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Hundreds rescued after flood near Grand Canyon, 1 missing
104 people have been rescued from Havasupai Falls, according to the Arizona National Guard.
COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. — The Arizona National Guard was able to help rescue more than 100 people after severe flooding destroyed parts of Havasupai Creek.
Rescue teams in the Grand Canyon National Park continue searching for a Gilbert woman who was swept away in a powerful flash flood Thursday while hiking in Havasu Canyon.
Chenoa Nickerson and her husband were half a mile above the Colorado River confluence when they were swept away by the fast-moving flood waters, according to the National Park Service. Nickerson’s husband was rescued by a group of rafters but was unable to find his 33-year-old wife.
“We love her and we won’t give up until we find her,” Nickerson’s brother Janosh Wolters told 12News.
On Saturday, the Grand Canyon National Park said they are still searching for Nickerson.
She is described as 5’8″, 190 lbs. with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black tank top, black shorts and blue hiking boots.
If you have seen her, you are asked to call the NPS ISB Tip Line at (888) 653-0009.
Maj Erin Hannigan, communications director for the Arizona National Guard, said the evacuations started on Friday evening after the Governor called on them to help and continued until Saturday afternoon at 1:30pm.
Hannigan said tourists who were evacuated were taken to a landing zone near their vehicle allowing them to reunite with their cars and return home.
“They cheered after the safety brief,” Hannigan said. “They cheered when they got into the aircraft, and then they cheered when they got out.”
Hannigan said one of the crew chiefs was on paternity leave when he got the call for rescue efforts.
“He didn’t skip a beat,” Hannigan said. “He showed up and got on the aircraft to support the mission.”
On Saturday, crews searched the areas near Beaver Falls, the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River and the Colorado River by air, by ground and on the water for signs of Nickerson, but were not able to find her.
As of Saturday night, 104 people had been rescued from Havasupai Falls from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon, according to the Arizona National Guard.
Abbie Fink, spokesperson for the Havasupai Tribe, said the flooding caused extensive damage to the trail leading into Supai and much of the village including common and public areas.
“The campground suffered considerable damage. That’s where the vast majority of the water flow was,” Fink explained. “So it’s unsafe to be in there right now and travel.”
Fink said tribal members are still in Supai and are “safe either in their homes or in other buildings in the village.”
“Our tribal members have been accounted for, and now we are focusing on getting supplies into Supai for those that are still living there,” Fink said. “[We are] working with emergency systems across the state and federal to begin the assessment on The repair of all the damage that’s been done.”
Fink said the damages would still need to be evaluated moving forward.
“We have to ensure the safety of all of the, you know, the infrastructure, for the trails, for the buildings, everything that needs to be evaluated,” Fink said. “That’s going to take some time, and we want to make sure we take the right amount of time to make sure that we do it correctly.”
On Friday, 12News spoke with a camper who was stranded at the falls.
Latricia Mimbs was visiting Havasu Canyon from Mississippi. Her group heard thunder Thursday afternoon as they set up tents near the Havasupai campground, which Havasu Creek runs through.
“I have a friend who is a ranger and he warned us that it is Monsoon season, if we heard thunder to head to high ground,” Mimbs said. “We actually left the campsite, made it to the hilltop before the flood hit.”
The turquoise waterfalls people come to see quickly turned brown. The flash flood swept through the campground and Mimbs lost her tent and clothes, but not her life.
“I’m really proud of them for not panicking,” Mimbs said. “We all got out safely.”
Many hikers and campers had been unable to leave the area. Mimbs said portions of the 10-mile trail connecting the campground and the trailhead are now impassible. People were told it will take a helicopter to get them out.
The Havasupai tribe is providing stranded campers with food and water.
“There are 200 of us waiting to fly out,” Mimbs said Friday afternoon. “Five at a time.”
It is her fourth time to Havasu Canyon — only this time she saw firsthand how quickly this paradise can turn into a nightmare. Mimbs remains hopeful that Nickerson will be found safe.
“We’re praying for them,” Mimbs said.
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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.
Leaders are hoping the new pricing model will bring more transparency for incoming students and their parents.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — You have likely heard the phrase ‘that’s how the game is played’ a time or two in your life. Well, in the world of private universities, high sticker prices and deep discounts are how the game is played.
“We decided to bring that down and quit playing the game,” Bethel University President Ross Allen said.
Starting in the Fall of 2025 the cost of tuition at Bethel University will be lowered to $25,990 a year, down from the current sticker price of $44,050.
Allen said the current sticker price is inflated by scholarships and discounts, so the tuition reduction next year will be less significant than most people realize.
“The new net price will be very close to what it was before,” Allen said. “The focus of this change is to really solve the lack of transparency with pricing.”
Allen said this trend of high prices and deep discounts started decades ago as a way for universities to charge higher-earning families more and lower-earning families less.
However, Allen argues the discounts are now out of control and some students don’t understand the price they pay is significantly lower than the advertised sticker price.
“There is just so much frustration from parents about the confusion and the complexity. What is the real price? There is a lack of transparency, and we decided to respond to that and just be clear,” Allen explained.
The National Association of College and University Business Officers released a study in May that showed the average tuition discount at private universities nationwide was around 56%.
Chris Wills from College Inside Track said that the discount rate means the actual price students pay is less than half of what universities advertise.
“For the average American family this system is impossible to understand,” Wills said. “What Bethel and others are doing is just being more transparent upfront about what the price actually is.”
Wills said the old pricing model was built around psychology and consumer behavior.
“The philosophy was that when something costs more people think it’s better, they value it more, and so people bought into that idea,” Wills explained. “People also really liked the idea of receiving large scholarships to go to school. It’s really fun for a parent to be able to tell your neighbors that your kid got a $20,000 scholarship.”
However, in recent years many private universities have seen lower enrollment as more students are debating whether a college degree is worth the investment.
Wills said a growing number of private universities are deciding to lower their advertised sticker price to be more competitive with public universities.
“Schools have to be doing what Bethel is doing to try and stay relevant in that environment, because it’s going to be very difficult for all the schools that we have to keep their doors open if they don’t make some changes,” Wills said.
Dr. Rebecca Cunningham officially took office as the university’s 18th president on July 1.
MINNEAPOLIS — The 18th president of the University of Minnesota will officially be introduced in her position Wednesday during a day of inaugural events across campus.
The school released a statement on the eve of Dr. Rebecca Cunningham’s ceremonial inauguration detailing the day’s activities and highlighting Cunningham’s professional achievements.
Cunningham, the school’s 18th executive leader, officially stepped into the president’s office on July 1.
In its statement, the school said, “Addressing the world’s most pressing health challenges is something the U of M and Cunningham have in common,” sharing that Cunningham has decades of leadership experience in academic and medical fields.
According to the U, the day will begin with events that include honoring the school’s “history and traditions” and looking “ahead to the future under Cunningham’s leadership.”
Cunningham will take the Northrop stage at 3 p.m., where she’ll deliver her inaugural address. The school said the celebration will spread to the broader campus community around 4:30 p.m., featuring live entertainment, food and outdoor activities along the Northrop Mall.
The university said Cunningham will also moderate a panel discussion Wednesday morning about how public research universities affect societal and environmental health challenges.
For more info about the day’s festivities, visit the University of Minnesota’s website.
