Latest news with #BrooklynPark
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Leader of Twin Cities violence intervention nonprofit charged with wage theft, swindling
The Hennepin County Attorney's office has charged a Twin Cities pastor with felony wage theft, and theft by swindle. Reverend Harding Smith runs a nonprofit called Minnesota Acts Now to provide violence intervention services. Back in July of 2023, several of his former employees told WCCO that he was holding back wages, and coercing or threatening them to volunteer their hours. At the time of our story, the City of Brooklyn Park did an investigation and found no payroll issues with its contract. But there was also a criminal investigation based on the employee complaints, which is how the state says it uncovered the alleged wage theft in a separate contract with Hennepin County. According to a criminal complaint filed this week, Smith signed a contract with Hennepin County in 2021, where the county would reimburse him to pay workers $35 per hour, along with some other expenses. The complaint says investigators found most employees were paid $20 per hour — a few got $25 or $30, but only Smith and his Wife were paid the full $35 per hour, leaving a nearly $150,000 discrepancy in payroll records. Prosecutors say that, in an interview, Smith acknowledged he paid employees less, but denied any fraudulent intent and said he didn't use funds from the group's account for his personal benefit. Smith's attorney calls the charges "baseless," and says Smith was fully transparent spending money on other operations' costs. He says Smith will fight the charges.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Family escapes Brooklyn Center house fire, with downed power line complicating efforts
A family of five managed to escape a house fire overnight Thursday in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, but their home was destroyed. A WCCO crew at the scene reports departments from neighboring Brooklyn Park, Osseo and Fridley were called in to assist with the fight on the 5900 block of Washburn Avenue North. The chief of the Brooklyn Park Fire Department says a downed power line kept re-igniting the fire, and power had to be cut for the whole block. There is no word yet from investigators on the fire's origin.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Brooklyn Park woman shares father's Vietnam War story for Memorial Day
Twin Cities woman honors Vietnamese father who fought with U.S. troops Twin Cities woman honors Vietnamese father who fought with U.S. troops Twin Cities woman honors Vietnamese father who fought with U.S. troops Minnesotans honored those we've lost on Monday to mark the Memorial Day holiday. Maria Tran, a Brooklyn Park city council member, reflected on her father. She says Dang Tran was a Vietnamese officer who fought shoulder to shoulder with Americans during the Vietnam War. Maria Tran Tran credits her father for instilling in her a commitment to public service. "I think a lot about him every day," she said. When the war ended, Tran says Dang was imprisoned for years, eventually dying while trying to escape. "They never have a funeral or cemetery to visit," she said. Tran believes our national memory will be incomplete if people like her father, and other groups such as immigrant soldiers, don't have their stories told on days like Memorial Day. Minnesota is making steps toward the inclusiveness she envisions. Last month, lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill granting some veteran benefits to Hmong and Lao soldiers who fought with the U.S. military during Vietnam. Tran worries that without recognition, some young people could be discouraged from enlisting. "We have a lot of Asian people in the Army, and how do they feel about how the U.S. treats their ancestors?" Tran said. She made sure to pass down her father's love of country to her son, who currently serves in the U.S. military. "My son wants to follow in his grandfather's footsteps," she said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Brooklyn Park teen missing after saying she was going to see her boyfriend
The Brief A teen in Brooklyn Park has been reported missing. Police say Elizabeth Burton told people at her home she was going to see her boyfriend. Officers are concerned about her safety. BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Brooklyn Park teen is missing after police say she left early Monday morning to see her boyfriend, according to an alert from the Minnesota BCA. What we know Police issued an alert early Monday morning for 19-year-old Elizabeth Marie Burton. Burton was last seen leaving her home along Pearson Parkway near Norwood Park shortly after midnight. The backstory Police say she told other people in her home that she was going out to meet her boyfriend. However, but no one saw a vehicle or the boyfriend. Officers say they are concerned about her welfare. What you can do If you have any information on her whereabouts, you're asked to call Brooklyn Park Police at 763-493-8222 or call 911.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- CBS News
Brooklyn Park police asks public for help in locating missing vulnerable woman
The Brooklyn Park police is asking the public for assistance in locating a missing vulnerable 27-year-old woman. Brooklyn Park Police Department According to a report from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Quincy Dawn Grant was last seen on Saturday, leaving her group home near Scott Avenue North in Brooklyn Park at approximately 5:45 p.m. Grant is reported to have been wearing a gray tank top, tye-dye sweatshorts and black shoes. Police say the last confirmed sighting of Grant is at the Family Dollar near Brookdale Drive and Yates in Brooklyn Park at approximately 6:30 p.m. Grant is considered a vulnerable adult without her medication and there is concern for her mental health, officials say. If you have seen Grant or have any information about her whereabouts, police urge you to contact the Brooklyn Park Police Department at (763)-493-8222. If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything. In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
