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Statewide: January 6, 2012 Archive
Eyes on Linden Ave. as possible stadium site
Posted at 5:00 AM on January 6, 2012
by Minnesota Public Radio
(5 Comments)
Filed under: Economy
A panoramic image shows the intersection of Linden Avenue and 16th Street near downtown Minneapolis. Supporters say a stadium in the area would make a great portal to the city.
By Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio
St. Paul, Minn. - A long-dormant corner of downtown Minneapolis is getting a closer look as an possible new home for the Vikings.
As locations go, the intersection of Linden Avenue and 16th Street near downtown Minneapolis isn't much. It's bracketed on three sides by chain link fencing — even barbed wire on two corners.
But supporters call the site downtown Minneapolis' "back door" and say a stadium there would make a great portal to the city. The growing prospects for a football stadium prompt hope — and concern — for the area.
For more than a century, the area has been a maintenance and equipment storage yard, now owned by Xcel Energy.
But if downtown boosters have their way, this spot could one day host a new stadium and possibly a Super Bowl.
The scrum to host the Vikings has come down to this site and two others. One is the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Arden Hills. Minneapolis wants to keep the team at the Metrodome site.
But Linden Avenue boosters say their site is the best of the lot.
Credit for the idea goes to Mic Johnson, design principal at the Minneapolis office of AECOM (formerly the Ellerbe Becket architectural firm), and his colleagues.
Linden Avenue runs through one of the proposed sites for a new Vikings stadium in Minneapolis. MPR Photo/Tim Nelson
Minneapolis is a beautiful downtown seen from the approaches on Interstate 35W or I-94, Johnson said.
"It has these great sort of tall buildings to it. It's very reflective, and you want those gateways to be marked in special ways," Johnson said. "There's no marker there, there's no gateway into the city, in a sense, you come in through the back door of a freeway."
It isn't just aesthetics. Once amid landmarks like Kemps Ice Cream, Munsingwear and Boyer Ford, the Linden Avenue site has been cut off from the rest of the city by freeways.
"When we looked at that site...that's also an opportunity to bridge some of that," Johnson said. "You put a stadium at that intersection, and then you find a way to bridge back over 394 and connect it to the city."
But maybe most importantly, there's money.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has offered to provide some local funding by diverting some of the city's existing hospitality taxes to a new stadium.
Opposition to new taxes has stymied the other major bid in Ramsey County for the stadium. And the Vikings have said it would be cost-prohibitive to play somewhere else while the Metrodome is torn down and rebuilt.
Downtown Council President Sam Grabarski said a Linden Avenue stadium would tie together the area around Target Field to the north, and the convention center to the east.
"We would have an event center that's adjacent to the downtown community, where all these bars and restaurants and hotels currently exist," Grabarski said. "That's an economic spark plug that is hard to deny would make an important difference to downtown Minneapolis."
Which isn't to say Linden Avenue is a done deal.
The team still prefers Arden Hills, said Vikings Vice President Lester Bagley.
"We know a lot about the Arden Hills site. It's the ideal site," Bagley said. "We know a lot about the Metrodome site. We don't know much about Linden Avenue. We're learning."
Lee's liquor lounge is on the northeast corner of the Linden Avenue area planners are considering for a new Vikings stadium. MPR Photo/Tim Nelson
Factors include cost and a construction timeline. And while it may be little known, the area is already well-used. Besides Xcel, it's also home to Youth Link, Hennepin County's hub for homeless youth services. The landmark Lee's Liquor Lounge is on the northeast corner of the area, and the city's Currie Avenue public works garage covers part of the site.
On one block, Wanner Engineering employs more than 100 people, making high tech pumps and valves. Founder Bill Wanner said he is deeply concerned the Vikings are about to run him out.
"Our machines are very expensive, and it would be devastating for us to move," Wanner said. "Because I'm sure that nobody would compensate us for the time and effort of moving the machinery, not to mention the displacement of employees."
It will soon be known if Linden Avenue will be seriously considered. Gov. Mark Dayton has told Minneapolis and Ramsey County officials to put their best offer on the table by the end of next week.
Survival app aims to help drivers in winter storms
Posted at 6:33 AM on January 6, 2012
by MPR News Staff
Filed under: Weather
By DAVE KOLPACK, Associated Press
FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- When a powerful blizzard ripped through North Dakota last winter, hundreds of drivers were stranded as white-out conditions shuttered interstates spanning the state. Snow whipped up by wind marred the lines between pavement and grassy drop-offs, leaving some scared motorists unsure what to do.
