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Fireworks proceed in Minneapolis after daytime rain showers clear out

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Fireworks proceed in Minneapolis after daytime rain showers clear out


Fireworks proceed in Minneapolis after daytime rain showers clear out

Call it a Fourth of July miracle.

After a day of heavy rains, the sun peeked out early Thursday evening and the Red, White, and Boom event in Minneapolis was back on track.

“I kept checking Facebook, trying to see if they are going to be on, and they said they’re going,” laughed Jenai Brazell of Richfield. “And I said, ‘Let’s go, it’s time to go.’”

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There was dancing and live music at Mill Ruins Park after the city’s announcement that the fireworks show would go on.

Fourth of July forecast causing some cities to reschedule or cancel fireworks

“When it cleared up, we decided to come down, get some food, listen to some music,” says Brittany Bennett, who lives nearby.

Bennett and her toddler son, Aiden, looked ready to celebrate the nation’s birthday.

“Hopefully, it stays clear and people get to enjoy the fireworks,” she said. “It’d be a big letdown if it didn’t happen.”

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But earlier in the day the prospects for a successful fireworks show didn’t look so good.

Vendors busied themselves getting their food trucks ready in case the weather cleared.

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board workers on the riverfront tried to stay positive.

“The weather, you can’t control Mother Nature,” declared Sammy Vazquez, a lemonade vendor.

There was water, water everywhere, it seemed — a super-soaker that put a damper on the holiday mood.

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“Disappointing. You know, it’s Independence Day, everybody wants to see — hopefully, we see some fireworks tonight,” said Andy Long, an equipment operator with Minneapolis parks.

But remember the poem on the Statue of Liberty?

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses …”

A day we celebrate our independence and freedom is perhaps also a day of miracles.

“I heard the fireworks are amazing. I’m excited to see what happens tonight,” said Meredith Jolin, visiting from Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Fireworks mirrored over the Mississippi — an evening of patriotism and joy replacing a day of gloomy weather.

“Seeing all the food trucks, seeing everybody out, it’s a good sense of community here,” said Jolin’s husband, Kevin.



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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis construction workers call on developers to take stand against ICE

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Minneapolis construction workers call on developers to take stand against ICE


Construction workers in Minneapolis on Friday called for developers to demand that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leave Minnesota and offer protections for their crews. Protesters at a separate demonstration on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis asked corporate businesses to end what they call cooperation with immigration enforcement.



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Minneapolis, MN

Fan behind Anthony Edwards’ orange bracelet has beaten cancer

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Fan behind Anthony Edwards’ orange bracelet has beaten cancer


The story behind Anthony Edwards wearing a bright orange bracelet since last season has received a positive development, after Timberwolves fans learned Luca Wright has beaten leukemia.

Anthony Edwards, Luca Wright connection

What we know:

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Last January, the 6-year-old Minnesotan met “Ant” for the first time following a game against the Detroit Pistons, proclaiming him to be his favorite player, and asking him to wear a bracelet that symbolizes leukemia awareness, resilience and support for those affected. During the interaction, the fan had created a sign with a to-do list: “1. Beat Cancer. 2. Be The Next MJ.”

Leukemia is a type of cancer that spreads throughout the bloodstream, infecting bone marrow and a person’s lymphatic system by rapid production of abnormal white blood cells that can’t fight infection.

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Since then, the Wolves’ MVP has worn a bracelet that proclaims, “Love Like Luca” on it for every game he has played, vowing to wear it “until he hangs up his sneakers.”

Ant has gone on to explain how the gesture connected with him given that he lost both his mother, Yvette, and grandmother, Shirley, to cancer when he was 14 years old. The No. 5 jersey he wears currently is a tribute to them both.

Luca bracelet latest

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Dig deeper:

More than a year later, Wolves fans have received the update they hoped for – now 7-year-old Luca has beaten his cancer.

What’s next:

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Ant has since responded to the news with his own social media video, calling it “God’s gift” and saying, “Let’s do this Luca.”

No word yet on whether he intends to keep wearing the bracelet, though he’s previously said he has a stash of replacements near the team bench should one ever be broken.

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The Source: Information provided by the Minnesota Timberwolves public relations department.

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Family of Minneapolis brothers killed by cousin says their deaths were preventable:

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Family of Minneapolis brothers killed by cousin says their deaths were preventable:


A Minneapolis family is struggling to make sense of a tragedy that has left them heartbroken. 

Family tells WCCO 14-year-old Xavier Barnett and 23-year-old Akwame Stewart were killed Monday.

The brothers were very different, but equally loved. Barnett was a good student and athlete. Stewart was a painter, creative and thoughtful. Two brothers, loved and full of promise, gone. 

Police say the accused shooter is their cousin, 23-year-old Eddie Duncan.

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Court records show Duncan was released on bail Monday on charges of fleeing law enforcement and possession of a gun modified with an “auto sear switch.”

Court records also show Duncan was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, but not until next month, on March 24.

Deasia Freeman, Barnett and Stewart’s sister, says this loss could have been prevented. 

“They all failed us. We got two innocent lives gone for no reason. Didn’t do nothing to nobody,” Freeman said.

Family members say the system and Duncan’s family let them down.

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Freeman says Duncan’s family saw the warning signs and still bailed him out

“If you knew this man was thinking like this, y’all should have kept him in there and he should not even have bail,” she said. 

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says they noted Duncan was a public safety risk and asked for a high bail, much higher than a typical request. 

“In Minnesota, there is a constitutional right to bail, and the bail amount is set by the Court. Our office noted a public safety risk with Mr. Duncan and asked the judge to set bail at $70,000, or $35,000 with conditions; both of which are higher than we would typically request in this scenario. The judge set bail in that amount. Mr. Duncan posted $35,000 bail with conditions of release, as is allowed under the Minnesota Constitution, and was released from custody. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by yesterday’s violence. This was a terrible tragedy for this family and our community,” a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.

For Freeman and her family, the hardest part isn’t just the legal process but living each day without their brothers. 

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Even in the heartbreak, she says the memories of the good days, the laughter and love they shared will carry them through.

“I wish I could get just one more phone call from them asking me where I’m at,” Freeman said as tears rolled down her face. 

Court records confirm Duncan left the scene of the crime and fled to nearby Brooklyn Center. There, a search warrant says Duncan “fired a gun at officers, striking two squads,” when police arrived. That’s when officers returned fire, shooting and killing him.

Three officers have been placed on critical incident leave as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension leads the investigation into Duncan’s fatal shooting.

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