Kare11
Rogers fire leaves one dead, two firefighters injured
One of the firefighters was treated and released at the scene and the other is being treated at North Memorial Hospital.
ROGERS, Minn. — One person was found dead and two firefighters were hurt after a structure caught fire in Rogers, Minnesota.
According to the Rogers Fire Department, the fire occurred on Territorial and Fletcher and has been contained.
The two firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to the department. One of them was treated and released at the scene and the other is being treated at North Memorial Hospital.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Kare11
Mississippi River’s Tower Rock walkable for the 3rd year in a row
Human-driven climate change, through the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, has made the once-rare event all too common.
GRAND TOWER, Ill. — Tourists in 2022 flocked to Southern Missouri for what they thought would be a “once-in-a-lifetime” tourist destination. As of Sunday morning, Tower Rock reemerged from the depths of the Mississippi River for the third year in a row.
The aptly named towering rock formation usually sits isolated in the Mississippi River around 100 miles south of St. Louis. It’s normally separated from the bank of the river, but low water levels in 2022 exposed a rock walkway to the destination.
Mississippi River levels at Chester, Illinois, dipped below 1.5 feet early Sunday morning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Prediction Service. Once water levels dip that low, the path to Tower Rock washes up.
Editor’s note: The above video originally aired during a 2022 broadcast.
5 On Your Side was warned in 2022 about this “once-in-a-lifetime” event becoming all too common by then-American Rivers representative Olivia Dorothy. She said annual low river levels are something Missourians and all residents along the Mississippi should get accustomed to as human-induced climate change through the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas make these conditions more common.
“This is the new normal,” Dorothy said in 2022. “Climate models have predicted that this region will shift to being prone to very long and dramatic droughts that will be punctuated by extreme fluctuation and flooding.”
Kare11
Memorial service held for park ranger who died during rescue
The memorial service in International Falls on Sunday honored Voyageurs National Park Ranger Kevin Grossheim.
INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minnesota — The National Park ranger who died while trying to save others was honored Sunday in International Falls.
The memorial service for Kevin Grossheim, 55, was held at International Falls High School.
“Kevin was one of the kindest souls I’ve come across. His quiet and calming demeanor had a way of putting people at ease,” said Josh Wentz, Voyageurs National Park’s chief ranger.
Grossheim and his wife, Jill, moved to Kabetogama more than 20 years ago. Grossheim spent 23 years as a ranger for Voyageurs National Park.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay told KARE 11 that a 911 call came into dispatchers around 11:30 a.m. from a family of campers stranded on an island on Namakan Lake in Voyageurs National Park. Ramsay said conditions were brutal with winds gusting at well over 40 miles per hour and waves five to six feet tall, and the campers couldn’t get their boat off the beach.
Grossheim reached the family but while attempting to tow the stranded craft to the mainland, the ranger’s boat capsized and threw all four people into the water. The family made it to shore but Grossheim did not. After a three-hour search, Grossheim’s body was recovered from Namakan Lake.
While colleagues at the memorial service described Grossheim as quiet, his actions spoke volumes.
“Kevin was an everyday hero that managed to avoid recognition himself and present it to others. He gave the ultimate sacrifice in his life for a family he didn’t know, for a job he loved, and for his integrity,” said Kabetogama Fire Chief Brian Wichner.
Besides his work as a park ranger, Grossheim spent nearly 20 years volunteering with the EMS/first responder team.
At his service, friends and colleagues said he had a passion for teaching boating and medical skills. Earlier this year, Grossheim received the park’s annual safety award — something that many of his loved ones didn’t know until after his death when reading the news in the local paper.
“Kevin never sought out glamorous jobs as it wasn’t his way. So a lot of staff didn’t know how much he had going on in the background,” Wentz said.
According to Wentz, Grossheim was quickly approaching retirement and had plans with his extra time to modernize his childhood home.
While addressing the crowd, Wichner said about Grossheim, “He is our hero.”
Kare11
Man shot at US Post Office in MN
Officers arrested the person believed to be the suspect before 5 p.m.
ST PAUL, Minn. — The United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating after a man was shot at a St. Paul branch of the agency Sunday afternoon.
According to the St. Paul Police Department, preliminary information suggests the man was shot by one of his coworkers at the post office.
SPPD officers were initially called to the scene on the 1700 block of W. 7th Street for a report of a shooting just before 3:30 p.m., according to a statement from the department.
Responding officers found a man who was suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds. That man was transported to Regions Hospital, according to the statement.
Officers arrested the person believed to be the suspect before 5 p.m.
“Preliminary information indicates they are co-workers at the post office,” said the SPPD statement.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.