An Apple Valley man has been spared prison time for shooting a man during an argument at a mobile home park in Mounds View last year.

Alex Robert Quevedo-Holmes, 21, was sentenced Monday in Ramsey County District Court to nearly a year in the workhouse and four years of probation for the daytime shooting of a 22-year-old, who was struck in the thigh in the 2100 block of Buckingham Lane on March 13, 2025.

Alex Robert Quevedo-Holmes (Courtesy of Mounds View Police Department)

Quevedo-Holmes had pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and Quevedo-Holmes’ attorney asked Judge Thomas Gilligan Jr. for a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines, arguing the victim was the primary aggressor before and during the incident. The judge granted the departure request, which was objected to by the prosecution, and stayed a three-year prison term for four years.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman told police the man who was shot is her former boyfriend and that she has a child with him. She said she met Quevedo-Holmes at a bar a week earlier and that he spent the night at her residence.

The man texted her that he was going to beat up Quevedo-Holmes and then arrived just before noon. The two men argued outside, the woman got between them to break it up and told her ex to leave. He approached Quevedo-Holmes, who shot him.

The man was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with severe blood loss.

Quevedo-Holmes ran from the scene, leading to a search by several law enforcement agencies, a SWAT response and “a shelter in place” issued. He was arrested without incident in South St. Paul the next day.

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By PAUL WISEMAN, Associated Press Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices rose modestly in November, the government said in report delayed by the federal government shutdown.

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The Labor Department reported Wednesday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it reaches consumers — rose 0.2% in November from October and 3% from a year earlier.

The numbers are old. They were supposed to come out Dec. 11, but the report was delayed by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown. The Labor Department will put out December’s producer price index on Jan. 30; it was originally scheduled to come out Wednesday.

Gasoline prices rose sharply in November. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale prices were unchanged from October and up 3% from November 2024.

President Donald Trump’s sweeping taxes on imports were expected to drive inflation sharply higher, but their impact so far has been more modest than expected.

The Labor Department reported Tuesday that consumer price inflation cooled last month, rising a modest 0.3% from November and 2.7% from December 2024. But it remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

By NICOLE WINFIELD

ROME (AP) — One of the best-preserved ancient Roman homes on the Palatine Hill is opening to the public for the first time, albeit via a livestreamed tour of its hard-to-reach underground frescoes and mosaics.

The House of the Griffins was first discovered during the excavations in the early 20th century of the Palatine Hill, the verdant hill that rises up from the Roman Forum and dominates views of central Rome today with its striking red brick ruins.

The hill, located just off the Colosseum, was the site of temples and homes of leading citizens during Rome’s Republican era, which is traditionally dated from 509 B.C. to 27 B.C. It became the aristocratic quarter during the Roman Empire that followed, when new palaces were built on top of the older homes.

The House of the Griffins is one of those earlier Republican-era homes, and was hidden to the world underground after the Emperor Domitian built his palace on top of it in the first century A.D.

Now for the first time, the general public can virtually visit the House of the Griffins and its newly restored frescoes, including the decoration that gives the home its name: An arched lunette fresco featuring two griffins — the half-eagle, half-lion mythological creatures.

Visitors won’t actually walk through the home’s intimate rooms, which are only accessible via a perilously steep staircase underground. Rather, visitors above ground will watch as a tour guide wearing a head-mounted smartphone descends into the domus and walks through its rooms, livestreaming the visit and narration.

The live, virtual tour serves multiple purposes: It allows visitors to “see” a domus that, because of its underground location, would otherwise be off-limits. And by limiting the number of people in its rooms, the livestreaming protects the delicate frescoes from too much humidity and carbon dioxide.

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Project chief Federica Rinaldi said archaeologists don’t know much about the family who lived there, but said they were clearly well-off. The level of decoration recalls some of the elegant homes of the era in Pompeii: The frescoes feature richly colored faux marble designs, and floor mosaics of three-dimensional cubes.

“Its location at the highest point of the hill, its distribution over several levels that take advantage of the slopes of the Palatine Hill itself, and its preservation make it today an almost textbook reference,” she said. “It was certainly a domus of the highest standard.”

Starting on March 3, the livestreamed tours will be held weekly, on Tuesdays, with one in Italian and one in English, though more are foreseen. Groups are limited to a dozen people and require reservations, as well as an additional ticket beyond the typical Colosseum-Palatine Hill entrance fee.

The restoration of the House of the Griffins is one of 10 projects funded by the European Union in the archaeological park and is part of an effort to spread tourists out beyond the must-see Colosseum and Forum, which often get overwhelmed with visitors.

“It’s a great occasion to value the full territory of the park,” said the head of the park, Simone Quilici.

Paolo Santalucia contributed to this report.

By ALEXA SOTO

“Taco night” for many across the United States consists of an Americanized idea of Mexican food: ground beef cooked with a packaged seasoning mix, taco shells, lettuce, tomato and sour cream.

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Let’s just say that if you’re reading this and have enjoyed a similar meal, you will be blown out of the water by this authentic version from my cookbook “Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking. ” These tacos were a favorite of mine as a kid. I remember watching my Tía Chela making them, and they felt like such a treat. The secret here is using salsa to season your meat, rather than dried herbs and spices. It creates much juicier, deeper flavor.

Tacos Dorados de Picadillo/Crispy “Beef” Tacos

Makes 12 tacos

Ingredients

This image released by Voracious shows the cookbook “Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking” by Alexa Soto. (Voracious via AP)

FILLING:

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado oil

½ medium white onion, diced small

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced small

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced small

½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (12-ounce) package plant-based ground meat (such as Impossible or Beyond Meat)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

SALSA:

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado oil

2 ripe Roma tomatoes

¼ medium white onion

1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded

2 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

¼ bunch cilantro

¼ teaspoon sea salt

TACOS:

12 corn tortillas, store-bought or homemade

6 to 8 tablespoons neutral high-heat oil, such as avocado oil

Guacasalsa (guacamole mixed with salsa verde), for serving

Directions

This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for tacos dorados de picadillo, from the cookbook “Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking” by Alexa Soto. (Alexa Soto/Voracious via AP)

1. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, carrots, and potatoes and sauté for 4 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the broth. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender. Add the ground meat and cook, using a spatula to break up any large clumps, for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned. Season with the salt.

2. Meanwhile, make the salsa. Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the whole tomatoes, onion quarter, serrano or jalapeño pepper, and garlic cloves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, until blackened and charred (the garlic might char more quickly, after 2 to 3 minutes total). Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender. Add the broth, cilantro, and salt and blend on high until smooth.

3. Add the salsa to the meat and vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Taste and add more salt to your liking.

4. To make the tacos, heat a medium skillet or comal over high heat. Add a tortilla and cook for 30 to 40 seconds on each side, then transfer to a tortilla holder or wrap in a kitchen towel. Repeat to heat the remaining tortillas.

5. Add 2 tablespoons of the picadillo mixture to one half of each tortilla and fold to close. They should stay closed as you fry them, but feel free to use toothpicks if necessary.

6. Heat the oil in a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add a few tacos and fry for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Using a spatula, transfer the tacos to a paper towel–lined plate.

7. Serve with salsa and guacasalsa.

Alexa Soto is a Mexican-American recipe creator, mental health advocate and the creator of the blog Fueled Naturally. She lives in San Diego with her husband Chancy, son Santino and their two dogs.

Excerpted from PLANTAS by Alexa Soto. Copyright (copyright) 2024 by Alexa Soto.