Star Tribune
Flooding closes three rides at Valleyfair theme park, forces Stillwater to call off fireworks
Flood waters that have ravaged much of southern Minnesota have reached the metro, putting parts of Valleyfair in Shakopee under water and forcing Stillwater to call off July 4 fireworks.
Some streets and parks in St. Paul are closed as water on the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers continue to rise and are not expected to crest until the weekend.
Late Tuesday, a house that had teetered on the edge of the swollen Blue Earth River near the Rapidan Dam fell into the river, the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities said they continue to monitor impacts downstream.
On Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar toured hard-hit areas of the state, including Waterville, where the National Guard has been deployed to help residents recover as the southern Minnesota town remained inundated with water.
Stillwater, often seen as one of the prime spots to view July 4 fireworks, has called off its pyrotechnics. The St. Croix River continues to rise and will make Lowell Park unusable. With MnDOT’s lift bridge already closed, people would have to sit in parking lots and there would be nowhere for thousands of visitors to park, said Mayor Ted Kozlowski.
“Super sad, but I think it’s the right call,” the mayor said in a Facebook post. “We will definitely make up for it and have a wonderful fireworks display this summer when we can all enjoy it to its fullest.”
Back in Shakopee, the amusement park has shut down three rides, and starting Wednesday is directing visitors to use remote parking lots due to “significant flooding” of the Minnesota River.
Closed until further notice are the Renegade and Excalibur roller coasters and Thunder Canyon, a white water rafting ride.
“We do not yet know how long it will take for the river to recede to normal levels as that depends on the weather,” park officials said in a statement.
The Minnesota River is not expected to crest until Saturday in the area and remain at major flood stage at least through July 2, the National Weather Service said.
The remainder of the park’s other 75 rides are open, park officials said.
Most guests will be directed to park at off-site lots until waters recede, including the nearby Canterbury Park overflow lot and Minnesota Valley Transit Authority’s Southbridge Crossings and Eagle Creek park and ride stations. Parking will be free at the off-site lots and MVTA shuttle guests to and from the park.
Valleyfair’s overflow parking lot will remain open, but only four-wheel drive vehicles with “adequate clearance” will be allowed to use it.
In St. Paul, city officials have already closed a 3-mile segment of Warner and Shepard roads as well as parts of 2nd and Sibley and Jackson streets downtown. The city is bracing for a crest of 21 feet Saturday morning. That is 4 feet above major flood stage and would mark the seventh highest crest on record.
Star Tribune
Trump is set to respond to Harris on immigration during his visit to a small Wisconsin town
Republicans including U.S. Sen. Derrick Van Orden, who is from Prairie du Chien, have criticized authorities in both Minneapolis and Madison for letting Coronel Zarate go, saying they essentially allowed him to attack the woman in Prairie du Chien. They have accused both jurisdictions of being sanctuaries for people in the country illegally.
Michelle Marie Dietrich, a public defender representing Coronel Zarate in the Prairie du Chien case, declined to comment. Charlotte Wynes, another public defender representing him in Prairie du Chien along with Dietrich, didn’t respond to a voicemail seeking comment. Michelle Brandemuehl, a public defender representing him in Madison, also didn’t respond to a voicemail message seeking comment.
Trump has repeatedly portrayed migrants as criminals and blamed Harris for failing to stem an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration, though border crossings have fallen since President Joe Biden instituted an executive order limiting asylum claims. Democrats, in turn, have blamed Trump for persuading allies in Congress to kill bipartisan legislation that would have funded more border agents and given the Homeland Security secretary authority to prohibit entry for most people over a daily limit.
One option presented to some vendors has been to register for the state’s Cottage Food Producer permit, based on a 2015 law that allows people to “make and sell certain nonpotentially hazardous food and canned goods in Minnesota without a license.”
Chavez said that’s a step in the wrong direction. Such a permit would allow vendors to sell homemade baked goods and pickled fruits and vegetables, but still wouldn’t allow them to operate on city sidewalks or in traffic.
“People might apply, but it isn’t actually going to address the root issue that people are struggling with,” he said.
The issue is one of equity according to Chowdhury, who said some vendors don’t have the necessary knowledge or resources because they’re still new to the country. Licensing or permit fees become barriers for new vendors trying to become compliant.
“When it comes to folks that are immigrants, new to our community, that’s an incredible barrier. So if we’re going to do economic empowerment, that’s the barrier that we want to help resolve, and so I’m 100 percent supportive of waiving these fees,” she said.
A street vendor near Lake Street and Portland Avenue in south Minneapolis. (Dymanh Chhoun, Sahan Journal)
Claudia Lainez, workers’ center director at COPAL, a Latino advocacy organization, said they have been monitoring the growth of street vendors across the metro area specifically because many are undocumented. She said vendors tend to be women because men, even undocumented, typically struggle less to find work.
A Minneapolis family is grieving after their 34-year-old husband and father died Thursday when he was struck by an SUV while riding an electric scooter.
Benjamin Nyman Walker was weaving through traffic while headed south on Nicollet Avenue near Interstate 494 when he was struck by a southbound Jeep Wrangler at 5:44 p.m., Richfield police said. Police, emergency workers and HCMC paramedics tried to save Walker, but he died at the scene.
An organizer collecting funds to support the family said Walker was on his way home from work when he was killed. Walker’s wife, Crystal, said he was a loving man who was quick to tell dad jokes and quicker to help others.
“He would give you the shirt off of his back in times of need. He was someone who was there to listen and give his truth,” said Crystal Walker, adding that the two had been planning to move to Wisconsin. “He was the light in any room when he was happy, and he tried his hardest to always make sure he kept everyone’s spirits up.”
“Being without him is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be,” said Walker’s daughter, Karissa. “He was so sweet and he always cared about other people’s feelings.”
A similar scooter accident led authorities to arrest a woman in Texas for fatally injuring 52-year-old Andre Zedrick Steward in a July hit-and-run collision in Minneapolis. The woman told a witness that she was driving drunk when she hit a man, adding that she and her sister had fled the scene and flown to Las Vegas.
Staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this report.
