Star Tribune
St. Paul deals with messy streets, power outages as city waits for snow to melt
St. Paul continued its cleanup Sunday of the weekend snowstorm, as plow crews worked with the warmer, sunny weather to clear roads rather than declare a snow emergency, and thousands slowly regained power.
On Sunday morning, more than 4,000 homes and businesses were still without power in St. Paul according to city officials, as early-morning temperatures remained in the 20s. Hundreds of St. Paulites still were without power Sunday afternoon, according to Xcel Energy, and scattered power outages were reported across the metro.
In a statement, Xcel said crews would be working through Monday evening to reconnect everyone, though by then an estimated 98% of customers had their power restored.
The American Red Cross opened a shelter Sunday afternoon for those without power at King of Kings Lutheran Church, 1583 Radio Dr., Woodbury. Officials said the church would remain open overnight if needed, but would close at 10 p.m. Sunday if unoccupied and reopen at 8 a.m. Monday.
St. Paul crews plowed most major streets on Saturday and started clearing the more treacherous residential streets Sunday morning.
“Limited crews are plowing and salting residential hills and curves throughout St. Paul today,” according to a statement from the city’s Department of Public Works.
Public Works Director Sean Kershaw on Sunday explained the crews were limited because the city forestry and traffic operations staffers who often help with plowing were busy clearing downed trees and assisting Xcel Energy.
St. Paul officials said they were counting on the weekend’s sun and warmer temperatures to do the bulk of snow-clearing this week. Minneapolis leaned on a similar strategy over the weekend.
“Not plowing curb to curb on the residential routes [Saturday] was strategic to let the snow melt down,” read a statement from the Minneapolis Department of Public Works.
The Twin Cities exceeded 50 degrees Sunday for the first time this year, said Chris O’Brien, National Weather Service meteorologist.
The metro area is expected to see another day of rain and light snow Wednesday and chilly weather Thursday. But O’Brien said high temperatures would otherwise stay in the 40s and 50s.
Kershaw said St. Paul’s pothole problem was a big consideration in their decision not to declare a snow emergency. Plows can damage streets, making potholes worse, he said. And all the costs of a snow emergency in St. Paul can range from $500,000 to $800,000.
“I’d rather put that money, at this point of the year, into potholes rather than plowing,” Kershaw said. St. Paul is firing up its bituminous plant this week.
St. Paul forestry crews still were busy clearing city streets of fallen branches on Sunday afternoon. Kershaw said between 150 and 200 trees fell in St. Paul, along with hundreds of large tree limbs.
The wet, heavy snow knocked out power for thousands, and St. Paul officials asked residents to report damaged trees on public property by calling 651-266-6400 or emailing parkscustomerservice@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
City forestry crews will continue working Monday to clear tree limbs from city streets.
The Lynx are in the hot seat.
The team lost Game 3 of the WNBA Finals series against the New York Liberty on Wednesday night 77-80, setting the stage for a decisive match at Target Center on Friday night. Fans in the arena reacted with resounding disappointment after Sabrina Ionescu sunk a three-pointer to break away from the tie game and dashed the Lynx’s chance at forcing overtime.
Before we get to the reactions, first things first: The Lynx set an attendance record, filling Target Center with 19,521 spectators for the first time in franchise history. That’s nearly 500 more than when Caitlin Clark was in town with the Indiana Fever earlier this year.
Despite leading by double digits for much of the game, the Lynx began the fourth quarter with a one-point lead over the Liberty and struggled to stay more than two or three points ahead throughout.
The Liberty took the lead with minutes to go in the fourth quarter and folks were practically despondent.
Of course, there were people who were in it solely for the spectacle. Nothing more.
The Lynx took a commanding lead early in the first quarter and ended the first half in winning position, setting a particularly jovial mood among the fanbase to start the game.
Inside Target Center, arena announcers spent a few minutes before the game harassing Lynx fans — and Liberty fans — who had not yet donned the complementary T-shirts draped over every seat.
DULUTH – The Minnesota and Wisconsin transportation departments will make upgrades to the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge in the summer of 2025, in preparation for the structure to become the premiere route between this city and Superior during reconstruction of the Blatnik Bridge.
Built in 1961, the Blatnik Bridge carries 33,000 vehicles per day along Interstate 535 and Hwy. 53. It will be entirely rebuilt, starting in 2027, with the help of $1 billion in federal funding announced earlier this year. MnDOT and WisDOT are splitting the remaining costs of the project, about $4 million each.
According to MnDOT, projects on the Bong Bridge will include spot painting, concrete surface repairs to the bridge abutments, concrete sealer on the deck, replacing rubber strip seal membranes on the main span’s joints and replacing light poles on the bridge and its points of entry. It’s expected to take two months, transportation officials said during a recent meeting at the Superior Public Library.
During this time there will be occasional lane closures, detours at the off-ramps, and for about three weeks the sidewalk path alongside the bridge will be closed.
The Bong Bridge, which crosses the St. Louis River, opened to traffic in 1985 and is the lesser-used of the two bridges. Officials said they want to keep maintenance to a minimum on the span during the Blatnik project, which is expected to take four years.
Red Wing will celebrate the grand opening of its first permanent set of pickleball courts next week with an “inaugural play” on the six courts at Colvill Park on the banks of the Mississippi, between a couple of marinas and next to the aquatic center.
Among the first to get to play on the new courts will be David Anderson, who brought pickleball to the local YMCA in 2008, before the nationwide pickleball craze took hold, and Denny Yecke, at 92 the oldest pickleball player in Red Wing.
The inaugural play begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with a rain date of the next day. Afterward will be food and celebration at the Colvill Park Courtyard building.
Tim Sletten, the city’s former police chief, discovered America’s fastest-growing sport a decade ago after he retired. With fellow members of the Red Wing Pickleball Group, he’d play indoors at the local YMCA or outdoors at a local school, on courts made for other sports. But they didn’t have a permanent place, so they approached the city about building one.
When a city feasibility study came up with a high cost, about $350,000, Sletten’s group got together to raise money.
The courts are even opening ahead of schedule, originally set for 2025.
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