St. Croix River drowning victim identified

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Authorities have released the name of the 26-year-old Minneapolis man who drowned last week at Afton State Park.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says Jeremy Paulson drowned in the St. Croix River near the park’s campsite beach area.

Witnesses called 911 at 9:40 a.m. Wednesday to report a possible drowning. They said Paulson had been swimming 20 to 30 feet offshore in about 12 feet of water when they lost sight of him.

The Lower St. Croix Valley Fire Department located Paulson about 10:40 a.m. in about 18 feet of water, officials said. He was transported by ambulance to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was pronounced dead.

Paulson had arrived at Afton State Park that morning to go swimming, Chief Deputy Doug Anshutz said.

He started struggling, and a friend went out to try and help, Anshutz said. The friend “could only get halfway out to him before he had to turn back,” he said.

The St. Croix River at Stillwater was above minor flood stage – 687.4 feet – on Wednesday morning, and authorities urged people to use caution.

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Five prospects to watch at this week’s Wild development camp

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After bolstering their prospect pool at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, then adding to their roster in free agency, the Wild will host their annual development camp this week at TRIA Rink in St. Paul, starting on Tuesday. It will be the last thing the Wild do before heading on summer vacation.

Not only is this an opportunity for prospects to learn valuable skills on the ice, it’s also an opportunity to build relationships off the ice.

More than 30 prospects are expected to make the pilgrimage to St. Paul. The journeys range from some on the verge of making the NHL roster to some getting a first taste of what the organization has to offer.

Here are a handful of players worth keeping an eye on this week:

Liam Ohgren

After a cup of coffee in the NHL with the Wild toward the end of last season, Liam Ohgren is in position to make the team out of training camp this year. He will be among the most talented players at development camp, and thus, Ohgren, 20, likely be thrust into a leadership role right off the bat. It will be interesting to see how much he stands out on the ice this week in comparison to his peers. He was selected in the first round back in 2022 NHL draft, and if he’s able to put forth a strong showing at development camp, it could give him an advantage when training camp rolls around in a couple of months.

Riley Heidt

No player in the farm system has risen up the ranks faster than Riley Heidt. After being selected in the second round of the 2023 draft, Heidt dazzled with the Prince George Cougars of the WHL. He finished with 117 points (37 goals and 80 assists) in 66 games and signed his entry-level contract with the Wild toward the end of last season. Though he already has a legitimate shot to make the team out of training camp, Heidt, 19, could benefit from turning some heads this week with members of the front office looking on.

Zeev Buium

The hype surrounding Zeev Buium is palpable after he was selected in the first round of the 2024 draft. He has tremendous upside offensively and is a player who could develop into a top pair defenseman in the future. That won’t happen just yet since Buium, 18, already has made the decision to return to Denver University this fall. Nonetheless, his performance this week, assuming he’s on his game, could help him establish him as a foundational piece for the Wild moving forward.

Carson Lambos

Never mind that the Wild recently went heavy on the blue line in the draft. They still have a number of prospects looking to play that position, and that includes Carson Lambos. He played for the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey last season, recording 14 points (4 goals, 10 assist) in 69 games while playing regular minutes on the back end. He has a chance to prove himself this week with the Wild already in the process of searching for the next wave of prospects on the blue line.

Samuel Hlavaj

After signing an entry-level contract with the Wild toward the end of last season, goaltender Samuel Hlavaj appears to be a part of the plans between the pipes. As of right now, Hlavaj is squarely behind top prospect Jesper Wallstedt in the pecking order a the position. That said, Hlavaj clearly has some skill, which he showcased while playing for Slovakia at the most recent World Championships. Maybe he can grow into a role as a backup for the time being with potential to become even more as his career progresses.

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MN Court of Appeals demands new environmental review of St. Thomas arena

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When the city of St. Paul examined the potential environmental and community impacts of a new Division I hockey and basketball arena at the University of St. Thomas, it identified five general steps the university could take to offset parking and traffic concerns, such as monitoring event attendance for two years and “keeping the community informed of events.”

