In downtown St. Paul, the troubled but storied Lowry Apartments on Wabasha Street have been sold to a Burnsville-based home remodeler.

State sales records show the buyer — officially 345 Wabasha Avenue North, LLC — purchased the 11-story, century-old apartment building and former hotel for $5 million from a subsidiary of Colliers International on June 30. A call to Dan Carlson, principal of Burnsville-based New Life Properties, was not immediately returned on Friday morning.

The dilapidated Lowry Apartments building, which was placed last year under court-ordered receivership, was condemned by the city and cleared of tenants following a pipe burst last December and has remained boarded ever since. According to Ramsey County property records, the 134-unit structure carried an estimated market value of $8.6 million this year, down from a recent high of $9.5 million in 2023 and 2024.

It was last sold at a sheriff’s sale last September to a subsidiary of Colliers International for $7 million in credit.

New Life Properties

New Life Properties, which is associated with the 52-unit Lily Pad Apartments at 3601 Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis, is perhaps better known for restoring single-family homes.

“We develop dream homes for home buyers by taking houses that need TLC and creating new, updated, turn-key houses,” reads the New Life Properties website. “This breathes ‘New Life’ into the community one house at a time. … We purchase neglected single and multi-family properties and renovate them to restore the community and improve the standard of living while creating an affordable place to live for renters.”

Some are hopeful that a new buyer will indeed bring in new life.

“There is work underway,” said Rich Neumeister, who lived in the building for more than 40 years and has been visiting the structure periodically, as he watched construction contractors go in and out.

A storied and troubled history

The Lowry opened in 1928, drawing posh and famous clientele to its hotel rooms.

The Oz, a disco club that opened in its basement on Valentine’s Day in 1979 — the waning days of disco — was once considered one of the most popular hangouts in downtown St. Paul, with clientele including famed writers and politicians. Producer Steven Greenberg and sound engineer David Rivkin used the venue to test their mix of the 1980 hit song “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. The dance club closed in the 1980s.

“It was a hopping place,” Neumeister said.

The late Madison Equities principal Jim Crockarell, who died in January 2024, purchased the struggling Lowry in 2012 for $4.8 million after the previous owner, John Rupp, declared bankruptcy on several properties. Crockarell embarked on a $13 million renovation that included the installation of the popular Gray Duck Tavern, which opened in 2017 in a ground-level street-corner space that had been vacant since 1982. In addition to the restaurant and bar, he once envisioned opening a rooftop restaurant.

Crockarell dedicated dozens of apartments as student housing for the McNally Smith College of Music until the school closed in 2017. The property advertised lounge areas, fitness facilities, new appliances and keyless locks. Many of those amenities were damaged during the pandemic and the years that followed as the building slid into disrepair and units were taken over by squatters and open drug sales.

Up for sale

The Gray Duck Tavern, which faced City Hall, was abruptly shuttered by Madison Equities last July.

By then, the Ramsey County attorney’s offices had already moved out of the building’s other retail spaces and relocated to a former Ecolab utility building on the same street.

Weeks after Crockarell’s death, his widow placed 10 properties on the market for sale, including six downtown office buildings, two parking ramps, the Handsome Hog restaurant on Selby Avenue and the empty lot next to it. The office buildings included some of downtown St. Paul’s oldest and most iconic commercial real estate — the First National Bank Building, the U.S. Bank Building, Alliance Bank Center, the Empire Building, 375 Jackson Square and Park Square Court.

The Lowry Apartments were placed on the market separately days later, without a specific asking price.

Several of those properties have reverted to their lenders or fallen under court-ordered receivership. The Alliance Bank Center remains shuttered and devoid of tenants after Madison Equities stopped paying utilities for the property last March. The Park Square Court building is also vacant and boarded. Madison Equities previously owned the Degree of Honor apartment building, which was sold last month by Minnwest Bank to Altitude Capital Partners, the Chicago firm’s fourth apartment building acquisition in downtown St. Paul.

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By CALEIGH WELLS

Catastrophic floods can be difficult to prepare for. Sometimes evacuation is the right call, but if it’s too late the best bet is to find higher ground nearby. The stakes can be high, because a flash flood may give those in its path only minutes or seconds to react.

The right moves depend on the storm and the geography, said James Doss-Gollin, an assistant professor who teaches civil and environmental engineering at Rice University. For example, the advice won’t be the same for people who live near a beach and those who live by a river, he said.

“Some places you’re worried about the water moving really fast in the river. Some places you’re worried about roads getting flooded, but the water might not be moving very fast. So often your local community is going to have the best information,” he said.

Regardless of the storm or where it’s happening, Richina Bicette-McCain, an emergency physician with Baylor College of Medicine, said preparation is key.

“One of my favorite phrases is if you stay ready, then you don’t have to get ready,” she said.

FILE – Ohio River floods Strader Avenue, April 9, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Before the flooding starts

If you live in the United States, make sure the National Weather Service’s automatic weather alerts on your phone are activated. If you live in another country, find out what the weather agency and how they provide alerts.

