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Funeral set for Mahtomedi youth hockey player who died days after crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

Samson Walters loved fishing, foraging for mushrooms and agates, and “hunting for any wildlife that he could fry.”Hockey families around Mahtomedi have been putting hockey sticks out on their front porches and turning on their porch lights to show support for Samson Walters, 16, of Hugo, who was critically injured in a head-on collision in Grant on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. (Courtesy of Mahtomedi Youth Hockey Association)Walters, 16, of Hugo, died Saturday at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, three days after he was critically injured in a car accident on his way to school at Mahtomedi High School.Walters, a Junior Gold 16 player with the Mahtomedi Youth Hockey Association, loved being outside, according to his obituary.“The outdoors were Samson’s happy place,” the obituary states. “You would rarely find him inside.”Walters, whose nickname was “Smiler,” was a great big brother and a triple-sport athlete who had a smile that “lit up every room he entered,” according to his obituary...

Man found dead in wreckage of South St. Paul house explosion was owner’s son, family says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

Family has identified the man found dead in the wreckage of last week’s house explosion in South St. Paul as the homeowner’s 42-year-old son.Nhu Richards wrote on a fundraising page that firefighters pulled the body of her brother Ryan James Richards from the “heartbreaking aftermath” of Thursday morning’s explosion and fire that leveled their mother’s home on the city’s south end, just south of Interstate 494.Fire officials have not said what they believe caused the explosion — only that it remains under investigation — and the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office has not released a cause or manner of the man’s death.Nhu Richards wrote on GoFundMe last week that donations will go toward paying for her brother’s funeral and care for their 77-year-old mother, Ester Richards, who is a paraplegic. She was not home at the time of the explosion.“As we grapple with the pain and loss, we’re left with uncertainty about the full exte...

Mississippi River: Minnesota DNR reports biggest capture of invasive carp to date

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

Wildlife officials have captured hundreds of invasive carp from the Mississippi River near Trempealeau, Wis.The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Friday that officials caught 296 silver carp, 23 grass carp and four bighead carp Nov. 30 in what the agency called the largest single capture of invasive carp in Minnesota to date.Agency officials said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources tracked six tagged invasive carp in that area of the river that led officials to larger schools moving upstream. Observations from commercial anglers also helped officials pinpoint the fish.“Asian” carp were imported to the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s to help rid Southern aquaculture farms of algae, weeds and parasites. They escaped through flooding and accidental releases, found their way into the Mississippi River and have used it as a superhighway to spread north into rivers and streams in the nation’s midsection.The carp are voracious eaters — adult bigheads and...

Twin Cities man ID’d in fatal landslide at southern Minnesota state park

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

Officials on Monday identified a 19-year-old man who was killed in a landslide at a state park in southern Minnesota near Mankato.Jack Robert Loso, of Robbinsdale, died Saturday afternoon after becoming trapped under collapsed earth from the landslide, the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Loso was visiting the park with family members when the landslide occurred at the base of the falls area of the park, investigators said.Emergency workers called to the scene recovered Loso’s body. The accident remains under investigation, officials said Monday.Minneopa State Park is one of Minnesota’s oldest state parks, and contains waterfalls and a bison herd, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.Related ArticlesOutdoors | Mississippi River: Minnesota DNR reports biggest capture of invasive carp to date Outdoors | Two Twin Cities companies issue cantaloupe recalls amid nationwide salmonella warning Outd...

AP names Eliah Drinkwitz SEC Coach of the Year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is the unanimous pick as the Associated Press Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year, while Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson is defensive player of the year.Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz won coach of the year honors Monday after leading the ninth-ranked Tigers into the Cotton Bowl against No. 7 Ohio State. Alabama safety Caleb Downs is the top newcomer.Daniels, a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy, leads the nation in total offense (412.2 yards per game), passing for 3,812 yards and a nation's best 40 touchdowns against only four interceptions. Daniels has also run for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns.Watson is the SEC's leading tackler with 137 and also has a league-best 10 sacks. Watson has two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.Downs led No. 5 Alabama with 99 tackles as a freshman, well ahead of No. 2 tackler Jihaad Campbell's 65. He also has two interceptions and returned a punt 85 yards for a t...

