PORTLAND, Ore. — A Delta Airlines flight headed from Salt Lake City to Portland on Sunday morning turned around shortly after takeoff and returned to Salt Lake International Airport after it was unable to pressurize above 10,000 feet, leading to a horrifying scenario for 140 people on board.

Two passengers told KSL, an NBC news station in Salt Lake City, that people’s ears and noses started to bleed on the plane.

Jaclyn Blain, who was headed to Oregon for a work trip with several of her colleagues, said shortly after takeoff, she and her colleague started to hear noises and felt the plane dipping.

She said their ears started to pop and she noticed people around her were grabbing their ears and noses. Some were crying, others complained of vertigo and head pain. A baby was screaming from the pain, she said. Blain’s colleague told KSL it felt like she’d been stabbed in the ear.

“It was scary,” Blain told KSL. “You just don’t know what’s wrong. (My colleague) put her finger in her ear and was like, ‘Oh my god, my ear’s bleeding.’ And then they got my other colleague two rows behind me. I look back and he’s in tears.”

A representative from the airline said some passengers were met by paramedics at Salt Lake International Airport. According to USA Today, 10 passengers at the airport needed evaluation or treatment. Blain’s colleague told KSL she was told at the hospital that her eardrum had ruptured.

The airline issued the following statement to KSL about the flight:

“Delta flight 1203 from SLC to PDX experienced a pressurization issue in-flight that resulted in an air return to SLC. Customers have been accommodated on another aircraft. We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels. The safety of our customers and people remains Delta’s most important priority.”

The airline also told KSL that oxygen masks didn’t deploy. The plane, a Boeing 737-900, was taken out of service Sunday and went back into service Monday after technicians fixed the pressurization issue.

The Federal Aviation Administration told USA Today it’s investigating the incident.

ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — Several city councils are voting on a light rail project that connects Minneapolis to parts of the north metro, including Crystal and Robbinsdale. 

The vote isn’t about whether to stop the Blue Line Extension light rail project, but whether councilors would approve parts of its proposed design plan. 

Crystal City Manager Adam Bell says the council agreed to delay the vote to October 1. 

In Robbinsdale, the council also voted to approve tabling the topic and create a special work session on October 1 to continue discussions.

Some residents in Robbinsdale, who oppose the project, say the plans don’t address public safety and displaces residents and businesses. 

“Noise, for one thing,” said Mona Grellson. She lives on Crystal Lake with her brother, Steve, and says a station would be built across the street from the home they’ve shared for 20 years. 

The 13 mile-long project has been in planning stages for 10 years. It would connect Minneapolis to north Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Crystal, and Brooklyn Park with about a dozen stops in between. 

“I don’t think we would move at this point, but I do know people that will and I know some people that already have,” said Mona. 

The four cities can vote to accept the proposals and if they don’t, must include specific amendments. If one or more cities disapprove, the agency in charge, The Metropolitan Council, will conduct further studies and hold more public hearings and can amend the plans. Ultimately, though, they aren’t required to do that. 

The Robbinsdale City Council listed several concerns in a letter to the Met Council that includes public safety and a lack of enforcement. Met Council is projecting 15,000 rides every day on the route. The councilors are also concerned about the size of a nearby park and ride. 

“We can still take those changes and try and find a solution that meets what’s needed to run an effective transit line, but also what the city is asking us to change,” said Nick Thompson, who leads Metro Transit’s Capital Program development.

He says the Blue Line is the state’s largest project and will people to the airport, Mall of America and health care.

“Those need faster service like light rail that can carry more people because the demand is higher,” said Thompson. 

The city councils have until October 10th to make any decisions on the design and then the Met Council has another 60 days to decide what changes it might make. The Blue Line is expected to be up and running by 2030.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Bloomington’s fourth annual pride celebration will be held this Sunday, and it comes shortly after organizers announced upcoming changes to their planning and financial structures.

Anita Smithson is chair of Bloomington’s Human Rights Commission and a proud member of the city’s LGBTQ+ community, 

“I am bisexual,” Smithson said. “I’m married to a man, so I have like a straight passing relationship, which makes it sometimes interesting. Most folks probably view me as an ally until they get to know that.”

She’s also one of five residents serving as a Pride board member. A team of five has always planned the festival, though participation has varied year-to-year. Smithson, however, has served every year and is the group’s communications director.

“All of those are volunteer roles,” she explained. “Many of those folks who are with us for the first festivals are with us as day-of volunteers, they just may not have the capacity to help with the year-round nonprofit organization.”

Bloomington’s inaugural Pride was only three years ago, in 2021. The city and its Human Rights Commission sponsored it.

“Our first event was relatively small but had significant protests at it,” Smithson recalled. “Same with our second annual event.”

This and last year, they turned to the Twin Cities Pride for help, as that nonprofit’s Minneapolis festivities have been around 52 years.

“I just want to thank Andi Otto and the team at Twin Cities Pride,”  Smithson said. “They have been tremendous mentors and partners for us.”

Smithson says, thanks to that mentorship, her small group has been able to make a big move.

“Yes, Bloomington Pride MN is now an official nonprofit,” she said.

It happened just last week, with Larkin Hoffman law firm filing the paperwork pro bono. While the nonprofit still plans to partner with Twin Cities Pride, Bloomington Pride MN will solely be responsible for the event moving forward – beginning with 2025 festivities. This involves scaling back the city’s financial contributions.

District III council member Lona Dallessandro is Bloomington’s first openly gay elected council member.

“A city-run event comes with a lot of baggage, if you will … taxpayer dollars and all that kind of thing, to just not knowing for sure if the community is really behind because it almost feels obligatory,” Dallessandro said, “and so what we really like about this program and the fact that they built a nonprofit is that … people are funding this work, they’re supporting this work, they’re volunteering for this work.”

While Pride is widely celebrated in June, Bloomington Pride will be this Sunday, Sept. 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. outside Bloomington Civic Plaza, where it has been held in previous years. The building is connected to Bloomington Police and City Hall.

“Queer people are part of the fabric of Bloomington,” Dallessandro said. “There’s also National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. Whether you’re celebrating in June or you’re celebrating in October or somewhere in between, there’s never a down time to get your rainbow on as far as I’m concerned.”

“It does help stretch it out and shows that Pride is all year long,” Smithson also said. “I love Twin Cities Pride. I love going to the festival. I love going to the parade. And also, our festival is a little smaller, a little bit more approachable, and a little bit more unique to Bloomington.”

Community organizations, businesses and places of worship have shown support for Pride over the years. 

“We have a great group of local churches that have formed a loose organization of their own called Lutherans For Love, who want to show that there’s a place in the church community for queer people and for the LGBT Plus community,” Smithson said. “We have local show choir students from one of the high schools in Bloomington who always wanna come and perform and are excited to be part of the festival.”

She also mentioned working with Hennepin County Library and Bloomington Oasis for Youth. This year, Kennedy High School Choirs, Boogie Wonderland Band, Artistry MN and the Power Drag Revue are set to perform. Food trucks and vendors will also be on site.