Minneapolis firework chaos, Dave's Hot Chicken, Chaska drag show support: This week's top stories
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Fireworks chaos in Minneapolis. Three bodies were found in the Vermillion River. Dave's Hot Chicken opens in Minnetonka. Here are the top stories from July 1-7.
1. Fireworks recklessly shot off by revelers in Minneapolis on July 4th
It was another chaotic year for the Fourth of July in Minneapolis with videos posted to social meeting showing people recklessly shooting off fireworks. The Stone Arch Bridge was closed overnight in an effort to restrict access to the pedestrian bridge with the hope of avoiding a repeat of what happened last year on July 4th. But that's exactly what happened – just not on the Stone Arch Bridge.
Revelers with an arsenal of fireworks moved to other parts of Minneapolis, with hundreds of people gathering near Bde Maka Ska. There, many could be seen setting off fireworks and firing projectiles at Minneapolis Police squad cars.
2. 3 bodies located in Vermillion River after multiple agency search
Authorities have located three bodies of swimmers that went missing in the Vermillion River on Monday.
Authorities located the body of three swimmers who went missing in the Vermillion River. The swimmers were reported missing on Monday evening and were found on Wednesday morning.
The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office said the three people initially swimming were "inexperienced swimmers" and were not wearing life jackets. The area they were swimming in was 3 feet deep but dropped sharply to a depth of 9 feet. Water current in the river also played a factor.
All three were from the same household in Oakdale.
3. Kris Humphries opens Dave’s Hot Chicken, Minnesota’s first location
Operating partner Alex Humphries (left) with Kris Humphries (right) at the counter of the newly opened Dave's Hot Chicken in Minnetonka. (Photo by Nick Longworth)
A former University of Minnesota Gophers basketball star and NBA player has opened Minnesota’s first Dave’s Hot Chicken franchise while quietly amassing more than a dozen other franchises in a continued investment in the state that made him who he is.
"It’s a process – from day one to where we are today. Like training, every little detail takes so much time, but once you finally put it all together it’s a celebration. At the same time, it’s like, ‘OK, what’s the next goal?’" Humphries said.
Humphries is the owner of the new location near Ridgedale Center, which is open seven days a week offering an array of chicken tenders, sandwiches and sides in its Nashville-style breading.
4. Walgreens expects to close 150 US stores, CFO says
Walgreens says it expects to close 150 stores nationwide and 300 stores in the United Kingdom, according to reports. Walgreens Boots Alliance CFO James Kehoe announced the closings during the pharmacy company’s earnings call on June 27. The Chicago-based company, which operates nearly 9,000 stores in the U.S., is expected to close the 150 locations on Aug. 31, 2024, the end of its next fiscal year, CNN noted.
FOX TV Digital Team reported this story.
5. Dive team pulls man from Buffalo, Minn. lake
Lake Pulaski in Buffalo, Minn. (FOX 9)
A man was pulled from a lake in Buffalo, Minnesota after a search on July 3. The Wright County Sheriff's Office said they responded to a call for a possible drowning and their dive team found a man underwater and pulled him to shore. Emergency crews attempted to revive the man before he was transported by Allina Ambulance. The man's condition was not known as of Monday.
6. American Airlines passenger gets plane to himself after 18-hour delay: ‘It was an insane experience’
American Airlines passenger Phil Stringer was trying to get home to North Carolina, but his flight was delayed 18 hours. He was the only passenger who waited it out and had the entire plane to himself.
"I had no idea that I was the only passenger until right before I boarded," a chief operating officer at a real estate brokerage in North Carolina, told FOX Business. "It was an insane experience."
7. Chaska boutique receives community support following backlash over drag story time
Little Roo's Boutique in Chaska has recently gone viral on social media for something other than its clothes. After announcing the store would host their first drag story time, owner Marissa Heid-Nordling says they've received some criticism from people against the idea.
In response, she's posting a tribute every day leading up to the event to their "top favorite haters", and the videos have racked up tens of thousands of likes and comments on TikTok. Despite the hate, there has also been a wave of support from the city and beyond, so much so- they are expecting an overflow crowd at the event this weekend.
8. Victim's family outraged by sentence in deadly Minneapolis crash
The family of a young man killed by a multi-time drunk driver is lashing out at Minnesota’s criminal justice system, demanding stiffer consequences for negligent motorists.
Josiah Oakley, 22, was killed in a two-vehicle crash. The driver of the SUV, Sylvester Vaughn, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal vehicular homicide and was sentenced to a presumptive, guideline sentence of 48 months in prison.
"My son's life is worth more than 48 months," said Cynthia Johnson, Oakley's stepmother. "If it was your child, would you accept 48 months? We cannot continue as a society to stick our heads in the sand and allow more innocent people to die."
9. Brooklyn Center PD: 2 dead after shooting in shopping center parking lot
Two people were killed in a shooting at a parking lot outside a Brooklyn Center shopping center on the morning of July 3. Officers were in the area and heard the shots when they were waved down by a witness. Officers found a vehicle where two people had been shot: one inside a vehicle and the other outside the vehicle. Both people were pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, but so far police say they don't believe it was a random incident. A handgun was found at the shooting scene.
10. Woman's remains found in storage unit, Maplewood man charged with murder
The body of 34-year-old Manijeh "Mani" Starren was found in a storage unit in Woodbury nearly two months after she was reported missing. Ramsey County prosecutors charged her boyfriend Joseph Jorgenson, 40, with second-degree intentional murder.
"Our investigators worked hard to find her, but unfortunately the end was the worst possible outcome," St. Paul Police Sgt. Mike Ernster said.
Police said they were concerned for the safety of another woman, 33-year-old Fanta Xayavong, who was last seen with Jorgenson in July 2021. In a recent update on July 7, police said they found Xayavong's remains at a storage unit in Coon Rapids.