Cale Makar’s status aside, Avalanche not concerned after winless road trip

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

LOS ANGELES — The Colorado Avalanche has lost three consecutive games for the first time this season.That factual statement reads like the situation is a lot more foreboding than the current state of things. The Avs are not concerned. No warning sirens are going off.With one Norris Trophy-sized caveat, the Avs just played three games and feel … OK with how it went, results aside.“We picked up a couple points on the road,” Avs defenseman Jack Johnson said. “I think the last two games, especially the one (Saturday) night, we could have easily won that game. Over an 82-game season, you’re going to win some you shouldn’t and lose some you should win. We knew (Sunday) was going to be a big challenge for us with injuries and not a lot of time between games.“Every team is going to face that. We faced it head on, but now we need to go home, get our rest and get ready for Tuesday.”Losing in overtime on a fluky own goal, losing in a shootout and hangi...

Upon Further Review: Broncos’ late game mishap highlights afternoon of missed opportunities in loss to Texans

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

Russell Wilson’s late-game magic, which lifted the Broncos past Buffalo and Minnesota during their five-game win streak, died out at the 8-yard line at NRG Stadium in Houston on Sunday afternoon.After two straight incompletions, Wilson and company faced a crucial third-and-goal for all the marbles. Wilson dropped back and was immediately pressured by edge rusher Jonathan Greenard.Wilson managed to slip past Greenard and fire off a throw to tight end Lucas Krull in the end zone, where Houston safety Jimmie Ward jumped and recorded the game-sealing interception.Broncos head coach Sean Payton knows all too well that the margin for error is thin when fighting for a playoff spot. And in Denver’s 22-17 loss to the Texans on Sunday, the Broncos committed a few too many errors to survive it.The Broncos’ attempt at a miracle highlighted communication issues that plagued the team throughout the afternoon.Krull was never meant to be the hero. The Broncos had wide receivers Co...

Congress passes Rep. Yadira Caraveo’s bill to tackle abuse of an animal tranquilizer often mixed with fentanyl

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

A bill spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo to combat the rising drug scourge of xylazine, a powerful animal tranquilizer that users mix with fentanyl and other substances, passed the House Monday and now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.Xylazine, also known by its street names “tranq” and “zombie drug” — for the severe, rotting wounds it can cause in humans — spurred a warning from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration last spring about its potential lethality, especially when mixed with opioids such as fentanyl. The drug is not approved for human use.The bipartisan bill, dubbed the Testing, Rapid Analysis and Narcotic Quality (TRANQ) Research Act, directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to focus its research on existing and emerging illicit drugs containing xylazine and other emerging substances. NIST researchers have been helping to improve and develop technologies to get ahead of synthetic dr...

Driving on PCH in Malibu is about to change

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

An ambitious multi-million-dollar project begins Monday to improve safety and traffic flow along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, including the area where four Pepperdine University students were killed in a crash in October.As part of the “Traffic Signal Synchronization Project,” crews will install communication lines between existing traffic signals on PCH between John Tyler Drive and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Officials said this will allow signals to be controlled remotely by Caltrans to lower speeds and reduce congestion.Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. (Getty Images)“The new equipment will capture real-time traffic data and send it to the traffic signal controllers, which will use state-of-the art software to adjust the traffic signal timing to actual traffic volume,” the city of Malibu said on its website. “Vehicles going the speed over the speed limit will encounter red lights, while those going the speed limit will encounter green lights.”The project also include...

American woman killed by shark at popular tourist destination

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:59 GMT

A female tourist from Boston was killed Monday by a shark while paddleboarding in the Bahamas, police told reporters.The victim, who was not identified, was attacked less than a mile off the western end of New Providence island, where the capital, Nassau, is located. She was paddleboarding with a man who was not injured, according to Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson.“We extend our heartfelt condolences…for this most unfortunate situation,” she said.Police said a lifeguard rescued both people with a boat upon seeing what was happening, but the woman suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body and was declared dead at the scene despite CPR efforts. Study: Sharks nearby more than we think, are not ‘bothering’ us It was not immediately clear what type of shark attacked the woman. A police superintendent did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.Gavin Naylor, program director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida, said in an interview that there ha...