Kare11
Preparations begin for winter storm in Twin Cities
Officials say they are working to be prepared for the upcoming storm.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Department of Transportation crews will be working 12-hour shifts to clear the roads starting at midnight, according to the department.
Officials said that ahead of the storm, they are working to ensure all of MnDOT’s vehicles are ready for the roads.
Crews will be dealing with tricky conditions including wind, snow, and brutally cold temperatures.
It will also take longer for salt, brine and other chemicals to take effect.
“I want drivers to be ready for that extra impact,” said MnDOT spokesperson Anne Meyer. “It might take a little bit while longer for our crews to get roads back in the clear because of that cold air. And then of course the wind. The wind is one of those factors that really does change the game a little bit, we’re gonna see blowing snow coming back on the roadway. So it’s going to prolong our cleaning efforts.”
Local shelters are also busy preparing for the storm.
The Salvation Army’s Harbor Light Center has squeezed in a few beds in the overflow section because the organization’s leadership didn’t want to turn people away.
Aside from the shelter beds the center provides at that location, for the first time this season it will convert its seven Twin Cities service centers into warming centers.
Centers typically do this when the wind chill drops below zero. Salvation Army Captain Dan Simmons leads the Noble Worship and Service Center.
“We often deal with people who are already in difficult situations,” said Simmons. “We do get our team ready to receive and give a bit of extra supplies.”
According to Hennepin County, there’s 964 shelter beds available. Earlier in the week, 50 beds were open overnight.
“With input from people with lived experience, Hennepin County has worked in recent years to identify and fill system gaps – the result is a structure that provides uninterrupted 24/7 safe space for people experiencing homelessness,” said a county spokesperson. “(Seventy-five percent) of county-contracted adult shelters and 100% of county-contracted family shelters now are accessible all day, every day, and we work with a network of public and private sector partners that open their spaces to provide spaces where people can go without the expectation of spending money.”
Plumbing and HVAC companies are also hard at work preparing homes for the cold.
Blue Yeti Services said it has seen some homeowners procrastinating because of the warmer weather. The organization recommends that you set your thermostat correctly, change your filters and ensure your furnace is working properly. It also said it’s also important to bleed your radiator valves.
“Make sure your irrigation and your hose bibs are winterized,” said Emily Black, co-owner of Blue Yeti Services. “Make sure the water is turned off. A lot of people will also cover their hose bib. You want to prevent frozen pipes in the winter because it can actually do a lot of damage to your home.”
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
At least one of the sites was immediately cleared in response to the shootings.
MINNEAPOLIS — By Monday afternoon, there wasn’t a tent in site along the railroad tracks off of E 44th St between Hiawatha and Snelling Avenues. There was only some leftover crime tape.
Just 24 hours prior, two men were killed and a woman was critically hurt in a triple shooting there.
Sunday, a neighbor told KARE what started with one tent in August grew in recent weeks. Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference that day.
“The Third Precinct, this part of the city, has the greatest concentration of homeless encampments so it remains a very serious public safety issue,” O’Hara said. “As soon as these encampments move in, we have a significant increase in crime in the general area and once we’re able to clear them, crime generally does go down.”
Monday, a City of Minneapolis spokesperson confirmed the encampment was “closed earlier today” and that “debris was cleared” from a smaller encampment where yet another triple shooting occurred early Saturday morning.
This one was near E 21st St and 15th Ave S. Three men were shot and one of them died.
Monday afternoon, there was a small fire going and a couple of adults seated outside. A memorial was also placed beside the fencing. The city says there weren’t any structures to remove from the location.
Frey’s office confirmed the immediate closure of the E 44th St encampment was a result of the shootings. However, there were prior discussions about closing it in the near future.
The Mayor’s Office sent KARE 11 the following statement Monday evening:
“The tragic and unacceptable loss of life at homeless encampments underscores the need for immediate action. Encampments are plagued by fentanyl abuse, drug trafficking, and gun violence, and they do not provide a dignified way to live—not for encampment residents and not for the neighbors in surrounding communities.”
“As new encampments form, we are committed to closing them while continuously offering shelter, addiction recovery resources, and support to our homeless residents.”
– Office of Mayor Jacob Frey
A city spokesperson also sent a statement saying the “Minneapolis Homeless Response Team is working right now with the Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County and other service providers to offer unsheltered individuals at both locations the necessary resources, services and shelter.”
“We want to help our residents find suitable arrangements in the most supportive and humane way we can. All of our Minneapolis residents deserve better,” the statement continued.
A police spokesperson confirmed no arrests have been made in either case.
The suspect was 17 at the time of the shooting, but he was charged as an adult.
A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, more than two years after a drive-by shooting left a 17-year-old dead.
Casimir Semlak, of St. Paul, was charged with shooting 17-year-old Anthony Skelley in May 2022 during an apparent drug deal in South St. Paul. Police say a search of Skelley’s cell phone uncovered that the last number he was in communication with was linked to the suspect.
Semlak was also 17 at the time but was charged in the adult court system.
Following his death, family members told KARE 11 in a statement that Skelley was a junior attending St. Paul Public Schools’ Gateway to College program, and had “a beautiful soul with a cheerful presence and a joyful spirit.”
Semlak will be sentenced in January 2025.
The Moorhead Police Department said Paige Reinke was last seen Sunday wearing a blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.
MOORHEAD, Minn. — Officials are asking for the public’s help locating a 17-year-old Moorhead girl that is believed to be endangered.
According to the Moorhead Police Department, Paige Reinke was last seen Sunday near the 2600 block of River Drive North wearing a blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) describes her as 5-foot-4, 155 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Moorhead Police Department at 701-451-7660.
