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Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner says illegal July Fourth activity will ‘not be tolerated.’
City leaders say they’re ready for the extended holiday weekend, following last year’s Fourth of July chaos.
With Fourth of July weekend approaching, memories of last year’s holiday are still fresh in Minneapolis.
During the overnight hours last year on July 4 and 5, police responded to more than one thousand calls, including a burst of illegal fireworks in the Mill District and a shooting that injured seven people at Boom Island Park.
Community Safety Commissioner Cedric Alexander, who started his post in August 2022 after the Fourth of July chaos, promised changes this year.
“Illegal fireworks, illegal actions, destroying property, attempting to hurt other people, is not going to be tolerated in this community,” Alexander said in an interview. “Not as long as I am here.”
Already this week, on Wednesday night, an MPD said the department responded to at least one illegal fireworks report.
With an extended holiday weekend lasting basically from Friday evening through next Wednesday, Alexander said officers will be positioned strategically based on previous incidents. They’ll have a wide geographic area to cover. On Sunday and Monday, organizers for Taste of Minnesota say they’ll be assisted by 100 MPD officers at or near the festival. Also on Monday, the laser light show at Boom Island Park will draw thousands to the riverfront. The Park Police will act as the lead agency for that event.
“We are all working in concert with each other, whether it’s Transit Police, Park Police, our partners over at the state, the Sheriff’s Office, or federal partners,” Alexander said. “We’re all on the same team together. We all communicate with each other.”
Alexander said the city’s strategy will look a lot like last weekend when hundreds of thousands of people came to Minneapolis for Taylor Swift concerts and Twin Cities Pride.
“All of us made it work last week,” Alexander said. “It’s going to take all of us to make it work this weekend.”
To prevent groups from gathering during late-night and early-morning hours like last Fourth of July, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board also announced this week it will close the Stone Arch Bridge overnight during the extended weekend. After pushback from the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association, the Park Board adjusted the closure to 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., starting Friday, June 30 and lasting until Wednesday, July 5.
“Last year, large Fourth of July gatherings in riverfront parks and neighborhoods created unsafe, chaotic situations,” the Park Board said in a statement. “This proactive measure will help park staff and public safety agencies better manage crowds and safety during a very busy time for riverfront parks and neighborhoods. Riverfront trail users will be detoured to the Hennepin Avenue Bridge.”
Aileen Johnson, who organizes Safety Walks across Minneapolis, led a group of neighbors through the Mill District earlier this week ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. MPD First Precinct leadership joined the event, too, and reassured neighbors that they have a strategy for the weekend overnight hours that seems to be paying dividends this summer.
“Dramatic decrease in [shooting] victims,” Lt. Mark Klukow said, “because of the efforts of all these professionals we work with.”
Johnson said neighbors are still shaken by the last Fourth of July, but they’re focusing on the future — not the past.
“Based on what I’ve heard from the city, I feel very good. They are prepared. We’ve got as many officers on duty as possible,” Johnson said. “It’s not an easily forgettable night but we feel confident for this year.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey questioned the legality of the new measure while issuing his veto on Wednesday.
MINNEAPOLIS — The City of Minneapolis will move ahead with new carbon fees after a contentious back and forth at City Hall concluded with the council overriding the mayor’s veto.
The new fees, which target carbon emissions from city businesses, will be implemented on July 1, 2025, according to the council.
Minneapolis already has a pollution fee system, known as the Pollution Control Annual Registration or PCAR. The fees go into the city’s Green Cost Share program, helping pay the costs companies incur bringing down their emissions.
The current PCAR system covers emissions of other air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds, heavy particulates, and sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, lead, and carbon monoxide. Companies are required to report their emissions levels to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which, in turn, charges fees of $100 per ton.
The City Council voted Oct. 2 to add carbon dioxide to the list. The resolution seeks to impose a $452 per ton fee for carbon dioxide.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey questioned the legality of the new measure while issuing his veto on Wednesday.
“I am all on board for PCAR fees—but it’s time the Council stops playing games and follows the processes in place to enact lasting change,” said Mayor Jacob Frey, in a statement to KARE.
Before his veto was overridden, Frey had told KARE that if the measure were to move forward, companies hit with the fees would likely sue the city and win.
Council Member Robin Wonsley, who co-authored the measure, took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to Frey’s veto on Wednesday night.
Wisconsin law enforcement said Katrina Baur, and her partner, Jesse Vang, are facing charges in connection with 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s death, including obstruction.
TWO RIVERS, Wis. — About a month after 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s remains were recovered from a private property in Wisconsin, state authorities announced Thursday that charges have been filed against the boy’s mother and her partner.
Wisconsin law enforcement said Katrina Baur, and her partner, Jesse Vang, are facing charges in connection with 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s death, including obstruction.
Vue went missing in February and it wasn’t until September that his body was recovered and identified.
Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier told families in a letter that a rash of injuries has reduced the roster to the point that playing is a “safety issue.”
WADENA, Minn. — A central Minnesota high school is pulling the plug on the remainder of its varsity football season, saying continuing to play would not be “safe or realistic.”
Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier sent a letter home to families earlier in the week, explaining the decision to skip the Wolverines’ final game and subsequent district playoffs. Petermeier said injuries began piling up as the club reached midseason, and roster numbers hit a dangerous low following Wadena-Deer Creek’s game in week 7.
Heading into the final regular season game against Staples-Motley, Wadena-Deer Creek had just eight healthy players from 10th to 12th grade. At that point, the coach said, a difficult but necessary decision had to be made in the interest of safety.
“We are in a position now where we would have to trot out a majority of our team that is 14 and 15 years old, and that is not in the best interest of our kids,” coach Petermeier explained. “To us, safety is ahead of any individual game result. Football is a physical sport and putting out a team of mostly 14-15 year olds vs. 17-18 year olds is not safe or realistic for our team, and even the opposing team playing. “
Before the decision to end their season, the Wolverines were 1-6 on the year, losing games by up to 50 points.
Coach Petermeier credited this year’s varsity squad for their preparation, training and effort, and told parents he believes the future of the Wadena-Deer Creek football program is bright with big participation numbers with players at the fifth- to ninth-grade levels.
“Football is a game that requires strength in numbers, and we will do anything we can to keep these numbers high and keep kids out for football,” he promised.
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