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Memorial grows as community mourns latest first responder deaths
A day after two Burnsville police officers and one firefighter/paramedic were shot and killed, tributes poured in at city hall.
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — People have been traveling from across the region to pay tribute to three first responders who were shot and killed in Burnsville, but many don’t have to look far for a reason why.
“My son is a Shakopee police officer, so these sort of tragedies in our community really hit close to home,” said Kate McCarten, adding that her son is also just one year younger than fallen Burnsville Police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge.
“They all feel so young,” McCarten said. “They put their life on the line every day, and I’m sure every day they go to work expecting to come home, knowing there is a possibility that they won’t.”
“They run into danger when everybody is running out, and when we call, they come as fast as they can,” said Raphael Harden, who drove from Richfield to hand deliver flowers.
Harden arrived at the memorial just as a large gathering of Burnsville officers and their families gathered outside to see the memorial and remember their fellow officers.
“Thank you for your family’s service,” Harden said, approaching some of the officers. “We appreciate everything you guys do.”
It’s not the first time Harden has shown her appreciation. She also helped line the procession route for the fallen officers on Sunday and says she visited several memorials for the 11 officers and first responders killed in the line of duty across Minnesota and neighboring regions in the last year.
“It’s too many,” Harden said. “And it’s like we shouldn’t be here. This (memorial) shouldn’t be here.”
Before this, local EMT’s couldn’t fathom being here.
“We are covering another city’s territory while that city cover’s Burnsville to help out,” said Arriel Davis, and EMT for M Health Fairview who stopped to deliver flowers before her shift on Monday. “It’s all hands on deck. They need time. Burnsville needs time and we’re going to give them as much resources as we can.”
Davis didn’t personally know Adam Finseth, the fire department paramedic who was killed during the shootout on Sunday, but she says the loss is still personal.
“It’s really close to home,” Davis said. “It’s people that do what we do, and it’s people we interact with on a daily basis. Until it actually happens it’s like, it could happen… this could happen at any time. It’s so sad.”
But that sadness won’t stop her – or anyone else here – from offering their support.
“I’m so proud of my son, so I can’t let that get in the way of the good that he’s trying to do,” McCarten said. “I’m just so proud of him. I went to bed last night thinking, there’s a mom just like me who went to bed last night without her son, so my heart goes out to them.”
In the meantime, they all simply hope their show of love and support also hits close to home.
“They appreciate it, I know they do,” Davis said. “Thank you.”
The story went viral on the internet and now, thanks to a vigilant following, Gracie Langham’s dog “Mav” has been found and was returned to home.
METAIRIE, La. — A community came together through social media to help a Metairie woman find her emotional support dog who ran off following a car crash.
The story went viral on the internet and now, thanks to a vigilant following, Gracie Langham’s dog “Mav” has been found and returned home.
Langham tells WWL Louisiana’s Meg Farris that Mav was spotted with someone in Pensacola Florida.
On Saturday Langham met with the person in Florida who happily reunited Mav with his owner who had been desperately searching for him since the car crash on Halloween over a week ago.
“Last night at 9:17pm we received a tip that Mav was potentially with a family in Pensacola, FL. This information proved to be accurate, and this morning Mav was happily and safely reunited with his owners in Pensacola!!!! We will not be disclosing the name of the tipster until they give us permission to do so. THANKS BE TO GOD! We are so thankful and appreciative to all who have given their time, efforts, and resources in our search to find Mav. This would not have been possible without you. We are forever grateful for the power of this community and the kind hearts of many. Thank you!!!!!,” said an update on the search in a social media post on a Facebook page dedicated to finding the lost dog.
“We’d like to express our extreme gratitude to the doctors and staff at Clearview Vet Hospital, Excel Signs and Graphics, and the many other businesses and community members who donated to helping get the word out about Mav being missing!”
Now that Mav has been found, we need some time to rest and recharge. For this reason, we will not be providing any additional information or addressing any comments at this time so that we can focus on doing what we need to do for ourselves. Thank you for understanding this and respecting what we need. Thank you.”
IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD AND THE POWER OF PRAYER, TODAY SHOULD BE YOUR PROOF!!!
Posted by Find Mav – Metairie, La on Saturday, November 9, 2024
On Halloween, it had rained, and the streets were wet and slick. Langham told WWL she was driving with her adolescent golden retriever, Mav when she made a turn in Metairie at Clearview and Utica and skidded out.
“All of the airbags deployed, and Mav was very scared, and I was very scared, and I had to kick the door out. He sprinted away from me, and I was screaming his name, and running as fast as I could behind him, but I lost him,” she said.
Startled by the commotion after the crash Mav ran off and after Langham launched a plea on social media, the public search began.
Mav is an emotional support animal offering emotional support to Langham, an LSU dental student, who helps her cope after she lost both of her grandparents recently.
Mav’s family with the Humane Society of Louisiana offered a $5,750 reward for the golden retriever.
Mav has a microchip implant to identify him which may have helped with the search.
Langham says she is so happy that Mav was found safe and being checked out by a veterinarian.
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Meet Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and the Dark Lord of the Sith, Emperor Palpatine!
MINNEAPOLIS — Get ready for a weekend celebration of comics and pop culture, including TV, film, cosplay, gaming, and anime.
The fourth annual Twin Cities Con returns to the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Fans of all ages are invited to join the fun and meet dozens of internationally known TV and movie actors, wrestlers, anime voice actors, comic creators, and other entertainers.
Some of the celebrities include Star Wars legends Ian McDiarmid and Hayden Christensen; Grant Gustin from The Flash; La Bamba star Lou Diamond Phillips; The voice of Spongebob Squarepants, Tom Kenny; Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Rider Strong from Boy Meets World; Brooklyn 99’s Stephanie Beatriz; Hall of Fame wrestler Sting; Diane Guerrero from Orange Is the New Black and Doom Patrol.
WHERE: Minneapolis Convention Center
TICKETS: Weekend Pass – $70
INFO: For a complete list of celebrities, events, exhibitors, and more, please visit twincitiescon.com.
FashionFest is a night to sip, shop and support M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital.
MINNEAPOLIS — This year’s annual fundraiser for the M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, FashionFest, is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15 at the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel – The Depot.
The walk-around wine and food-tasting event includes shopping from curated boutiques and enjoying an exceptional fashion show featuring Twin Cities celebrities.
In the past 11 years, FashionFest has raised over $3.5 million to help provide pediatric services, programming and activities for young patients and their families.
U.S. News and World Report ranks Masonic Children’s Hospital among the top children’s hospitals in the U.S. for the 15th year in a row.