Two local software developers figured they could help.
Bob Bertsch, an employee with the North Dakota State University Extension Service, and Jake Joraanstad, an NDSU computer engineering major, had just finished developing an app to help residents during floods when the blizzard hit in March, convincing them to shift their attention to winter disasters.
Winter Survival Kit was born. The free program, available for iPhones and Android smartphones, is both a primer to help motorists prepare for winter driving and a beacon when things go badly.
It can pinpoint a motorist's location, call 911, notify friends and family, and monitor how long the gas will hold out. The app also gives potentially life-saving alerts when users tap a big red button on its simple home screen that reads, "I'm Stranded!" Among the advice: stay with your vehicle and keep the tailpipe clear of snow, since a backup can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
"It's our sincere hope that no one ever has to use it," said Bertsch, an NDSU Extension Service web technology specialist who led the team that developed the app. "But if one person does have to use it and it keeps them in their car or keeps them from succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning, then it is definitely worth the time and effort that was spent on the app."
The app also helps drivers prepare for bad weather by inputting phone and policy numbers for insurance and roadside assistance, and designated emergency contacts. And it gives guidance on putting together a physical survival kit to keep in vehicles in case of emergencies.
"Any tools developed which arm people with information that will help keep them safe is of value," North Dakota Emergency Services spokeswoman Cecily Fong said.
The app does have limitations. Joraanstad said some especially rural areas of the country _ particularly in the Great Plains _ have shoddy cellphone coverage that could impede some features such as GPS. At that point the app would tell users that their location couldn't be pinpointed and instruct them to call 911.
Still, the app has emergency numbers handy, allowing users to send text messages for help. Text messages often can be sent by weaker signals than are needed for clear phone calls. And the app would give emergency advice on braving the elements _ even telling users how to use parts of a vehicle to keep warm.
The Midwest hasn't seen much heavy snowfall in the last few months, so the app's developers haven't heard of any success _ or horror _ stories yet. But they're convinced that when the time comes, their app will help.
"This app can literally save someone's life. We take great pride in that," said Joraanstad, the 22-year-old chief operating officer for Myriad Devices, a startup company in NDSU's research and technology park that produced the app.
Bertsch, Joraanstad and two colleagues who teach at NDSU have become experts in disaster apps. Last year they developed a program to help residents deal with flooding that has overwhelmed North Dakota in the last few years. The H2O app provides news feeds, river levels, road closure maps and other information.
Winter Survival Kit, which works in the U.S. and Canada, joins several apps from other developers that were designed to help smartphone users in a bind, such as Help I Crashed My Car, Emergency Radio, iMapWeather Radio, iTriage, Close Call and pMonitor. As of this week, there didn't appear to be other winter survival-specific apps in either iTunes' or Android's app stores.
"I think we hit a particular niche," Bertsch said.
About 12,000 people downloaded the app in the first week it was released, and Joraanstad said that at last check, there were another 3,000 downloads. The early returns have been mostly favorable. Out of 16 user reviews on the Android website, 13 gave 5-star ratings. "Practical ... yet simple," reads one review. It had a 4-plus average rating among Apple iPhone users.
People posting lower ratings reported trouble with the app crashing. Joraanstad said those glitches are being addressed as they arise with updates.
The app is being promoted by Texas, where it can be downloaded directly from the Texas Extension Disaster Education Network website. In an unusual climate swap, Texas saw snow this winter before much of the rest of the country.
"With the amount of snow and ice during winter in the Panhandle and North Texas, plus the possibility of unusual cold weather occurrences elsewhere in the state, we felt it would be helpful to many Texans to make this app accessible," said Joyce Cavanagh, Texas extension service spokeswoman.
"People here aren't used to driving in that kind of weather. It gives some peace of mind while traveling," she said.
Cavanagh also said she felt more at ease knowing that many students traveling for the holidays had downloaded the app before hitting the roads.
College student Jessica Rush said she could have used such an app in March. The 21-year-old and a friend were traveling in separate cars in North Dakota when the fast-moving storm left her so blinded that she was on the highway's left shoulder when she thought she was driving over the warning bumps on the right. She figured she was about a half-mile from her friend's car.
"I called my dad and told him I was going to get out and walk to her car and he said, 'Do not leave your car. You don't know where she is,'" recalled Rush, who had cellphone coverage where she was stuck.
