Author: Edward Campbell

MINNEAPOLIS — Parents of Minneapolis Public Schools students are organizing against proposed changes that could reshape school assignments across the city, including the possible closure or consolidation of as many as 16 school buildings. The district presented three school transformation options to the school board on Sept. 15 after several years of planning and community engagement. The proposals are tied to declining enrollment, underused school buildings and concerns about how resources are distributed across the district. No final decision has been made. School Board Chair Collin Beachy said Sept. 21 that the proposals could still change as the board considers…

Drivers in Lakeville have spent years navigating the two-lane roundabout at Kenwood Trail and 185th Street, but repeated crashes are now prompting city and county officials to take another look at how the intersection works. The roundabout, located at Dakota County Roads 50 and 60, opened in 2015 after the former traffic-signal intersection was redesigned. Since then, crashes have continued to occur at a rate that has made the intersection one of Dakota County’s most closely watched traffic-safety locations. Recent reporting and county records show the problem has not gone away. Nearly 300 crashes were recorded at the intersection over…

A contractor died Sunday afternoon while working at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in St. Paul Park, Minnesota, prompting an investigation by local authorities. Police were called to the refinery at about 4:15 p.m. after receiving a report that a contractor had been injured at the facility. Emergency crews responded, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released the contractor’s name. His identity is being withheld while the investigation continues. Marathon Petroleum said the contractor lost consciousness while working on a refinery unit. The company expressed condolences to the man’s family, friends and coworkers and said…

Heavy rainfall turned parts of Broward County into a difficult scene Monday, with flooded roads leaving vehicles stranded and making it difficult for some residents to get back to their homes. North Lauderdale was among the communities dealing with high water as afternoon thunderstorms moved through the area. Streets remained covered in standing water even after the heaviest rain had passed, forcing drivers to slow down or find another route. The flooding came during another unusually wet stretch for South Florida. The National Weather Service said 2 to 4 inches of rain had fallen across parts of central Broward County…

A four-alarm fire tore through the building housing Rockport House of Pizza & Roast Beef on Sunday morning, forcing two families from their homes and leaving the longtime restaurant heavily damaged. No injuries were reported. Emergency crews were called to 19 Broadway Avenue shortly before 10 a.m. after a strong gas odor was reported inside the mixed-use building. By the time firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was pouring from the structure and an active fire was burning inside. The response quickly grew as conditions intensified. Firefighters from several neighboring North Shore communities were called to Rockport to assist, including crews from…

A 61-year-old Maine woman and her two young grandchildren were found dead Sunday morning after their vehicle was discovered submerged in Pond Cove in Roque Bluffs, authorities said. Sharon Bukulmez of Mount Desert had been traveling with her 5-year-old granddaughter, Kinsley Grubb, and 3-year-old grandson, Sawyer Grubb, both of Bar Harbor. The three were last seen around 8:30 p.m. Saturday after leaving a family gathering in Jonesboro. They were expected to travel to Machias but never arrived. Concern over their whereabouts led law enforcement to begin searching for the woman and children. During the search, Bar Harbor police obtained cellphone…

A pedestrian was critically injured after being struck by a vehicle early Sunday morning in Surprise, Arizona, as police worked to determine what led to the crash. The collision happened around 4:30 a.m. near the intersection of Bell Road and Dysart Road, according to authorities. Officers responding to the scene found the pedestrian seriously injured and arranged for the person to be taken to a local hospital, where they remained in critical condition. The driver involved in the crash remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police said there was no indication that impairment played a role in the…

A Waco woman told police she stabbed her friend’s disabled son because she believed she was defending herself during a confrontation, but the victim’s mother gave officers a different account of what happened, according to an arrest affidavit. The incident happened Sept. 16 in the 2000 block of 21st Street, where a Waco police officer was called shortly after 7:30 p.m. The woman, identified as Charlotte McMillon, was still inside her vehicle when the officer arrived. McMillon told police she had acted in self-defense. She said she had been involved in an argument with the man earlier that day at…

A person was found dead inside one of several structures involved in fires along State Highway 36 near Moffat, authorities said as crews continued working at the scene. The fires were reported in the 11,400 block of SH-36. Fire crews were able to contain the fires, although the situation had not yet been declared fully under control as of the latest update. The discovery of the deceased person has led to a separate investigation by the Bell County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division. Authorities have not released the person’s identity or provided additional details about how the individual died. Meanwhile,…

A Waco man has been arrested after police responded to a reported domestic disturbance and found a woman with injuries that she said resulted from an alleged assault, according to an arrest affidavit. Police were called Sept. 17 to the 500 block of North 26th Street after receiving a report that a man was assaulting his wife. The man was later identified as Michael Gibson. When officers arrived, they spoke with Gibson, who said his wife had thrown a thermos that struck him in the head and caused him to bleed. The woman gave officers a different account of what…