High above the skaters at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood, currently covered by snow, are solar arrays that are part of the improvements Ramsey County Parks and Recreation is making to the county’s ice rinks.

While some of these improvements might not be obvious at the county’s 10 rinks, the results are smarter, greener facilities that are also brighter and warmer — with optimal ice conditions.

Here’s a look at some of the improvements, as well as future hopes for Aldrich.

Solar-powered arenas

The solar panels for Aldrich Arena and TCO Sports Garden in Vadnais Heights — the county’s largest arenas — are part of Ramsey County’s climate equity action plan.

“As part of that plan, there are goals to reduce our energy consumption and then green energy goals,” says Mark McCabe, director of Ramsey County Parks and Recreation. “So, this is helping fulfill reducing the amount of carbon that we’re producing and is converting the energy source from the carbon source to a green energy option.

Snow covered but still collecting electrons, solar panels cover the roof of Aldrich Arena in Maplewood. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

“A big stat is 85% of the energy that’s consumed, everything that we do — parks, golf courses, ice arenas — is in the arenas, so that’s our biggest opportunity to reduce energy consumption. So this project that we did with Honeywell, which is not only the solar arrays, but it’s also converting to LED lighting, adding insulation in buildings, changing our mechanical systems like high-efficiency furnaces that collectively, throughout our whole system, will reduce our consumption of electricity by over 20 percent.”

It adds up to savings — a lot of savings.

“Through that plan, that’s roughly a $300,000 decrease in utility expenses,” McCabe says. Read on for more about those savings.

The size of the Aldrich array is roughly 350 kilowatts and the size of the TCO array is just under 1 megawatt, according to Ramsey County.

Aldrich Arena

Aldrich Arena, a multi-purpose arena located at 1850 White Bear Ave., was built in 1962. To consider how long ago that was: John F. Kennedy was president, “West Side Story” won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the first Target opened eight miles away in Roseville.

Things have changed since then.

“We’ve got a request in to the state of Minnesota for their legislative cycle of bonding to renovate this facility,” McCabe says. “This facility is over 60 years old. It’s served the community really well, but we’re trying to get it to be able to serve the next generation.”

Beyond the energy project for the county’s arenas, future goals for Aldrich include a new main entrance with increased accessibility (Aldrich was built before the Americans with Disabilities Act); adding a community room; updating the public locker rooms and green rooms as well as more of the restrooms; modernizing the concessions area and replacing the refrigeration system.

The Aldrich project is one of the county’s lead priorities within their bonding legislative priorities for the 2026 session, according to a Ramsey County spokesperson. To fund the $17 million project, the county is asking for $8.5 million from the state, to be matched with $8.5 million from the county.

Beyond skating

Ice time is an in-demand commodity in Minnesota, and that includes Ramsey County and Aldrich Arena.

“Throughout the system, we’re reserving at high capacity,” McCabe says. “But this facility is unique in its seating capacity.”

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While Aldrich has capacity for about 3,200 people who come to watch high school hockey league and playoff games here, that capacity expands to about 4,900 when the space is transformed for non-ice events, including concerts, graduations, trade shows and more. And Aldrich is a facility that hosts many events — especially now.

“With the U of M Mariucci Arena announcing that they were no longer doing graduations, we picked up a number of graduations,” says McCabe.

It’s part of the vision for this space.

“We’re really going to turn it into more of a community event center,” McCabe says.

In recent times, events include everything from a farmers’ market in the parking lot to various concerts and lots of quinceañeras; it’s also hosted a Hmong New Year celebration, an Eid prayer service, figure skating, union votes, dog shows and more.

The improvements

Aldrich Arena in Maplewood now features individual, unisex bathrooms. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Ice arenas can be chilly places, but on a recent December morning, Aldrich felt as comfortable as any non-icy interior space.

“There’s added building insulation,” McCabe said. “I think that, with the lighting, does make a difference for the user experience.”

Thanks to the improvements, according to Ramsey County, heating, cooling and ice conditions will automatically adjust to match facility use, keeping the ice perfect and the buildings comfortable.

Other improvements include renovated bathrooms and more accessible arena seating for those with wheelchairs or mobility issues. There is hopefully more to come.

“Any funding that we can save allows us to reinvest in a facility to bring more amenities that people are asking for — renovated bathrooms and public meeting spaces are some things we’re focusing on,” McCabe says.

It’s not just Aldrich seeing changes.

“Ten arena facilities are all getting improvements as well as a Parks and Recreation administration building that got improvements as well, things like LED lighting and high-efficiency furnaces,” says McCabe.

Smart buildings

The Hill-Murray boy’s hockey team practices at Aldrich Arena. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

While this phase of improvements have mostly been completed, one is still wrapping up.

“Some facilities got building automation systems,” says Gus Blumer, director of planning and development for Ramsey County Parks and Recreation. “That’s one item that we’re finishing up.”

