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Friday, May 27, 2011

Klobuchar Tours Tornado-damaged Water Plant in Fridley

Sen. Franken was also at Minneapolis' facilities in Fridley.

Both of Minnesota's U.S. senators were in Fridley Friday morning, visiting City of Minneapolis facilities along the Mississippi River in Fridley's far southwestern corner. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DFL) toured tornado damage at the Fridley campus of the Minneapolis Water Works while Sen. Al Franken (DFL) met with local officials inside the City of Minneapolis Emergency Operations Training Facility. "I was glad and heartened that it wasn't so much worse," Klobuchar said in an interview after the tour. 'Important Structure' Still, she cited several examples of the storm's power that she learned of during the tour: winds tossing heavy equipment inside a Fridley industrial building and damage that rendered a century-old brick chimney at the water …

In this Article:

Roundup: Tornado Coverage Across Patch and Viewfinder: U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison on Tour of Fridley Tornado Sites

Friday, May 20, 2011

Fridley Fisherman Finds Body in Mississippi River under I-694

Police: 'It's been in water quite some time.'

A fisherman found a dead body floating in the Mississippi River under the I-694 bridge at about 3 p.m. Friday, according to Fridley Police Capt. Brian Weierke. A preliminary investigation is underway, Weierke said. Police aren't releasing any more information about the body. "It'w been in the water for quite some time" based on the degree of the body's decomposition, Weierke said. The Anoka County Medical Examiner and the Anoka County Crime Lab of the County Investigative Division (CID) were also on the scene, as well as the fire departments of Fridley and Coon Rapids. The medical examiner was leading the recovery and identification of the body, Weierke said. The body was out of the water as of about 4 p.m. Even in a light rain, the park …

Monday, May 16, 2011

Charge Says Fridley Man Threatened Bus Driver with Mock Finger-gun

He said he would blow the driver's brains out, the prosecutor alleges.

  • POLICE & FIRE
  • Monday, May 16, 2011

A Fridley man is facing a charge of making a terroristic threat against a Metro Transit bus driver. According to the Hennepin County Attorney's office, Michael Anthony Francis told the driver he would blow his brains out. The occasion for the May 10 threat at 48th Street and Chicago Avenue S. in Minneapolis, the criminal complaint alleges, was when the driver told Francis he had to leave the bus. Francis "made a hand gesture with his fingers as [if] he had a gun," according to the complaint, which also claims that Francis hadn't paid his fare when he boarded the bus downtown. The driver "took the threat seriously," the complaint says. Francis' criminal record includes several convictions for transit- and weapon- related offenses, according…

Friday, May 13, 2011

House Hunt: Open-house Season Kicks into Gear In Fridley

There are lots of houses for sale with their doors open this weekend.

Whatever the weather, home sellers and real-estate agents have decided that open-house season has begun. They're springing up like tulips! Also see Fridley Patch's separate feature called Sold! that tracks recent home sales in Fridley. Here are at least some of the open houses in Fridley this weekend. If you know of others, please add them in comments or email chris.steller@patch.com. 5573 E. Oberlin Cir. $129,900. Two bedrooms, one full and one half bath. Open house is Saturday, May 14, noon-2 p.m. 1357 Hillcrest Dr. NE. $179,000. Four bedrooms, one full and one 3/4 bath. Open house is Saturday, May 14, noon-2 p.m. and Sunday, May 15, noon-2 p.m. 5765 Main St. NE. $129,855. Three bedrooms, one full bath. Open house is Saturday, May 14, …

In this Article:

Sold! Recent Home Sales in Fridley

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Updated: Tornado Watch, Warnings in Anoka County

Hail is a feature of swift-moving storms.

Update (midnight): The tornado watch has expired. This is what the National Weather Service has to say now about the outlook Wednesday for a number of Minnesota counties including Anoka County: There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms late this afternoon and tonight for much of the area. The severe weather threats include large hail, damaging winds and locally heavy rain. In addition, a tornado or two is also possible across Central Minnesota this evening, mainly along and north of Interstate 94. Update (9:30 p.m.): The second tornado warning has expired, but the tornado watch that includes all of Anoka County is in effect until midnight. Stories and photos from other places: Severe Storms: Tornado, Hail Hit St. Michael, Albertville …

In this Article:

Severe Storms: Tornado, Hail Hit St. Michael, Albertville (in St. Michael Patch), Funnel Cloud Spotted in Hopkins As Tornado Warning Ends (in Hopkins Patch), VIDEO & Photo Timeline of Tuesday's Severe Weather in Golden Valley (in Golden Valley Patch), and 2 more ›

WOLFMAN

4:06 pm on Thursday, May 12, 2011

All of this over what was 15 minutes worth of serious rain and about 50 pea-sized hailstones on my driveway in Fridley.   more ›

Document: Kate Knuth Asks Vikings to Proceed with Care on Stadium

The legislator, who represents a bit of Fridley, responded to a new Vikings-Ramsey County stadium pact.