If you don’t have a phone or it’s not working, the weather service recommends NOAA Weather Radio, local news coverage and listening for the Emergency Alert System on TV and radio broadcasts. These alerts typically include a few key phrases that indicate how serious the threat is. Here’s a quick glossary:

1. Flood watch: Hazardous weather is possible. Be prepared.

2. Flood advisory: Flooding is expected to be inconvenient, but not necessarily dangerous. Be aware.

3. Flood warning: Hazardous weather is imminent, or already happening. Take action.

4. Flash flood warning: Flooding is imminent or already happening, and the flood is especially sudden or violent. You might only have seconds to find higher ground.

5. Flash flood emergency: There’s a severe threat to human life, and catastrophic damage is about to happen or is already happening. This is exceedingly rare, and at this point, officials are typically reporting evacuations and rescues.

Doss-Gollin said before the National Weather Service issues a warning or emergency alert, it’s important for people to know where the nearest high places are that will not flood, so evacuees can move quickly if needed.

Bicette-McCain has her go-bag ready and refreshed every hurricane season that includes flashlights, spare batteries, food and water. And she said patients seeking medical care in flood emergencies typically face one of two problems: either they can’t use their regular medications or medical devices once the power goes out, or they’re dehydrated. So, she said, the most important items to throw in are medications, batteries and lots of drinking water.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever been so thirsty that you’re just desperate for a morsel of liquid to drink, but sometimes people get into that situation and they’ll resort to drinking flood water. And if you survive the flood, the implications of drinking flood water may be what does you in,” she said.

The National Weather Service, FEMA and American Red Cross all have emergency go-bag recommendations that include personal hygiene items, warm blankets and a whistle to signal for help. Doss-Gollin’s go-bag includes diapers and milk for his baby, and a weather radio that’s designed to pick up radio frequencies from far away in case the power is out or the local tower goes down. “We have one that’s hand-crank, which I really like because I’m not going to check the batteries on those every couple of months to make sure that they’re working,” he said.

Once the storm has arrived

Find out what local officials are recommending, and follow their instructions.

If it’s time to evacuate, do it before the storm comes. “We see a lot of casualties from people attempting to stay at their home,” Bicette-McCain said. “Don’t be that person.”

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Bicette-McCain said it is never a good idea to touch the stormwater because it is impossible to know how contaminated it is. The only exception is if the space you’re in is so dangerous that you have to trudge through water to get somewhere safer. In that case, she recommended finding an umbrella or big stick to judge how deep the water is or whether there is debris in front of you. “We’re talking very turbulent, very putrid waters that you can’t see through,” she said.

If it’s too late to evacuate, don’t. Trying can be fatal. Just 6 inches (15 centimeters) of moving water can knock a person down, and a foot of moving water can move a car.

“Very often the people that die during floods … are driving across bridges or they’re trying to drive through water,” Doss-Gollin said. “The one piece of advice that everyone will give you is don’t drive through floodwaters, ever.”

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

In my opinion, a wedge salad should have a boatload of tasty garnishes. The cold, crisp, knife-cut Iceberg lettuce needs plenty of delicious blue cheese dressing, and the toppings should include some kind of onion, thick-cut crunchy bacon, and tomatoes. I’ve been known to throw in some sliced pickled beets and a few thin slivers of salami on the side of the plate.

The wedge salad recipe in Cook’s Illustrated magazine offers a dandy take on the onion element. Instead of sliced red onion, it suggests thinly sliced pickled shallots, a sweet-sour element that is quick to prepare and scrumptious. Their formula also includes a last-minute scattering of snipped fresh chives.

I’ve noticed that guests appreciate a place setting that includes steak knives. The sharp blades make cutting Iceberg lettuce much easier.

Wedge Salad

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Pickled Shallots:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 shallots, thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dressing:

2 ounces blue cheese (1/2 cup), crumbled

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

Salad:

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide pieces

1 head Iceberg lettuce (1 1/4 pounds), stem trimmed, chilled, see cook’s notes

1 plum tomato, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces, or 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half

4 ounces (1 cup) blue cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons fresh chives, cut into 1/2-inch lengths

Cook’s notes: The lettuce’s core should stay intact to hold the leaves together in a tight stack.

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare pickled shallots: Combine vinegar and sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup with a handle. Microwave until sugar is dissolved and vinegar is steaming, 30 to 60 seconds. Add shallots and stir to combine. Cover and cool completely for about 30 minutes. They can be refrigerated airtight for up to one week. Drain before using the shallots on the salad.

2. Prepare the dressing: While the shallots are pickling, mash the blue cheese in a medium bowl with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, juice, vinegar, and hot sauce; stir to combine. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

3. Prepare the bacon: Cook bacon in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is a deep, golden brown, adjusting heat to keep bacon from browning too quickly. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

4. Halve lettuce through core and cut each half into 2 wedges, leaving core intact. Arrange lettuce wedges, rounded side down, on rimmed plates or shallow bowls. Drizzle about 3 tablespoons dressing across the top of each wedge, using a spoon to help it cascade down the sides. Divide tomato(es), 1 cup crumbled blue cheese, and bacon among wedges. Garnish with drained pickled shallots and chives. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Pass remaining dressing separately.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated magazine

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.

