Today’s forecast

Trucking school finds way to honor student killed by gun violence

As a former felon, Yusef Hagihassan found it difficult to find a job. But now he is training to get behind the wheel and hit the road.

“I remember sitting one day, looking up careers for felons and truck driving coming up as an option and that never crossed my mind,” said Hagihassan.

Hagihassan is taking a four to six week course at Kings Trucking School to get his commercial driver’s license. He is the first student to take advantage of a scholarship created to honor fellow student Abdi Omar Abukar.

“He was one of the most energetic and lively students we’ve ever had. He brought life and joy to our classroom and every student really enjoyed him,” said Jibril Abdi, president of King’s Truck School.

School officials say Abukar wanted to become a commercial truck driver to put his troubled past behind him, but his dream was cut short when he was shot and killed while sitting in his car in North Minneapolis in December.

Soon after, the school started the Guide Foundation to cover tuition for anyone who has lost a loved one to gun violence or turns in their unregistered guns. 

“A lot of times, trucking is an industry where people get a second chance. Abukar mentioned he wanted to get on the road and stay away from whatever was going on in the community. We wanted to give back, not just to our students, but to our community,” said Abdi.

Hagihassan says he was devastated that his friend and fellow student lost his life just a week away from graduation.

But he is grateful for the opportunity it gave him to find a new career and get a fresh start.

“I lost friends to gun violence. I lost little cousins in the last year, so you kind of get numb to it. But it still affects you because you know that person isn’t going to be here any longer,” said Hagihassan.

“It’s sad he wasn’t able to fulfill his dreams but we’re going to keep it going for him through this foundation.”

Catch Up Quick 

👮 A shooting outside a market in Minneapolis, that may have occurred during a potential attempted carjacking, left one person dead and two others injured, while police are searching for a suspect.

🚨 Staff at the Northrop Auditorium on the University of Minnesota campus was evacuated Wednesday night after a small section of the building’s roof caved in. A university spokesperson says no one was hurt during the collapse and everyone who was inside the building made it out safely.

🌱 Supporters of marijuana legalization got their bill through a Minnesota House committee Wednesday. The 243-page bill is one of the longest and most complicated that lawmakers will consider all session. It legalizes the cultivation and sale of marijuana products to consumers ages 21 and older under a statewide regulatory structure. The measure also sets up a process to wipe away past marijuana-related convictions.

Need for volunteers to help hospice care patients greater than ever

Each and every Wednesday, volunteer Sheila Johnson wears many hats inside Brooklyn Park’s J.A. Wedum Residential Hospice.

“I put this upon myself. No one ever asked me to do it, and I do it with love, because I love doing it,” Sheila told FOX 9. “I kind of pretend this is my house when I get here. I do some laundry, I make some coffee, I water all the plants.”

But Sheila’s most important work may lie in the relationships she cultivates with residents living out their final days under hospice care.

“Believe it or not you get a lot more out than what you’re giving,” Sheila said.

However, going into 2023, Allina Health volunteer services lead Karen Naus has a problem on her hands: “The need is expansive, and the roles are pretty expansive too,” Naus explained.

After the pandemic forced volunteers to leave buildings across the Allina Health system, only about half of them have returned to their roles; leaving a gap of hundreds of volunteers.

“So our schedule [has] a lot of empty days,” Sheila said. “Nobody’s here.”

“It is big picture across all of healthcare right now, just that need for support,” Karen added.

Volunteering consists of at least a one-year commitment, but week-to-week that commitment can be as small as just one to four hours. The effort goes a long way inside hospice centers and homes, because it allows staff to focus less on the “busy work,” and more on each patient’s needs in the final days of their lives.

“If you have an open heart, this is something you can do,” Karen finished.

Click here if you would like to become a hospice volunteer or call Allina’s Hospice volunteer prospect line at 612-262-7108.

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