State Rep. Kate Knuth (DFL-50B), who represents a bit of Fridley on one side of her district and Arden Hills on the other, sent a letter to Minnesota Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf Tuesday afternoon about their proposal to build a stadium costing more than $1 billion in Arden Hills. In the letter, Knuth lists her concerns, including the stadium's impact on: She also urges the team to help the northern suburbs diversify residential and economic development; improve transit options; incorporate renewable and efficient energy; and respect the history of the stadium site, which once housed a munutions plant. Read Knuth's letter in the PDF above.

In this Article:

Document: Kate Knuth Asks Vikings to Proceed with Care on Stadium

Friday, May 6, 2011

Fridley Auto Thefts Off 2010 Pace

Fridley is on track to lose its title as Anoka County's auto-theft capitol to Blaine.

Anoka County law-enforcement agencies have cut countywide auto thefts by more than half since 2008. But this year could be a different story. At this time a year ago, Blaine had nine auto thefts; this year it has 26. Hilltop has already hit its numbers from last year, not even halfway through the year. Linwood, which had no thefts last year, has reported one auto theft so far this year. Fridley had the highest number of auto thefts last year, compared with other cities in Anoka County. The Numbers Although there is no way to predict how Fridley will fare this year, data shows significant drops in the number of car thefts in each of the last three years. In 2008, Fridley had 144 car thefts. The next year showed improvement, with 83 auto …

Fridley Police Aim to Add Assault Charge Against Resident For Veering Toward Squad

Prosecutors say he veered toward squad car and later promised to kill police.

Fridley Police plan to ask for additional charges in Anoka County against a Fridley man who led police in a high-speed chase Sunday evening that ended with the car he's accused of stealing overturned in a Spring Lake Park front yard. William Harragan, 20, faces charges in Hennepin County with stealing a car in Brooklyn Park and fleeing Brooklyn Center officers on Sunday. Harragan stole the car to get home, according to the criminal complaint. After the chase crossed the river into Fridley, Harragan steered the vehicle toward an occupied Fridley squad car in the 7400 block of Baker Street NE, according to Lt. Mike Monsrud. He said the Fridley officer avoided a head-on collision by steering the squad into a parking lot. According to the …

In this Article:

Updated: Police Pursuit Ends with Overturned Car

Unity Hospital Fires 28 for Patient-data Peeks after Mass-ODs

Allina also fired four others at Mercy Hospital.

Twenty-eight employees lost their jobs at Unity Hospital in Fridley Thursday for looking at patient data related to a recent mass-overdose incident. Allina Hospitals and Clinics also fired four workers at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids for violating a policy that bars employees from accessing electronic patient records without a legitimate patient-care reason. According to spokesman David Kanihan, all 32 employees had accessed records from the March 17 mass-overdose at a Blaine house party that left one man dead and another charged with murder. The employees accessed the patient data shortly after the overdose incident, Kanihan said. Allina "has no reason to believe" that the employees did so for any reason other than to satisfy their own …

In this Article:

Unity Hospital and County Attorney Files 3rd-Degree Murder Charge in Overdose Death

Patch_comments_icon

Chris Steller

3:24 am on Saturday, May 7, 2011

Thanks for the comment, s. To quote the March 21 criminal complaint attached to the March 22 Fridley Patch article that is linked above: "The substance found in the bottle from the defendant's pocket was tested by the Minnesota BCA. The substance was determined to be 8.9 grams of "2C-E" rather than the believed "2C-I." I am sorry for the error and will make the correction to this post.   more ›

Fridley Police Seek Tips on Bullet Holes in Home

Bullets fired at a 57th Place home have police asking for the public's help.

Fridley Police are asking the public for information related to bullets fired at a home in the 400 block of 57th Place early Thursday.  The home had bullet holes in the bathroom wall, garage door and fence, according to a statement from the Fridley Police Department issued Friday morning. Lt. Mike Monsrud said the Anoka County Crime Lab found bullet fragments at the scene. It's too early to say for sure from which direction the bullets were fired, he said, but it's likely they came from 57th Avenue NE, to the south of the residence.  The blocks between 57th Place and 57th Avenue NE are narrow, with only a single row of houses. Most homes face north onto 57th Place but many have garages facing south onto 57th Avenue.  According to the …

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