Star Tribune
Cougar living in Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, city, DNR warn
Cougar tracks were spotted in the snow in a Minneapolis neighborhood Tuesday morning, one day after the big cat was captured on home security video footage.
The cougar sauntered across the driveway of a Lowry Hill home about 3:30 a.m. Monday, surprising the homeowner, who was at his Wisconsin cabin when he saw the alert on his smart phone.
“I thought it was one of those morning dreams where you doze off and it seems really realistic,” said Rick, who asked that his last name not be used to avoid further commotion in the neighborhood.
Late Tuesday afternoon, officials with Minneapolis Animal Care and Control and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said they had confirmed that a cougar was living around the 1700 block of Logan Avenue S., in the Lowry Hill neighborhood not far from Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake. They warned the public in that area to be cautious.
“Parents of small children should pay increased attention when outside,” said Caroline Hairfield, the city’s animal control director, in a statement. “Pet owners with small dogs or cats should supervise their animals when they are outdoors.”
The agencies were working together on tracking the cougar, and reminded the public that it’s against the law to hunt a non-game animal. The DNR and other licensed peace officers may remove the cougar if it poses a threat to public safety.
Rick, the Lowry Hill homeowner who captured the cougar on his home video, said he has seen a few cougars — also known as mountain lions — before. But having one pass his house in the city was surreal, he said, and didn’t properly sink in until after his morning coffee.
Rick said he called police and sent the footage to the DNR. He worried about whether the cat would be able to find its way out of the city, and for the safety of his neighbors and pets.
He and his wife woke up Tuesday to find a bloody trail in their driveway, stretching from the garage to the street, that he suspected was left by a mutilated raccoon.
Rick sent the video to neighbor Dan Bruggeman, who said he was shocked to see the apex predator on his block.
“There’s a sense of excitement, to have something like that in your neighborhood, but also a sense of concern,” he said.
Even more surprising was seeing cougar tracks in the street Tuesday morning after Monday night’s snowfall, he added.
Robyn Bruggeman posted the video Monday on the neighborhood website Nextdoor, eliciting more than 50 comments from people expressing shock, awe and concern for the animal. She wrote that authorities had been notified about the sighting.
The video shows the cougar leaping over a 4-foot fence. Rick said it would’ve also had to jump the house’s 6-foot fence, not shown on the video, to make it by the garages.
This marks only the second time a cougar has been spotted in Hennepin County since 2004, though a cougar was found dead in Bloomington in 2020 after it apparently was hit by a vehicle on a freeway.
A cougar was spotted on video in Duluth this summer, and another was seen a few weeks ago in Carver County. A Wisconsin bowhunter fearing for his safety shot and killed a cougar last month east of Alma, Wis., just downriver from Wabasha, Minn.
There have been over 80 verified cougar occurrences in Minnesota since the DNR began tracking them around 2007. Seeing one of the big cats in a densely populated urban area like Minneapolis is “extremely rare,” said Dan Stark of the DNR.
This year has seen an estimated 16 to 20 occurrences in Minnesota, the most ever. Verified sightings have increased in recent years, though it’s not clear whether that’s due to more cougars passing through or more home security cameras, Stark said.
Occurrences have been scattered across the state, from Duluth to Bemidji, from the Rochester area to Aitkin County, he said.
If you run into a cougar, don’t approach or corner it. The best thing to do is to appear bigger by holding your hands above your head, waving a hat or jacket and throwing rocks or sticks at the animal, Stark said. Make a lot of noise, and pick up small children and pets. Whatever you do, don’t run; if the cougar attacks, it’s recommended to fight back.
Encounters and sightings should be reported as soon as possible to a conservation officer or local law enforcement so that evidence — such as tracks, hair and scat — can be documented. Hairfield said residents should report sightings to 311 or the DNR at 651-296-6157.
“The basic rule in Minnesota is you cannot preemptively post law enforcement at a polling place,” he said. “A city can’t say, ‘Wow, Precinct Two, there’s a lot of intensity there, let’s just put a cop at the door.’”
Simon doesn’t go deep into the details on security, though. “I don’t want to give a total road map to the bad guys,” he said.
But testimony at the Capitol last year on behalf of the new law bolstering protections for election and polling place workers indicated there’s room for concern. One election worker was followed to her car by an angry voter; the head of elections in another county was called repeatedly on her home phone during off hours, and an official was lunged at by an aggrieved voter, forcing her to call the local sheriff.
Those who violate the law could now face civil damages and penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation.
The Brennan Center survey indicated more than four in 10 election leaders were concerned about recruiting enough poll workers due to threats of harassment and intimidation. This includes doxing — publishing a person’s personal information online in a threatening manner — and swatting, fake emergency calls that result in an armed response being sent to someone’s home.
“Election officials are working to prepare for everything right now,” said Liz Howard, director of partnership engagement at the Brennan Center. “More than 90% of election officials have made improvements to election security since 2020.”
Star Tribune
Daylight saving time ends next weekend. This is how to prepare for the potential health effects
The good news: You will get a glorious extra hour of sleep. The bad: It’ll be dark as a pocket by late afternoon for the next few months in the U.S.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time next Sunday, Nov. 3, which means you should set your clock back an hour before you go to bed. Standard time will last until March 9 when we will again ”spring forward” with the return of daylight saving time.
That spring time change can be tougher on your body. Darker mornings and lighter evenings can knock your internal body clock out of whack, making it harder to fall asleep on time for weeks or longer. Studies have even found an uptick in heart attacks and strokes right after the March time change.
”Fall back” should be easier. But it still may take a while to adjust your sleep habits, not to mention the downsides of leaving work in the dark or trying exercise while there’s still enough light. Some people with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression usually linked to the shorter days and less sunlight of fall and winter, may struggle, too.
Some health groups, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology.
Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do — mostly in Europe and North America — the date that clocks are changed varies.
Two states — Arizona and Hawaii — don’t change and stay on standard time.
Here’s what to know about the twice yearly ritual.
Star Tribune
Harris and Walz will visit all the battleground states in the campaign’s closing stretch
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will crisscross the United States to visit all seven battleground states in the coming days, part of a final blitz before the Nov. 5 election.
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, will spend Sunday in Philadelphia, attending church services in the morning and visiting a barbershop. The vice president also plans to stop at a Puerto Rican restaurant and a youth basketball facility.
On Monday, Walz, the Minnesota’s governor who is Harris’ running mate, will campaign in Manitowoc and Waukesha, Wisconsin, before a joining Harris for a rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the singer Maggie Rogers is scheduled to perform.
Harris will be in the nation’s capital on Tuesday to deliver what her campaign calls her ”closing argument” in a speech from the Ellipse, a grassy space adjacent to the National Mall. It’s the same place where then-President Donald Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, when the Republican called on his supporters to march on the Capitol.
Walz is scheduled to campaign Tuesday in Savannah and Columbus in Georgia.
Harris plans to visit North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Wednesday. The event in Madison, Wisconsin, is expected to feature musical performances by Mumford & Sons and others.
Walz willbe in Charlotte and Asheville, North Carolina, that day.
On Thursday, Harris will be in Nevada for rallies in Reno and Las Vegas, and in Phoenix. The band Maná will perform in Las Vegas and Los Tigres del Norte will perform in Phoenix.
How Minnesota is recruiting poll workers in a divisive presidential election
Transcript: Sen. JD Vance on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Oct. 27, 2024
Daylight saving time ends next weekend. This is how to prepare for the potential health effects
How Minnesota is recruiting poll workers in a divisive presidential election
Transcript: Sen. JD Vance on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Oct. 27, 2024