A few months after signing head coach Kevin O’Connell to a multiyear contract extension, the Vikings announced on Friday morning that they have done the same with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

“I’m beyond excited to continue this journey with the Vikings,” Adofo-Mensah said in a team news release. “This organization means so much to me, and I’ve always believed in what we’re building here.”

In his statement, Adofo-Mensah went on to thank the Wilf family for trusting him to lead the franchise into the future and expressed excitement that he gets to continue to work alongside O’Connell in their pursuit of a Super Bowl.

This always felt like the expected outcome, even if it took some time to come to fruition. Asked a couple of months ago about not having a contract extension under his belt, Adofo-Mensah calmly downplayed the situation.

Maybe because he was confident that both sides would be able to agree to terms at some point.

“It’s a process,” Adofo-Mensah said at the time. “These things take time.”

Now, it appears the time is right for the Vikings.

In a release, co owner Mark Wilf lauded Adofo-Mensah for his leadership, vision and collaboration with the coaching staff, adding, “His dedication and forward-thinking approach have been instrumental in shaping our roster and future.”

In a release, co-owner Zygi Wilf credited Adofo-Mensah for his commitment to building a team that can compete for a Super Bowl, adding, “We are extremely excited to continue this journey with Kwesi in this role and confident in the direction he and Kevin are leading our organization.”

There have been highs and lows for Adofo-Mensah throughout his tenure.

Though his critics will point to the 2022 draft class as his biggest failure, and rightfully so considering most of those players are no longer on the roster, the 2024 free-agent class represents the other side of that spectrum.

That was a watershed moment for the franchise last offseason as the Vikings managed to add quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones on offense, along with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and linebacker Blake Cashman on defense.

Not to be outdone, Adofo-Mensah followed it up by spending upwards of $300 million on free agents this offseason, improving the Vikings with a number of additions, including center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries on offense, and tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave on defense.

Some other highlights for Adofo-Mensah include his draft-day maneuvering to select quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick, extending the contract of star receiver Justin Jefferson, and trading for star tight end T.J. Hockenson, among a handful of other savvy moves.

The next step for the Vikings is continuing to chase a Super Bowl.

“While we’ve made significant strides already, our focus will remain on building a team positioned as a perennial contender,” Adofo-Mensah said in a release. “This extension signifies we are on solid ground with the long-term vision we have set, and I’m incredibly excited to work with this group of talented people as we continue to push the boundaries of what this franchise can achieve.”

Related Articles

The importance of Justin Jefferson’s attendance at Vikings OTAs

J.J. McCarthy’s goal during Vikings OTAs? ‘Not being afraid to fail’

Five storylines to keep an eye on as the Vikings start OTAs

NFL teams can keep using the tush push after ban proposal fails at owners meetings

NFL owners unanimously approve player participation in Olympic flag football for 2028

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 111 people were confirmed dead in central Nigeria on Friday after floods submerged the market town of Mokwa in the country’s Niger State following torrential rains, officials said.

The heavy rains lasted for several hours Thursday, and media reports quoting local government officials said a dam collapse in a nearby town had worsened the situation. The flooding displaced large amounts of people, the reports said.

Rescuers continued to find more bodies into the afternoon Friday. Earlier reports said 88 people had died, but then at least 23 more bodies were found, Niger State emergency agency spokesman IIbrahim Audu Husseinit told The Associated Press in the afternoon.

That brought the toll to 111, but that could go higher as the search continued.

“More bodies have just been brought and are yet to be counted, but we have at least 111 confirmed already,” Husseini told AP by telephone.

Related Articles

Ukraine says it’s ready to resume talks with Russia but needs clarity on Kremlin’s terms

Half of world’s population endured extra month of extreme heat due to climate change, experts say

Russell Brand pleads not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault in London court

Today in History: May 30, Babe Ruth plays last major league game

Swiss glacier collapse renews focus on risks of climate change as glaciers retreat around the world

Mokwa, about 140 miles west of Abuja, is a major meeting point where traders from the south buy food from growers in the north.

In a similar occurrence last September, torrential rains and a dam collapse in Nigeria’s northeastern Maiduguri caused severe flooding, leaving at least 30 people dead and displacing millions, worsening the humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Nigeria often faces seasonal floods, particularly impacting communities such as Mokwa along the banks of the Niger and Benue Rivers. Communities in the far north of the country, which experience prolonged dry spells worsened by climate change, also see excessive rainfall that leads to severe flooding during their brief wet season.

In videos and photos shared on social media platforms, floodwaters cover neighborhoods where homes are fully or partially submerged, with rooftops barely visible above the brown currents. Residents are also seen waist-deep in water, appearing to salvage what they can carry or rescue others.

The chairman of Mokwa local government area, Jibril Muregi, suggested that poor infrastructure worsened the impact of the flood. He appealed to the government to start “long overdue” construction of waterways in Mokwa under a climate resilience project.

VIRGINIA — Prosecutors have dismissed the cases against four members of the Iron Range Hells Angels motorcycle club accused of serious crimes including rape, kidnapping and assault.

Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Chris Florey said the alleged victims “are either unwilling or unable to testify at trial and the state cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt” without their cooperation.

The notices of dismissal were filed late Wednesday, less than two weeks before the first defendant, Paul Anthony Debelak, 39, of Eveleth, was set to face a Virginia jury.

Also charged in the case were Jerand Paul French, 40, of Eveleth; Jake Douglas Novaczyk, 47, of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota; and Eric Anthony Newman, 50, of Gilman, Wisconsin.

