By BRUCE SCHREINER

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s attorney general claimed Tuesday that the online gaming platform Roblox has become a “playground for predators” as he announced a lawsuit accusing the company of lax child safety measures.

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The Kentucky suit, filed by his office Monday in a state court, is the latest action alleging that the wildly popular site isn’t doing enough to protect children on its gaming services.

To bolster safeguards for children and teenagers flocking to the site, the company needs to install effective age verifications and content filters, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said. Added parental notifications also are needed, he said.

Courtney Norris, a Kentucky mother of three who joined Coleman at a news conference, said she mistakenly viewed Roblox as a safe online gaming choice for her children.

“I came to realize, later than I would like to admit, that it actually is the ‘Wild West’ of the internet, targeted at children,” she said.

The company is facing a growing backlash. The Kentucky suit comes after Louisiana sued the company in August. A suit was filed in Iowa after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly introduced to an adult predator on the platform, then kidnapped and trafficked across multiple states and raped.

Roblox on Tuesday pushed back against the allegations.

“We have rigorous safety measures in place from advanced AI models to an expertly trained team of thousands moderating our platform 24/7 for inappropriate content,” the company said in a statement. “No system is perfect and our work on safety is never done. We are constantly innovating our safety systems, including adding 100 new safeguards, such as facial age estimation, this year alone.”

Roblox says it has 111 million daily active users. The company said in an email Tuesday that it implements strict safety defaults for its youngest users. It said the platform’s users under 13 cannot directly message others on Roblox, outside of games or experiences, and cannot directly message others during games or experiences unless the default setting is changed using parental controls.

The company said it has rigorous text chat filters to block inappropriate words and phrases, attempts to direct under-13 users off the platform and the sharing of personal information such as phone number or address. It does not allow user-to-user image sharing and prohibits sexual conversations, it said.

The Kentucky lawsuit gives a starkly different portrayal of the platform.

Despite assurances its site is safe, the company has failed to install basic safety controls, the suit said. Roblox also fails to inform its users and their parents about “dangers inherent” on the platform, it said.

Coleman, a Republican, said the site’s “cartoonish figures and experiences” appeal to children, but he warned that “underneath this cartoonish, innocent veneer is something sinister. The platform has become a playground for predators who seek to harm our children.”

The Kentucky suit alleges that children are exposed to “violent or sexual situations within the Roblox universe, with parents reporting children contacted by strangers using third-party chat apps that function as if they are part of the game.”

Norris said that like many parents, she considered it a safe choice for her children.

“I described it as a ‘fenced-in backyard’ for kids’ gaming,” she said Tuesday. “And that is the genius and the danger I found of Roblox — the illusion of safety it gives parents like me.”

“The reality is, Roblox makes it nearly impossible to police as a parent,” she added.

The suit claims that Roblox’s lax protections violate Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act and asks a judge to order the company into compliance. The suit seeks penalties of up to $2,000 for each violation of the consumer protection law.

Coleman said his office is open to negotiating a settlement with Roblox.

“Our goal is not to shut a platform down,” Coleman said. “Our goal is for Roblox to be safe.”

Roblox said it shares the goal of keeping kids safe online, and said it would welcome discussions with Coleman’s office to “ensure they have a clear understanding of all Roblox is doing to keep users safe.”

How do you decide which locally made product rises above the rest in a state known for products ranging from medical devices to all-terrain vehicles and even SPAM? You let the people decide.

The MRZR, a versatile military vehicle built by Polaris in Roseau, Minn., was crowned the winner of the 2025 “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” manufacturing competition on Oct. 7, 2025. (Courtesy of Minnesota Chamber of Commerce)

Votes have been tallied and Polaris’ MRZR was announced Tuesday as the winner of the second annual Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota contest, hosted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and BMO.

“It has been incredible to watch (the MRZR) advance week after week and seeing it named the winner is a proud moment for all of us,” said a spokesperson for Polaris in a statement. “Being recognized as the ‘Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota’ is not just about the MRZR. It is about the people who build it, the mission it serves, and the pride we have in Minnesota manufacturing.”

Announced at the 2025 Manufacturers’ Summit, the MRZR outlasted the competition over the course of five weeks of matchups, which started with 64 products and drew tens of thousands of votes from across the state.

“This contest captured the imagination of Minnesotans across the state, shining a spotlight on the pride we share in our manufacturers and the incredible things they build,” said Doug Loon, president and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, in a news release. “Polaris is a spectacular reflection of that strength and ingenuity.”

