By Teri Knight, News Director
UPDATE from the BCA: 8:24am 7-15-20
OWATONNA DEATH INVESTIGATION UPDATE
The man identified as a person of interest in the stabbing death of an Owatonna man is in police custody. Hassan Nur Hassan was arrested without incident by Minneapolis police. He was booked into the Hennepin County Jail on July 14th.
Mr. Hassan is being transferred to the Steele County Jail as he awaits charging in the July 12 death of Mohamed Aweis Mohamed of Owatonna.
The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the person who died following an incident Sunday at Dartts Park in Owatonna. 32 year old Mohamed Aweis Mohamed, of Owatonna, died of homicide due to a stab wound to the chest. As part of their investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the Owatonna Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a person of interest in the case. 28 year old Hassan Nur Hassan, is 5’ 11”, approximately 140 lbs., and has brown hair, brown eyes and a goatee (photos attached). Investigators believe he is driving a tan 2000 Honda Accord 4-door sedan, Minnesota license plate #EGG-087. Investigators ask that anyone with information on Hassan’s whereabouts, or who witnessed or has information about the incident contact the Owatonna Police Department at 507-444-3800 or dial 911. This remains an ongoing investigation. Click for photos and more: Owatonna Death Investigation
Carleton prepares for $11 million budget deficit
The financial outlook is less clear, says Dean of Carleton College, Bev Nagle, in a letter to faculty and staff. Enrollment is key to the college’s economic stability, as student fees account for 70% of the operating budget. With an 85% capacity and an estimated $5 million in added expenses for housing, cleaning and a number of other Covid-19 related expenditures they’re forecasting a budget deficit of $11 million this year, presuming a 5% overall loss in enrollment. While the college made some earlier financial decisions they’re not enough to address the deficit. Their plan is to use one-third of the College’s reserves, nearly $5 million to cover one-time expenses associated with the pandemic, trim their capital/maintenance projects, cut faculty and staff budget and suspend the College’s contribution to employee retirement plans for six months. In a statement, Nagle said they worked to be equitable across faculty and staff, and scalable so that if projections are outperformed, they could reverse course. In terms of returning to campus, most employees whose work requires an on-campus presence have already returned. She added that faculty and staff have worked extremely hard to adapt to difficult circumstances and develop new ways to deliver their shared mission.
Dundas Plan Comm. to hold hearing on Child Care center
The Dundas Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Thursday evening at 7 o’clock to consider public input regarding a conditional use permit for a child care center at 208 County Road 1. Tawna Schneider has purchased the building across from the Post Office to open Little Village Early Learning Center for ages infant to preschool. Because it is zoned for “light industrial use”, they need a CUP. Administrator Teppen said the Planning Commission will talk about parking, building layout, in and out traffic situations to ensure safety. Members of the public may monitor and/or participate in the meeting by following the instructions in the Notice of Meeting available on the Dundas City website, or by calling 507-645-2852. You can also email cityhall@dundas.us. Emails must be received by 4:30 Thursday afternoon. I have a link to the website and the notice with instructions for monitoring. Scheider’s plan for this ELC is to have 3 or 4 classrooms, fence in the yard and eventually hire 4 to 8 people.
Franchise fee discussion moved to August
The franchise fee discussion scheduled for tonight’s Northfield City Council meeting has been removed for further background development. City Administrator Martig and Finance Director Brenda Angelstad are continuing to work on details. It will go to the Council Finance Policy Subcommittee for review and discussion and then Council’s agenda for August 4th. Martig will be in studio at 7:20 tomorrow morning with a recap.
