Minneapolis, MN
‘They’re in good hands': Balloon release honors north Minneapolis crash victims
Dozens wept and embraced before releasing scores of balloons Saturday over north Minneapolis to remember two community pillars who were killed in a fiery car crash.
The crowd gathered near 26th and Emerson avenues to remember Esther Jean Fulks, 53, and Rose Elaine Reece, 57. They died on Dec. 16 when Teniki Latrice Elise Steward, 38, allegedly drove through a red light and struck their vehicle. A teenager waiting at a nearby bus stop also was injured.
Fulks and Reese “gave their love and their hard work and dedication to the community. And as you can see, there’s people out here for them,” said Fulks’ daughter, D’Nia. “I’m going to miss my mom. That was my world, I was with her day in and day out. I was hoping to come home to my mom, and it didn’t happen.”
“It means a lot,” Fulks’ son, Joseph Loyd, said of the neighbors attending the balloon release. “It shows what they contributed to the community and how much they meant to people. Not just their own families, but they touched countless other families and helped people.”
Emmary Thomas places a candle at a bus stop during a balloon release Saturday for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece at 26th and Emerson avenues in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
A memorial of flowers, balloons, candles and pictures on Saturday mark the spot near the site of the crash that killed Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Drakarr Lobley hugs a supporter during Saturday’s balloon release for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. Lobley is Reece’s son. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Family and friends said Fulks and Reece were pillars of the community who treated strangers like family and brought love to those around them. Both had worked as navigators for the Minneapolis Cultural Wellness Center since 1998, helping residents with food, clothing, shelter and other resources.
“They reminded us daily of the transformative power of service, love and cultural connection,” Elder Atum Azzahir, the center’s executive director, said in a statement. “They were not just navigators: They were beacons of hope, guiding people toward brighter futures.”
At the crash scene Saturday, loved ones embraced as they shed tears and shared memories. Anthony Hamilton’s “I Can’t Let Go” played as passing motorists called out condolences and words of support. Caution tape strung from a traffic cone near the intersection fluttered in the wind.
Sunshine and comfortable temperatures return Thursday before a weekend warm-up sends highs into the 90s. Heat index values could reach the triple digits early next week. FOX 9 meteorologist Jared Piepenburg has the forecast.
Posted
A 28-year-old St. Paul woman who admitted in federal court to assaulting law enforcement officers during a protest last year in South Minneapolis has been ordered to pay a $25 fine.
Isabel Lopez was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis after accepting a plea agreement to a lesser misdemeanor charge of assaulting, resisting and impeding a U.S. officer in connection with a protest that broke out while authorities were executing a search warrant that a crowd mistook for an immigration raid in June 2025.
Lopez was originally charged by indictment with three felony counts of assaulting, resisting and impeding officers and one felony count of obstruction of law enforcement.
Lopez faced up to one year in prison on the misdemeanor conviction, however, the defense and prosecution both asked Tunheim for no prison time. The prosecution requested one year of probation, which Tunheim turned down.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers from multiple federal agencies were executing eight search warrants in the Twin Cities on June 3, 2025, related to an investigation into narcotics trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking and related offenses.
The investigation began with the discovery of 900 pounds of methamphetamine in a Burnsville storage unit, with a street value of between $22 million and $25 million.
Shortly after a search warrant execution began at Cuatro Milpas restaurant on Lake Street, a crowd began to gather.
“The crowd appeared to be under the mistaken belief that law enforcement was present to arrest individuals illegally present in the country for immigration offenses,” the criminal complaint said. “This was incorrect.”
After recognizing the apparent misunderstanding, law enforcement explained the nature of the search warrant to the crowd, according to prosecutors.
As part of her plea agreement, Lopez admitted to hitting an FBI SWAT agent with her arms and closed fist, and kicking another agent. The officers were not injured. As law enforcement attempted to leave the scene, Lopez threw a softball at the back of a Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy.
An Arctic explorer from Minnesota shares tales of his adventures, including a recent 800-mile journey that he just made at 81-years-old. Plus, we get some tips on how to help your pets prepare for the 4th of July.
-
Nevada6 minutes agoTerrible’s takeover of Primm gets Nevada regulatory approval
-
New Hampshire9 minutes agoNational Guard Helicopter Rescues 80-Year-Old Canadian Hiker From New Hampshire Peak
-
New Jersey14 minutes agoNew Jersey Hall of Fame Announces Incoming 2026 Class of Inductees
-
New Mexico21 minutes agoFormer NM GOP treasurer arrested after deadly Las Cruces hit-and-run
-
North Carolina24 minutes ago
NC State, UNC planning nonconference men’s basketball game this season
-
North Dakota29 minutes agoChallengers declare victory after ND Supreme Court rules against Legislature’s attempt to alter term limits
-
Ohio36 minutes ago
Prevent Blindness Ohio warns of firework dangers ahead of July 4 celebrations
-
Oklahoma39 minutes agoWhat Houston Does Better Than Oklahoma State and Why It Matters
