Connect with us

Star Tribune

December temperatures could hit record-setting 50s and 60s in Minnesota

Avatar

Published

on


The balmy start to December is poised to turn record-setting as temperatures rise into the 50s in the Twin Cities Thursday and could reach 60 degrees in western Minnesota.

Friday will be a tad cooler across the state, but record highs could be reached again, the National Weather Service said.

“Not very often can we say this in December, but … crack a window,” the National Weather Service said in a posting on X, formerly known as Twitter.

December is off to a warmer-than-normal start in the Twin Cities as high temperatures have been above freezing every day this month, including Wednesday’s high of 47 degrees. With the sun out on Thursday, the mercury is expected to climb even higher and threaten to eclipse the daily record high of 54 degrees set 84 years ago in 1939.

A high of 61 degrees is forecast Thursday for Redwood Falls and Marshall in southwestern Minnesota with upper 50s in places such as Windom, Worthington, Fairmont, Mankato and Bird Island.

Friday will be slightly cooler, but it will still feel more like April than December. Highs will reach into upper 40s and possibly 50 degrees, the Weather Service said. The record high at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the official weather reporting station for the metro area, is 50 degrees set in 1990.

No arctic fronts are in sight, but a weekend cooldown will bring a chance of light snow Saturday. It won’t be much — less than an inch likely — but “just enough to cause slick roads,” the weather service said.

Behind the snow, high temperatures Sunday and into the middle of next week will drop off into the 30s with lows in the upper teens and into 20s, the weather service said.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Star Tribune

Satellite images show damage from Israeli attack at 2 secretive Iranian military bases

Avatar

Published

on


Other buildings destroyed at Khojir and Parchin likely included buildings where Iran used industrial mixers to create the solid fuel needed for its extensive ballistic missile arsenal, Eveleth said.

In a statement issued immediately after the attack Saturday, the Israeli military said it targeted ”missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the state of Israel over the last year.”

Destroying such sites could greatly disrupt Iran’s ability to manufacture new ballistic missiles to replenish its arsenal after the two attacks on Israel. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which oversees the country’s ballistic missile program, has been silent since Saturday’s attack.

Iran’s overall ballistic missile arsenal, which includes shorter-range missiles unable to reach Israel, was estimated to be ”over 3,000” by Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, then-commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command, in testimony to the U.S. Senate in 2022. In the time since, Iran has fired hundreds of the missiles in a series of attacks.

There have been no videos or photos posted to social media of missile parts or damage in civilian neighborhoods following the recent attack — suggesting that the Israeli strikes were far more accurate that Iran’s ballistic missile barrages targeting Israel in April and October. Israel relied on aircraft-fired missiles during its attack.

However, one factory appeared to have been hit in Shamsabad Industrial City, just south of Tehran near Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main gateway to the outside world. Online videos of the damaged building corresponded to an address for a firm known as TIECO, which advertises itself as building advanced machinery used in Iran’s oil and gas industry.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Star Tribune

This Rochester MN school police officer used to be a narcotics cop

Avatar

Published

on


Some take him up on it and fret when he’s not around.

“It is nice to be missed and be part of the school’s culture,” Arzola said. But mostly, he added, he wants kids to know that police aren’t around just for when the bad stuff happens. He’ll hand out his stickers and bracelets, even a trading card bearing his image. Then, they’ll talk about dogs and family.

School resource officer Al Arzola talks to students in his office at John Adams Middle School in Rochester on Oct. 11. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Two months ago, Rochester played host to a three-day training session for new SROs from across the state — an event organized by the Minnesota School Safety Center. On the final day, the 26 officers learned about surveillance challenges at the other school where Arzola works: Dakota Middle School.

It is a beautiful building with a scenic view. There is a lot of glass, too. Arzola, handling the role of instructor and tour guide, took the group outside and noted how one could look straight through the entrance to the large groups that gather inside. There were no curbs in front, either.

“There is nothing stopping any vehicle whatsoever from going through my front doors,” Arzola told the officers. “Law enforcement wasn’t talked to before this building was made. It was kind of like, ‘Here it is. You’re the SRO. Do what you do.’”

He showed them his office, too, which is separate from the main office and near those of other school support staff members. That makes sense, said Jenny Larrive, SRO coordinator for the Minnesota School Safety Center, given than SROs spend more time connecting with youth than on actual law enforcement.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Star Tribune

How Minnesota is recruiting poll workers in a divisive presidential election

Avatar

Published

on


“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.”



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024 Breaking MN

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.