The city of St. Paul may yet lower the volume on a two-day electronic dance music celebration scheduled to light up the grounds outside Allianz Field in June.

Days after urging the city council to approve a sound-level variance for the Breakaway Music Festival at decibel levels objected to by city staff, a key council member has had a change of heart.

“This is something we had a lot of robust conversation around last week,” explained Council Member Anika Bowie, whose political ward encompasses Allianz Field.

Bowie asked the council on Wednesday to redo its 4-2 vote from a week prior and lower the decibel limits to those recommended by the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections, for two reasons. First, neighbors living near Allianz Field never received notice there would be an April 16 public hearing about the sound-level variance.

Following last week’s council vote, “we unfortunately recognized that the public notices had been drafted, but the all-important part of hitting send did not occur,” said DSI Director Angie Wiese, explaining the snafu to the council.

As a result, the public will get a second chance to weigh in before the council during a public hearing to be held May 14.

In addition to the new public hearing, Bowie on Wednesday asked the council to amend the sound-level variance resolution, reverting to an earlier version that includes lower decibel limits recommended by DSI. The amended limits will be finalized following the May 14 hearing.

Bowie receives strong feedback

Bowie said she had received strong feedback from the executive director of the Union Park District Council and other concerned critics who “shared disappointments around the process. We want to make sure we can rectify this.”

The amended decibel limits and new hearing date were approved together on Wednesday, 6-0, without further discussion. Council Vice President HwaJeong Kim was absent.

Organizers have said their inaugural St. Paul celebration last summer drew 24,000 fans and $2 million in ticket sales, generating as much as $6 million in spending for the region.

Critics as far as Mendota Heights complained of window-rattling noise likely well above approved limits, leading organizers this year to promise sound-shielding improvements, including hourly testing of noise levels and better speakers aimed at the sports stadium instead of Cub Foods.

Organizers may pull out without higher sound limit

The festival returns to the grounds outside Allianz Field on June 6 and June 7, but organizers have said they may pull out if they don’t get a higher sound limit than the decibel levels recommended by DSI.

The Breakaway Music Festival was approved last week for a sound-level variance 103 decibels at 125 feet from the main stage, as well as a limit of 101 decibels at 100 feet from a secondary stage. Both limits are above the noise levels associated with a typical outdoor concert, or even a construction site, DSI staff said.

City staff have recommended a sound limit of 100 decibels at 100 feet from the main stage, and 99 decibels at 75 feet from the secondary stage.

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Apple Valley-based Wings Credit Union on Wednesday announced a merger with Ent Credit Union, of Colorado Springs, Colo., with the combined company taking on the Wings name and be led by Chad Graves, CEO of Ent.

The combined company will 91 locations in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, Graves said in a news release. The boards of directors from each credit union unanimously approved the merger.

Wings, with $9.7 billion in assets and 371,000 members, according to a news release, and Ent ($9.9 billion, 560,000 members) are calling it a merger of equals and expect to be legally combined in 2026. They will serve nearly 1 million members, predominantly in Minnesota and Colorado.

Members will not experience any immediate change, the news release said, and both credit unions will continue to operate independently while the merger process goes through regulatory approval and a member vote.

“With shared roots in aviation, the name Wings Credit Union celebrates our unique legacies and the positive impact ahead. While our geographic footprint may be different, our values and culture are strongly aligned,” said Frank Weidner, president and CEO of Wings Credit Union.

Wings has its roots serving workers at the former Northwest Airlines, which was based in Eagan. Ent served workers at the former Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, which was a precursor to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD); the former base is now the site of the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

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Pope Francis died on Monday at age 88, capping a 12-year pontificate characterized by his concern for the poor and message of inclusion, but also some criticism from conservatives who sometimes felt alienated by his progressive bent.

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Thousands of people began filing through St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis on Wednesday at the start of three days of public viewing ahead of his funeral.

What time is Pope Francis’ funeral?

The funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) in St. Peter’s Square and will be attended by leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Cardinals walk past the body of Pope Francis, who will lie in state for three days, after it arrived in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

When is public viewing?

Francis’ casket is available for public viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica. The basilica will be kept open until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday to allow the faithful to mourn. The public mourning period will end on Friday at 7 p.m. local time.

People queue in St. Peter’s Square to pay their respect to the late Pope Francis, who will lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica for three days, at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

What happens after the funeral?

Francis’ death and funeral will usher in a carefully orchestrated period of transition in the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church, with cardinals gathering over the coming days before entering a conclave, the secretive ritual voting in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope.

There are 133 cardinals who are under 80 years old and eligible to vote, after two bowed out for health reasons, and the new pontiff will likely come from within their ranks. The conclave is not expected to begin before May 5.

Contributing: Associated Press

The 19th annual Twin Cities Improv Festival will run from June 5 through 8 at the Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis trio Five Man Job — Butch Roy, Nels Lennes and Lauren Anderson — founded the festival in 2006 and also run the weekly Improv A Go Go showcase at Minneapolis’ Strike Theater.

The festival features four sets the first three nights and a finale with four troupes on June 8.

In addition to locals, the festival will feature performers from Chicago, Los Angeles, Des Moines and Tokyo.

“The region’s premier celebration of unscripted comedy” will also include a series of workshops, including How to Improvise Like a Married Couple, Be Your Own Action Hero and Character Workout.

For the full schedule and tickets, see twincitiesimprovfestival.com.

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