Minnesota
Minnesota veteran paddles entire Mississippi to Stop Soldier Suicide
MN veteran paddles entire Mississippi River
A Vietnam veteran from Minnesota paddled the entire Mississippi River and raised about $80,000 for Stop Soldier Suicide in an effort to reduce the estimated 22 veteran suicides per day.
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota veteran made an extraordinary canoe trip down the entire length of the Mississippi River, hoping to save the lives of his fellow military members.
FOX 9 tracked the journey from Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico.
Frank Lachinski and friends passed through the Twin Cities on the first leg last summer and finished the trip this month.
A long journey
In all, it took 94 days and more than a million strokes.
But the most important number is $80,000 raised for the nonprofit Stop Soldier Suicide.
The sound of an oar swishing through water soothes Frank Lachinski.
But the 79-year-old Vietnam veteran knows this sense of calm is out of reach for some of his fellow veterans.
22 veteran suicides per day
The VA estimates 22 of them died by suicide every day.
“These are my comrades that are killing themselves,” Lachinski said. “And so I decided I’m going to do something about it.”
He hatched a plan to paddle the entire Mississippi River to raise money and awareness.
Single-minded and solo
He was so single-minded in his effort that over the course of some 2200 miles, he barely even took in the sights.
“I only had one thing in my mind and that was finish the trip,” he said.
Frank spent a lot of time alone, but he had some help along the way, like when Itasca County Sheriff Joe Dasovich paddled with him through Crow Wing County.
He often slept in a tent, but also had strangers offer up food and a warm bed.
And his daughter spent eight days with him.
“I definitely have a new respect for the river,” said Nicole Maves. “Absolutely.”
Capsized canoe
Their journey together included some excitement when they capsized in Missouri.
She swam to shore, and rescuers found Frank more than a mile downstream, still hanging onto the canoe.
“The only thing we lost was a roll of toilet paper,” Lachinski said.
What makes the trip worth it
Todd Bakke joined him for the final stretch as they reached the Gulf of Mexico, hoping 2200 miles can help reduce 22 deaths.
“He doesn’t care who they are or where they come from or what branch they are,” Bakke said. “And he just wants them to know that there’s help out there. There’s a solution.”
“It’s going to save some lives,” Lachinski said. “If it saves one life, the whole thing was worth it.”
Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings’ plane turns around after mechanical issues en route to game against Giants
Sunday, December 21, 2025 12:31AM
The Minnesota Vikings had some travel trouble Saturday getting to northern New Jersey for their game Sunday at the New York Giants.
Their team plane experienced mechanical issues that required turning around shortly after departing Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to a team spokesperson. The Vikings were expected to arrive in Newark later Saturday night after boarding a second plane, the spokesperson said.
Minnesota is 6-8 and, like the 2-12 Giants, has been eliminated from playoff contention. The Vikings are coming off beating Dallas, with this game more about young quarterback J.J. McCarthy getting additional NFL experience.
Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
After some light morning snow, temperatures will gradually fall Saturday in the Twin Cities amid powerful wind gusts.
Expect daytime highs in the upper teens to low 20s, with gusts of up to 40 mph.
The metro could see another small round of snow Sunday night into Monday.
Next week’s highs will be in the 30s, with temps pushing into the 40s on Christmas Day Thursday.
DULUTH — Finland was a force this summer at the University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena in Minneapolis during the
World Junior Summer Showcase,
beating the United States, Canada and Sweden by a combined score of 15-7.
The Finnish national junior team continued its domination at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Amsoil Arena on Friday night, beating Germany 7-3 in a 2026 World Junior Championship pre-tournament game played before a modest crowd of 650.
Finland also won the bonus 3-on-3 simulated overtime period after the game, scoring with 46.4 seconds left in the five-minute period.
The seven Finnish goals in regulation came from seven different players, with winger Max Westergard, a 2025 fifth-round NHL draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, getting the 3-on-3 goal after scoring an unassisted goal in the third period.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Centers Heikki Ruohonen, Oliver Suvanto and Jasper Kuhta, wingers Joona Saarelainen and Matias Vanhanen and seventh defenseman Lasse Boelius were among the other goalscorers for Finland.
Lenny Boos, Dustin Willhoft and Elias Schneider scored for Germany, which was outshot 29-17. The Germans had just one power play, in the third, compared to Finland’s four.
German goaltender Linus Vieillard made 22 saves while Finland goalie Kim Saarinen, a 2024 third-round pick of the Seattle Kraken, stopped 14 shots.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Finland’s lineup Friday featured 12 NHL draft picks — Germany had three — including Dallas Stars 2024 first-rounder Emil Hemming, Minnesota Wild 2024 fourth-rounder Aron Kiviharju and Montreal Canadiens 2024 third-rounder Aatos Koivu — the son of former NHLer Saku Koivu. Mikko Koivu, the former Wild captain, is Aatos’ uncle.
Ruohonen, a 2024 fourth-rounder of the Flyers, is the lone player on Finland’s roster from the NCAA. He’s a freshman at Harvard.
Finland will play one more pre-tournament game in Duluth at 6 p.m. Tuesday against the United States at Amsoil Arena. The Americans host Germany at 4 p.m. Sunday at Amsoil Arena.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Click on image to read comprehensive coverage of the 2026 World Junior Championship tournament.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
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