Rooster on the Loose in Columbia Heights

Resident says rooster arrived three days ago.

If you are missing a rooster, maybe it's the one in Susan Rustad's backyard. The Columbia Heights woman told KARE11 the rooster showed up three days ago. She has sought help with what to do with the rooster from a variety of local resources, including a chicken rescue organization, but to no avail, according to the KARE11 report. Last November, Pam Donley posted "Found Rooster" announcement at Fridley Patch about a multicolored rooster running around the 5300 block of Fourth Street NE. The Fridley City Council OK'd a permit for a family on Gardena Avenue NE to keep chickens a year ago, under an existing livestock ordinance.

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Chris Steller

4:29 pm on Friday, April 27, 2012

Thank you for clearing that up, Sara! Hope your hens are happy and doing well.   more ›

UPDATED: MN Dept. of Health Revises Fridley Cancer Rates Downward

State: Overall rate 7.6, not 10, percent; high lung cancer rate likely due to smoking.

UPDATED BELOW The Minnesota Department of Health has re-computed the rate of cancer in Fridley for the years 2000–2009, and in a news release said the city's rate was 7.6 percent, not 10 percent as the department said last month. See also separate post with more new data released Monday: "Health Dept. Releases 1990s Fridley Cancer Data" The adjustment came with a correction to statewide cancer rates, according to the news release. Higher overall state rates meant Fridley's figures weren't as far out of line. The new rate puts Fridley's incidence of cancer in a range that's "not unusual," according to MDH cancer epidemiologist John Soler: It’s not unusual to find communities that have a rate of cancer five to 10 percent above expected and …

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During Unseasonably Warm Springbrook Spring Fling, Animals Will Be on Slightly Altered Schedules

But the Fridley nature center's director said plants and animals are driven mostly by day length, not temperature.

Fridley residents can get a first-hand look at how this season’s unusually warm weather is changing the environment during the Springbrook Nature Center's Spring Fling on Saturday. The Spring Fling, held for more than 20 years, has been known to draw as many as 3,000 people to the park, which is filled with native prairies, oak and aspen forests, and extensive wetlands. The event includes games, a petting zoo, costumed characters and information about summer camps, and will run from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday. While this year's unseasonably warm weather will cause some subtle changes to the types animals attendees might see, there will be more familiar sights than unfamiliar ones at the annual festival, said Siah St. Clair, the …

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Bernardy, Helm Vie to Represent Fridley

Candidates win endorsements for new House district that encompasses all of Fridley

Connie Bernardy is a former State Representative who built her public profile as a champion for schools. Dale Helm is a 21-year military veteran who served in Desert Storm. Each wants to serve as the state representative of Minnesota House District 41A, which, after redistricting, will unite Fridley after years of disparate representation. Each also received their party’s endorsement on March 31. Bernardy beat fellow DFL member and incumbent Rep. Tom Tillberry for Saturday’s party endorsement, while Helm won the Republican nod*.  Speaking with Patch on Tuesday, the endorsed candidates said they were excited by the prospect of representing a united Fridley and identified education as a key issue in their campaigns. Bernardy, who served in …

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Fridley on YouTube

Fridley on YouTube: Preview Spring Fling at Springbrook Nature Center

Movies have trailers, so why not nature-center events?

Get ready for the Spring Fling family event on April 7, 2012, at Springbrook Nature Center with this YouTube promo clip. Then check out Fridley Patch's photos from last year's Spring Fling.

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Fridley Police: Woman Threw 3 Pit Bull Puppies at Man Who Broke Her Nose

Alleged Wednesday incidents include 2nd Fridley animal-cruelty case in 12 months.

Fridley police have arrested a woman for throwing puppies at a man during a domestic dispute Wednesday in which he broke her nose. The incidents happened at about 3:45 a.m. Wednesday outside an apartment in the 6400 block of Fifth Street NE, Fridley Police Lt. Mike Monsrud said. As Monsrud described the incident, the couple was seated in a pickup truck when the man hit the woman, breaking her nose. The man then got out and was in front of the pickup when the woman picked up each of three week-old pit bull puppies from the seat next to her and threw them out the window at him. The puppies appear to be unhurt, Monsrud said: a relative took custody of them when the police took the couple to jail, and a dog breeder has determined that they did…

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Fridley under Wind Advisory for Much of Tuesday

Put outdoor furniture where it won't blow, the National Weather Service says.

A wind advisory has been posted for Fridley and the Twin Cities for Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service–Twin Cities.  The wind will come with a cold front sweeping into the area Tuesday morning. Southwest winds could blow from 30-40 miles per hour with gusts to 50 mph. Objects left outside, such as trash cans and lawn furniture, could be blown around. Be cautious as driving could be hazardous, especially for those in high profile vehicles, the National Weather Service said. Could be interesting driving on Highway 65 over Moore Lake, between West Moore Lake Park and Moore Lake Park and Beach on the east side. Wind advisories are posted when winds of 35 mph or more are expected. There's also a slight chance …

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Kitten Hurt in Fridley Mobile Home Fire 'Doing Well'

Someone took a TV from burned home at Park Plaza Co-op, a resident reported.

The kitten injured Monday in a fire at a Fridley home is "doing well," according to Natividad Seefeld, board president at Park Plaza Co-op manufactured-home park. "The little boy kitten named Mittens is doing well and is so sweet," said Seefeld by email Thursday morning. Seefeld said staff at Southview Animal Hospital in Inver Grove Heights have advised her that bandages on the kitten's paws will need to be changed regularly after he leaves the clinic. Fridley and Anoka County officials said Wednesday the cause and origin of the fire at 1129 Onondaga Way NE remain under investigation. An adult and two children escaped without being hurt. But Seefeld said the fire "has changed a family's life and has made things so hard for them. Thank …

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