A former Minnesota Teacher of the Year was sentenced to 14 years in prison Friday for repeatedly sexually assaulting his eighth-grade student at a Minneapolis charter school nearly a decade ago.

The victim came forward with the allegations against Harvest Best Academy teacher Abdul Jameel Wright in May 2024 when she was 21 years old. She said the assaults began in 2017, when she was 14, and occurred for nearly a year in school classrooms, his car and elsewhere in Hennepin County.

Wright, 39, of Brooklyn Park, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with first-degree criminal sexual conduct by a person in a position of authority. He opted for a court trial, and Judge Sarah West found him guilty of the charge in September.

State sentencing guidelines called for a presumptive sentence of 12 years in prison. The prosecution asked for a 14-year, three-month sentence, which West handed down.

After incarceration, Wright will be required to register as a predatory offender and be on conditional release for 10 years.

Abdul Jameel Wright (Courtesy of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)

“Mr. Wright abused his authority and engaged in grossly inappropriate behavior,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement following his sentence. “My thoughts are with the victim in this case, who exhibited incredible courage in providing her testimony to help secure a conviction.”

Wright was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year in September 2016, becoming the first charter school teacher to receive the honor. He joined the North Minneapolis school in 2012, with a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University in St. Paul.

According to court documents:

The woman reported that Wright, her former English teacher, began “grooming” her by singling her out. She described eating lunch with Wright in his classroom and him playing music for her.

Wright eventually started calling the girl every day and developed a relationship with her mother. He would pick the girl up for school and drop her off at home after she stayed after school to babysit his children.

The sexual contact began in January 2017 with Wright kissing and fondling her during a ride home, she reported, adding that after that he would do “a little more.” She said he put cushions on the floor of a classroom before the assaults, one of which happened while his children were in the next room watching a movie.

She reported the assaults ended around the time she entered ninth grade.

The woman testified during Wright’s court trial that she was in college when she began to fully understand what Wright had done to her, according to Judge West’s Sept. 19 written verdict.

“As she learned about grooming in a psychology course,” the document read, “as she reflected on how it felt to be alone processing it, and as she experienced the stress from the experiences with Mr. Wright, she realized she needed to release it.”

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By JOSH BOAK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is giving domestic automakers additional relief from tariffs on auto parts, extending what was supposed to have been a short-term rebate until 2030.

It’s part of a proclamation Trump signed Friday that also made official a 25% import tax on medium and heavy duty trucks, starting Nov. 1.

The action reflected the administration’s efforts to use tariffs to promote American manufacturing while also trying to shield the auto sector from the higher costs that Trump’s import taxes have created for parts and raw materials.

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The special rebate initially announced in April had been set to be lowered and then expire in 2027. At the time, Trump described it as short-term aid “during this little transition” with the expectation that automakers would move production lines back to the U.S.

The extension and adjustments came after conversations with the auto industry, senior administration officials said. The goal is to both expand domestic production and make it more competitive. The officials insisted on anonymity as a condition for talking to reporters ahead of Trump signing the proclamation.

The amended action provides a rebate of 3.75% relative to the sales price of a domestically assembled vehicle. That figure was reached by putting the 25% import tax on parts that make up 15% of a vehicle’s sales price. Multiplying those two percentages together is equal to 3.75%.

The rebate will also now be offered to manufacturers of trucks and engines, officials said.

Trump had posted on his social media site Oct. 6 about the new tariffs on imported trucks. Buses will also be tariffed at 10% as part of the action.

The new tariffs do not apply to imports covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade. That pact, which went into effect in 2020, is up for renegotiation next year.

The moves come at a delicate moment for the auto industry as consumers are enduring sticker shock. According to Kelley Blue Book, buyers of new autos spent an average of $50,080 in September, the highest average on record. New auto prices have increased 3.6% from a year ago.

Murders and assaults in Minnesota dropped in 2024 while rapes and robberies rose, according to statistics released this week by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The 2024 Uniform Crime Report showed that violent crime in the seven-county Metro area — Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties — increased by 1% overall compared to 2023. In greater Minnesota, violent crime numbers decreased by 3%.

The number of murders continued to fall after a spike during the pandemic. There were 170 murders in 2024 compared with 181 in 2023, 182 in 2022 and 201 in 2021. Firearms were involved in 74.7% of the incidents, up from 69.6% in 2023.