The smart technology helps monitor and adjust energy use and, thus, costs. When heating, cooling and ice conditions can automatically adjust to those really hot days in the fall or an arena packed with people, the ice can stay perfect and the atmosphere comfortable. There are also additional safeguards, such as technology that detects refrigerant leaks quickly.

“But all the building envelope improvements have been completed,” Blumer says.

“We’ve been doing the implementation work throughout 2025,” says McCabe. “So we should be realizing the benefits.”

Costs and savings

With inflation and other economic pressures, prices are rising, including in the metro: Ramsey County is poised to increase its tax levy by 9.75% for taxes payable in 2026.

“Certainly, with tax pressures, anything that we can do that reduces things like utility expenditures is something to look at,” McCabe said.

How were the arena improvements funded?

“It’s a roughly $6.6 million project through an inter-county loan,” McCabe explains. “So the Parks and Recreation Department borrowed money from the county’s general fund. And then, through the Biden administration, there was Inflation Reduction Act funding. So basically with the installation of solar arrays, we could get up to 30% reimbursement on the cost there, that’s about $1.4 million we can get reimbursed. And then the energy savings that we realize each year for the next 15 years goes to pay back that loan.”

After the loan is paid in full, the savings continue.

“Solar panels, the life of them is 30 years,” McCabe says. “So the upside, once we pay the loan off, in addition to all the energy savings that reduce our carbon footprint, there’s also 15 years of saved money, an average of $300,000 a year, so you’re talking a pretty significant $4 million.”

Keeping the character

The commons area in the Hill-Murray boy’s hockey locker room, funded by boosters, features framed jerseys from different years. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

On Thursday morning, before anyone took to the ice for the day, Aldrich Arena Superintendent Chris Lueck led a tour through the facility.

While not everything is refreshed — the arena’s outdated and cramped public locker rooms need updates, as one example — there are some renovated restrooms, bright and clean, and the arena seating now includes more accessible options. For the hockey teams, the players’ seating has been expanded for more leg room. And, by climbing ladder-like stairs to the roof, Lueck checked on the solar arrays that were covered in snow (but still operating).

Not everything needs updating, though: There are decades of memories here, like a vintage-looking cartoon character holding a glass of Coca-Cola that is painted on a wall near a former concessions nook, and trophies behind glass that speak to the hockey victories of Hill-Murray, a private school that calls this ice home. The nostalgia gives the place some character.

“That’s the hope in general, to maintain the character of the building while upgrading and modernizing some of our amenities,” Lueck says.

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Minnesota’s microscopic playoff hopes were officially extinguished Sunday afternoon when the Bears beat Cleveland, ensuring the Vikings’ season will end in Week 18.

As much was effectively determined after the Vikings were waxed in Seattle two weeks prior. It’s why a portion of the fan base couldn’t get overly excited about a shutout win over Washington last week and were equally conflicted for Sunday’s primetime showdown with Dallas.

To tank or to not tank?

In the NFL, is that even a question?

“Tanking” is a refrain more aptly saved for the NBA.  Frankly, it’s hard to do in the NFL.

It’s not as applicable in a season that provides with only 17 opportunities in which players can prove themselves each fall. In a league where contracts feature minimal guarantees, meaning guys are always playing for their financial future. Most players aren’t going to be happy if they’re held out with a minor injury. And the rosters simply aren’t deep enough to hold out healthy bodies, anyway.

Football is also a sport where if you go at anything less than full speed with laser focus, you open yourself up to a higher potential for injury. Pride comes into play, as well. You think Justin Jefferson isn’t going to do everything in his power to reach the 1,000-yard plateau this season?

If the best players are out there, you’re going to get their best.

About the only cord teams can pull to attempt to lessen their chances of winning a game is to change quarterbacks. We’ve seen organizations do that at the end of seasons to give a younger player an opportunity or to prevent a veteran from complicating a contract situation with an injury. And, in turn, the move frequently helps produce losses.

That opportunity doesn’t exist for the Vikings, who are already playing their second-year signal caller. J.J. McCarthy, if healthy, is going to be under center for Minnesota for the season’s duration, for better or worse. The snaps give the 22-year-old more experience and gives the Vikings more data to evaluate as they head into the offseason.

Minnesota is going to push full throttle through the finish line, or at least until Week 18. And is there much harm in that? Realistically, the Vikings are going to draft somewhere between 10-16 in Round 1.

Would you rather draft 10th? Sure. Is there a massive difference between the two slots? Not really. Evaluating and selecting prospects and moving around the board via trades are such inexact sciences that once you move outside of the top five – where the prospective franchise quarterbacks and left tackles reside – it’s all somewhat of a crapshoot.

The more concrete advantage of a poor finish is the schedule it locks in for your following season. Finishing last in your division means you’ll face last-place teams in three other divisions in 2026. Three extra wins can make all the difference in a 17-game season.

