TRIMONT, Minn. — “Don’t do it.”

That’s the message Mikaela Morris of Trimont, Minn. has for anyone interested in purchasing rechargeable heated apparel products to keep warm this winter. In a Facebook post, she shared photos of her husband Tyler’s charred foot and melted-off skin after his rechargeable insoles, which were not turned on at the time, exploded inside his boots.

Tyler said he purchased the insoles on Amazon last year to use while hunting and fishing. The insoles, sold by the company iHEAT based in China, are no longer available on Amazon. KARE contacted Amazon and iHEAT for comment but has not heard back.

Tyler said when he took the insoles out again this fall for deer hunting season, they weren’t working very well but he kept them in his boots for added comfort. 

“I guess I should have taken them out because I was not using them; they were not on,” Tyler said. “They were just in my boots, and all of a sudden the one exploded.”

On Thursday, Dec. 12, Tyler said he was preparing to put a fish house on the lake when he felt a sharp pain in his right foot.

“It just felt like a knife stabbed me in my heel,” he recalled. “Then it started getting super, super hot, and I started freaking out, and there was white smoke just billowing out of my boot.”

Tyler said he managed to kick his boot off within five seconds, but half of his sock was already burning. 

“The insole came out in pieces,” he said, adding that he’s thankful he was wearing wool socks and shoes without laces, which likely saved him an even worse injury than the second and third-degree burns he sustained on his right foot.

“This happens apparently all the time,” Tyler said. “In fact, when we got to Hennepin County, the doctor there told us that I was the third person she had seen for this this week.”

Tyler lost feeling in some parts of his foot and was told by doctors he might need skin grafts. He and Mikaela are warning others to do extensive research before buying any rechargeable apparel products, especially those manufactured overseas and not locally, or to avoid buying similar products altogether.

“I would say on any of it,” Mikaela said. “Heated insoles, socks, vests, coats, gloves because not only could it have been his foot, it could have been his hand, it could have been his, if he had socks on, it could have been his whole leg.”

WEST ST PAUL, Minn. — The West St. Paul Police Department has lost one of its most decorated servants.

Larry Raasch volunteered as a reserve officer for 25 years, logging more than 4,000 hours.

“He really cared about this department and this community,” said West St. Paul Police Chief Brian Sturgeon.

Raasch volunteered at least eight hours a week at the West St. Paul Police station. Before he started helping out there, he was a reserve for the St. Paul Police Department. In total, he’s spent more than 50 years volunteering at police departments.

“He loved this community that’s what it was, he loved the community, he loved the department, he loved the city, he loved his neighbors, he loved the business owners in town, and he just wanted to give back. That’s why he was doing what’s he doing,” Sturgeon said.

Raasch’s daughter Lisa McDermott said her father lived to serve the community. He would drive people around town if they needed a ride and would help anyone who needed it. His life has been dedicated to service. She said her father is a Vietnam Veteran. He was stationed in Munich, Germany as a medic.

Captain of the reserves Mike Whebbe said he was dedicated to serving his community. He’s worked alongside Raasch for decades.

Raasch was one of the police department’s 15 reserves. Sturgeon said they assist sworn officers and departments, attend community events, help with prisoner transport, and traffic control. Sturgeon said the reserves help the department immensely and have save them a lot of money.

“Over the course of the 25 years, it’s close to $1 million,” he said.

Sturgeon said two years, he received the President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement award.

“He dedicated over 4,000 hours. I’m sure it was a lot more than that,” Sturgeon said.

He said Raasch was one of the oldest reserves, his “meticulous” nature earned him a spot helping out in the property room as a volunteer evidence tech.

“His age didn’t keep him down though. He was always available to us whenever we needed it. We were very appreciative of his dedication to this community,” he said. “He just wanted to be a part of this organization. He wanted to be a part of this city and being a reserve was one way he could be a part of this organization and this community.”

Sturgeon said he’ll miss hearing Raasch say “hi, good morning, good afternoon, how are you doing,” when he would walk into the department. He said no one will ever be able to fill his shoes.

“Larry was a character, he was a one-of-a-kind,” Sturgeon said. “We’ve all learned a lot from him, especially the reserves. I mean like I said he coached and mentored the younger reserves.”

He said it’s going to be hard without him. Sturgeon said Raasch was the embodiment of an outstanding community member, who made West St. Paul a safer and brighter place.

“He’s one of a kind that’s for sure and he’s going to be greatly missed,” Sturgeon said.

ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s second-largest school district will soon have a new superintendent. 

Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is hosting the three finalists this week. 

Each day, a new candidate is visiting the district for a full day. On Monday, Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed took part in school visits, virtual sessions and a public interview. 

Mhiripiri-Reed has been the superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools since 2017, serving 6,900 students and more than 1,000 staff. She started her career as a teacher at SPPS. 

Dr. Brenda Cassellius also started her career as an SPPS teacher. Cassellius will be visiting the district on Tuesday. 

Cassellius previously served as superintendent of Boston Public Schools, serving 50,000 students and more than 10,000 staff. She also served eight years as the Minnesota State Commissioner of Education. Cassellius is currently the CEO of the nonprofit Fresh Energy. 

On Wednesday, the final candidate is Dr. Stacie Stanley. She’s currently the superintendent of Edina Public Schools, serving 8,600 students and more than 1,300 staff. Stanley previously served as an associate superintendent at Eden Prairie Schools.

You can read all three full bios, here. 

In the end of February, former SPPS Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard was selected as the next leader of the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin. Dr. John Thein has been serving as interim superintendent during the search. 

The SPPS Board of Education did a round of community engagement where they received more than 3,000 responses from the community on what they’re looking for in the next superintendent. 

“It’s really not so much about what one individual board member is looking for. It’s going to be a really open and collaborative process by which all seven board members are trying to figure out how each of these candidates would approach trying to meet the concerns that were raised by the community whenever we did that engagement,” said Uriah Ward, school board vice chair. 

Each finalist’s schedule this week includes visiting schools, three virtual “Meet the Candidate” sessions with staff, parents and guardians, and community partners. The day ends with a public interview at the SPPS administration building (360 S. Colborne St.) from 6-7:30 p.m. 

All are welcome to attend or watch the livestream. 

“We want people to remain part of the process until the very end. So please, if you are watching the sessions, if you are reading the materials, please fill out an impression form. Because we are reading them and we do take that really seriously,” Ward said. 

This past summer, the school board approved more than $110 million in budget cuts for this school year. The cuts come after federal funds from the pandemic expired. While SPPS enrollment is slightly up this year, overall, in the past decade, it has shrunk. 

“Whoever’s coming in is coming into what I think is a really amazing school district where we have a lot of really exciting things to offer. But it’s also a really difficult environment where districts across the country are dealing with declining enrollment, where they’re having to face what seem like an endless stream of budget cuts,” Ward said. “We want to make sure that we’re bringing someone in who is going to be able to handle what can be a difficult situation but also work with us into moving us in a positive direction where we can… hopefully continue to grow our district.”

After the final interview on Wednesday, the board will deliberate in a public meeting. If they cannot decide that night, they will continue conversations at Thursday’s regular school board meeting and announce the preferred candidate then. 

The board will approve the new superintendent’s contract and start date in January. 

You can learn more about the search process, here.