The St. Paul Police Department handled 26 homicide incidents in 2024, the same as in 2023. So far this year St. Paul police have handled nine homicides.

The number of reported assaults dropped from 9,986 in 2023 to 9,826 in 2024.

Carjacking incidents, which included attempted carjackings, increased 5.5 percent with 426 incidents in 2024, compared with 401 in 2023. There were 31 reported carjackings in St. Paul for 2024; Minneapolis saw 329 cases in 2024.

Reported rapes and robberies reversed their post-pandemic downward trends: Rapes rose from 2,053 in 2023 to 2,159 last year while robberies rose from 2,791 in 2023 to 2,836 in 2024. Rapes had been decreasing from their 2021 spike of 2,472. Robbery reports reached 3,991 in 2021.

Other details:

• Most of the rapes — 73.2% — occurred in a home. Minors accounted for 39.6% of the victims.

• Motor vehicle theft decreased 19.3% in 2024 with 12,596 vehicles stolen as compared to 15,612 in 2023 (carjacking incidents are counted separately from motor vehicle thefts).

• There were 70,898 incidents of larceny in 2024, the lowest number in 56 years, according to the BCA.

• Bias crimes rose in 2024 with 225 incidents reported.

• Peace officers were assaulted in 976 incidents in 2024, a 1.5% increase from 2023.

• Law enforcement use-of-force incidents involving discharge of a firearm rose in 2024 to 27, 10 more than in 2023.

• There were 32 overall use-of-force incidents, 11 more than the previous year. In those incidents, 12 people died and 15 resulted in a serious injury. Agencies reported using force on 18 white individuals, 13 Black and 1 Asian.

The full 2024 Uniform Crime Report can be found at dps.mn.gov/mn-crime-statistics, along with reports from previous years.

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As he continues to establish himself as an impact player for the Vikings, cornerback Isaiah Rodgers made it clear this week that he doesn’t have any ill will as he prepares to face his former team.

He only feels gratitude that the Philadelphia Eagles gave him a second chance.

That wasn’t guaranteed for Rodgers after he was suspended in June 2023 for violating the NFL’s policy on gambling. He was cut by the Indianapolis Colts as soon as the suspension was finalized, despite showing flashes early in his career.

To his credit, Rodgers took full responsibility at the time, acknowledging that he made a mistake and vowing to take accountability for his actions. He was signed by the Eagles in August 2023 despite the fact that he wasn’t allowed to be a part of the team in any capacity during his suspension.

“It meant everything to me,” Rodgers said. “They welcomed me with open arms. They knew what type of player I was. We were able to put everything in the past.”

Though he was technically a member of the organization throughout his suspension, Rodgers still lived in an awkward state of limbo until April 2024 when he was officially reinstated. There was an occasion during that span that Rodgers remembers seeing Eagles receiver Devonta Smith at a store in Tampa, Fla. They didn’t interact at all.

“He didn’t even know I was his teammate,” Rodgers said. “I knew no players on the team.”

That changed once Rodgers was back in the mix. He established himself as a valuable depth piece last season as the Eagles put together a run that ended with them defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

All the while, Rodgers knew he could bring more to the table. He wasn’t content simply being a backup who filled in when a starter was injured. Asked how he kept himself motivated in the meantime, he replied, “Just being grateful to even be in the league.”

That sentence made Rodgers pause for a few seconds. He knows he wasn’t entitled to the second chance that was afforded to him following his suspension. He made a promise to himself that he wasn’t going to take it for granted.

“It was a moment that forced me to wake up,” Rodgers said. “I had realize that football could be gone tomorrow.”

That gave him valuable perspective that he still carries with him.

“That time away was very much needed,” Rodgers said. “I focused on being a better person off the field.”

That might have made him a better player on the field.

The skill set that Rodgers displayed in spot minutes with the Eagles was enough for the Vikings to be interested in free agency. Asked why he decided to sign with the Vikings, Rodgers pointed to the role he discussed with defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

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“I wanted more,” Rodgers said. “I think coming here was a chance to reset my career.”

That’s proven to be the case for Rodgers so far, as he’s slowly developing into a star for the Vikings. The highlight was, of course, earlier this season when Rodgers scored a pair of defensive touchdowns and forced a pair of fumbles in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Not that he’s satisfied.

“I just want to keep showing everybody what I’m capable of,” Rodgers said. “I know I can play in this league. Not really proving the doubters wrong. More so proving the people who believed in me right.”