Minnesota
A brief history of UFO sightings in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — House lawmakers are holding a hearing Wednesday with the aim of pushing the executive branch to release more information about unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, also known as UFOs.
Most everyone has or knows someone who has a UFO story – they’re so common, in fact, that for nearly 50 years the National UFO Reporting Center has compiled reports from across the United States. The center’s database contains tens of thousands of reported sightings.
It’s important to note that anyone can submit a report, though before submitting, NUFORC’s website advises people on things commonly mistaken for UFOs and lists other rules about submissions.
READ MORE: Harvard professor Avi Loeb believes he’s found fragments of alien technology
In Minnesota alone, more than 2,000 sightings have been reported. The most recent occurred on July 8 in South St. Paul, when a reporter “saw the same object 4 times over an hour.”
The oldest sighting in the database is from 1932, though it was reported in 2018.
“My mother has told me this story a number of times in my life and wanted it to be reported, as it’s a fairly early sighting,” the report states. “In late fall of 1932, her parents were at their cabin at South Long Lake outside of Brainerd, MN. It was a nice, clear night so they were outside enjoying the weather. They suddenly saw a single light flash across the sky, which then paused and hovered over the lake for about 5 minutes before taking off. It made no noise at all. The other cabin dwellers had gone in for the night so they were the only witnesses, but both of them had seen it. Since there was very little airplane traffic in 1932, and no helicopters, there really wasn’t much else it could have been.”
Sightings in the database range from a simple “Saw something extraordinary” (Roseville, July 29, 1976) to lengthier stories about the sun changing shape and color (Minneapolis, Sept. 16, 1997).
NUFORC does follow up on some of the sightings, contacting the reporter when possible. The center also debunks some sightings. On Aug. 9, 2015, there were 18 reported sightings, all some variation of a circle of white lights. After investigating, NUFORC and other reporters determined these lights were from Mystic Lake Casino.
Unsurprisingly, there have been more sightings logged in the Twin Cities than any other cities in the state. The database contains more than 100 sightings in St. Paul and over 150 in Minneapolis.
Val Johnson incident
Minnesota’s most well-known extraterrestrial experience isn’t logged in the database. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, Marshall County Deputy Sheriff Val Johnson’s encounter in 1979 us “one of the most credible” in U.S. history.
Per the MNHS, Johnson was driving on State Highway 220 in Marshall County around 1:40 a.m. on Aug. 27, 1979, when he saw a light in the sky. Johnson said the light entered his car, and as it did, he heard glass breaking and lost consciousness.
When he woke up almost 40 minutes later, Johnson’s car was more than 850 feet from where he stopped and severely damaged. The car is still on display at the Marshall County Historical Society in Warren.
Johnson suffered burns to his eyes, and his clock and wristwatch both lost 14 minutes, he said.
Johnson became a national celebrity following the incident, and it has been referenced on TV shows such as “The X-Files” and “Fargo.” In 2019, Newsweek called the Johnson incident the 10th most credible UFO sighting in history.
WCCO looked back at Johnson’s story in 2015, and while he declined to be interviewed, his supervisor at the time, now-retired Sheriff Dennis Brekke, said he still has no explanation for the incident.
“I don’t know what happened,” Brekke said. “I know in my own mind I did the best job we could, me and my department, to investigate and find out what went on. And all we found out is: We don’t know.”
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Taiyon Coleman has been writing since she was a child. At age eight, she announced to her family that a novel was in the works.
Today, she’s a published author and a professor of literature at St. Catherine University. But the road from there to here wasn’t as straight-forward as you might think.
Coleman joins host Kerri Miller on Big Books and Bold Ideas this week to talk about what happened in the in-between. Some of it is detailed in her new collection of personal essays, “Traveling without Moving: Essays from a Black Woman Trying to Survive in America.”
But the deeper story is held in Coleman’s body, in her voice, in her strength. Don’t miss this vulnerable and moving conversation about mothers and ancestors, writing and truth-telling and the power of being a teacher.
Guest:
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Minnesota
Valleyfair theme park to close for unprecedented Minnesota flooding, not offering refunds to guests
Valleyfair theme park in Minnesota is not offering refunds despite closing down three rides and the entirety of its parking options due to flooding.
The amusement park, located between the Minnesota River and Blue Lake, flooded in areas below “the crest” according to a release from Valleyfair.
On an FAQ page, Valleyfair states that “Projections show that the Minnesota River will crest on Saturday, June 29. We do not yet know how long it will take for the river to recede to normal levels as that depends on the weather.”
BEAR EUTHANIZED AFTER INJURING TENNESSEE THEME PARK CONCESSION STAND EMPLOYEE
Popular rides Excalibur, Thunder Canyon and Renegade are impacted by the flooding and are closed. Additionally, almost the entirety of on-site parking has been flooded.
Buses will be provided free of charge by Valleyfair for guests from the Canterbury Overflow Lot, Eagle Creek Park and Ride, and Southbridge Crossing Park and Ride.
A rollercoaster at Valleyfair amusement park in Minnesota is underwater after heavy flooding across the midwest. (Valleyfair)
Operating hours have been changed from 10:00am to 9:00 pm until further notice, and a “temporary gate entrance” is in use. Re-entries to the park are highly discouraged.
Per Valleyfair’s FAQ page, “There will be no re-entry during the flood-impacted days for all guests, including season passholders, due to the very limited space and capacity at the temporary park entrance.”
Valleyfair amusement park in Minnesota is not offering refunds to guests due to flooding from heavy rainfall. (KMSP)
A Fourth of July fireworks show slated for next week has also been rescheduled for “later this season,” with no official scheduled date as yet.
Refunds are not being offered by Valleyfair amusement park at this time, given their weather impact policy: “Valleyfair does not offer refunds for tickets impacted by weather, unless the guest selected the Ticket Insurance option.”
“We do, however, offer guests the opportunity to choose another similarly priced date should they wish to move their visit to another day by using our Guest Portal,” the statement reads.
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Valleyfair did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
ROSEVILLE — A lottery player in Baxter is Minnesota’s newest multi-millionaire.
A ticket worth $2,045,590 was sold at Orton’s Baxter Holiday, 5610 Fairview Road, for the Wednesday, June 26, Gopher 5 drawing. The win earns the store a $5,000 bonus.
The winning Gopher 5 numbers drawn on June 26 are 16-29-35-43-46.
The previous Gopher 5 record was $2,032,201 and won on a ticket purchased at Steve’s Corner in St. James on Nov. 8, 2005. The prize was claimed by a group of 22 co-workers from the Watonwan County Highway Department/Public Works Department.
The prize must be claimed at Minnesota Lottery headquarters in Roseville. It is recommended that winners
call ahead to check hours and to make an appointment
.
Unless the winner chooses to opt in to publicity, their name and city will not be released. As of Sept. 1, 2021, the names and cities of lottery prize winners above $10,000 are private data.
Gopher 5 is a Minnesota-only lotto game. Each ticket costs $1 to play. Jackpots start at $100,000 and grow until won. The overall odds to win a Gopher 5 jackpot are 1 in 1,533,939. Drawings take place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tickets must be purchased by 6:10 p.m. on drawing days.
Visit
www.mnlottery.com
for more information and official rules.
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