Star Tribune
Westonka Library in Mound will remain open a few extra weeks
The Westonka Library in Mound will remain open a few weeks longer than anticipated as officials finalize the plans for a new net-zero-energy facility.
Hennepin County officials have been saying for years that they need to replace the library, which opened in 1972. Last year, they presented plans for a new $17.5 million facility that will use geothermal and solar energy and will not need natural gas or refrigerants for heating and cooling.
Officials initially expected the current library building would close in December but now say it will remain open until January, with a specific closing date to be announced later this fall.
“As designs are reviewed and fine-tuned, so are the closure and construction timelines,” Joshua Yetman, a spokesperson for Hennepin County, said in an email.
Yetman said construction is expected to last 18 months, with the new building opening in the summer of 2026.
“While we’re excited to construct Hennepin County’s first net-zero library, we’re also trying to minimize the time between closure and demolition,” Yetman said. “Arrangements for alternate services, including holds pickup in Mound, are being finalized and will be included in the public announcement later this fall.”
Walz previously said he was in Hong Kong in May 1989 before the massacre, MPR News reported. He also said he was in Hong Kong the day the massacre happened on June 4 during a 2019 radio interview, CNN reported.
However, a photo taken on May 16, 1989 put him in the United States working at the National Guard Armory in Alliance, MPR reported. And a story published in a Nebraska newspaper on Aug. 11, 1989 quoted him as saying he would leave for China that Sunday, more than two months after the Tiananmen Square massacre.
“To watch what happened at the end of the day on June 4 was something that many of us will never forget, we pledge to never forget, and bearing witness and accurate telling of history is absolutely crucial for any nation to move forward,” Walz said during a 2009 congressional hearing to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the massacre.
Walz has also misstated the number of times he’s visited China. The campaign previously said he visited the country more than 30 times. However, MPR reported the campaign now says he was there closer to 15 times.
The discrepancy in Walz’s timeline comes as Republicans have been raising questions about whether Walz’s ties to the country, which has become one of the United States’ top adversaries, is influencing his decision making. The GOP-led House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into his time there and has asked both the FBI and now the Department of Homeland Security via a subpoena for any relevant information the agencies have on Walz.
Walz on shooting his son witnessed and viral “friend with school shooters” moment
The event, hosted by CBS News, provided another chance for Americans to listen to the candidates ahead of Election Day in November. It also provided ample opportunities for memorable and meme-able moments.
Here are five highlights:
In a challenging moment for Walz, the Minnesota governor was asked to clarify his previous remarks about the time he spent in China in 1989. He’s said he was in Hong Kong during the spring Tiananmen Square massacre, yet MPR and other outlets have reported that he did not visit until later that year. Walz conceded somewhat, saying he hasn’t been perfect and added: “I’m a knucklehead at times.”
At one point in the debate, Vance took issue with a clarification debate moderator Margaret Brennan issued about his remarks on Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. After Vance blamed “illegal immigration” for many of the Midwest city’s woes, Brennan said many Haitian immigrants in Springfield have legal protected status. To that, Vance said: “The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact check.”
Moments later, both candidates had their mics cut.
While debating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and its aftermath, Vance said former President Donald Trump peacefully gave power to President Joe Biden two weeks later. Walz asked if Trump lost the election and Vance answered by saying he’s more concerned about administrative censorship on social media platforms.
“Tim, I’m focused on the future,” Vance said.
At the Aug. 6 meeting during which the board agreed to put the proposal on the ballot, Marcia Howard, president of the teacher chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, sounded a cautionary note to board members: “Some people right now are saying: ‘$8 a household, we can’t even afford that right now.’”
Howard also drew a connection to the broader district transformation discussions, saying people were prepared to partner with the board if it governed with a strong hand.
“Trust is gonna be essential,” she said. “We need to trust y’all are going to boss up.”
Talk of transformation picked up anew last week with a top administrator outlining plans for board members and others to conduct walkthroughs of buildings beginning Oct. 9.
