Minneapolis, MN
Fliers land in MN after escaping hurricane in Florida
Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida
FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni spoke to travelers arriving at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida. The Category 3 hurricane is expected to cause catastrophic damage.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Those who took the last flights out of Florida before Hurricane Milton hit landed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Wednesday night.
Some cut short plans and returned days earlier than scheduled while others had already planned to return home but struggled to get to the airport.
“I was panicking, like what am I going to do if I don’t get out of Miami?” said Elizabeth Hvidsten, of Shakopee. “Are we going to be stuck in traffic? Is there going to be gas? Because we are not from there. We have never evacuated. I know what to do in a snowstorm. I don’t know what to do in a hurricane.”
Hvidsten owns a company that takes adults with disabilities on vacation. They spent a day at Disney World on Monday before the forecast prompted them to drive to Miami and find an earlier flight home.
“Until I was on that flight, I was nervous, and then I had a sense of relief,” she said.
Others didn’t have to change their plans but encountered challenges making it to the airport in Florida.
“My rental had to stop at 10 different gas stations in order to fill up the tank in the vehicle, so it just kind of goes to show how many people were starting to scatter and travel kind of all at one time,” said Scott Sowers, of Duluth.
Sowers traveled from West Palm Beach to Ft. Lauderdale with his wife and infant daughter, where they flew back to the Twin Cities.
“We stuck with our original flights, and I got to imagine we were one of the last ones to make it,” he said.
Many Florida airports shut down by Wednesday afternoon, hours before the hurricane made landfall. It’s unclear when they’ll reopen.
Minneapolis leaders are divided over whether to keep paying for ShotSpotter as the city weighs a new contract for the gunfire detection system.
A public hearing at City Hall focused on the technology as Minneapolis negotiates a new contract with SoundThinking, the company that provides ShotSpotter. Deputy Chief of Investigations Travis Riddle told the council the system supports gun violence strategies and can alert police no later than 60 seconds after shots are fired.
Critics at the hearing said the technology is not proven enough and argued the money could be spent in other ways. The proposed deal would cost $3.7 million through 2029 and would expand ShotSpotter into new areas of Minneapolis.
“We have actually had a contract with SoundThinking for their ShotSpotter services since 2014, and even with this technology for over 12 years now, MPD’s solve rates for homicides and non-fatal shootings were some of the worst in the country,” Council member Robin Wonsley said.
Council members pushed back on the long-term proposal and said they want a one-year deal instead. Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw disagreed with concerns raised by her colleague during the debate.
“In my opinion, and in folks I’ve heard from the North Side who have shown up here time and time again to say that we want this technology, we believe that ShotSpotter is a tool that the police use to save lives,” LaTrisha Vetaw said
City Council is set to take up the issue again on June 17. Minneapolis police are expected to return with a one-year contract instead of the three-year contract brought forward at the hearing.
Premiere vocal ensemble, Cantus is bringing the songs of Dolly Parton to the stage with fresh interpretations. The show will cover her classics like “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.” Cantus Presents, COVERS: Dolly & Friends runs through June 7th at the Luminary Arts Center at 700 N 1st St. in Minneapolis.
Minneapolis police are investigating a hit-and-run that left a man seriously injured Tuesday afternoon.
The crash happened near Oliver Avenue North and Lowry Avenue North just before 2 p.m., according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
Investigators say an SUV struck another vehicle, which then collided with a motorcyclist. The driver of the SUV then fled the scene.
The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries. Police say the driver of the other vehicle was not injured.
No arrests have been made as of Tuesday night.
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