Minnesota
Winter event organizers adjusting to recent warmup
MINNEAPOLIS — The record challenging warmth and lack of natural snow is impacting several winter events scheduled this week.
The Minnesota Ice Festival at TCO Stadium in Eagan is laying down special tarp to preserve as much ice as possible.
“People like to touch the ice and actually experience it. And by putting these UV tarps over everything, it’s like an insurance package to ensure we can be open a couple more weeks after this,” said Robbie Harrell, Founder & CEO of Minnesota Ice.
The festival will be closed Thursday, but open again Friday with fireworks, and one of the largest ice sculpting competitions in the country.
“We’ve got ice sculptors coming in from all the way over in Europe and throughout the United States. We’ve got judges coming in from Canada. It’s really a big opportunity for the ice sculptors to showcase their art. We’re giving them 25 blocks of ice,” Harrell said.
Over in Theo Wirth Park, the warmth hasn’t stopped the cross-country skiers. But it has been a challenge for the Loppet Foundation, forcing them to change the route for this weekend’s races.
“The only races that will be affected are longer skis, they’ll now be five kilometer loops. But other than that, a lot of our events will continue as planned, because so much of it is based from the park originally,” said Meghan Cosgrove, the Loppet’s Executive Director.
She says the uncooperative weather is just something her team has to anticipate from the start. But she said the course is ready to go — snow or shine.
“Being rooted here in Wirth is special in and of itself, and now everyone can be at the events together, so there’s a bigger community feel to it, in a sense,” said Cosgrove.
Harrell said more than 30,000 guests have already visited the ice festival and they’ll plan to keep it open as long as the weather allows.
For any additional changes, or to buy tickets for the ice festival, visit their website.
The latest on the Loppet can be found here.
Minnesota
Hundreds of Minnesota, Wisconsin schools closed on Friday due to cold
Hundreds of schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin have closed or shifted to virtual learning on Friday amid dangerous cold.
Anoka-Hennepin, Minnesota’s largest school district, and St. Paul Public Schools are among those closed for the day. Minneapolis Public Schools already planned to be closed for a teacher work day. The full list of closings is below.
All of Minnesota is under an extreme cold warning, the National Weather Service said, and WCCO has issued NEXT Weather Alerts. Temperatures won’t get above zero until Sunday, and wind chills on Friday morning will dip into the 40s below zero.
Minnesota
Minnesota protesters call for an economic blackout day without work, school, and shopping. Here’s what to know.
On Friday, Vanessa Beardsley is inviting her community to come hang out with cats and drink coffee at her Minnesota business, Catzen Coffee — but they won’t be able to spend any money.
Catzen is participating in a January 23rd economic shutdown, in which activists are calling on Minnesotans to close their businesses, not report to work or school, and refrain from shopping in protest of ICE’s presence in the state.
Beardsley said she “immediately” knew she wanted to “stand in solidarity with our fellow businesses and our state,” but didn’t want to completely close her doors. “We are not doing business,” she said, “but we will be open for people who just need a space to come and hang out.”
Vanessa Beardsley
It’s unclear how widespread participation in the blackout will be or what impact it may have on ICE operations. Local news site Bring Me The News has compiled a running list of more than 200 businesses that have posted on social media that they will be participating. The shutdown, prompted by ICE officer Jonathan Ross’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, has been endorsed by a slew of regional labor unions, whose demands include ICE leaving the state and no additional federal funding for the agency.
“Working people, our schools and our communities are under attack. Union members are being detained commuting to and from work, tearing apart families,” Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, the president of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, said in a statement. “Parents are being forced to stay home, students held out of school, fearing for their lives, all while the employer class remains silent.”
ICE didn’t respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
In a statement, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that the Trump administration’s immigration operations “have resulted in countless dangerous criminal illegals being removed from the streets.”
“Making American communities safer will create an environment in which all businesses can thrive in the long term and their customers can feel safe,” Jackson said.
“ICE gets beat up by stupid people, from leadership in Minnesota,” Donald Trump said in a speech at Davos this week. “We actually are helping Minnesota so much, but they don’t appreciate it. Most places do.”
In addition to the larger shutdown, there’s a march set to run through downtown Minneapolis at 2 p.m. CT. The state is expected to be under extreme cold warnings and extreme cold watch throughout the day on Friday, which might also keep Minnesotans home. Some local businesses are also opting to stay open, but planning to donate a share of — or all — of their profits to related causes.
“I understand why people are choosing to participate in the January 23 blackout, and I support those decisions,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement to Business Insider. “At the same time, our small businesses, especially immigrant-owned businesses, are under a lot of pressure right now, and they could really use our support. However you choose to show up, I hope we keep our neighbors and local businesses in mind.”
Minnesota
Missing 7-year-old girl from Zimmerman found safe
A 7-year-old girl for whom an Amber Alert was issued Wednesday night in central Minnesota has been found safe.
The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office first notified the public of the missing girl in Zimmerman around 8:20 p.m., asking residents to check their homes and surrounding areas. Around 1 a.m., the sheriff’s office said she had been found safe.
Authorities have a suspect in custody, and the sheriff’s office said it will release more information on what happened to her later.
The Zimmerman/Livonia Fire District said hundreds of people came out to look for the girl Wednesday night.
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