Minnesota
Rainfall swamps southwest Minnesota, closes highways
Residents in southwest Minnesota awoke to flooded yards and closed roads Saturday after heavy rains overnight.
Approximately 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in parts of southwest Minnesota starting late Friday night, Scott Morgan, a MnDOT assistant maintenance engineer based in Mankato, said in a phone call Saturday.
“They had some really intense rains,” said Morgan, who on Friday said the region saw as much as 7 inches of rain in some parts.
A portion of Interstate 90 briefly closed Saturday morning to set up cones where the rain damaged the highway’s shoulder, Morgan said.
Near the South Dakota border, Hwy. 14 east of Lake Benton closed Saturday in both directions due to flooding.
“Nearly every road in VERDI Township AND LAKE BENTON Township is currently under water in spots, especially the low areas,” a post by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department said.
Other roads in southwest Minnesota, including Hwy. 60 from Worthington to Windom, remained closed Saturday morning. Near Mankato, Hwy. 30 near Mapleton and Hwy. 14 near Eagle Lake closed Saturday morning.
Hwy. 99 near St. Peter and Hwy. 19 near Henderson, both which closed earlier this week, remain restricted.
Residents in Windom, where heavy rains have caused the Des Moines River and Perkins Creek to overflow, said they woke up to water flowing into their basements.
“All of us are pretty wet,” said Warren Winkel of Windom in a phone call Saturday morning. He said he has about 4 feet of water in his basement.
The rain began with an intense shower around 8:30 p.m. on Friday that tapered off, but continued to fall until 4 a.m. Saturday, Winkel said.
The 85-year-old retired construction manager said he has owned his home near Perkins Creek since the 1970s and is used to the creek flooding. He built a brick patio to contain the water, and seemed confident about his prospects when asked Friday night.
On Saturday morning, however, he said he couldn’t believe how fast the water rose. “This is by far the worst that I’ve seen,” he said of this year’s flood.
His neighbor Joe Fischenich, who lives next to Perkins Creek, said that he’s lived in Windom all his life but that this year’s flooding also surprised him.
“I’ve never seen it like this,” he said of the creek, which he said last year was almost dry.
A police officer in northern Minnesota unexpectedly passed away earlier this week.
The East Range Police Department said that Sgt. Cody Siebert passed away on Friday, less than 24 hours after being diagnosed with a brain infection.
The department said that Siebert was known for his happy-go-lucky personality and that “if you couldn’t get along with Cody, it was your fault.”
Siebert started at the K9 program in Babbitt with K9 Taconite (Tac) before going to the East Range Police Department.
“The hole left by Sgt. Siebert’s passing will be impossible to fill,” East Range police said. “We at ERPD love you and will miss you always. We have it from here.”
Mesabi East Schools also stated that the district was “truly blessed to have him walking our halls, greeting students, encouraging staff, and building relationships that went far beyond the badge.”
Click here for a GoFundMe to support Siebert’s family.
The Wild were taken down by the Utah Mammoth 5-2 on Friday night to end Minnesota’s winning streak at six games.
Lawson Crouse scored twice and U.S. Olympian Clayton Keller had a goal and two assists for Utah.
Logan Cooley and Barrett Hayton also scored and Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves to help the Mammoth rebound from a 4-2 home loss to NHL-leading Colorado on Wednesday night in their return from the Olympic break. Utah began the night in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
U.S. Olympian Matt Boldy scored and assisted on Kirill Kaprizov’s goal for Minnesota. Second behind Central Division-rival Colorado in the West, the Wild are 9-2-1 in their last 12. They beat the Avalanche 5-2 on Thursday night in Denver.
Cooley opened the scoring with a short-handed goal with 6:37 left in the first period. The former University of Minnesota star got the puck on the right side off a deflection and put a shot between Wallstedt’s legs for his 15th goal.
Keller scored his 18th at 4:26 of the second. Nick Schmaltz forced a turnover on a forecheck and fed Keller on the right side.
Crouse made it 3-0 at 7:49 of the second. He came down the middle, took a pass from Keller and beat Wallstedt with a backhander.
Kaprizov countered for Minnesota on a power play with 5:57 left in the second. He has 33 goals this season.
Hayton made it 4-1 on a power play at 1:19 of the third, and Crouse added his 16th of the season on a tip with 7:12 to go.
Boldy got his 35th of the season with 5:57 remaining.
Up next
Wild: Host St. Louis on Sunday.
Mammoth: Host Chicago on Sunday.
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