Updated 3:17 pm PST, Thursday, December 27, 2018 In this Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018 photo, Lance Nieuwenhuis shovels snow out of his driveway in Sioux Falls, S.D. Nieuwenhuis' son watches in the background while wearing shorts. The weather service in Sioux Falls, South Dakota says rain is changing over to snow from west to east Thursday with heavy snow and gusty winds through Friday. (Briana Sanchez/The Argus Leader via AP) less In this Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018 photo, Lance Nieuwenhuis shovels snow out of his driveway in Sioux Falls, S.D. Nieuwenhuis' son watches in the background while wearing shorts. The weather service in Sioux ... more Photo: Briana Sanchez, AP Photo: Briana Sanchez, AP Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Image 1 of 15 In this Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018 photo, Lance … [Read more...] about Storm whips up blizzards, dumps snow in Dakotas, Minnesota
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Student opportunities — not financial crises — may drive Minnesota’s future school consolidations
Before the kickoff of fall sports, staff at the Eveleth-Gilbert Senior High were busy selling tickets to die-hard Iron Range sports fans. Among them, Tony Tassoni — an Eveleth resident of more than 80 years — stopped by on Monday to purchase his season pass. Nowadays, he has a grandson to support from the sidelines. But he’s been cheering on football players and other athletes in the Eveleth-Gilbert Public Schools district for as long as he can remember. The rivalry between Gilbert and Eveleth that he’d initially grown accustomed to was disrupted back in 1993, when the two districts merged. And now his beloved Golden Bears may soon become a relic as well, if current talks between the Eveleth-Gilbert and Virginia Public Schools Districts over merging at the high school level come to fruition. Asked how he feels about this possibility, Tassoni said, “The rivalries will always be there.” But it’s a move he thinks should have happened 25 years … [Read more...] about Student opportunities — not financial crises — may drive Minnesota’s future school consolidations
Charley Walters: Twins’ Byron Buxton insists ‘I can be a .300 hitter’
Last year, through July 3, Byron Buxton hit .195 with four home runs and 14 runs batted in for the Minnesota Twins. For the rest of the season, Buxton hit .314 with 12 homers and 37 RBIs. This year, it was not a reach to expect that the ultrafast center fielder, 24, in his fourth major league season, would start the way he finished in 2017. “I did, too,” Buxton said last week. “It’s frustrating whatever I’m hitting — I don’t even know what I’m hitting.” He’s hitting .167 after 24 games, back in the lineup after having missed nearly a month due to migraines and a fractured left toe. “I’m just trying to keep that number out of my head and just focus on what I can control,” he said. “I know I’m not hitting what I want to be hitting. But at the same time, I’ve got to keep it in perspective. “Eventually my hitting’s going to come back to me, and once I feel good enough at the plate … [Read more...] about Charley Walters: Twins’ Byron Buxton insists ‘I can be a .300 hitter’
Bicyclist killed in St. Paul crash was 75-year-old outdoorsman, grandpa
The 75-year-old bicyclist killed in a crash with a school bus in St. Paul Wednesday was an avid outdoorsman who was devoted to his family, his son said Thursday. Alan “Al” Grahn, who grew up in Mounds View, still got together with his high school friends weekly and they had just finished lunch at Dixie’s restaurant on Grand Avenue, his son said. He was heading back to his Minneapolis home when the collision happened with a school bus coming from Ramsey Middle School. The bus was driven by an 80-year-old St. Paul man. Neither he nor the 31 students on the bus were injured, but some witnessed the crash at Summit and Snelling avenues, according to the school district. “We are still in shock,” Andy Grahn, Al’s son, said Thursday. “It’s feels sort of unreal.” Police continue to investigate the crash. The bus driver, identified in a police report as Leland William Jacobs, of St. Paul, was interviewed by police. Preliminary … [Read more...] about Bicyclist killed in St. Paul crash was 75-year-old outdoorsman, grandpa
Charley Walters: Will Vikings’ Danielle Hunter get franchise tag?
Now that the Minnesota Vikings have extended the contract of the first of their core potential free agents, linebacker Eric Kendricks last week for $50 million for five years, negotiations for defensive end Danielle Hunter could become very interesting. So much that it could take designating a franchise tag on Hunter if a mega-contract agreement can’t be reached. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Hunter, who has had 25.5 sacks in his first three seasons in Minnesota, doesn’t turn 24 until October. Talent that young is hard to find in the NFL, making Hunter’s value as a potential free agent after the coming season in the $15 million per year range. That’s more than Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen’s $14.5 million per season average. Franchising Hunter for the 2019 season could cost the Vikings about $18 million. The team can’t afford to let him go. Kendricks’ $50 million deal could turn out to be the least expensive of the Vikings’ other … [Read more...] about Charley Walters: Will Vikings’ Danielle Hunter get franchise tag?