Kare11
Focus turns from Rapidan Dam to adjacent bridge
The governor thanked emergency preparedness and public works leaders for their efforts, and met with family that lost home.
MANKATO, Minn. — A week after the rain-swollen Blue Earth River surged around the Rapidan Dam, nature’s wrath is clearly evident. A large section of the western bank is missing, and the adjacent Blue Earth County Highway 9 bridge has been closed.
Governor Tim Walz traveled there Tuesday to get a closer look at the aftermath and thank emergency preparedness and public works leaders for their efforts to keep the public safe amid historic flooding.
“And I can’t give enough thanks to the folks, making good decisions, stabilizing the situation, and then simultaneously started thinking about what does recovery look like,” Walz told reporters.
The river level has dropped, but it’s still cutting away at the banks, and the sandstone the County 9 bridge piers sit upon, which is why the bridge is closed and may need to be replaced.
“As we’re seeing dramatic levels of reiver head cutting, as the river’s lowering itself down and washing away tremendous amounts of sediment we’re losing stability,” Blue Earth County Public Works Director Ryan Thilges explained.
He said some rock had been brought into temporarily support one of the bridge’s tiers, but the current was still too strong to consider bolstering a second pier that may be compromised.
The site is now known worldwide, thanks to a viral video of the Hruska Family’s home falling into the river. The roiling waters were also threatening the family’s Rapidan Dam Store, so the county purchased the building and demolished it to keep it from falling into the river.
“We saved everything out of the store that was in there, from booths to the bar, I mean, you walk inside and there was nothing left,” David Hruska told KARE.
“When we’re able to open back up, we have parts of the Dam Store that we will put back into our new place. You’ll still get the feel from the old Dam Store when you come and visit us.”
David Hruska’s father, Jim, ran the store, which sat on a two-acre lot, since 1972. Now the store, the house, and most of the land is gone.
“He’s doing better than I thought. I’m surprised at how he’s handling it. We’ve had a lot of friends and family around us, and that really helps,” the younger Hruska remarked.
He said he didn’t see the house go into the river but got as much out of it as he could before that night.
“I’m still thinking of things I should’ve gotten out of the house, but the main thing is that we all have our lives. Nobody was hurt.”
Governor Walz met with the Hruska family privately in a mobile command trailer near the dam site, prior to addressing the media.
“He just wanted to know how were doing mostly, just making sure we were all right and could offer assistance.”
David Hruska and his father are staying with David’s sister, Jenny Barnes, for now, but the long-term dream is to rebuild a home and a store in the Blue Earth River Valley. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.
“The first three days you’re wondering if your house is going to be there when you wake up in the morning. And then your house goes and then you think about the store. Now our buildings are all gone, so I’m sleeping a little better,” Hruska explained.
“But still are worried about our future. We still want to rebuild. That’s our plan, but that’s a long way down the road.”
Blue Earth County Commissioner Kevin Paap said it’s hard to explain to outsiders how important the store was to locals.
“The Dam Store, the burgers and malts, the pies, and the walkout to the dam provided many special memories not only for our family, but many others,” Paap recalled.
“Seeing this today puts a hole in many of our hearts. Our thoughts and prayers are to the Hruska family and friends through this difficult and overwhelming time.”
So far 22 counties have presidential declarations setting them up for federal disaster relief, while 25 other counties may have to rely on state disaster aid. Those assessments are still underway, according to Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson.
“As many of you are aware, flooding is still going down in many areas,” Jacobson told reporters.
“To get a full damage assessment of those areas we need those flood waters to be able to go down to be able to do that.”
He said the state of emergency declaration is still in place, and that members of the Minnesota National Guard are still actively assisting with the efforts.
The first wave of federal and state aid is geared toward helping communities pay for repairs to public infrastructure, so that burden doesn’t fall entirely on local taxpayers. But Jacobson said some federal programs will also help with private losses, but that money has yet to be made available to the affected cities and counties.
The board is accepting public comments until late January.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) is looking for public input on two draft policies concerning cannabis use and THC products inside the park system.
The first policy is an update to the tobacco policy, which bans tobacco products of any kind on park land or facilities. This potential change would add smoking or vaping cannabis or THC products to that policy, banning it from park land and facilities.
“The tobacco portion of the policy does go more deeply into other forms of tobacco, but the cannabis portion just focuses on smoking and vaping,” Jennifer Ringold, the deputy superintendent for the MPRB, said.
The second proposed policy would create protocol for how vendors or permit holders could sell THC products within the park system. Beverages and edibles would be capped at a potency of 5 milligrams of THC per serving.
You can read both policies by clicking here. Public comment on both started this past Monday, and will last into January.
“We’re just trying to move through with where the commissioners views are of what they want to see happen within the Minneapolis Parks,” Ringold said.
Ringold says this wouldn’t add any sort of penalties if the cannabis element is added to the tobacco policy.
“I think it’s fair to say the commissioners are choosing a policy approach which doesn’t establish any type of penalty or any type of violation with it,” she said. “It does rely on, you know, park staff, community members, kind of self monitoring and doing the work that would would be done to discourage smoking or vaping within public spaces in the same way we currently do around tobacco, smoking and vaping in public spaces on the THC edibles and beverages side.”
With public comment still underway, we asked dozens of people Saturday their thoughts on the potential changes.
