Well, good morning and thanks for
joining us at 6:00 o'clock here on
sunrise this day after Christmas. Boxing
Day Ben is the first one I heard used
that term this morning. It is Boxing Day.
Happy Boxing Day. I
actually got my sister-in-law a pair of
boxing gloves unrelated to Boxing Day,
but how about that ironic.
Well to say the least.
Alright, let's talk about the weather today.
We did have a Clipper system move through
last night did give the Twin Cities.
Dusting of snow in parts of southwestern
Minnesota a couple of inches of fresh
powder after seeing roads closed in
the southwestern part of the state,
those roads are back open,
but you still might find some slippery spots,
especially around the Minnesota River Valley.
Closer to the Twin Cities,
road conditions are improving after
seeing a lot of that hard packed
snow and ice over the weekend.
Right now we are at 4 above wind chill value,
however, 10 degrees below 0 and
that wind chill is going to stay
below 0 most of the day today.
We'll call it a more manageable
cold than what we've been dealing
with over the last couple of days.
We don't have any wind chill headlines or
wind chill warnings, anything like that.
And a warming forecast takes us above
the freezing mark later this week.
We'll have more on that coming up,
Jen.
Alright, thanks Ben.
Taking a look at your roads,
as you might expect,
not a whole lot going on.
That's a good thing. Of course,
if you do have to head out early here on
this day after Christmas looking good,
still slick in some areas,
just take it slow.
Of course you will be fine.
This morning we're working to learn
more about what led to the death of a 20
year old man who went missing in Stillwater.
Police say George Musser's body was found
after seven last night in Baytown Township.
He went missing early Saturday morning
after leaving a bar in Stillwater.
Eva Anderson joins us now
with the latest haiva.
Hi, Jen.
Right now police are still
investigating Musser's death,
though they don't believe it's
suspicious and they say there's no
threat to the community right now.
Here's a look at the area where he was found.
Late last night,
the police chief confirmed Musser
was last seen at Ryan's bar in
downtown Stillwater and left the area
walking in the Sub-zero wind chills.
The police say they're thankful
to have a huge outpouring from
the community to help search for
him on Christmas Day,
but obviously the family and
the whole town are devastated,
with the outcome coming up in 30 minutes.
We'll share with the family,
shared with the public once
Musser was found back to you.
So sad. Thank you, Eva.
This morning we are learning more about a
deadly shooting inside the Mall of America.
Officials identified 19 year old
John Tay Hudson as the teen killed
inside Nordstrom on Friday night.
Police say Hudson was shot after a
fight broke out between two groups,
which then escalated to gunfire.
A sad turn of events for the
teen's family of course,
now facing a heartbreaking
holiday without him.
At first I just hope like it was just
like a minor bullet wound or something.
I didn't think that nothing,
nothing too serious about
it until like they said,
they were trying to find a pulse.
So I just assumed the worst.
I was hoping for the best.
Five men, including three minors,
were arrested over the weekend in
connection with this shooting.
Police are still searching for a 6th person,
but they say they are confident
the shooter is in custody.
This morning, the descendants of 38
Dakota men hung in Mankato more than
150 years ago are making their way
back to the site of the executions.
For the past 15 years,
the group has traveled 330
miles across South Dakota,
braving the winter weather on
horseback to honor their ancestors
who were killed on this day in 1862.
No government shutdown Congress passed a
massive spending bill over the weekend.
The $1.7 trillion bill sets aside spending
for critical government operations.
The bill also increases military
spending and sends more than
$45 billion in aid to Ukraine.
In addition to spending,
the bill also revised federal election
law in hopes of preventing any efforts
to overturn certified results.
Here in Minnesota,
we'll see a number of improvements in
the upcoming year thanks to that Bill,
Senator Klobuchar told us about some
of her priorities that were included.
There is funding that will go
to the state of Minnesota to
help hire police officers.
That's really important to help recruit
police officers to get equipment.
We know that's been a major
issue for Minnesotans.
A second priority of mine was
infrastructure and it's everything from
the 80 year old Kellogg Bridge in Saint
Paul that we need to repair to I-94.
Well, today is expected to be the
busiest travel day of the holiday season.
That's not good news for the travelers who've
already faced delays now for nearly a week,
several severe, rather winter storms
caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled
nationwide over the holiday weekend.
Here in Minnesota, more than 600 flights
have been canceled at MSP since Wednesday,
including nearly 50 cancellations
this morning.
If you're driving home Triple S,
AAA estimates nearly 13 million
people will drive.
At least 50 miles from home
from now through the New Year.
That's a 4% boost from last year.
Greyhound bus lines is again
offering free rides to help people
in need this holiday season.
It's part of the company's home
free program for 35 years.
It's helped runaways,
homeless people who are
experiencing homelessness,
and exploited youth reunite with
their families or legal guardians
through a free bus ticket home or
to a safe and stable place to stay.
The partnership has helped more
than 18,000 families by providing
free bus tickets.
605 now and it is the first day
of Kwanzaa and there are local
celebrations you might want
to check out this morning.
We're digging into the holidays
origins and what it stands for.
So here now with the details Ariana de Till.
First observed in 1966, Kwanzaa,
which means first fruits in Swahili,
celebrates family, community and culture.
The annual seven day holiday
begins on December 26th and
throughout the weeklong celebration,
families come together to eat,
dance and rededicate themselves
to 7 core principles.
Dr. Maulana Karenga,
the creator of Kwanzaa describes the
holiday as quote a unique time to
remember and honor our ancestors,
to reflect on what it means to
be African and human, UN quote,
while the holiday is tied to African
traditions many people have.
Question the origins of the holiday,
so let's verify.
Did Kwanzaa originate in the United States?
Our sources are Doctor Maulana Karenga,
the creator of Kwanzaa,
and Doctor Richard Cooper Co,
coordinator of the African American
Studies program at Widener University.
Karengo was born in Parsonsburg,
Maryland.
An activist in the Black Power
movement of the 60s,
Karenga co-founded the organization US,
a cultural and social change organization,
which was based on the principles that
later became the pillars of Kwanzaa,
according to African American
studies scholar.
Doctor Richard Cooper Karenga
created Kwanzaa as part of a broader
Pan African movement in the 60s.
The symbols of Kwanzaa,
including the candles and the flag,
are deeply rooted in African culture.
Black represents the culture. Red, we say,
represents the blood or the people.
Green, in fact, represents the land.
While Kwanzaa is celebrated right after
Christmas, it's not an African or
African-American version of Christmas,
according to Cooper. Instead,
think of it is that it's grounded
in bringing the family together,
bringing the community. Together,
it's a move away from capitalism.
It's a wave. It's a it's a way of
helping all people kind of look
more inside and trying to identify
and work towards higher values.
So while Kwanzaa is rooted
in African culture,
it was created by an American
so we can verify it is true.
Kwanzaa originated in the United
States with your verify.
I'm Adrian detail.
If you've seen something online or in
social media that you'd like us to verify,
all you have to do is send us an e-mail.
The address is right there.
You could also, of course,
reach out through Facebook or Twitter.