Star Tribune
Lawbreaking drivers spur plan to rebuild Ham Lake intersection
Last month, a Jeep driver heading west on Bunker Lake Boulevard in Ham Lake pulled into the right-turn lane to bypass a line of cars that had stopped for a red light at the intersection with Hwy. 65.
The impatient Jeep driver did not turn right, instead going straight and smashing into another vehicle that was completing a legal left turn. An Anoka County Sheriff’s Office deputy on routine patrol witnessed the “significant motor vehicle crash,” in which the Jeep flipped upside down and left the front end of a minivan mangled.
The Sheriff’s Office posted a video of the wreck recorded by the deputy’s squad dashcam on its Facebook page with the admonition, “Break the habit, not the law at the red light.” Law enforcement has seen too many dangerous traffic violations such as running red lights, and “it needs to stop,” the post continued.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation reports there have been 13 wrecks this year at Hwy. 65 and Bunker. That’s on top of the 103 crashes at the intersection between 2014 and 2023, the agency said.
Traffic volume has increased on both Hwy. 65 and Bunker in recent years, and the intersection is “beyond capacity,” said Joe MacPherson, an Anoka County traffic engineer. “With so much green time on Hwy. 65 for north-south traffic, vehicles on the side leg [Bunker] are getting more gutsy.”
That includes motorists like the Jeep driver who are taking chances, said MnDOT spokesman Kent Barnard.
Westbound traffic often backs up in the mornings as many drivers cross Hwy. 65 to reach nearby schools, and “drivers are choosing to go straight in the right-turn lane to make the signal, which is illegal,” Barnard said. “We would like to stress to drivers that they can’t go straight in the westbound right-turn lane.”
Anoka County is looking to remove that temptation by putting in an overpass that would carry Hwy. 65 drivers up and over Bunker. Any construction is likely four to five years down the road, MacPherson said.
Officials on Monday released the identity of the man who was shot and wounded by a coworker outside a post office in St. Paul over the weekend.
Roy Varghese, 50, of Eagan, was shot several times mid-afternoon Sunday at the U.S. Postal Service’s Elway Station at 1715 W. 7th St., on a report of a person shot inside the building, according to police. Varghese was taken by emergency responders to Regions Hospital. His condition was not immediately available.
Police say they arrested the suspected shooter about an hour later during a traffic stop near W. 7th and Madison streets.
The suspect, a 28-year-old man from Minneapolis, remains jailed on suspicion of assault with charges pending. The Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.
In a statement, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said it was working with law enforcement to investigate the shooting.
Court records show the suspect was convicted in May 2022 of a gross misdemeanor for threatening to have someone kill the owner of a senior assisted-living facility in Edina where he worked as a janitor. He was sentenced to two years’ probation.
The Maple Grove City Council last week approved a separation agreement between the city and Tim Bush and authorized city staff to move forward with plans to find a replacement to lead the fire department, which has five stations and 95 firefighters.
Bush, who had expressed a desire to retire after 16 years of service, will be paid $5,000 for his voluntary retirement, which will take effect Dec. 31, according to terms of the agreement signed by both parties on Sept. 24.
The separation comes after the City Council met in closed session Sept. 5 to discuss “preliminary consideration of allegations or charges against” Bush, according to City Council meeting documents. No details were released.
Bush appears to have left the department two days later, but his departure was rescinded by the council and amended to state he was placed on paid administrative leave from Sept 7 to 24, according to the separation agreement. Bush will be placed on medical leave and use sick time from Oct. 1 through Nov. 15 . At that time, he will be placed back on administrative leave until he retires Dec. 31, the agreement states.
In signing the agreement, Bush and the City agreed to release all claims between them.
Bush had served as fire chief since 2017. Bill Abderhalden has been named acting fire chief, according to the city’s website.
Bush did not respond to a request for comment.
A fire in a home in Rogers left one person dead and two firefighters injured, officials said.
The blaze broke out late Sunday afternoon at a house in the 20700 block of Territorial Road, the Rogers Fire Department said.
Firefighters found one person inside who was dead, according to the fire department. The victim’s identity has yet to be released.
Two firefighters were slightly injured, the fire department said. One was taken to North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale, while the other was treated at the scene.
Officials have yet to address the cause of the fire.