Rush stayed in her 2000 Oldsmobile Alero for four nerve-racking hours until she was rescued by a truck driver, and she came away with a new appreciation for the dangers of winter driving.
"When your parents tell you not to go somewhere you should probably listen," Rush said. "I guess this app is the next best thing."
___
Associated Press writer Amber Hunt contributed to this report from Sioux Falls, S.D.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Golf in South Dakota in January? Yes indeed
Posted at 7:07 AM on January 6, 2012
by MPR News Staff
Filed under: Weather
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- A rare winter golf season in South Dakota is continuing for residents of Sioux Falls.
KSFY television reports that the city's Elmwood Golf Course will remain open through Tuesday.
Course officials say temperatures reaching into the 40s to 50s through Tuesday led to the move. A warm dry winter with no snow cover has been making it possible for residents to hit the links this winter.
Elmwood's opening even drew some recent publicity in Canada. The Winnipeg Free Press ran a short item earlier this month noting the course is open, and it's only an eight hour drive from the Manitoba capital.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Semi-trailer sinks in icy pond by I-94
Posted at 9:49 AM on January 6, 2012
by MPR News Staff
(4 Comments)
Filed under: Weather
By Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio News
Photo courtesy Minnesota State Patrol
A semi-trailer headed eastbound on Interstate 94 drove off the road onto a pond near Monticello this morning, then broke through the thin ice and sank.
State Patrol spokesman Eric Roeske said that the driver, 35-year-old John Nettifee, of Anoka, escaped with minor injuries after crossing the interstate median and driving through a break in oncoming traffic.
The accident happened just after 6 a.m. this morning, on the western end of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's test facility on I-94.
Roeske said arrangements are under way to get the truck winched out of the water.
More photos from the Minnesota State Patrol:
Minn. DNR announces new wolf hunting season for fall
Posted at 2:14 PM on January 6, 2012
by Nate Minor
(55 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Outdoors, Sports & Recreation
Wolves roam in the wilderness in February 2010 near the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. (MPR File Photo/Derek Montgomery)
By Elizabeth Dunbar
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Friday it will propose a new wolf hunting season for as early as this fall.
The state expects management of the population to fall back into its hands after the gray wolf in the Great Lakes region is officially removed from federal protection later this month.
The DNR is seeking authority from the Legislature to create a new wolf license that would be available through a lottery system. The hunting season, which would include trapping, would likely take place between late November and early January, said Dan Stark, DNR large carnivore specialist.
DNR officials said it has not yet set the number of licenses it will distribute or a target harvest rate. The first hunting season will be conservative so that the DNR can begin to collect data on how successful hunters are and how the wolf population responds, officials said.
There are approximately 3,000 wolves in Minnesota, and Stark said the population needs to stay above 1,600 to remain sustainable. But he said success rates among wolf hunters in other states have been very low.
"It's kind of an opportunistic thing," he said. "Trappers targeting wolves are probably going to be more effective."
It will be the third time the federal government removes Great Lakes region wolves from the Endangered Species Act. The other two times, the wolf was put back under protection following legal action by some animal rights and conservation groups.
A legal challenge is still possible this time, and DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr acknowledged that hunting wolves will be a sensitive issue.
"The wolf is really an iconic species in Minnesota," he said. "We need to proceed with care."
Landwehr said the state has a history of managing game species responsibly.
"We take this conditional opportunity seriously, and we're going to demonstrate that we can do it right," he said.
Ed Boggess, director of the DNR Fish and Wildlife Division, said many of the specifics of the proposed hunt still have to be worked out. He expects that will happen during the upcoming legislative session.
Boggess said DNR officials will propose starting with a small number of licenses to be cautious.
"We don't want to do anything that would get the wolf put back on the list," he said.
Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, oversees DNR matters at the Legislature and said he supports a wolf hunting season. Ingebrigtsen said he wants to see the DNR's specific proposal but will do what he can to expedite legislation to allow the hunt.
New rules allow feds to help fight reservation crime
Posted at 12:20 PM on January 6, 2012
by MPR News Staff
Filed under: Tribal issues
By Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio News
New federal rules in effect this week allow Minnesota Indian tribes to seek federal crime fighting help.
Minnesota is one of six states where the state has primary criminal jurisdiction on most reservations. The new rules allow tribes to request that federal authorities investigate and prosecute crimes.
