Minneapolis, MN
High speed, hands on learning: Lakeville, Minneapolis students launch go kart build-off under watchful eye of racing legends
Sparks shot across the Lakeville North High School machine shop as senior Ryan Lowell welded the back end of a small race car Thursday morning. A former NASCAR crew chief kept watch of Lowell’s work, while the grandson of racing legend Richard Petty also looked on.
Not exactly a typical day in third period.
Lowell and several of his Lakeville North classmates are currently competing in a rat rod go-kart build off with a group of students from Minneapolis Public Schools, a contest in which advanced technology education students plan, sketch, and build a go-kart to be raced next fall. The build off is part of the Tools for the Trades program with Burnsville-based Northern Tool and Equipment.
Northern Tool and Equipment started the Tools for the Trades program in 2021 in order to foster growth in career and technical education programs, ideally placing students in real-life situations to expose them to potential careers.
The build-off was announced last June, with the Northern Tool-donated 740cc NorthStar engines delivered to the schools in September. Since the start of school, the kids have gone step by step — first, brainstorming potential go-kart designs, then researching those ideas, and presenting the plans to the class. Next, they chose a potential design and learned about car frame geometry. That was before getting to the shop, picking up tools and, now, manufacturing their cars.
“I love all of it,” Lowell said, taking a break from the welding torch. “We’re welding, fabricating, we’re talking with each other about what to do. We’re all friends, so we talk it out. I hope (schools) can continue things like this. It’s such a great experience.”
The four-stroke, twin cylinder engines have roughly 20 horsepower, with these karts potentially racing down the track at more than 50 mph.
Alongside the Lakeville North students in the classroom on Thursday were two racing experts: Greg Steadman, former Petty Enterprises crew chief and current chief operating officer of Petty’s Garage; and Thad Moffitt, professional race car driver and grandson of legendary driver Richard Petty.
The Minneapolis Public Schools students have mentor Billy Lane, celebrity motorcycle builder and founder of Choppers, Inc., checking their work.
Steadman met with the students several times over Zoom, and he said meeting them in class clearly provided some better connections between the racing expert and the students. The high schoolers were particularly thoughtful in terms of the design and making potential changes, he said, and Steadman enjoyed showing them how those small changes could ripple throughout the entire design.
The program drew high marks from the educators.
At Minneapolis Public Schools, teacher Luther Kominski called the program a “breath of fresh air,” while his colleague Zach Humphrey said these skills will be life changing for his students.
“This is a transformational skill set that no one can take from you, that one day you can use to better your own circumstances,” Humphrey said.
At Lakeville North, technology education instructor Kevin Baas said his goal is to open up as many doors as possible for his students, which this program does through hands-on, real world experience working with local businesses. A particular focus for Baas is helping his students find an eventual career they can enjoy for years, rather than a job they eventually dread.
“We want to find out what you like, and also what you don’t like,” Baas said. “Northern Tool knows this is the future workforce. There are ‘help wanted’ signs in front of every manufacturing company in our area, and here, our kids are getting real world experience, learning lifelong skill sets.”
Indeed, many of the students said they hope to continue their education in the automotive, engineering, or manufacturing industries.
After high school, Lakeville North junior Tim Plante hopes to continue on to mechanical engineering. He spent a lot of time on Thursday working on the kart’s steering column.
“Having this opportunity is amazing,” Plante said. “It lets me do everything (in the industry).”
His classmate, Ryan Lowell, is considering an automotive career focusing on collision body work.
The finished cars are set to be displayed in June at the Minnesota Street Rod Association Back to the 50’s event at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, with a race scheduled next October in Florida, as part of Billy Lane’s Sons of Speed racing series.
“This program is a dream come true,” Baas said.
Election Day: What races are experts watching?
Municipal election day is Tuesday as elections are held for Minneapolis and St. Paul mayor. Senate seats are up for grabs, and several city council seats are at stake. Which races are political experts watching? FOX 9’s Soyoung Kim has the details.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Election Day is coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Experts say there is a lot at stake in the Minneapolis and St. Paul mayoral races. They are also watching special elections for state senate vacancies closely.
Contests to watch
Big picture view:
Some people might be wondering if the federal government shutdown will have any impact on Tuesday’s election in Minnesota.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said there should be very minimal impacts.
“This is not a federal election year. There are no U.S. House or U.S. Senator or presidential contests. So, they really are locally crafted, locally run elections by your cities and counties. So, I think it’s a blessing that we’ll mostly be shielded from those impacts,” said Simon.
“It’s really these local issues that are tending to dominate the discussion, and not so much the shutdown. When it comes to these mayoral races, city council races, so for now, at least, we seem to be shielded from the brunt of that. We have a very bottom-up system, not a top-down system in Minnesota for elections. It’s intentionally decentralized. It’s spread out across thousands of places across the state who do this. It’s your friends and neighbors who are counting the ballots. That goes in the even years as well. That’s a system that’s served us well. It’s locally controlled.”
Local perspective:
Political analyst Blois Olson said the Minneapolis mayoral contest is gaining national attention. It is a crowded field with a total of 15 candidates on the ballot.
“Omar Fateh, a senator, a democratic socialist, similar to New York, where you have a democratic socialist. Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey is trying to win a third term, which is always tough. Yesterday, Governor Walz did rally for Mayor Frey. Today, Ilhan Omar will do a rally for Senator Fateh,” said Olson.
“It’s ranked-choice voting, too, which adds a curveball. I think it’s going to be tough to beat Mayor Frey in ranked choice if you are Omar Fateh. That doesn’t mean another candidate like a Jazz Hampton or DeWayne Davis couldn’t come through on the second or third vote count.”
Experts are also watching the St. Paul mayoral race closely, which has five candidates, including incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter.
“Kaohly Her, the state Rep. got in late to the race, but Mayor Carter’s got a lot of challenges in St. Paul, including downtown. There’s a lot of people who just don’t think he’s got the right vision or the right energy. Not that he’s been a bad mayor, but he wants some sort of new idea,” said Olson.
Minneapolis and St. Paul use ranked-choice voting for local offices. Voters can choose multiple candidates and rank them in order of preference. In Minneapolis, voters can select up to three options. In St. Paul, voters can rank up to six candidates.
Senate seat vacancies
Olson said he is also watching the margins in the pair of special elections for state senate seats.
“The Bruce Anderson seat out in Buffalo, Delano area, that should go to Republicans, but is the moderate Democrat going to pick up more percentage. It’s also a special election, so you have got to watch that. In Woodbury, margin is another thing we’re watching. Do Republicans make ground on the Nicole Mitchell numbers. Both those seats should stay there, which would keep the Senate 34-33,” said Olson.
What you can do:
To check if there are any contests where you live and for what the rules are, go to MNvotes.gov and type your address.
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Polls in Minnesota will close at 8 p.m.
The Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, City of Minneapolis, City of St. Paul, FOX 9 political analyst, Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. (Valley News Live) – One person is dead and two others are injured after a shooting in the Dinkytown neighborhood of Minneapolis overnight.
One of the men who was injured was a University of Minnesota student, according to school officials.
According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, officers heard bursts of automatic gunfire around 2:30 a.m. Saturday near 13th Avenue Southeast and Fifth Street Southeast.
The officers found two men, and later found a third, all suffering from gunshot wounds.
One of the men died at the scene, O’Hara said. The other two who were taken to the hospital are expected to survive.
Copyright 2025 KVLY. All rights reserved.
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