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By MICHAEL CASEY

BOSTON (AP) — Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s campaign of arresting and deporting college faculty and students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations spent the first few days of the trial showing how the crackdown silenced scholars and targeted more than 5,000 protesters.

The lawsuit, filed by several university associations, is one of the first against President Donald Trump and members of his administration to go to trial. Plaintiffs want U.S. District Judge William Young to rule that the policy violates the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, a law that governs how federal agencies develop and issue regulations.

The government argues that no such policy exists and that it is enforcing immigration laws legally to protect national security.

Investigating protesters

One of the key witnesses was Peter Hatch, who works for the Homeland Security Investigations unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Over two days of testimony, Hatch told the court a “Tiger Team” was formed in March — after two executive orders that addressed terrorism and combating antisemitism — to investigate people who took part in the protests.

Hatch said the team received as many as 5,000 names of protesters and wrote reports on about 200 who had potentially violated U.S. law. The reports, several of which were shown in court Thursday, included biographical information, criminal history, travel history and affiliations with pro-Palestinian groups as well as press clips and social media posts on their activism or allegations of their affiliation with Hamas or other anti-Israel groups. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Until this year, Hatch said, he could not recall a student protester being referred for a visa revocation.

“It was anything that may relate to national security or public safety issues, things like: Were any of the protesters violent or inciting violence? I think that’s a clear, obvious one,” Hatch testified. “Were any of them supporting terrorist organizations? Were any of them involved in obstruction or unlawful activity in the protests?”

Among the report subjects were Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was released last month after 104 days in federal immigration detention. Khalil has become a symbol of Trump’s clampdown on the protests.

Another was Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was released in May from a Louisiana facility. She spent six weeks in detention after she was arrested while walking on the street of a Boston suburb. She says she was illegally detained following an op-ed she cowrote last year criticizing the school’s response to the war in Gaza.

Hatch also acknowledged that most of the names came from Canary Mission, a group that says it documents people who “promote hatred of the U.S.A., Israel and Jews on North American college campuses.” The right-wing Jewish group Betar was another source, he said.

Hatch said most of the leads were dropped when investigators could not find ties to protests and the investigations were not inspired by a new policy but rather a procedure in place at least since he took the job in 2019.

What is Canary Mission?

Weeks before Khalil’s arrest, a spokesperson for Betar told The Associated Press that the activist topped a list of foreign students and faculty from nine universities that it submitted to officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who made the decision to revoke Khalil’s visa.

The Department of Homeland Security said at the time that it was not working with Betar and refused to answer questions about how it was treating reports from outside groups.

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In March, speculation grew that administration officials were using Canary Mission to identify and target student protesters. That’s when immigration agents arrested Ozturk.

Canary Mission has denied working with administration officials, while noting speculation that its reports led to that arrest and others.

While Canary Mission prides itself on outing anyone it labels as antisemitic, its leaders refuse to identify themselves and its operations are secretive. News reports and tax filings have linked the site to a nonprofit based in the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. But journalists who have visited the group’s address, listed in documents filed with Israeli authorities, have found a locked and seemingly empty building.

In recent years, news organizations have reported that several wealthy Jewish Americans made cash contributions to support Canary Mission, disclosed in tax paperwork filed by their personal foundations. But most of the group’s funding remains opaque, funneled through a New York-based fund that acts as a conduit for Israeli causes.

Were student protesters targeted?

Attorneys for the plaintiffs pressed a State Department official Friday over whether protests were grounds for revoking a student’s visa, repeatedly invoking several cables issued in response to Trump’s executive orders as examples of policy guidance.

But Maureen Smith, a senior adviser in the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, said protest alone wasn’t a critical factor. She wasn’t asked specifically about pro-Palestinian protests.

“It’s a bit of a hypothetical question. We would need to look at all the facts of the case,” she said. “If it were a visa holder who engages in violent activity, whether it’s during a protest or not — if they were arrested for violent activity — that is something we would consider for possible visa revocation.”

Smith also said she didn’t think a student taking part in a nonviolent protest would be a problem but said it would be seen in a “negative light” if the protesters supported terrorism. She wasn’t asked to define what qualified as terrorism nor did she provide examples of what that would include.

Scholars scared by the crackdown

The trial opened with Megan Hyska, a green card holder from Canada who is a philosophy professor at Northwestern University, detailing how efforts to deport Khalil and Ozturk prompted her to scale back her activism, which had included supporting student encampments and protesting in support of Palestinians.

“It became apparent to me, after I became aware of a couple of high-profile detentions of political activists, that my engaging in public political dissent would potentially endanger my immigration status,” Hyska said.

Nadje Al-Ali, a green card holder from Germany and professor at Brown University, said that after the arrests of Khalil and Ozturk, she canceled a planned research trip and a fellowship to Iraq and Lebanon, fearing that “stamps from those two countries would raise red flags” upon her return. She also declined to take part in anti-Trump protests and dropped plans to write an article that was to be a feminist critique of Hamas.

“I felt it was too risky,” Al-Ali said.

Associated Press writer Adam Geller in New York contributed to this report.