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Portion of home next to Rapidan Dam fell into river
Officials said the home tumbled into the river after being “undercut enough” by raging current running outside the failing dam.
MANKATO, Minnesota — A portion of the home closest to the Rapidan Dam tumbled into the serving Blue Earth River Tuesday evening.
Blue Earth County officials said in a very brief news release that the home had been “undercut enough” by water racing around the failing dam and washing away the riverbank before it fell into the river.
Team members from county public works, emergency management and the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office are monitoring for downstream impacts. County officials said they will provide more details on Wednesday morning.
Earlier Tuesday, officials said the volume of floodwaters moving over the compromised dam near Mankato appears to be dropping but concerns remain more damage could occur.
County Engineer and Public Works Director Ryan Thilges met with reporters near the dam on the Blue Earth River to give a status update on the incident, which involved a partial failure of the west abutment. This was due to heavy water flow from recent heavy rains and a buildup of logs and debris on the dam gates.
The powerful rush of water outside the dam created “erosion and slope-cutting” that swallowed up an Xcel Energy substation and a park storage building and sucked them into the rushing river. The riverside park and a private residence nearby remain threatened. Thilges explained that the ‘decay’ of the riverbank had slowed into Tuesday morning, saying it was “considerably less” than the damage that took place the day before.
Thilges said there is a bit of good news in that water flows over the dam have dropped slightly from 34,800 cubic feet per second Monday to 33,000 cfs Tuesday morning, signaling that the situation may be improving. The flows measured Monday make this incident the second-worst in Rapidan Dam history, behind the flood of 1965 that disabled the dam for 10 years. Maximum flow during that incident was measured at 43,100 csf, a happening Thilges referred to as a “500-year event.”
At this point, the Blue Earth County Road 9 bridge that crosses the river remains closed to keep observers from putting themselves in danger. Thilges said the county also wants to inspect the bridge after water levels drop to make sure the structure and the abutments it sits on have not been compromised.
While inspectors from the Army Corps of Engineers are on site helping assess the current condition of the Rapidan Dam, Blue Earth County Public Works staffers are evaluating whether they can implement emergency measures to stop or minimize damage without putting workers in harm’s way.
Thilges told reporters the county had contacted a company with a piece of special equipment to see if they could help remove logs and debris from the upstream side of the dam to alleviate pressure, but was told that equipment was at a site more than five hours out of town. Company officials also expressed concern for the safety of their employees who would be operating that equipment.
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ST PAUL, Minn. — Investigators are trying to find out what led up to a 14-year-old boy being shot in St. Paul on Saturday.
Authorities told KARE 11 officers were called to the 1900 block of Wilson Avenue just before 12:30 p.m. There they found the teen with a gunshot wound.
The teen was taken to Regions Hospital with injuries officials described as “non-life-threatening.”
No one has been arrested yet, police said, and the investigation is ongoing.
Kendama is a traditional Japanese skill toy consisting of a handle (ken), a pair of cups (sarado), and a ball (tama) that are all connected by a string.
PLYMOUTH, Minn. — Hundreds of people from around the world are in Minnesota this weekend to compete in North America’s largest kendama tournament.
Kendama is a traditional Japanese skill toy consisting of a handle (ken), a pair of cups (sarado), and a ball (tama) that are all connected by a string.
The North American Kendama Open (NAKO) is Nov. 15 -17 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West Hotel in Plymouth. It’s become popular in part due to a Minneapolis-based company, Sweets Kendamas, and the company’s owner, Matt “Sweets” Jorgenson.
Sweets Kendamas hosts the nation’s largest kendama competitions and sells the toys at Target stores nationwide.
In partnership with the nonprofit Mindfulness Through Play, it also operates 12 kendama clubs at afterschool programs across the Twin Cities.
Besides the competition, NAKO will feature music, merchandise, workshops, video premiers and an award show.
Tickets are $60 for the weekend or $25/day.
Taste the flavors of fall at this popular Minneapolis-St. Paul restaurant.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Celebrate the change in the seasons with a delicious meal off the new menu at The Buttered Tin.
James Beard-recognized chef Alicia Hinze offers breakfast, lunch and sweet treats at locations in St. Paul and Northeast Minneapolis. The new fall menu centers around local harvest and has vegetarian, plant-based and gluten friendly options.
Some of the new items are the Hot Honey Apple French Toast, Big Ol’ Bennie, TBT Hash with salmon filet, Portobello Melt and Jerk Shrimp Tacos.
The St. Paul restaurant is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Northeast Minneapolis location is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m..
