Minneapolis, MN
Teams from all over the country travel to Minneapolis for the US Pond Hockey Championships
MINNEAPOLIS — Friday marked the beginning of the US Pond Hockey Championships in Minneapolis.
About 3,000 players from 300 different teams will be playing at Lake Nokomis over the next two weekends.
Seeing the ceremonial puck drop and watching teams play in single-digit temperatures, it’s hard to believe this year’s tournament almost didn’t happen.
“We were swimming. We were swimming back then. So yeah, Mother Nature came in and did her job,” said event manager Jesse Delorit.
Delorit said a mild start to January meant they were basically dealing with open water, earlier this month. Then the ice came.
“The last two weeks obviously picked up. The cold weather came in. We got approval from the city basically Tuesday morning,” said Delorit.
And that means they had to build all 23 pond hockey rinks within about 48 hours. But organizers and players say this is the best ice they’ve seen in about 8 years.
“It’s the best tournament of the year,” said Mulu Fratkin, pond hockey player. “Usually it’s a little more casual, but out here people like to go hard. We are getting smoked 13-1 but it’s still fun, you know?”
RELATED NEWS: US Pond Hockey Championships: Minneapolis’ freshly-frozen Lake Nokomis hosting thousands of players for 9-day event
“We are the Queen City Squirrels out of Buffalo, New York,” said Mark Kuntz, pond hockey player.
Kuntz and his team weathered a blizzard in Buffalo just to play in the Minneapolis cold.
“Tuesday, our flights got canceled at 2:00 for the next morning. And we had to figure out how we could leave the families and kids that day so we could beat the storm out. Rented a car and 4 of us drove here. Took us 16 hours,” said Kuntz.
But they all agreed, it was still worth the trip.
“This is pond hockey mecca of the world, I would say. There is no other tournament like this. We’ve been to a few others but nothing is better than US Pond Hockey Championships,” said Kuntz.
The tournament also sees teams come from Texas, California, and even Sweden. In the past they even had a team from Venezuela.
Minneapolis police say they are investigating three separate, unrelated shootings that happened within the span of about 20 minutes Thursday night.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis police say they are investigating three separate, unrelated shootings that happened within the span of about 20 minutes Thursday night.
Minneapolis shootings
What we know:
Authorities responded to a shooting at about 6:29 p.m. on the 400 block of Taylor Street NE.
Less than 10 minutes later, police responded to a shooting on the 2000 block of West River Road.
At about 6:46 p.m., police responded to a shooting on the 800 block of Franklin Ave. E.
Police say their preliminary information indicates each shooting had one victim. All injuries appear to be non-life threatening.
Shootings not connected
What we don’t know:
Police say in their investigation, it doesn’t appear that the three shootings are related. Authorities have not made any arrests.
The incidents remain under investigation.
The Minneapolis City Council on Thursday voted to temporarily extend the eviction notice period for renters in an effort to help support residents impacted by Operation Metro Surge.
Under the ordinance, which was approved 7-5, landlords would need to wait 60 days — not the typical 30 — before bringing an eviction notice to a renter. If approved by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, the 60-day requirement would stay in effect until Aug. 31.
Supporters of the ordinance said Operation Metro Surge left residents out of work and relying on mutual aid networks to pay rent.
“Preventing eviction is always more cost-effective than trying to re-house someone who has been evicted,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley, who represents Ward 2.
Wonsley, alongside members Elliott Payne, Jamal Osman, Aisha Chughtai, Soren Stevenson, Jason Chavez and Aurin Chowdhury voted in favor of the resolution. Council member Jamison Whiting abstained from voting.
The city estimates Operation Metro Surge led to an additional $15.7 million in monthly need for rental support. Last month, council members approved $1 million in rental assistance for Hennepin County to help families impacted by the surge.
MANCHESTER, Iowa — A Minnesota man has been arrested in Manchester after police say he attempted to meet someone he believed was a minor for sexual activity.
The Manchester Police Department said Robert Fenn Eselby III, 23, of Minneapolis was arrested Feb. 27 following an undercover investigation.
According to police, Eselby contacted an undercover officer posing as a juvenile through several social media platforms. Authorities said he was informed multiple times that the person he was communicating with was underage.
Investigators say Eselby sent explicit photos and videos and later arranged to travel to Manchester to meet the supposed minor for sexual activity.
Police said Eselby was taken into custody immediately after arriving in Manchester and was transported to the Delaware County Jail.
Authorities also said Eselby allegedly attempted to ask an arresting officer out on a date during the booking process.
Eselby faces one count of grooming, a Class D felony, and one count of disseminating obscene material to a minor, a serious misdemeanor.
Court records show he remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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