Como Zoo says beloved orangutan Jambu has died at 40

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Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is mourning the death of a 40-year-old Sumatran orangutan who made his home at the St. Paul zoo for nearly three decades.

Jambu was euthanized Thursday after zoo veterinarians and specialists at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center discovered multiple liver masses consistent with cancer.

Born in 1985 at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Jambu came to Como in 1995. The zoo said he was known for his vocalizations that rang from the Primate Building, signaling his strength and dominance.

In a Sunday statement, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory director Erica Prosser said that “Jambu touched millions of people over the years, and he shaped the lives of the staff who cared for him. He was an extraordinary animal and an extraordinary teacher. Our team is grieving and we ask the community to keep them in their thoughts.”

Jambu lived with his longtime companion Markisa, a female Sumatran orangutan, and he was the father of Kemala, Jaya and Willie. Kemala continues to live at Como and shared a close bond with her father.

“He was strong, handsome, silly, and sweet-natured. He was my rock for twenty-three years,” Como primate zookeeper Megan Elder said in the zoo’s statement, which added that Elder and her colleagues will guide the care of Markisa and Kemala after Jambu’s death.

The zoo also noted that Jambu contributed to international conservation and wellness efforts, including participation in cardiac ultrasound training for the Great Ape Heart Project. Jambu far exceeded the typical lifespan of male Sumatran orangutans, longevity that Como credited to the care provided by its primate and veterinary teams.

The zoo invited the public to share their memories and condolences on Como’s Facebook page.

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Police seek information on shooting at Maplewood Mall

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Police officials are seeking information about a shooting that took place at Maplewood Mall on Sunday afternoon.

According to a news release from Maplewood Police, around 2:02 p.m. Maplewood Police and Maplewood Fire received a report of a person shot inside Maplewood Mall, 3001 White Bear Ave. Officers found a man with a gunshot wound to the hip. He was transported to Regions Hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.

The news release describes the shooter as a small-build Asian male, wearing a black stocking hat, a black jacket, a white shirt and black pants.

According to officers, the incident started from a group fight in the mall’s lower concourse. Two minors were arrested and later booked at the Ramsey County Jail for riot in the third degree, according to officers.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting or who has video of the shooting is asked to contact Lieutenant Michael Hoemke at 651-249-2605 or michael.hoemke@maplewoodmn.gov.

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MSP flights to Puerto Vallarta diverted following death of Mexican cartel leader

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Four flights flying to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport were cancelled Sunday, following the killing of one of Mexico’s most powerful cartel leaders.

Civil unrest in Mexico after the killing of drug cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes affected the flights, according to airlines. Those flights included: Sun Country flight SY 535, which returned to MSP near 11:45 a.m.; Delta Airlines flight DL 1862, which returned near 12:42 p.m.; Delta flight DL 1935, which was diverted to Guadalajara, Mexico, around 11:32 a.m., then returned to MSP at 5:59 p.m.; and Sun Country flight SY 531, which diverted to Harlingen, Texas, around 12:03 p.m., and returned to the Twin Cities at 4:10 p.m., according to MSP.

“The flight augmentations in and out of PVR are due to the current situation in Puerto Vallarta,” Sun Country said. “We are closely monitoring the situation there and are working with local authorities to determine when it is safe to resume operations.”

Delta said the airline has taken steps to adjust its operations accordingly and coordinate with local airport officials while reaccommodating impacted customers.

“The safety of our customers and crew always comes first, and we are closely monitoring the situation in the region,” a Delta spokesperson said.

Targeted capture, unrest

Army troops targeted Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” in the western state of Jalisco, Sunday, close to 200 miles away from Puerto Vallarta, according to the Associated Press. Oseguera Cervantes was wounded during his capture in Tapalpa, Jalisco, and died while being flown to Mexico City. Oseguera Cervantes is said to have been the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the biggest cartels in Mexico, known for trafficking extremely large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States.

Burning vehicles blocked roads in Guadalajara, the state capital, and elsewhere. Videos circulating on social media showed smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta, and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic. The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to remain in safe places due to the ongoing security operations. Air Canada also cancelled flights to the Puerto Vallarta airport.

Schedules in flux

The airlines had not announced further cancellations as of Sunday evening, but said changes to flight schedules are ongoing.

“Our priority is the safety of our customers, and we are working to get passengers to and from their destinations when safe,” Sun Country said.

Delta said customers who are travelling to or from Puerto Vallarta or Guadalajara over the next few days should monitor their travel via the Fly Delta app or on Delta.com in case of any changes to their itinerary. A travel waiver on Delta.com has also been published for those who need to change flights.

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After tinkering this offseason, Taj Bradley pleased with first spring start

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VENICE, Fla. — Taj Bradley had to wait a little extra to finally see the results of all his offseason work in action. The starter thinks he might have been the last to find out Sunday’s game had been delayed by an hour because of rain.

He was hanging in the clubhouse. Then he was riding a stationary bike. He chatted with Byron Buxton, bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins and director of team security Charles Adams.

The extra hour didn’t seem to faze him.

Sunday marked his first chance to test out his new two-seamer he had been working on and his revamped splitter. In those respects, the starter walked away from his first spring training start happy. Bradley threw three innings in the Twins’ 8-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park. Facing a lineup packed with Braves regulars, Bradley gave up one run — a home run to Drake Baldwin — while striking out five.

He was pleased with his ability to get ahead of hitters and said he thought his stuff felt good. After giving up hits to the first two batters he faced, he got out of the jam unscathed, a point of emphasis for his new manager, Derek Shelton.

“I thought he was really really good,” Shelton said. “First impression of him getting into any kind of trouble and then being able to dial it in and make pitches was really impressive.”

Though he has spent most of the past three seasons pitching in the majors, he was at Triple-A when the Twins acquired him last July. When he was sent down, working on his splitter was a particular point of emphasis.

It was this offseason, too.

Bradley, who had a 5.05 earned-run average last season across 27 major league starts, said it took months of catch play to feel comfortable with the grip. He went to Dallas this offseason and worked with a group that included Twins prospect Marco Raya, who he said gave him some feedback to improve the pitch.

“I was tweaking and found a grip I could be consistent with, and that’s the one I just rode with all the way into spring training. And I threw a few good ones (Sunday),” Bradley said. “I got (Ozzie) Albies with one, (Ronald) Acuña, I got him to foul one off, so I think it was a good pitch. And I got the double-play ball to (Matt) Olson with one.”

The starter also added a two-seamer to his arsenal — “just another pitch to throw in the mix and keep hitters off balance” — and said he was happy with the soft contact it got.

Bradley had an extended start in his debut because he is preparing to compete for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic next month. Former Tampa Bay teammate Randy Arozarena introduced Bradley, who was born in the United States but is eligible to play through his grandmother, to Mexico’s general manager in 2023, kickstarting that relationship.

His offseason routine, though, he said was more or less similar, though his bullpens were more stretched out because of the upcoming competition.

This offseason was his first in the Twins organization after being acquired for Griffin Jax last July. He credited Twins pitching coaches — Pete Maki, Luis Ramirez and Hawkins — with helping simplify things for him as he adjusted to the team.

“We’ve got LaTroy here to be a little bit of the art, Pete’s the science … you’ve got Luis helping you with the little finer things like mechanics,” Bradley said. “(It’s) like a good mix of coaches and good mentors that you can throw all into one person and be a great pitcher from it.”

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