Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis sports bars see boost in revenue as professional teams continue playoff runs
Minnesota’s playoff runs are giving Minneapolis sports bars a boost as three Minnesota sports teams have punched their ticket into the playoffs.
Bars and restaurants in Minneapolis tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS they are seeing more business as both teams keep winning in the playoffs.
Jay Ettinger, co-owner of the Rabbit Hole in the North Loop, is one example. Opening one year ago, Ettinger said the Rabbit Hole bet on Minnesota sports teams to have postseason success, and so far that bet has paid off.
“All the other restaurants in the neighborhood don’t really allow for large groups, so we built this to have large groups to celebrate things like this,” said Ettinger.
Ettinger said the restaurant is set up for sports fans with 54 TVs across the bar and seven more expected to be installed by next week to meet demand. He said playoff games on back-to-back nights have brought a major increase in business.
There are currently three Minnesota teams in the postseason: the Minnesota Wild, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Minnesota Frost. Meaning the Rabbit Hole can expect a large crowd and a large revenue boost almost every day this week.
“We’re going to have hockey tonight, basketball tomorrow, hockey, basketball…” said Ettinger. “I would say on those off nights…it’s probably triple to quadruple what our numbers would normally be.”
The Rabbit Hole is not the only business benefiting, either. The Minneapolis Downtown Council estimated last year that one Timberwolves playoff game could add up to $1.5 million for the city. But this year, for the first time ever – the Wolves and Wild are playing in May.
“After work, you come down during the week and there are people that are out getting a drink, getting a bite to eat…it makes the whole entire vibe of the city better…it’s just awesome to live down here right now,” said Minneapolis Resident, Caleb Wall.
“Like I said, something feels different this year…something just feels very different with the fandom, with the teams, with the attitude, with the culture of the teams, it just feels different this year…in a great way,” said Ettinger.
Minneapolis, MN
South Minneapolis crash: Stolen car hits state trooper at 80 mph, slams into home
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A high-speed crash involving a stolen car and a state trooper’s squad car sent the patrol car into a Minneapolis home, leaving several people in the hospital.
How the crash unfolded in south Minneapolis
What we know:
Investigators say the crash happened at the intersection of West 46th Street and Aldrich Avenue South in south Minneapolis, where a stolen vehicle slammed into a state trooper’s squad car at nearly 80 mph. The impact sent the squad car crashing into a home, leaving debris scattered across the yard and causing major damage to the house.
Tom Abresch was inside his home Friday night, just falling asleep, when the squad car came crashing in. “I was just laying right by that second window, and I just laid down, and all sudden, it went boom. My ears just popped. I mean, the compression from the car hitting us, and I thought we were being attacked,” said Abresch.
The crash left the front of the squad car stuck underneath part of the house. Abresch described the aftermath, saying, “It looks like over my whole porch, half the home, is gonna have to be taken down and be rebuilt.”
Police say the trooper had to be extricated from the vehicle and was taken to the hospital, along with passengers from the stolen car. All three people in the suspect’s car suffered serious injuries, as did the trooper.
The moments leading up to the crash
What we know:
Investigators say the incident started around 10:45 p.m. in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood, when a Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy spotted a stolen Hyundai. The deputy tried to stop the driver but called off the pursuit after losing sight of the vehicle.
A state patrol helicopter then tracked the suspect’s car from above. “I looked out the back window, and the first thing that I did see is a helicopter was right above us,” said Abresch.
Police say the driver was going recklessly and didn’t have headlights on. The driver blew through a stop sign at 80 miles an hour, crashing into the trooper’s squad car and sending it into Abresch’s house.
The 19-year-old driver tried to run but was quickly taken into custody. “There’s three people, and one of them had taken off and ran around the back of our building, ran all the way down,” said Abresch.
Minneapolis, MN
Sheriff: Driver of stolen vehicle flees traffic stop in St. Paul, hits State Patrol car in Minneapolis
The driver of a stolen car fled a traffic stop Friday night in St. Paul before crashing into a Minnesota State Patrol car in Minneapolis, according to the Ramsey County sheriff’s office.
A Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop the stolen Hyundai sedan at about 10:30 p.m. in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. The driver fled and crossed the Ford Parkway Bridge into Minneapolis before the deputy lost sight of the vehicle and ended the pursuit, according to the sheriff’s office.
The suspect was then observed driving recklessly and ran a stop sign at West 46th Street and Aldrich Avenue South at 80 mph. The vehicle collided with a State Patrol squad car, causing significant injuries to the trooper and passengers in the stolen vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
The 19-year-old suspect was quickly arrested after attempting to flee on foot. The driver has two prior arrests for fleeing police and is being held at the Ramsey County jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
Police say the same vehicle was involved in a pursuit Thursday night in the west metro, during which it reportedly swerved at emergency vehicles but did not hit them.
Minneapolis, MN
4 injured in shooting at south Minneapolis park, officials say
Police in Minneapolis are investigating after city officials said four people were injured in a shooting at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park on Friday night.
According to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, officers responded to a report from an individual of a suspicious person around 8:38 p.m. The caller said there was a large gathering of young adults in the parking lot of the park, which is located at 4055 Nicollet Ave.
According to city officials, multiple gunshots were fired before the officers arrived at the park.
A 19-year-old woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance with serious injuries, city officials said. Three other people, whose ages have yet to be disclosed, self-transported to the hospital with gunshot-related injuries
No suspects in the shooting have been arrested, officials said.
Park police are working with the Minneapolis Police Department to investigate the incident.
This is a developing story.
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