Defense attorneys had aggressively challenged the allegations, arguing that witness accounts and physical evidence did not support the claims. They contended investigators were eager to bring charges against the club and also accused agents of intimidating witnesses and eavesdropping on privileged communications between jailed defendants and their attorneys.

The cases stemmed from allegations that a woman was sexually assaulted and a man was abducted and beaten at the Hells Angels’ downtown Eveleth clubhouse.

Authorities previously reported that the man escaped from the group on crutches Nov. 28, 2023, and ran to the safety of police, expressing fear that members could find him.

Investigators said they went on to learn that both victims were visiting an Eveleth residence Nov. 27 when club members arrived. It was reported that the woman was raped there by Debelak and Newman.

The man, meanwhile, was allegedly taken to the clubhouse in a van driven by Novaczyk. He said he continued to be beaten by French, the chapter’s president, as other members recorded video.

Authorities released few details about the alleged motive or relationships between parties, other than to say that French was allegedly upset about the man’s association with the woman.

Defense attorneys, however, alleged that investigators were looking to implicate the club in serious crimes to justify a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation that had been ongoing since at least June 2023.

The attorneys asserted that the alleged victims had been using drugs, a practice that is not tolerated by the Hells Angels, and that they concocted the narrative. They said other witnesses in the house told agents the rape and kidnapping did not occur, and that there was no DNA evidence to support it.

Judge Robert Friday last month upheld charges against Debelak and Newman, ruling there was no attorney-client breach when Debelak subjected his communications to law enforcement monitoring after failing to use the proper channels to contact his lawyer from jail.

The judge also said interview recordings failed to substantiate claims from three defense witnesses that they were threatened with prosecution if they did not comply with orders of BCA agents.

A similar challenge was still pending from French and Novaczyk before Judge Andrew Peterson.

Testimony at a November hearing centered on authorities learning that Novaczyk planned to surprise the state by demanding a speedy trial — a fact Florey promptly disclosed to defense counsel after learning it from a BCA agent who was privy to the jail communication.

Also highlighted by the defense was a statement from Gilbert Police Chief Ty Techar that he believed BCA Special Agent Cory Skorczewski was “going off the deep end.” Techar later clarified he was advised Skorczewski was “stressed and overworked from this case.” Skorczewski testified that he was on medical leave but denied it had to do with the Hells Angels case.

Three of the defendants had been free on bond while awaiting trial. Newman is still in custody as he faces a probation violation stemming from an earlier offense.

Related Articles

Christopher Harrington: Experiencing the arts transforms the way we see the world

Letters: Stop with the antisemitism

Pair sentenced in human smuggling case that left Indian family dead on Minnesota border

Angry with electrical utility, Iron Range official cuts wire, knocking out power to 3 towns

Wildfire evacuation orders lifted in northern Minnesota

By ILLIA NOVIKOV, Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is ready to resume direct peace talks with Russia in Istanbul on Monday, a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, following days of uncertainty over whether Kyiv would attend a further meeting proposed by Moscow.

But Ukrainian officials have insisted that the Kremlin provide a promised memorandum setting out its position on ending the more than three-year war, before the two delegations sit down to negotiate.

“Ukraine is ready to attend the next meeting, but we want to engage in a constructive discussion,” Andrii Yermak said in a statement on the website of Ukraine’s Presidential Office late Thursday.

“This means it is important to receive Russia’s draft. There is enough time – four days are sufficient for preparing and sending the documents,” Yermak said.

Ukraine and its European allies have repeatedly accused the Kremlin of dragging its feet in peace efforts, while it tries to press its bigger army’s battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.

Kyiv’s Western partners, including the U.S., are urging Moscow to agree to an unconditional ceasefire, something Kyiv has embraced while the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.

Ukraine’s top diplomat, Andrii Sybiha, also told reporters on Friday that Kyiv is waiting for Russia to clarify its proposals ahead of a next round of talks.

“We want to end this war this year. We are interested in establishing a ceasefire, whether it is for 30 days, 50 days, or 100 days. Ukraine is open to discussing this directly with Russia,” Sybiha said at a joint news conference in Kyiv with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.

Related Articles

Half of world’s population endured extra month of extreme heat due to climate change, experts say

Russell Brand pleads not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault in London court

Today in History: May 30, Babe Ruth plays last major league game

Swiss glacier collapse renews focus on risks of climate change as glaciers retreat around the world

What would happen if the Amazon rainforest dried out? This decades-long experiment has some answers

Sybiha and Fidan also held the door open to a future meeting between Presidents Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin of Russia, possibly also including U.S. President Donald Trump. Fidan said the ongoing peace push in Istanbul could be “crowned with” such a meeting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday told reporters that a Russian delegation will head to Istanbul and stand ready to take part in the second round of talks on June 2.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday publicly invited Ukraine to hold direct negotiations with Moscow on that date. In a video statement, Lavrov said Russia would use Monday’s meeting to deliver an outline of Moscow’s position on “reliably overcoming” what it calls the root causes of the war. Russian officials have said for weeks that such a document is forthcoming.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Wednesday said that Ukraine isn’t opposed to further direct talks with Russia, but that they would be “empty” if Moscow were to fail to clarify its terms. Umerov said he had personally handed a document setting out Ukraine’s position to the Russian side.

Low-level delegations from Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years in Istanbul on May 16. The talks, which lasted two hours, brought no significant breakthrough, although both sides agreed to the largest prisoner exchange of the war. It was carried out last weekend and freed 1,000 captives on each side.

Fidan on Friday voiced a belief that the successful swap has “proved that negotiations can yield concrete results.”

“There are two paths in front of us. Either we will turn a blind eye to the continuation of the war, or we will reach a lasting peace within the end of the year,” he told reporters in Kyiv.

Associated Press writers Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.