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Edina construction impacts foot traffic
Construction for the city’s portion of a new rapid bus line coming to France Avenue could open in December of 2025.
EDINA, Minn. — In Edina, construction is well underway in several areas and it’s making some popular shopping spots hard to access.
Now, some business owners say that they’re struggling.
“This side of the neighborhood looks like a ghost town for the last three weeks,” said Sohil Goorha, who owns the Indian restaurant Raag.
It sits right at 50th and France, a popular shopping area in the city full of significant road closures and detours. Crews are working on a new rapid bus transit line called the E Line.
On the city’s website, it writes that, “It will run from the University of Minnesota to downtown, Uptown, down France Avenue and end at the Southdale Transit Center. BRT routes are faster because they make fewer stops, load at all doors and use advance tickets. An Edina resident could have dinner at 50th & France, hop on the bus and get to a Gophers sports event in roughly 38 minutes, said Metro Transit Community Outreach Coordinator Erik Thompson.”
Goorha says the work is impacting foot traffic so much, he predicts it’s down up to 40%.
“I’m a small family business, I don’t have a chain or alternate location, so for me, this is it,” said Goorha.
Sections of southbound France Ave. from 44th to 66th Streets will be closed to through traffic through August. As work at each station is completed, that section will reopen. The city says during closures, emergency vehicles and business deliveries will still have access.
The city is also adding music events and outdoor seating.
“That was very nice of them to do this,” said Edina resident, Merritt, who only wanted to give her first name. “It’ll be really nice when it’s done, although, I must say, I wish this was going to be a pedestrian street.”
She says the short term problems are an investment in the city’s future, no matter how frustrating they might be.
“People coming from outside, it is kind of daunting when you drive to a place and you don’t expect it to happen and suddenly, there’s all these barriers and construction,” said Merritt. “But you know, you just kind of roll with it, it’s what you do.”
While progress rolls on, Goorha just hopes business does too.
“Eventually we need customers to come back in,” said Goorha.
There is also another construction project happening near Edina City Hall. It should be completed at the end of summer and include a new traffic signal system at Grange Road and West 50th Street that adds new crosswalks and audible crossing indicators.
Construction started the week of June 10th and it’s scheduled to be finished before school starts.
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.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
