Star Tribune
MVTA sets State Fair ridership record
More people than ever rode Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) buses from the southern suburbs to the State Fair this year, and the agency set six daily ridership records.
MVTA provided 127,220 rides to and from the Great Minnesota Get-Together during its 12-day run, which beat the previous record of 110,718 set last year, according to figures the agency released this week.
Meanwhile, Metro Transit saw State Fair ridership of nearly 331,000, which marked a 14% increase over last year, the agency said Wednesday.
The MVTA started out by providing a record 8,526 rides on the fair’s opening day on Aug. 22. That was followed the next day when more than 11,200 people rode MVTA buses to the fair. But by the midpoint of the fair, overall ridership was lagging behind last year’s numbers, said spokesman Richard Crawford.
A strong Labor Day weekend rewrote the history books. On Friday, MVTA provided 16,752 rides, which was a record. But that mark fell two days later on Sunday when ridership hit 18,528 .
“It was a very interesting year with ebbs and flows based on the weather,” said MVTA Chief Executive Officer Luther Wynder. “The extreme heat on the first Monday and threats of storms during the week kept attendance down. People were ready to go on the days with pleasant forecasts.”
Metro Transit expanded its park and ride offerings by adding lots in Maplewood and Maple Grove, and that helped push overall ridership on express and regular-route buses to nearly 331,000, said Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras.
Metro Transit had about 100 extra buses in service each day during the fair to meet demand, Kandaras said.
A participant in an inline skating race held Saturday on Saturday died following the race, race officials announced on a Facebook page Sunday.
Mike Lufholm, 36, of Minneapolis, was remembered in Northshore Inline Marathon organizers’ Facebook post as an active member of the rollerblading community. He died following an apparent medical incident at the race course.
“Mike was a true ambassador for inline skating with a passion for the sport,” one commenter said. Another recalled seeing him in Duluth before the race with his wife and newborn daughter Friday.
Lufholm grew up in northern Minnesota and began skating in middle school, according to his team member profile on Rollerblade.com.
Race officials thanked participants who came to Lufholm’s aid, first responders and medical professionals who helped provide care.
“Our hearts go out to his wife, daughter, family, and all those who were close to him. He made such an impact on the rollerblading community,” the Facebook post said.
A 27-acre wildfire believed to be caused by human activity near Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was 25% contained Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The Wood Lake fire was discovered around 10 a.m. Tuesday on an island on Wood Lake, a news release from the U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest said. It caused the closure of an entry point on the lake, as well as several nearby lakes and portages.
“Firefighters made good progress yesterday with higher humidity levels, continuing to reinforce the fire’s containment line,” the news release said Sunday, noting that firefighters are making contingency plans around Moose Lake.
Firefighters from Connecticut are assisting in fighting the fire.
The fire is under investigation, and Superior National Forest law enforcement are seeking any information about how the fire started.
A sheriff’s deputy wounded a man during a standoff in western Minnesota early Sunday.
The Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office was called for a welfare check at a house near Clarkfield, south of Montevideo, Saturday afternoon, the agency said in a news release. When officers arrived, the man they meant to check on fled into a farm field with a rifle, the release said.
Sheriff’s deputies rushed neighbors out of the house next to the field, and said the man pointed his rifle at them before running into the just-vacated house.
Deputies surrounded the house and tried to talk to the person, but called a SWAT team when they could not persuade him to come outside. Members of the Kandiyohi-Meeker-Willmar SWAT team arrived and also tried to talk the person out of the house.
The man fired at the SWAT team, according to the sheriff’s office. A member of that SWAT team shot back, hitting the man in the leg. The standoff continued.
Two other SWAT teams relieved the Kandiyohi-Meeker-Willmar team after about eight hours, according to the sheriff’s office.
Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, the man left the house and shot a long gun at the SWAT teams. Another SWAT team member shot back and hit the man.
The man was taken to HCMC by helicopter and was in stable condition Sunday afternoon.
