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U.S. Pond Hockey Championships extends beyond MN
Tournament organizers say half the teams in the tournament this year come from outside Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are underway on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis.
Nearly 300 teams and 3,000 athletes are competing in the annual event this year, including athletes from several states and countries.
“We have teams from Florida, California, Saint Louis, Canada, and other countries,” tournament director Jesse Delorit said.
The first games for the opening tournament began Friday morning and will continue through Sunday. A second tournament will start Friday, Jan. 26th and last through Sunday, Jan. 28.
The tournament, however, was off to a rough start this year because organizers didn’t know until Tuesday whether the City of Minneapolis was going to give final approval to host the tournament.
“We were all waiting to see if the lake was going to freeze over and if the city was going to check off on it. When we got the nod to move ahead with the tournament, we basically had 48 hours to get ready and we worked around the clock to get everything ready to go,” Delorit said.
The weather this weekend shouldn’t be a problem for rink managers, but Delorit says the following weekend is a very different story.
“We’re seeing some warmer temps ahead, but we’re just taking it one day at a time and watching the weather,” Delorit says.
For more information on this year’s U.S. Pond Hockey Championships, click here.
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Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
“This Valentine’s Day, 2025, will mark the five-year anniversary of the premiere of ‘Love is Blind,” Vanessa said on the Season 7 finale. “And, it is gonna be the launch of Season 8, which takes place in Minneapolis.”
The episode also revealed three of the new cast members, one of whom, “Alex,” told Lachey Minneapolis is “not like a major city, but it’s also not a small town,” which he said is just one of the obstacles in his way of finding the one.
“I just never found the right person that clicked for me,” he said.
Meantime, you can bone up on Seasons 1-7 streaming now on Netflix.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
