The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library $2 million, the largest private donation the nonprofit has ever received.

The donation will help fund major renovations at the Hayden Heights and Riverview libraries, as well as technology and play and learn upgrades at all 13 St. Paul library locations.

Last year, more than 1.2 million people visited St. Paul libraries and borrowed more than 2.8 million materials. More than 47,000 attended library programs and 841 students received library support at homework centers. Libraries also hosted close to 700 mental health consultations.

The Knight Foundation works toward supporting communities’ economic mobility, information ecosystems and arts and culture, said Charlene Bradley, the Knight Foundation’s St. Paul program director, who started in her role about nine months ago.

“And one of the reasons why I gravitated towards libraries earlier in my tenure here at Knight is because libraries have the opportunity to support everything that Knight stands for, including their mission,” Bradley said. “So, thinking about, how do we really invest in informed and engaged communities? Libraries actually are a great representation of that.”

Charlene Bradley. (Courtesy of the Knight Foundation)

The Knight Foundation has been a longtime supporter of the Friends, with $855,000 invested by the foundation since 1999, according to Friends’ executive director Beth Burns. The $2 million donation announced Sunday is a “catalytic investment,” Burns said.

“We are in partnership with the city to realize a really transformative vision for the role of libraries in every single neighborhood in St. Paul,” Burns said. “And together, we in the city are looking to raise $35.5 million, and the Friends has committed to raising ($10 million) of that. And with this gift, our work is propelled forward because I believe this gift telegraphs to our entire community that the library is worthy of major investment and that in this moment, an investment in libraries is a meaningful and important investment in the people of St. Paul, in the neighborhoods of St. Paul, and in the vitality of democracy.”

St. Paul is very supportive of its public libraries, but public funding is never going to be enough to “realize the full vision and potential of public libraries,” Burns said. The work of organizations like the Friends helps ensure libraries have the resources they need, whether that’s through fundraising in the private sector or political advocacy, Burns said.

The nonprofit also serves as the state’s chapter of the Library of Congress.

The city of St. Paul recently announced that its 2026 budget will include $3.55 million for the Hayden Heights library renovation and $784,000 to seed the Riverview renovation. That brings total public investment to $16 million. The city has committed to a total of $25.5 million.

“Saint Paul’s libraries are more than buildings — they are anchors of community, gateways to opportunity, and valued resources for people of every age,” said Mayor Melvin Carter in a statement. “Our partnership with the Knight Foundation reflects a shared commitment to generational investment in all our libraries, ensuring they continue to serve every person in our city today and for decades to come.“

Officials with Friends said in a statement that they are grateful to Mayor Carter and look forward to working with Mayor-elect Kaohly Her.

“Saint Paul’s public libraries are one of the strengths of this City, and I am excited to continue to champion this remarkable public-private partnership,” Her said in a statement. “The Knight Foundation recognizes that investing in our libraries is investing in our residents, and this gift is going to reach people in every neighborhood to help us build a vibrant Saint Paul together.”

The Friends’ library campaign with a goal of $35.5 million will run through 2027 and also fund a new Hamline Midway Library. Demolition of the historic library began in January with plans to replace it with a more modern structure with better disability access and other amenities.

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Today is Sunday, Dec. 21, the 355th day of 2025. There are 10 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 21,1620, Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower went ashore at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, for the first time.

Also on this date:

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman concluded their “March to the Sea” when they captured Savannah, Georgia.

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In 1891, the first basketball game, devised by James Naismith, is believed to have been played at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts.

In 1913, the first newspaper crossword puzzle, billed as a “Word-Cross Puzzle,” was published in the New York World.

In 1976, the oil tanker Argo Merchant broke apart near Nantucket Island off Massachusetts almost a week after running aground, spilling 7.7 million gallons of oil into the North Atlantic.

In 1988, a terrorist bomb exploded aboard New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people aboard the Boeing 747 and 11 on the ground. The blast occurred about 40 minutes into the flight from London and claimed the lives of citizens from 21 countries, including 190 Americans.

In 1991, 11 of the 12 former Soviet republics formally proclaimed the birth of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

In 2020, President-elect Joe Biden received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on live television as part of a growing effort early in the pandemic to convince the American public the inoculations were safe.

In 2023, a student opened fire at Charles University in Prague, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 20 in the Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting. Authorities said the 24-year-old student, who had a license to own eight guns and no criminal record, killed himself as police closed in.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Jane Fonda is 88.
Singer Carla Thomas is 83.
Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas is 81.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson is 77.
Film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg is 75.
Tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert is 71.
Actor Jane Kaczmarek is 70.
Country musician Lee Roy Parnell is 69.
Actor-comedian Ray Romano is 68.
Actor Kiefer Sutherland is 59.
Actor-filmmaker Julie Delpy is 56.
Golf Hall of Famer Karrie Webb is 51.
French President Emmanuel Macron is 48.
Actor Rutina Wesley is 47.
Actor Steven Yeun is 42.
Actor-producer-writer Quinta Brunson is 36.
Actor Kaitlyn Dever is 29.
Actor Madelyn Cline is 28.

The Minnesota Vikings had some travel trouble Saturday getting to northern New Jersey for their game Sunday at the New York Giants.

Their team plane experienced mechanical issues that required turning around shortly after departing Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to a team spokesperson. The Vikings were expected to arrive in Newark later Saturday night after boarding a second plane, the spokesperson said.