The NFC North is such a juggernaut, the Vikings have a fourth-place finish all but assured. Which means any damages done for Minnesota via wins picked up between now and the end of the season are nominal, at best. And there’s something to be said for gaining positive traction over the final quarter of the campaign. Not only for McCarthy, but for the team at large as it hopes to bounce back for a brighter 2026.

Tanking isn’t possible, anyway. The Vikings may as well charge forward, full speed ahead.

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ARLINGTON, Texas — This is pretty much as close as veteran running back Aaron Jones can get to a homecoming in the NFL. He grew up in El Paso, Texas, which is roughly 600 miles away from Arlington, Texas.

Though his hometown certainly isn’t close in proximity, Jones said he was expecting more than 30 people to be in attendance when the Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.

“I truly thank them for their support,” Jones said. “I’m really nothing without them.”

There’s something about Jones being relatively close to his hometown that seems to bring out the best in him. He entered the primetime matchup having rushed for 488 yards and nine touchdowns against the Cowboys in his career. That included a whopping 350 yards and eight touchdowns at AT&T Stadium alone.

“It’s definitely a special place to play,” Jones said with a smile. “I feel like I’m able to get into a groove there.”

The fact that the Vikings were playing the Cowboys under the lights also carried a personal element for him. He remembers his dad always cheering for the Cowboys when he was a kid, so naturally he started cheering for them, as well.

“I wanted to be like him, so that became my team,” Jones said. “As soon as I got drafted, we put those jerseys away.”

The only time that Jones actually got to experience the NFL in person as a kid came when his dad took him to a game at the old Texas Stadium. As awestruck as he was by getting to see the Cowboys up close, he said it also motivated him to do everything in his power to make it to the highest level.

“I think that’s kind of what helped me get here,” Jones said. “Just being able to see it with my own eyes.”

As the memories came flooding back this week, Jones made it very clear that the homecoming never gets old. He doesn’t take any part of it for granted. He added that he had plans to recognize everybody from El Paso that showed up to watch him.

“I’ll throw up the 915 as a tribute to them back home,” Jones said in reference to the El Paso area code. “Just letting them know I appreciate them, because there was a point in time where they were the only people who believed in me.”

Briefly

After being listed as questionable heading into the matchup between the Vikings and Cowboys, star left tackle Christian Darrisaw was inactive for the game. This is the latest absence caused by a knee injury that has lingered much longer than most expected. In place of Darrisaw, the Vikings turned to Justin Skule, who has notably struggled at times this season.

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By JONATHAN MATTISE

When Brown University junior Mia Tretta’s phone began buzzing with an emergency alert during finals week, she tried to convince herself it couldn’t be happening again.

In 2019, Tretta had been shot in the abdomen during a mass shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. Two students were killed, and she and two others were wounded. She was 15 at the time.

On Saturday, Tretta was studying in her dorm with a friend when the first message arrived, warning of an emergency at the university’s engineering building. Something must have happened, she thought, but surely it couldn’t be a shooting.

As more alerts poured in, urging people to lock down and stay away from windows, the familiarity of the language made clear what she had feared. By the end of the day, two people were dead and nine others injured in the Providence, Rhode Island, shooting that once again upended a school campus.

“No one should ever have to go through one shooting, let alone two,” Tretta said in a phone interview Sunday. “And as someone who was shot at my high school when I was 15 years old, I never thought that this was something I’d have to go through again.”

Tretta’s experience captures a grim reality for a generation now in college: students who grew up rehearsing lockdowns and active-shooter drills, only to encounter the same violence again years later on campuses that once seemed like an escape from it.

In recent years, small groups of students have endured multiple mass shootings at different stages of their education, including survivors of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who later experienced a deadly shooting at Florida State University in April.

Another Brown student, Zoe Weissman, reflected on social media about attending middle school next door to the Parkland high school during the mass killing there. She said she was outside the middle school when the shooting happened, and heard gunshots and screams, saw first responders and then watched videos of what happened.

Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Craig Greenberg said on Facebook that his son Ben, a junior at Brown, is safe after using furniture to barricade himself and his roommates inside their room. Greenberg survived an assassination attempt during his mayoral campaign in 2022.

After Tretta was shot in high school, she pushed for tighter gun restrictions and rose to a leadership role with the group Students Demand Action. Her advocacy took her to the White House under former President Joe Biden, and she also met with his former Attorney General Merrick Garland.

She has particularly focused on “ghost guns,” such as the one used at her high school, that can be built from parts and make it difficult to track or regulate owners.

And at Brown, Tretta had been working on a paper about the educational journeys of students who have lived through school shootings, a subject shaped by her own experience. The paper was due in a few days.

Tretta, who studies international and public affairs and education, said Saturday was the first time she’d gotten such an active shooter alert at Brown.

“I chose Brown, a place that I love, because it felt like somewhere I could finally be safe and finally, you know, be normal in this new normal that I live of a school shooting survivor,” she said. “And it’s happened again. And it didn’t have to.”