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December heat cancels attempted world-record ice maze in Eagan

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The heat is on and the ice maze is off in Eagan where warm weather forced the cancellation of the 2024 Minnesota Ice Festival.

Minnesota Ice CEO Robbie Harrell said continued higher-than-average temperatures prompted him to stop construction of what was to be an outdoor extravaganza and attempted Guinness World Record-setting ice maze.

“We’re going all in; This is the Minnesota Ice Festival,” an excited Harrell said in November.

Alas, safety concerns caused Harrell to pull the plug, he said in a statement late Wednesday.

“As the weather warms, it’s important for anyone attending events featuring large ice or snow structures to exercise extreme caution,” he said. “Warmer temperatures can affect the stability of these structures, potentially making them hazardous.”

The ice had already been delivered to Viking Lakes in Eagan, the headquarters of the Minnesota Vikings. The plan was to build an 18,000-square-foot maze and festival in the open-air TCO Stadium. With a planned opening date of Jan. 5, the aim was to break the 2010 record set by Buffalo, N.Y., of just under 13,000 square feet.

“We were really looking forward to celebrating the beautiful Minnesota winter with everyone, but the weather hasn’t cooperated, and we won’t be able to deliver the experience we had hoped for,” Harrell said.

Although the big maze is off for now, Harrell said the ice has been delivered and is being kept on, well, ice, so it won’t melt. He’s hopeful the weather will cool down enough for a celebration later this winter.

Minnesota Ice is the St. Paul-based company that built a maze last January on the Vikings’ Eagan campus, just south of Interstate 494 and east of Dodd Road. Harrell planned to expand the event into a full-fledged festival in early 2024, stretching into mid-February if the weather permitted.

In addition to the maze inside the stadium, he also planned an ice rink, warming house, skate rentals, multiple fire pits, an ice slide and an ice cannon shooting fireballs into the air. He planned for two ice bars and 10 food trucks under the lights of the stadium and its giant screen.

Harrell also scheduled a dramatic ice-sculpting contest with artists using 20-30 blocks of ice instead of the usual 5-10 blocks seen at other events. Each block weighs 300 pounds.

He was undaunted by the weather phenomenon El Niño’s destruction of the plans. “We’re already crafting icy wonders for 2025, so stay tuned for a season full of chill and thrill. Your support means the world to us, and we can’t wait to share what’s next.”

Kyle Chank, general manager of the entire Viking Lakes development, said the cancellation is a “bummer all around,” but Winter Skolstice events, including the market and light installations will continue through the end of the year. He said they’re working on additional events in the absence of the maze.

He also noted the campus walkways are open to the public and their leashed dogs who want to soak up the twinkling atmosphere.

Those who have already purchased tickets and gift cards for the Minnesota Ice Festival will receive automatic refunds within 7-10 days.



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Two killed in second Minneapolis encampment shooting of weekend

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Two men are dead and one woman was injured in a shooting at a homeless encampment in south Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon, police said. It was the second shooting at a Minneapolis encampment this weekend.

At about 2:20 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a reported shooting in the 4400 block of Snelling Avenue near the railroad tracks at the small encampment between Snelling and Hiawatha avenues. At the scene, officers found two men with fatal gunshot wounds, said Sgt. Garrett Parten Minneapolis Police spokesman. Responders rendered aid, but both men died at the scene.

A woman was found at the scene with life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital where she was being treated Sunday night, he said. Police have yet to say whether the three were living at the encampment.

Officers detained three people, who Parten said have since been released after police found they were not believed to be involved in the shooting. No suspects had been identified as of 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

The shooting is the second at a southside homeless encampment this weekend. One man died and two were critically injured early Saturday at an encampment shooting near E. 21st Street and 15th Avenue S. On Sunday, the man was identified as Deven Leonard Caston, 31, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“We don’t know if there’s a connection between this homeless encampment shooting and the one that occurred yesterday,” Parten said on Sunday. “That is a consideration of the investigation. We can’t rule it out.”

Ward 12 Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, who represents the area and lives nearby, was at the site of the shooting Sunday afternoon. She said officials need information about what happened to better understand how to address situations like this long-term.

“This is an absolute tragedy, and this type of violence should never occur within our city,” she said. “It really makes me think about how we need to look at this more systemically and not just take a whack-a-mole approach and expect the problem to go away.



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Walz plays Madden video game with AOC on Twitch

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During Sunday’s Twitch stream, Walz and Ocasio-Cortez played Madden while discussing making homebuying more accessible, building affordable housing, eliminating student loan debt and raising the federal minimum wage.

After the match, Walz showed off his Sega skills in a round of “Crazy Taxi,” the Y2K-era racing game where gamers play as a taxi driver picking up passengers and taking them to their destination for cash.

Walz called himself a “first-generation gamer” and recalled playing “Crazy Taxi” when he bought a Sega Dreamcast. He also mentioned the Minnesota Star Tribune’s coverage of how his old game console was sold and ended up with a Plymouth resident, who still has it.

Afterward, Walz and Ocasio-Cortez watched a short clip of Trump denying on Rogan’s podcast that he lost the 2020 presidential election. Democrat Joe Biden won that year.

Ocasio-Cortez during the livestream also showed viewers her farm on the cozy, indie game Stardew Valley. Walz said the game reminded him of Minnesota: “You’ve got mining,” he said. “You’ve got agriculture. You’ve got snow.”

Before Walz headed out to a rally in Nevada, he pleaded with viewers to vote. More than 12,000 viewers tuned into the livestream on Ocasio-Cortez’s Twitch channel. More watched from Harris’ channel.



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Trump’s Madison Square Garden event turns into a rally with crude and racist insults

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”Hey guys, they’re now scrambling and trying to call us Nazis and fascists,” said Alina Habba, one of Trump’s attorneys, who draped a sparkly ”MAGA” jacket over the lectern as she spoke. ”And you know what they’re claiming, guys? It’s very scary. They’re claiming we’re going to go after them and try and put them in jail. Well, ain’t that rich?”

Declared Hogan in his characteristic raspy growl: ”I don’t see no stinkin’ Nazis in here.”

Trump has denounced the four criminal indictments brought against him as politically motivated. He has ramped up his denunciations in recent weeks of ”enemies from within,” naming domestic political rivals, and suggested he would use the military to go after them. Harris, in turn, has called Trump a ”fascist.”

The arena was full hours before Trump was scheduled to speak. Outside the arena, the sidewalks were overflowing with Trump supporters in red ”Make America Great Again” hats. There was a heavy security presence. Streets were blocked off and access to Penn Station was restricted.

In the crowd was Philip D’Agostino, a longtime Trump backer from Queens, the borough where Trump grew up. The 64-year-old said it was appropriate for Trump to be speaking at a place bills itself as ”the world’s most famous arena.”

”It just goes to show ya that he has a bigger following of any man that has ever lived,” D’Agostino said.



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