Minnesota is 6-8 and, like the 2-12 Giants, has been eliminated from playoff contention. The Vikings are coming off beating Dallas, with this game more about young quarterback J.J. McCarthy getting additional NFL experience.

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RIVER FALLS, Wisc. – Despite wind chill temperatures dipping below zero and gusts near 40 mph Saturday, Wisconsin-River Falls quarterback Kaleb Blaha eschewed the warmth of a sideline cape for virtually all of a Division III semifinal against Johns Hopkins.

The senior and Coon Rapids native yet again played Superman, however, passing for a school-record 520 yards and five touchdowns during a 48-41 victory that sent the third-seeded Falcons to their first-ever championship game on Jan. 4 in Canton, Ohio.

River Falls (13-1), in the postseason for the first time since 1996, will face top-seeded North Central (14-0), from Naperville, Ill., in what’s known as the Stagg Bowl. It’s played adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Blaha’s biggest toss came with 45 seconds remaining and his team facing third-and-seven on its own 21-yard line. The first team All-American hit Blake Rohrer for a 79-yard touchdown that broke the last of the game’s four ties.

The throw down the left sideline came within inches of being intercepted by a Blue Jays’ safety flying across the field, but Rohrer snared it and broke into the open, sending an announced crowd of 2,897 into pandemonium. Fans started tailgating at 7 a.m. outside Ramer Field.

University of Wisconsin-River Falls receiver Blake Rohrer (18) makes a catch during the Division-III semifinal against Johns Hopkins on Dec. 20 in River Falls, Wis. Rohrer scored the winning touchdown on the play. (Photos courtesy of Pat Deninger, UW-River Falls)

“What a battle, what a dog fight,” said 15-year River Falls coach Matt Walker, whose team won its 14th consecutive home game. “The kind of game we haven’t been in a lot. It showed we can win any sort of football game. We had to keep outscoring them and when we needed a big play on defense, we got it.”

The duo of Blaha and Rohrer first came about when they bartended together at the Tarnation Tavern on Main Street in River Falls two years ago. It was Rohrer’s first semester at the school and he mentioned that, although he’d gone to Grand Canyon University as a regular student before transferring to River Falls to play basketball, he’d played football at Woodbury High School.

Blaha saw the younger player’s online highlights and urged him to join the Falcons’ football team, so Rohrer exited the hardwood and took his speed and leaping ability to the gridiron. Saturday’s deciding play, on what’s known as a hole-shot fade behind a cornerback and in front of a safety, hadn’t been called all season.

“I knew I had to go get the ball, that I couldn’t wait on it,” said Rohrer, who caught the pass inches from the sideline before cutting inside and sprinting to pay dirt for his third touchdown of the day. “I was saying ‘Get there, get there, don’t go down.’ This is so surreal.”

The bearded and gregarious Walker expressed happiness for his players, the school and its town.

“We feel so supported,” he said. “To see and hear so many people on another cold day during the holidays, it means a lot to me and this team. It was chaos out there and I think it made a different in the game.”

River Falls trailed the eighth-seeded Blue Jays 27-21 at halftime.

Blaha had suffered a stinger during a first-quarter run, and missed several plays because of it. Walker wouldn’t say exactly what his message to the signal-caller had been after, but it seemed to involve profane inspiration to play through pain.

“Blaha is the real deal,” second-year Johns Hopkins coach Dan Wodicka said. “His confidence and his command of the offense is really impressive. I’m not sure what injury he sustained, but he showed toughness coming back from that.”

Blaha completed 30 of 48 passes and had one intercepted. Although a prolific runner earlier in the season, he had only 30 yards in 16 attempts on the ground Saturday, the second consecutive week the Falcons stayed mostly to the air.

Rohrer caught a game-high nine passes for 236 yards and diminutive speedster Jalen Reed had a team-high 52 yards rushing on four carries.

The teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of total offense, with Johns Hopkins rushing for 233 and passing for 228. Quarterback Bay Harvey completed 14 of 31 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns. He returned after being hit late in the second quarter on a play during which a targeting foul was reversed, incensing Wodicka.

The Blue Jays’ boss was in the dumps again when his team had the Falcons backed up in their own end with less than a minute to go, yet surrendered the winning points. A perfect punt by Chase Alley veered out of bounds at the River Falls 4 preceding that fateful possession.

“There was a cross wind against them at that moment and it was ‘Let’s force their punt unit on the field’ and then they made a fantastic play,” said Wodicka, whose Baltimore-based team lost in the national semifinals for a second consecutive year. “That happened all day all over the field — really athletic people making great plays.”

One of them was made by River Falls defensive lineman Brady Block, who snuffed out Johns Hopkins’ final hopes when he intercepted a Harvey pass over the middle on the first play from scrimmage following Rohrer’s big touchdown catch.

“He’s a little thicker guy, but he’s a sneaky, shifty athlete,” said River Falls linebacker Gage Timm, who made a game-high 15 tackles. “I was shell-shocked for a bit when I realized we’d gotten a D-line pick to end the game.”

Walker was asked how he’ll balance allowing his players to enjoy this playoff run yet remain focused on preparation during the next two weeks.

“I have no clue yet what to do because we haven’t let ourselves think beyond this week,” Walker said with an ear-to-ear grin. “But what a fun thing to get to figure out.”

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College Football Playoff begins this weekend with first-round games