“When I come out to the park, I want it to be clean,” Sidney Grimmett said. “I want it to smell like nature.”
“I prefer none of it in the park,” Elizabeth Unger said.
Others say they don’t see what the issue is.
“It feels vindictive to me to make a big deal about the occasional person that’s going to be walking around making a, puffing away on it,” Val Baertlein said.
Ringold says as of Friday, they’ve had over a thousand people comment on the two policies.
Public comment will run through January, and in February, MPRB will look at those comments and update policies. In March, a public hearing will be held on the two, and commissioners will decide on the two that same month.
Chef Shelagh Mullen from the Arboretum’s culinary program whipped up this seasonably wholesome dish for the KARE 11 Saturday Holiday Cooking Show.
CHASKA, Minn — Food is usually best when it goes right from the farm to the kitchen.
And that’s exactly what happens at the U of M’s Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Chef Shelagh Mullen is at the helm of the Farm at the Arb program, where they plant, grow and harvest produce and herbs and then create seasonably wholesome fare.
Chef Shelagh invited the KARE 11 Saturday crew into her kitchen to whip up a Carmelized Onion and Gruyere Tart, perfect for Thanksgiving and the entire holiday season.
Squash, Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Tart
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons ice water
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 medium onions, very thinly sliced*
- Kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 oz. coarsely grated sharp cheddar or Gruyère
- 2 delicata squash (about 1½ lbs), halved lengthwise, seeds removed, very thinly sliced* (half moons)
- 1 small sweet potato, very thinly sliced* (half moons)
- 1 small red onion or shallot, very thinly sliced*
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Flaky sea salt
- An 11″- or 12″-diameter fluted tart pan with removable bottom
- Mandoline or food processor (or a very sharp knife)
Place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375°.
FILLING: Swirl 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet to coat bottom and add the onions; season with kosher salt. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook onions, stirring occasionally and making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan, until very soft and deep golden brown, 20-30 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and deeply browned, 5-10 more minutes (if onions get super dark and stick to the pan, a few drops of water should dislodge them). Let cool.
CRUST: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the metal blade. Add the cubed cold butter and pulse a few times, until the butter is evenly mixed in and resembles peas. Slowly add the water and pulse until the dough becomes crumbly and starts to stick together. Remove the dough from the food processor and put onto a clean surface. Form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛” thick. Transfer to tart pan. Lift up the edges and allow the dough to slump down into pan, don’t stretch the dough. Gently press into corners and trim excess. Freeze until firm, 15–20 minutes, or cover and chill in the fridge for up to 12 hours.
Cut sweet potato and red onion in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise with mandoline or food processor. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over vegetables and season with kosher salt.
Brush mustard over chilled dough, then sprinkle with cayenne (from up high, but more even distribution). Layer in the cheese, then top with the caramelized onions in an even layer.
Arrange vegetables (alternating the squash, sweet potato and red onion) in concentric circles, with rounded edges facing up, starting from the outside edge, leaning slices against the crust, and working your way inward.
Loosely cover with foil and bake tart until edges of vegetables are browned (a few spots may even get deeply browned) and crust is golden brown, 60–75 minutes. Melt thyme and butter in a small saucepan and cook just until butter is bubbling. Baste the tart with the butter and thyme mixture a few times while it bakes. Sprinkle with crunchy salt, place back in the oven, uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and veggies are soft.
*Use a mandoline, a very sharp knife, or food processor, to thinly slice squash, sweet potatoes and onions.
You can tell by the quote above that Cooks|Bellecour co-owner Karl Benson does not take the responsibility of making gravy lightly. Here’s his time-tested recipe.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — It is pretty clear that Cooks | Bellecour co-owner Karl Benson does not undervalue the sides and accouterments that may not bask in the spotlight but can make or break the holiday experience.
For example, Benson calls gravy “the sauce that ties the whole (Thanksgiving) meal together.” Whether it’s topping the mashed potatoes, elevating the stuffing or adding a new dimension to a pile of turkey, a good batch of gravy can push you from zero to HERO.
Karl dropped by the KARE 11 Saturday Holiday Cooking Show for a demonstration. Take a run at this recipe to see if it’s what the doctor ordered.
Karl Benson’s Gravy
- ¼ cup turkey fat and drippings
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white wine
- 4 cups of homemade turkey stock (see note)
- 5 leaves fresh sage
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup of whipping cream for a creamy version
- 2 tablespoons apple cider for a nuanced fall flavor
- zest of an orange for a citrus undertone
- If using the drippings after roasting a turkey, remove the turkey and place onto a resting rack or cutting board, leaving the drippings and fat in the bottom of the pan.
- If making ahead of time, use the drippings and bits from roasting the turkey bones for stock.
- In a medium saucepan or the roasting pan itself, heat fat and drippings on medium heat until simmering. While whisking constantly, sprinkle the flour over the whole bottom of the pan, making sure to scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan while whisking out any flour clumps.
- Continue to cook, over medium, whisking constantly, until the flour mixture gets thicker, homogenous, and lightly browned.
- Add the white wine and continue whisking until the flour has absorbed all of the liquid.
- Begin slowly adding the stock, still stirring constantly, approximately ½ cup at a time, to make sure the mixture stays smooth. Once all of the stock has been added, add the herbs and reduce to low so it can simmer until fragrant and thick. Optionally, finish with a small amount of cream.
- Serve warm.
