GREENFIELD, Wis. — A 7-year-old boy riding a bike in Greenfield has died after authorities say he was hit by a car driven by a teen. 

It happened Friday around 8 p.m., the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office told KARE 11.

The boy was riding his bike on Greenfield Road when a he was struck by a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old. Officials said paramedics attempted to save the 7-year-old but he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

“This is a tragedy and we are holding family and friends in our thoughts and prayers,” the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said in statement. 

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. 

MINNEAPOLIS — Hours ahead of Tuesday night’s pivotal debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, KARE 11 checked in with three veteran Minnesota political analysts to get their quick takes on what’s at stake for both candidates.

The consensus remains that Harris has more at stake in the rhetorical tussle in Philadelphia, barring any huge gaffes by Trump.

Steven Schier – Carleton College Political Science professor emeritus:

“Harris has more to gain and more to lose than Donald Trump tonight. The reason for that is about a third of the public in the polls want to know more about her. They don’t really feel they have a good understanding of who she is. That’s an opportunity and it’s also a problem, in that, a lot depends on her performance tonight with that big chunk of the public.”

“However, important this debate may be, it probably won’t fundamentally alter the fact that the race will remain very competitive up to Election Day.”

“Trump will certainly focus on inflation, the economy, and immigration, which are top concerns amongst voters. And Harris will focus on January 6th, the riot at the Capitol, Donald Trump’s personal past, and the threat to democracy he may present.”

“What you’ll see from Harris is an attempt to pivot towards the future whenever she can, so as not to have to discuss the record of the Biden Administration. With Trump what you will see is constant comparisons – my presidency versus Biden’s.” 

Larry Jacobs, Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the U of M:

“I don’t think anyone following polls can really tell you who’s ahead at this point, so tonight emerges as maybe the biggest opportunity and the only opportunity to tilt the election in favor of one candidate or another.”

“Donald Trump has done this a bunch of times and has performed well. He knocked Joe Biden out of the race. On the other hand, Kamala Harris has had some momentum, she represents a younger candidate, a candidate with real experience as a prosecutor who will try to pin Trump’s ears back.”

“For Kamala Harris, she has got to convey that she is going to be an agent of change because of the dissatisfaction with the Biden Administration. For Donald Trump, he’s got to assure America he’s going to be a reliable and more under control candidate and president.”

“Can Trump stick to the issues? Or will he give in the temptation to go off on the handle? It will be a disaster for him if he were to any way question the race or gender of Kamala Harris, which he’s done in speeches and other appearances in the past.”

David Schultz, Hamline University and U of M School of Law:

“Only about two to three percent of the voters are undecided, and there are still a lot of voters who don’t know who Harris is. So, for a lot of reasons, she needs to restart momentum, introduce herself. Less than 60 days before the election she’s still introducing herself to large chunks of the American population, so, this debate is really important for her.”

“For Trump, his supporters are locked in. They are loyal. We know they’re going to vote for him. Harris’s support is still, let’s say, softer at this point.”

“Will they stick to the issues? If Trump sticks to issues of the economy, the border, inflation, the public likes where he is. They don’t like where he is on the abortion issue, so you’ll see him trying to walk away from that issue. Harris probably wants to get him upset, get him provoked so he goes off on a handle, goes in a whole bunch of different directions.”

“The future shouldn’t come down to a misstatement or mistake in a debate, but unfortunately, on Wednesday morning, the story for so many people will be did somebody commit a gaffe? Did somebody stay focused? Did somebody implode?”

KARE 11 will provide complete coverage of the ABC News debate Tuesday night and Wednesday.

VICTORIA, Minn. — The man behind Minnesota’s favorite apple has decided to call it a career.

This summer Jim Luby retired after a 40-plus year career of apple breeding at the University of Minnesota’s Horticultural Research Center.

During his career Luby and his team created some of the tastiest apples in the country, including SweeTango, Zestar! and their biggest success, Honeycrisp.

Luby is now passing the torch to a new generation of apple breeders who will be led by one of his former students.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Matt Clark said. “It’s a lot to take in.”

Clark enrolled in the master’s program at the University of Minnesota’s Applied Plant Science program in 2009. He received his degree a year later and started working on his PhD. That’s when he developed a strong appreciation for apple breeding.

“I did my PhD in the fruit-breeding lab. I studied, actually, Honeycrisp. I had an opportunity to take a deep dive into why Honeycrisp has this special gene and to be part of the legacy of Honeycrisp in Minnesota,” Clark said.

After graduation, Clark joined the department as an associate professor in their grape-breeding department to develop new wine grapes that can survive in Minnesota winters.

In late 2023 Clark was asked if he would be willing to transition over to apples and take over for his former professor.

“Jim is an exceptional scientist and a wonderful person and it’s some big shoes to fill,” Clark said.

Yes, some big shoes indeed, but also an iconic apple to live up to.

“Honeycrisp was our gem. It still is, and we use it a lot in breeding, and what we’ve realized is our competition is too, because of that excellent quality, the crispiness. So, we have to step up our game to compete with everybody who is using Honeycrisp as a parent,” Clark said.

Clark said almost every apple they’re developing right now is somehow connected to Honeycrisp.

“Honeycrisp was either the grandparent, maybe even great grandparent, or maybe even the parent to a lot of the apples we work with,” Clark said.

Every year the research team plants hundreds of seeds and each one of them is slightly different. If the seed grows into a tree that can survive a Minnesota winter, then the apples move on to the taste test.

“It can’t taste bad, it can’t be bitter or astringent, but it might be a little tart, might be a little sweet, might have some interesting flavors, but if it’s not crisp and juicy like Honeycrisp or SweeTango, there’s no way it’s going to end up in our cooler,” Clark said.

The apples that show enough qualities to earn a spot in their cooler are then tested to see how long they can survive on the shelf.

“If they can only survive for a month and a half or so then we kick them out,” Clark explained.

Very few apples meet their strict standards for quality, taste and shelf-life.

Clark said the research team usually tests out more than 10,000 combinations before they can find one new variety that is good enough to release to the public.

“Apple breeding is a long-term investment,” he said. “20-ish years to develop a new variety.”

Clark said it’s very possible the next great apple may be growing in their orchard right now, but he understands that great discoveries take time.

“I’m not looking to retire any time soon, but you know, if I’m here in 25 years, at the end of my career, we’re hoping to have some more success stories that we can look back on.”