining the right to make remixing the content and redistributing copies free option for professors and students.  All of us can get involved in the OER movement encouraging our university community to promote more open accessible and affordable materials and suggesting our instructors be transparent about data collection Everyone at the University has the power to advocate for a more effective and affordable education Chloe Fridley and Brighton Lieu are Chairs of the Library Student Council They can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.  The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Cavalier Daily Columns represent the views of the authors alone Indieheads is one of many Contracted Independent Organizations at the University dedicated to music though it stands out to students for many reasons Indieheads President Brian Tafazoli describes his experience and involvement in Indieheads over the years as well as the impact that the organization has had on his personal and musical development Fridley Public Schools said the girl was identified as potentially being involved during the police investigation into the teenage boy The boy is being held at the Lino Lakes Detention Facility Authorities say they are working on filing charges against both youths in the case Sign up for our BREAKING WEATHER newsletters All classes and school activities on Wednesday and Thursday were canceled by the school district Friday is a scheduled day off for the district and students are planned to return to classes on Tuesday with schools closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr state and federal authorities including the FBI Fridley Public Schools district comprises a pre-school Fridley Middle School and Fridley High School Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events a screening of the movie Sight and Sound says is the best movie ever made saying he'd killed the mother of his child which features a swimming beach and splash pad A 13-year-old boy is in custody after making threats toward Fridley Public Schools causing classes to be canceled for two days in a row The boy is currently being held at the Lino Lakes Juvenile Detention Facility Fridley police say he was arrested in connection with “potential threats on various social media platforms.” RELATED: Fridley Public Schools cancels class Wednesday following ‘threat to school safety’ The school district initially canceled all classes and school activities on Tuesday due to a “reported threat to school safety,” and an update on Wednesday said classes would be canceled again “due to continued safety concerns.” Fridley police are investigating the threats in collaboration with state and federal law enforcement 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to Fridley Public Schools and has not yet received a response Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Five people are now charged with multiple felonies. Five teenagers have now been charged with participating in the bloody ambush of a Fridley High School varsity basketball player during a game this week at Robbinsdale Cooper High School. Through Friday, charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree assault and second-degree riot are: Ayub Mohamed Ali, 19, of Circle Pines; Mubashir Nasir Ali, 18, of Minneapolis; a 16-year-old boy from Maple Grove; and two 18-year-olds from Brooklyn Park, Yahya Abdul Khanyare and Dursa Muktar Mohamed, who also is charged with fleeing police. The four adults remain jailed in lieu of bail amounts ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 ahead of court appearances in the coming weeks. A warrant has been issued for the 16-year-old’s arrest “due to public safety risks and concerns about ongoing violence,” the juvenile petition filed against him read. Legal counsel for the defendants are not yet listed in court records. The attack occurred Tuesday shortly after the game began between the Fridley Tigers and host Hawks. The game was postponed. No one in law enforcement has offered any insight about a motive for the assault. “This was not random,” Hoyt said. “We know why it happened,” but the chief declined to elaborate. None of the parties involved were Cooper High students or enrollees in the Robbinsdale Area Schools, according to a letter from the district to Cooper families. The suspects were not affiliated with Fridley Public Schools, Superintendent Brenda Lewis said. School resource officers on site took immediate action, and coaches moved student athletes to safety, the letter read. The gym was placed on lockdown, and spectators remained inside until it was lifted, the letter continued. Fridley Schools says it will now be reviewing and strengthening safety measures for both home and away games to ensure the well-being of its student athletes, Lewis said in a statement. According to the charges against the five: Police arrived at the high school at 8230 47th Av. N. in New Hope, where the basketball player was seriously injured by a blow to the top of the head with a tire iron and punches. The 16-year-old then tried in vain to stab him with a knife. The victim was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where six stitches were needed to close his head wound. Officials have yet to release his identity. School video captured five or six males arriving at the school in a car before the game. They spent several minutes outside, then in the lobby “talking and conspiring together,” the criminal complaint read. They went into the school, avoiding the ticket entry area, and walked to Fridley’s bench. Khanyare ran toward the victim and struck him with the tire iron. “The victim was totally unaware the attack was about the happen,” the complaint continued. Several others joined in the assault, “attempting to strike and hit the victim with fists and other weapons,” the charges noted. Ali and other accomplices stood near the exit, appearing to act as lookouts. The five suspects got back in the car, and sped from the school with Dursa Mohamed behind the wheel. While fleeing from pursuing police, the car crashed on a nearby entry ramp, and everyone in the vehicle was arrested. Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota. Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. Twin Cities Suburbs Conservative board members had questioned the content of the books and curricula prompting criticism from the teachers union Ariel Lawhon and Imani Perry also are coming to Hopkins for the popular Hennepin County Library series Hyperlocal cable TV stations that broadcast everything from high school sports to city government meetings confront a perilous existence Court documents show a case filed against a Minneapolis woman who was previously alleged to have had a role in a shooting that injured a man in Fridley nearly two years ago has been dropped According to a filing made in Anoka County the case against Camella Shaniece Alexander has been dismissed due to the state being “unable to procure all necessary witnesses for trial.” Initially, Alexander had been charged with first-degree assault and attempted second-degree murder for the May 22, 2023, shooting her criminal complaint was amended multiple times eventually to a lone charge of aiding an offender to avoid arrest Alexander’s sibling, Shavonne Alexander, also had her case dismissed Attorneys said in November of 2023 they couldn’t prove without reasonable doubt that she intended to “aid and/or abet the primary actor.” However, John Elliot Dickens IV was given a 7.5-year sentence last fall for a first-degree assault charge one count of attempted second-degree murder Another child has been identified as a person of interest in relation to threats made toward Fridley schools earlier this week On Tuesday, detectives began investigating several threats made towards the school district and arrested a 13-year-old boy in connection with “potential threats on various social media platforms.” Police say he is currently being held at the Lino Lakes Juvenile Detention Facility all classes and school activities were canceled on Tuesday and Wednesday “due to continued safety concerns.” Fridley officials say that on Friday a 10-year-old girl was identified as another person of interest in relation to the threats Fridley Public Safety will be working with the Anoka County Attorney’s Office to pursue charges for both juveniles The city is also working closely with Fridley Public Schools to return students safely to the classroom on Jan The past year has been challenging for Fridley Plaza 9 Theater at Marshalltown Mall Manager Karen Albert said business has increased 50 percent when compared to last October and significantly more since November a holding company of the New York-based Kohan Retail Investment Group owned by Mike Kohan electricity was shut off in the main areas were able to work out ways to get electricity on and continue operating “We’re getting the word out (that) we’re still here,” she said “People still think the mall is closed and it couldn’t be further from the truth.” Reminding people that Fridley is still open remains a big challenge for Albert and her staff to overcome someone will ask when the reopening will occur not even for 10 minutes,” Albert said but I get it because it’s dark back here.” Albert said an average of 1,000 people would go to the theater each week we’re fighting to get 200 people on a Friday which has helped attract some moviegoers back to Fridley we can maybe get better seats,” she said “There’s too much up in the air right now but the community deserves decent seats.” Albert said the theater owner would feel more confident in moving forward with such improvements She has not heard about any correspondence with Kohan Besides the mall ownership situation and getting word out that the theater is still in business Albert said another challenge they face is the streaming services they just wait until it streams,” she said they come in here and buy popcorn to take it home with them We now have a big bag of more than 300 ounces which zips so it doesn’t spill in your car.” The bigger blockbuster movies which draw the most public attention are what sell the most tickets “Top Gun: Maverick,” directed by Marshalltown native Joseph Kosinski “That was probably a turning point for our business,” Albert said “When they put Cecil’s Cafe in there you won’t believe how many people came back to watch it again We would time it for them and tell them to watch for it.” As a result of the slow business increases the theater is hosting special events on Oct This year marks the 75th anniversary of the release of Warner Brothers’ “It’s a Small World,” the film starring Marshalltown native Dale Paullin Albert said one of the auditoriums in Fridley has been rented and the first 256 people will see the movie for free on Oct There’s a little introduction by Dale himself on his 93rd birthday “We’re going to have a table set up with some memorabilia of his but I know a lot of other people did.” There will also be a free showing of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” a Christmas comedy-drama Albert said New Hope church has purchased one of the auditoriums to provide the first 250 people with a free movie She expanded on “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” saying the kids in the film are actors people have not seen before Unknown actors appearing on Fridley screens is a trend Albert has noticed recently “There’s a bunch of new actors and that’s exciting,” she said There are also plans to do $2 family movies starting Nov Albert said the discount will only be for specific movies and on specific days “We haven’t done them for a while There’s no reason we can’t pull one and do something special for the community,” she said “I’m excited to bring that to the community and to let people come to the movies with it being more affordable.” Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext Editor’s Note: This is the sixth story in a series of nine honoring the 32 men from Grundy LLC | https://www.timesrepublican.com | 135 West Main Street “I am incredibly thankful for the diligent work of Fridley public school Superintendent Brenda Lewis and law enforcement,” Senator Mary Kunesh (DFL-New Brighton) said in response to the development and neighbors in Fridley is of utmost importance I am continuing to monitor the situation and wish the students a safe return to school.” Fridley schools previously planned to have Friday as a scheduled day off for the district Students will return to classes January 21 at the earliest A man was sentenced to 7.5 years(90 months) in connection with a shooting in Fridley in May of 2023 was convicted on one count of first-degree assault Court documents show one count of attempted second-degree murder was dismissed RELATED: Man charged in Fridley shooting that left one injured Fridley police responded to a shooting at an apartment building on Osborne Road NE on May 22 they learned a man had shown up at a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound He was then brought to a second hospital for surgery due to the severity of his injuries Court documents state the victim told officers he was shot by “Johnny,” who is the brother of his child’s mother He added that he and his child’s mother were arguing prior to the shooting Witnesses said they heard her threaten to kill the victim Dickens later shot the victim outside the apartment building Dickens and his sister got into a car and drove away The mother of the victim’s child and Dickens’ sister, Shavonne Alexander, was initially charged with aiding and abetting assault, but the case was dismissed. aims to advance skin cancer treatment for both humans and animals director of Texas A&M University’s Veterinary Medical Park is collaborating on melanoma treatment research that explores light and ultrasound therapies to fight skin cancer in pigs Texas A&M University researchers are collaborating on a new project that studies how ultrasound and light can treat melanomas in pigs Recent medical advancements have made it possible to use light to shrink and kill cancer cells in what is called photodynamic therapy “In photodynamic therapy, we introduce a chemical that is absorbed by skin cancer cells. The chemical only reacts when exposed to a certain kind of light, which causes new molecules to form that destroy the cancer cells,” said Dr. Vanderlei Bagnato, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering “We are able to use photodynamic therapy to eliminate about 95% of lesions for non-melanoma skin cancers It is very cost-effective and non-invasive,” Bagnato said “But treating melanomas with light-based therapy is problematic for several reasons the pigment in the cancer cells sometimes interferes with the light melanomas are more prone than other skin cancers to regrow and metastasize — or spread to other parts of the body — if they are not removed completely.” Developing a more effective way to treat melanoma using photodynamic therapy could open doors for low-cost Photodynamic therapy has recently become the primary treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers because of its low cost and high efficiency “There are several ways to introduce the therapy drug to the cancer — recently we have begun using microneedles,” Bagnato said “They are actually made of the drug itself The entire process can be done in under an hour and doesn’t require any surgery.” Skin cancer patients with diabetes could benefit from photodynamic therapy “Diabetes is very common in the United States and it is more common as people get older,” Bagnato said “People with this condition need to avoid surgery whenever possible because diabetes causes poor vascularization — the flow of blood to your body’s tissues photodynamic therapy offers a much safer treatment than surgery with fewer chances of complications.” Bagnato and his research partners will test a combination of drugs delivery mechanisms and types of light to see which combinations are the most effective They’ll also be testing another type of wavelength — ultrasound This sonodynamic therapy is similar to photodynamic therapy except that it uses sound instead of light “When we insert certain drugs into the cancer cells they become little reactors that create tiny explosions when hit by ultrasound waves,” Bagnato said “We hope to combine both photodynamic and sonodynamic therapy to eliminate melanomas more completely without the risk of regrowth and metastasis “It is my hope that this research can become the foundation for further specialized cancer research for pets and other animals at the VMBS,” he said For the new study, the researchers will collect skin cell samples from a herd of pigs that once belonged to Dr. Duane Kraemer, a now-retired VMBS senior professor who was instrumental in the creation of CC, the world’s first cloned cat. “The pigs in this study are a kind that have a tendency to develop melanomas, but aren’t really affected by them,” Fridley said. “In fact, sometimes their melanomas regress on their own, which is one reason why they are important to study. “When we’re not collecting samples from them, the pigs get to live a pretty spoiled life,” she said. “Dr. Kraemer sometimes comes to visit them, and we even send him and his family pictures so he gets to see what they’re up to. We’re very proud to be continuing in his footsteps as pioneers of new medical and scientific advancements.” Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Researchers will introduce a breakthrough wearable device for PTSD management at the 2025 Project Hero Texas Challenge. Texas A&M veterinarian Dr. Lori Teller offers insights into vet bills and how owners can best prepare to ensure their pets are healthy. Study of 285 cases shows radiation nearly doubles average survival time in dogs with brain tumors. Read articles, watch videos and discover how Texas A&M University is shaping an innovative, more secure future for the citizens of Texas and the world. The home improvement retail chain agreed to pay $65,000 after the Department of Human Rights found probable cause of harassment. Home Depot has agreed to pay $65,000 to a former employee after state investigators concluded the company failed to stop ongoing sexual harassment at its Fridley store. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights found “probable cause” that a female employee was sexually harassed numerous times over three years by three male co-workers. The human rights department announced a settlement Thursday with Home Depot, requiring the Atlanta-based retail giant to make changes to prevent future sexual harassment and compensate the former worker for lost wages and emotional duress. “Sexual harassment is a violation of the law and denial of basic human dignity,” Rebecca Lucero, the Human Rights Department’s commissioner, said in a statement. “It harms individuals’ mental health, job performance and well-being.” Home Depot did not consistently follow its own sexual harassment policies, the state concluded. In a statement, Home Depot said: “We don’t tolerate harassment in any form and are committed to respect for all people. We settled this matter so we can focus on our business.” The Human Rights Department investigated and issued conclusions in 745 employment discrimination cases in Minnesota between Jan. 1, 2020, and the beginning of December. Of those cases, 9% were resolved in favor of the complainants. In the Home Depot case, the worker who filed the discrimination charge worked at the Fridley store from September 2017 through August 2021. She is in her late 40s, but the state did not disclose her name. According to a report from the state’s investigation of Home Depot: From early 2018 through late 2019, one of the female employee’s co-workers commented on her appearance, ran his hand across her back, attempted to tickle her and touched the side of her breast. She reported the behavior to two assistant managers, but the harassing behavior continued. The co-worker was eventually fired in October 2019 after sexually harassing at least two other female employees. In September 2019, a second male co-worker posted allegedly improper social media comments to the female employee, including a picture of two flies atop each other with the words, “need some help sister?” A few days later, that same co-worker asked her if she was watching porn. She reported this, but no action was taken. A third co-worker allegedly harassed the woman in 2019 and 2020 after she tried to break off a romantic relationship. The co-worker sent her crude messages and a picture of his genitals. In the office one day, he also showed the woman a meme of a sex toy, saying it reminded him of her. She complained to Home Depot management, which started an investigation. The male worker quickly resigned and Home Depot halted its inquiry. “However, [Home Depot’s] duty to thoroughly investigate the claims and prevent further incidents of sexual harassment did not end when the alleged harasser resigned,” the Human Rights Department wrote in its probable cause memorandum. Under the state settlement, Home Depot must enforce anti-harassment policies, conduct training on those policies and hold store managers accountable. Mike Hughlett covers energy and other topics for the Minnesota Star Tribune, where he has worked since 2010. Before that he was a reporter at newspapers in Chicago, St. Paul, New Orleans and Duluth. MN Fortune 500 Barry earned a larger bonus than the previous year but reduced equity payouts lowered total compensation. “A bargain is always worth a little sweat,” say fans of the region’s largest fabric warehouse, SR Harris. Less than three weeks at the helm, CEO Linda Findley already has eliminated 21% of corporate management positions, stressing “everything is on table.” Donuts are sold at a Krispy Kreme store in Chicago.Scott Olson | Getty Images 2021Go Deeper.CloseCreate an account or log in to save stories We have added it to a list of your favorite stories The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal broke the news on Thursday The multinational donut and coffee chain is seeking construction bids for a location in Fridley It would replace a former CVS at the intersection of I-694 and University Avenue Southeast A building permit for an interior and exterior remodel was submitted to the city in late September and will likely be approved by the end of the month She said construction could begin before the end of the year MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all Many Minnesotans have been fiending for Krispy Kreme since its departure in 2008, according to the Pioneer Press It was so serious that one enterprising college student found success in 2019 driving to Iowa — reportedly where the closest Krispy Kreme is — to buy hundreds of donuts and resell them to Twin Cities-area customers. Krispy Kreme initially told him to stop, but later allowed him to continue has yet to respond to an MPR News request for more information on the new location (and their thoughts on doughnut vs