Every year Bobby Nabors and Venita Bengazi decorate their home to brighten their stretch of Rice Street in St. Paul's North End. They spend hours preparing for each holiday, lining pumpkins on their porch steps or stringing Christmas lights around a tree in their yard. They are one of the only houses on the block that decorate, but both say it's worth it to see the reactions of their neighbors .
After pandemic surge left scars, violent crime begins to ebb in St. Paul startribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from startribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
St. Paul police continue to solve homicides at a higher-than-average rate: there has been an arrest or resolution in all except three of 2023's homicides.
Homicides in St. Paul in 2023 declined from recent years, but are still higher than five years ago. St. Paul’s homicide rate began increasing in 2019 and peaked in 2022 with 40 homicides. There were 32 homicides this year as of Saturday afternoon. St. Paul averaged 17 homicides a year between 2010 and 2018. “I’ll never be happy until the numbers are zero,” Police Chief Axel Henry said recently. .