The change is a result of complaints by tribal officials that Indians were not treated fairly in the state judicial system.
"We want to make the situation better if we're going to come in and do this," said Tracy Toulou, who heads the federal office of Tribal Justice within the U.S. Department of Justice. "There's obviously an issue or people wouldn't be asking for this. And we want to be sure we make the situation better rather than status quo or worse."
Several Minnesota tribes are expected to request federal help in fighting crime. Toulou says it will likely be July before federal officials assume jurisdiction on any Minnesota reservations.
"For any successful law enforcement relationship you need to bring all resources to the table," Toulou said. "We clearly intend to do that, work with the state and the tribe. We hope through this process, where relationships have not been strong, by working together we can make them stronger and better."
Ramsey Co. stadium opponents revive efforts
Posted at 12:44 PM on January 6, 2012
by MPR News Staff
Filed under: Government, Sports & Recreation
Stadium opponents in Ramsey County are trying again to put a Vikings stadium deal before county voters.
The No Stadium Tax coalition lost an effort to put a county ordinance on the ballot. Now, they're planning to change the county constitution and add a ban on subsidizing professional sports.
That process doesn't require review by the county attorney, and requires fewer signatures. But it also would delay putting the matter to voters until a general election.
Spokeswoman Ady Wickstrom said the petition could have a quicker impact.
"We still want to get this done as quickly as possible. Ideally, we would get this done before the [legislative] session starts," WIckstrom said. "Will that happen? I don't know."
It's the fourth such effort. The county's Charter Commission decided twice last year not to intervene in the stadium debate. The county attorney this week turned down key sections of a proposed anti-stadium law proposed by stadium opponents.
Wickstrom said the new effort will need nearly 15,000 signatures.
"We've got volunteers that are ready to go," Wickstrom said. "They've got the petitions, and I've given them the word that they can go ahead and start collecting signatures right now. So they should be hitting the streets and hitting the neighborhoods."
Minn. hawala to re-open with small money transfers
Posted at 2:24 PM on January 6, 2012
by Minnesota Public Radio
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Around MN
By AMY FORLITI, Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A money transfer business that sends remittances from Minnesota to Somalia says it will re-open Friday to allow transfers in small dollar amounts.
Garad Nor is head of Tawakal Money Express. He says he'll re-open at 5 p.m. Friday and allow transfers in amounts up to $500 - for emergencies only.
Fifteen Minnesota hawalas stopped accepting wire transfers to Somalia last week because the bank that handled most of the transactions closed their accounts. The bank feared it was at risk of violating rules designed to clamp down on terror financing.
Nor says customers have been begging him to re-open so they can help relatives in the Horn of Africa.
Nor says he has accounts with banks in other states, and will be able to send the money.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Locked-out Crystal workers claim cars bumped them
Posted at 3:17 PM on January 6, 2012
by MPR News Staff
Filed under: Northwest Minnesota
Moorhead, Minn. (AP) — No charges are expected after locked-out
American Crystal Sugar workers say vehicles bumped into them on a
Moorhead picket line.
Moorhead Police Lt. Tory Jacobson tells KFGO-AM that in two
separate incidents Friday, locked-out workers claim they were
intentionally bumped by vehicles crossing the picket line.
Up to 25 pickets were walking near a gate when the incidents
happened.
Jacobson says police have been speaking with locked-out workers
and Crystal officials to ensure everyone's safety.
Union workers at Crystal have been locked out since Aug. 1.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Proposed immigration rule change would shorten wait time for some
Posted at 3:36 PM on January 6, 2012
by Minnesota Public Radio
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Government
By Sasha Aslanian, Minnesota Public Radio
St. Paul, Minn. - The federal government is proposing a rule change that would shorten family separations for people trying to fix their immigration status.
Under the change, immigrants would still need to leave the U.S., but if their absence imposes an extreme hardship on a U.S. citizen spouse or parent, they could apply for a waiver to shorten the process to days or weeks, said Alejandro Majorakas, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director.
Currently, people who are in the country illegally and married to U.S. citizens must return to their home country to apply for a waiver to re-enter. Families can be separated for six months or more, according to the U.S.C.I.S.
"The goal is to reduce the time of separation and alleviate the extreme hardship to a United States citizen as the law currently intends," Majorakas.
The head of Minnesota's Immigrant Law Center welcomed the change, calling it good news that should help many people.
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