About the winner

Built on a dedicated military line in Roseau, the MRZR is a versatile military vehicle with blackout lighting, collapsible roll cages for helicopter transport and an Arctic kit that can withstand -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

First launched in 2012, MRZRs have been used in every U.S. military branch and more than 50 allied forces worldwide.

A military version of Polaris’ RZR, the driving force behind the MRZR came from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as it was designed for U.S. Special Forces to navigate Afghanistan’s rugged terrain.

“The MRZR’s origin … speaks to its purpose and impact, making it a natural fit for this recognition,” Polaris said. “That kind of origin story, combined with the innovation and purpose behind it, made the MRZR a natural choice.”

Competition to return

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If your favorite product didn’t win this year, don’t lose hope. The manufacturing competition will return next year to crown its third winner, the chamber announced.

“Manufacturing is one of the largest and most dynamic sectors of Minnesota’s economy – employing more than 300,000 people and driving innovation across every corner of the state,” said Jennifer Byers, vice president of Grassroots and Chamber Relations at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, in the release.

The diversity of Minnesota manufacturing is encapsulated in the competition’s first two winners: This year’s all-terrain military vehicle and last year’s Scotch Magic Tape from 3M Co.

Nominations for the third annual “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” competition are expected to open next summer.

A “Purple Rain” is going to fall another week.

Hennepin Arts announced Tuesday that producers have added a week of performances of the Prince jukebox musical, which opens in previews Oct. 16 and now runs through Nov. 23 at Minneapolis’ State Theatre. This will be the only extension for the musical, which makes its world premiere before heading to Broadway.

Tickets for the new dates are on sale now through Ticketmaster.

Newcomer musician/songwriter Kris Kollins will play the Kid, aka a semi-autobiographical version of Prince, while Rachel Webb was cast as his love interest, Apollonia.

Based on Prince’s landmark 1984 film, the musical features a story, music and lyrics by Prince; a book by two-time Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, based on the original screenplay by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn; choreography by Ebony Williams; and direction by Tony Award-nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz.

Tony Award winner Jason Michael Webb is the production’s music supervisor and will also provide musical arrangements and orchestrations for the production. Longtime Prince music collaborators Bobby Z and Morris Hayes will serve as music advisers.

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Hle Thao started at Indecomm Global Services as an account specialist in 2007 and went on to receive two promotions. But after sloughing off during work hours, he was fired in early 2023.

An Indecomm internal audit then uncovered that Thao had used a “dummy account” to embezzle at least $384,000 from the St. Paul company over several years, prosecutors say.

Hle Thao (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Thao, 41, of Maplewood, was charged last week in Ramsey County District Court with five counts of theft by swindle. He’s been released from jail on his own recognizance ahead of a Nov. 29 first appearance on the charges. An attorney is not listed in his court file.

New Jersey-based Indecomm Global Services provides technology and business services for the mortgage industry. At its office along Energy Park Drive, Thao was promoted to a lead accountant position in 2011 and assistant controller three years later.

He was fired in February 2023 for “excessive absenteeism, including for being unreachable” when he was supposed to be working online from home, the complaint says.

The audit showed Thao had created a bogus account — “Pitney Bowes Reserve” — within Indecomm’s software that manages and pays vendors.

The account didn’t raise red flags because Indecomm made “legitimate” payments to several Pitney Bowes accounts, the complaint says.

Thao directed Indecomm payments to his personal Wells Fargo bank account through the fake account, the complaint says.

“The audit further uncovered other transfers of Indecomm funds and payments to other accounts that Thao appears to have owned and/or controlled,” the complaint alleges.

An attorney for Indecomm spoke with Thao by phone and told him the audit showed he had misdirected hundreds of thousands of dollars to his accounts. When the attorney suggested the amount was about $650,000, Thao responded by saying it was “around” that figure, the complaint says.

Thao went on to say during the phone call that he began diverting funds at a time when Indecomm was “not providing him with enough resources or support,” the complaint reads. He added that he spent the funds and did not have money to repay his former employer.

The charges reflect $384,700 that Thao diverted into his Wells Fargo account between Oct. 1, 2020, and March 31, 2023. They do not include funds that Thao transferred into the bank account “through this embezzlement scheme” prior to October 2020, or to his other accounts, the complaint says.

Court records show that Thao was sued by Synchrony Bank in May for a $4,311 outstanding balance on a credit card he was issued on Jan. 26, 2023, just days before he was fired by Indecomm. A June judgement ordered Thao to repay the balance, as well as incurred interest and fees.

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