Star Tribune
Why has I-35 near Faribault turned into a death trap?
In one moment, a semitrailer truck, a pickup truck and a car were simultaneously heading north on Interstate 35 near Faribault, Minn. In a split second, the three vehicles collided. Two people died in the wreck.
The crash on Aug. 25 near milepost 53 was the third multi-vehicle wreck in the past few weeks in the area where drivers approach a work zone. But why?
“All the crashes are open investigations, so we are still determining the crash factors,” said Sgt. Troy Christianson of the Minnesota State Patrol.
Others have taken to social media to offer reasons why they think the busy southern Minnesota freeway has suddenly turned into a death trap. They blame narrow lanes and drivers who don’t heed warnings and are speeding and distracted as they are approaching a construction zone where travel lanes are reduced from two to one.
The recent incidents have some who live in the area trying to stay off I-35.
“I’ve started taking alternate routes to avoid that area,” Faribault resident Gail Hurla Kreger wrote on Facebook
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is resurfacing the freeway between Rice County Road 48 and Hwy. 21. The agency warns drivers they will experience significant slowdowns or long backups during popular travel periods.
Drivers are first alerted to construction 10 miles before arriving at the merge point. Then starting six miles from the merge point and every mile after, MnDOT has signs with detectors that flash when traffic is slowed or stopped ahead.
In the final mile there are a series of signs about the work zone with instructions for drivers to use both lanes and zipper merge at a designated point. But traffic tends to line up in the right lane and back up, said MnDOT spokesman Mike Dougherty.
The recent violent wrecks that have left three dead and several others injured are of deep concern to MnDOT, Dougherty said.
“Anytime there is a crash, we are analyzing what occurred and if there’s something we can do additionally or if there is something that can be adjusted in the work zone,” he said. “That is why we are always interested in the findings of the crash investigation to see what State Patrol has determined.”
Dougherty said the incidents are a good reminder of how dangerous work zones can be. He said drivers need to slow down, give driving their full attention, avoid unnecessary lane changes and keep a safe cushion of space for a following distance.
He also suggested adjusting travel schedules, if possible, to avoid peak traffic periods of Fridays and Sundays on summer weekends when many people are vacationing or heading to large events such as the State Fair.
The I-35 construction project is expected to last through early November.
I-94 closure
Eastbound Interstate 94 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Sept. 11 between Interstate 394 and Interstate 694 as crews paint the the Plymouth Avenue bridge. Westbound will be closed Sept. 15-18.
Betty Danger’s, the quirky northeast Minneapolis bar known for its Ferris wheel and miniature golf, has been sold for $3.5 million.
The property, located at 2501 Marshall St. NE and 2519 Marshall St. NE, was purchased on Nov. 15, according to the certificate of real estate value filed with the state. The primary buyer of the site is entrepreneur Joe Radaich, according to Taylor VerMeer, a spokeswoman for an undisclosed project planned for the site.
“While I can confirm that Joe Radaich is the primary buyer listed on this project, we are not able to share anything more at this time,” VerMeer said in an email.
Radaich has operated bars in the past, including Sporty’s Pub and Grill, which later became Como Tap. Radaich no longer operates Como Tap, an employee said on Tuesday. Radaich did not return requests for comment. Attempts to reach Leslie Bock, the Betty Danger’s previous owner, were unsuccessful.
The property’s mortgage payments are set at $18,886 per month with a 6.15% interest rate, the state filings show.
A Minneapolis nonprofit that served food to low-income kids has agreed to dissolve itself after a state investigation found it violated laws regarding its operations and financial transactions.
The move was announced Tuesday by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office began investigating Gar Gaar Family Services, also known as the Youth Leadership Academy, after it was denied from participating in a federally funded program to provide food to students after school.
The investigation then found additional issues, including:
An attorney who has represented Gar Gaar, Barbara Berens, could not be reached Tuesday afternoon. Neither Ali or Morioka have been charged in criminal court.
The settlement by the state and Gar Gaar requires it to begin the dissolution process within 60 days of a court’s approval. The nonprofit then must transfer its assets to other charitable organizations with a similar mission.
Gar Gaar, which means “help” in Somali, launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to help students in need, especially those in the Somali community. The group served meals outside of the school year as part of the Summer Food Service Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture but managed by the Minnesota Department of Education.
Gar Gaar received $21 million in reimbursements for serving 7 million meals — the top provider of summer meals in Minnesota in 2021.
What would have been a wild story was quickly put to rest Tuesday when Bloomington police issued a statement clarifying that no, it was not in possession of a recorded O.J. Simpson murder confession.
TMZ reported Tuesday afternoon that Bloomington police may have unwittingly come into possession of such a recording after arresting a former bodyguard of Simpson’s more than two years ago.
But about two hours after that report published, the suburban police department sent out a release that said the belongings seized during the arrest of Iroc Avelli had been inspected and officers “did not locate any information of evidentiary value for the Los Angeles Police Department.”
Here’s what police said happened:
Bloomington police arrested Avelli under suspicion of assault on March 3, 2022. Several items were taken by police in the process, including a backpack which contained multiple thumb drives, according to a statement.
They said Avelli and his attorney said one of the thumb drives in the backpack contained a recording of Simpson confessing to the infamous 1994 murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman, according to Bloomington police.
A search warrant was granted to inspect the thumb drives. A copy was obtained by TMZ, dated June 26, and the document only said the results from the search were “pending.”
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