That’s not good enough, according to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

At least four of the five “measures are not specific, targeted and certain,” according to a three-judge Court of Appeals panel, which on Monday ordered the city to redo the Environmental Assessment Worksheet it published in June 2023.

Just as importantly, the judges found, the city should have considered the cumulative impacts of multiple construction projects rolling out in stages. The Schoenecker Center, a $110 million science, technology, arts and math building, opened in February almost directly adjoining the future sports arena, and it too has an impact on parking.

The appellate court decision represents another potential construction delay for St. Thomas, which had demolished buildings in March and soon after set the footings and foundation for the future 4,000-5,500 seat arena. Yet, the decision is only a partial win for arena opponents.

Also: Minnesota Court of Appeals sides with city on Summit Avenue bike trail review

Arena construction was put on hold when neighbors, many of them older homeowners, banded together as Advocates for Responsible Development and filed multiple appeals, including unsuccessful site plan appeals to the St. Paul Planning Commission and then the St. Paul City Council.

Construction resumed in mid-June after the city council denied the site plan appeal, 4-0.

State regulations require an Environmental Assessment Worksheet for new sports or entertainment facilities expected to accommodate 5,000 or more people at peak attendance. The neighbors called for a more thorough type of review known as an Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, which can be much more costly and time consuming, but the judicial panel did not issue an opinion on whether the project warranted that deeper review.

The judges did find that the city’s EAW overlooked the likely increase in spectator traffic when it considered the potential uptick in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the arena.

The city found that maximum-capacity basketball games attracting up to 5,500 attendees, which would occur once or twice a year, would produce a shortfall of 742 parking spaces. Similarly, hockey games attracting up to 4,000 attendees likely would occur up to four times per year and leave the area 330 parking spaces short.

“Based on our review, these findings about parking deficits caused by the arena are supported by the transportation study,” Presiding Judge Diane Bratvold wrote. “The transportation study does not consider what impact, if any, events at Schoenecker Center would have on the parking-deficit analysis. This shortcoming must be addressed on remand.”

This story will be updated as further details become available.

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MN Court of Appeals sides with city on Summit Avenue bike trail review

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The proposed off-street bicycle trail along Summit Avenue does not require a formal environmental review, according to a panel of three Minnesota Court of Appeals judges.

Monday’s ruling favored the city of St. Paul, which concluded it does not yet need to complete the Environmental Assessment Worksheet that project opponents had demanded.

Still lacking in funding and a specific design, the five-mile trail is more of a concept than a formal “project,” and would not yet trigger the need for an environmental review, according to the eight-page judicial opinion.

Opponents, many of whom are homeowners living along Summit, banded together under the banner Save Our Street, calling for a thorough environmental review that would consider impacts on trees in the sidewalk boulevard, as well as parking and other considerations. Officials with St. Paul Public Works, Parks and Recreation and Planning and Economic Development had noted that the off-street trail could take several forms, with varied widths in different sections, and it was too soon to review an unfunded project with no final design in place.

The judges agreed.

“The lack of a funding source for the project makes it quite uncertain that the plan will be undertaken. … (The trail) does not have a final plan, no plan is on the construction calendar, and the city has yet to approve the plan,” Judge Randall Slieter wrote. “As the city notes, the plan is incomplete because there are still three potential options for the trail’s width. … This is not a minor detail because the width would clearly impact the very issue SOS raises — how the (trail) could disrupt the tree canopy and cause environmental harm.”

The City Council voted 6-1 in March 2023 to support general planning for the Summit Avenue bike trail, under the premise it would offer better bike and pedestrian connections between downtown St. Paul and the Mississippi River corridor along the river parkway.

Officials at the time said the bikeway could add $12 million to the estimated $100 million cost of road reconstruction, which likely would roll out in phases over 10 to 15 years.

Public Works estimated that of the 1,561 trees corridor-wide, 132 trees in the draft plan would be considered “high vulnerability” because of their condition or location. In two construction segments, the bike trail could move the curb lines 1.5 feet on each side. That increases the potential tree removal from 8% up to 14% of the corridor, for a total removal of 221 high vulnerability trees, according to the city.

Save Our Street hired an arborist who predicted as many as 950 trees would be impacted.

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