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US 12 westbound lanes closed after ‘serious’ crash
The road closure is expected to last until about 11:30 p.m. tonight, according to MnDOT.
MINNETONKA, Minn. — Officials have closed the westbound lanes of US Highway 12 starting at I-494 in Minnetonka after a collision occurred on Saturday night.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 511 Map, the road is closed and there was a “serious crash,” on the highway.
The road closure is expected to last until about 11:30 p.m. tonight, according to MnDOT.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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Community in Elk Park, N.C. bands together in Helene’s wake
“It’s amazing how well and good the people are helping out,” volunteer Connie Guinn said.
ELK PARK, N.C. — It’s still difficult for Mike Ellenburg to see the damage Helene left in Elk Park, North Carolina.
“Never in my lifetime, no I have not,” Ellenburg, Fire Chief at the Elk Park Volunteer Fire Department, said. “We had to bring in heavy equipment and open the road up.”
The storm left homes destroyed, trees toppled and cars flipped. It’s left roads near rivers and creeks nearby unrecognizable.
“Used to be a paved road, houses on both sides,” he said. “They’re gone.”
“You’ll see some vehicles down here that are sideways, and they’ll have spray paint on ’em,” Ellenburg continued. “Marking that that vehicle has been checked and that nobody was inside of it or around it.”
Ellenburg says he believes there are four areas around Elk Park in a similar state, damaged and difficult to get into. Despite that, help is still coming, both from the town and the rest of the state.
“We’re just trying to get it organized,” Connie Guinn, a volunteer said, standing in front of pallets of food and water. “Because we can’t find nothing, and neither can anybody else.”
Donations have continued to arrive at the Elk Park Volunteer Fire Department. Ellenburg says some have even come from around the country.
Other agencies, like the Dallas, North Carolina volunteer fire department, have also arrived to help where they can.
“It’s amazing how well and good the people are helping out,” Guinn said.
Ellenburg says it will take time to rebuild their community, but it’s made easier to get through with neighbors like theirs.
“I would only say that I don’t want to live anywhere else but here in Avery County, North Carolina,” he said.
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Runners are ready for TC Marathon
The marathon was canceled because of the heat last year.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Thousands gathered at the Capitol to join in on the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend festivities.
Among them were Noah and Madeline Bleeker, running with their parents at the KARE 11 Family Mile. Noah in particular was rather excited.
“I’m super fast,” he said.
His sister, not so much.
“I just don’t like the part when you get really sweaty,” said Madeline. “I just don’t like that part.”
Either way, they are certainly happy for the weather this year.
Craig Fiedler signed up for his first marathon last year. He flipped through photos on his phone capturing the chaotic day.
“Here I am in the morning with a cup of coffee ready to go,” he smiled. “Then at 5:30 in the morning, I got the email it had been canceled.”
He decided to run it anyway, but he’s excited to cross the finish line this year officially.
“It will be a victory lap,” he said.
Dean Orton is the president of Twin Cities in Motion, the organization behind the marathon. He’s predicting great running conditions.
“It’s great to see it all come together,” he said.
The marathon begins at 8 p.m. tomorrow.
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Man arrested following threatening calls to Temple Israel
Staff at Temple Israel in Minneapolis told police they received several phone calls from the individual on Sept. 11.
MINNEAPOLIS — On Friday a man was arrested for terroristic threats nearly a month after Minneapolis police received several phone calls threatening a local synagogue.
On Saturday, Oct. 5, Minneapolis police announced in a press release that a 21-year-old man was arrested and booked into the Hennepin County Jail for terroristic threats.
Police said this arrest was related to several phone calls on Sept. 11. Staff members told officers they got the calls from a person who threatened to “shoot up” Temple Israel. An investigation began immediately, officials said.
An officer providing a special security detail around the Temple was notified on Oct. 3 that a man was seen outside with a firearm. Officers said the man fled the area before police could arrest him.
Officials said the man spotted at the temple was the same man who made the threatening phone calls.
Members of the Southside REACT team found the man and arrested him for terroristic threats, police said.
“Everyone in Minneapolis has the right to feel safe in their communities, and we will ensure our Jewish neighbors are protected as they celebrate the holy days,” Chief O’Hara said in a statement. “We take all threats made against our religious institutions seriously, and will continue to hold the individuals accountable who threaten any of our city’s houses of worship. I am incredibly grateful for the work of investigators in this case for quickly responding to the threats and likely preventing a tragedy from occurring.”
At the beginning of September Chief O’Hara announced Minneapolis police would provide more security near Jewish synagogues for both the Jewish holy days and the anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
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The Jewish High Holidays include Rosh Hashanah, beginning before sundown on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and ending after nightfall on Friday, Oct. 4 and Yom Kippur, beginning before sundown on Friday, Oct. 11 and ending after nightfall on Shabbat, Oct. 12.