Minnesota
Minnesota company helps produce electric-powered firetrucks
WYOMING, Minn. — The sprawling Rosenbauer campus nestled in Wyoming, Minnesota is filled with hundreds of employees customizing massive rigs that will be sent around the world, but you’ll also find something a little more subtle.
“When we came up with our idea of what we wanted the future to look like this is kind of what we came up with,” demo specialist Zach Paul said.
Their electric-powered firetruck is already on the road in Los Angeles and Vancouver. California and Canada will each get one more, and then it’s Minnesota’s turn. St. Paul will hopefully be the fifth.
It doesn’t have the rumble of a traditional red rig.
“We get a lot of grief sometimes that this does not look like a normal firetruck. It’s new. It’s different. As soon as they get their hands on this thing, they completely change their mind,” Paul said.
Traditional firetrucks cost anywhere between $900,000 to $1.3 million. The RTX is nearly double at $1.85 million — but it opens up funding options from cities and governments pushing to cut emissions.
MORE NEWS: Minnesota State Troopers make special life-saving delivery
The sticker price also comes with safety upgrades, like a lower profile height option that Paul says is a game changer.
“It helps firefighters reduce injuries, helps with knee problems, back problems,” Paul said.
Digital mirrors are an important second set of eyes and powerful hose pressure options can help conserve water.
The RTX can go 100-150 miles give or take on a single charge, but if you’re wondering about those busy days when the rig is going from call to call, there’s a backup energy system that’s diesel-powered that can refuel the vehicle so firefighters can keep going.
Paul says the Los Angeles Fire Department can go weeks without refilling their backup diesel supply that recharges the battery on the go — a huge improvement from current standards.
“We get one-and-a-half to, if we’re lucky, three miles per gallon on a normal firetruck,” Paul said.
Workers in the U.S. put the final finishes on the EV shell that’s made in Europe. But if demand picks up, that could change.
The long-term goal is to have an EV firetruck production facility in Minnesota — paving a path for more green jobs and a made-in-Minnesota product that can help serve communities and save our warming planet.
Paul says their goal this year is to sell 15 RTX trucks. He estimates there are a dozen on the roads in Europe right now.
Minnesota
MSU Alum Having Career Year for Minnesota Vikings
Former Michigan State wide receiver and current Minnesota Viking Jalen Nailor has been terrific in his third season in the pros. As the third wide receiver on the field alongside Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Nailor has improved his career numbers in his now third year in the league.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of MSU, the Vikings landed a strong piece to an even stronger offense in the Vikings. Nailor’s efforts since joining the Vikings have provided the franchise comfort knowing he is out on the field.
In his first season, Nailor played in 15 games, recording nine receptions in 13 targets. He posted 179 receiving yards in his rookie campaign, averaging 19.9 yards per reception. Receiving seven first downs in Year 1, the Vikings looked to get Nailor more involved on the roster in Year 2.
Though the team wanted to get more out of Nailor, they were unable to due to Nailor’s lack of time on the field. In his second season, Nailor only played in six games. In the six games, Nailor totaled only three receptions that went for 29 receiving yards. Nailor received one first down on the season before he was inactive in Weeks 15, 16 and 17.
In what would be a do-or-die season after a lackluster second-season campaign, Nailor made sure he reminded Viking fans why he belonged. Playing in 15 games for the Vikings this season, Nailor has dropped career highs in four different statistical categories. MSU fans should be proud of their former Spartan.
Nailor has 20 receptions, which is one of his new career highs, and he has totaled 280 yards, averaging 14 yards per reception. His best game on the season came against the Detroit Lions back in Week 7, where he recorded four receptions in five targets and got 76 receiving yards, averaging 19 yards per reception.
As the Vikings approach the postseason, Nailor should be a key piece to a deep playoff run if the Vikings make it as far. Minnesota, going into Week 17, has a record of 13-2 and should continue to be a force to take seriously for whoever it faces in the playoffs.
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Minnesota
An Unusual Airport Is Closing in Minnesota
A small airport with a bigger claim to fame is closing in northern Minnesota after more than a half-century of operation. The Piney-Pinecreek Border Airport is so named because its runway crosses the US-Canada border, reports Minnesota Public Radio. In fact, it’s been hailed as “the world’s first binational airport,” notes the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Despite the bragging rights, however, the airport has been mostly used by hunters and fishermen, and the cost of maintenance has proven to be too much. The airport has a 3,297-foot runway, of which 2,350 feet are in Minnesota and the rest in Canada, per the Grand Forks Herald.
“It’s a tough decision to close an airport ever, but the evidence was all there that now was the time,” says Ryan Gaug of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The airport opened in 1953 and is one of six now that straddle the border—but only Piney-Pinecreek has a paved runway. “It’s always been the No. 1 fun fact that I’ve shared with friends, family, coworkers, colleagues here at MnDOT,” says Gaug. The agency has jointly owned the airport with the municipality of Piney, Manitoba, in Canada, but the town ended the arrangement because it was unable to meet the cost of maintenance. As such, “a colorful era in the history of Minnesota aviation” ends on Friday, per the Herald. (More Minnesota stories.)
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