Metro Transit officials said Tuesday that crime is down nearly 14 percent this year compared to the same period last year.

And ridership is up 9 percent in the first half of the year versus the same time last year.

Still, there have been high-profile cases of violence. Three men were charged last month with fatally shooting a 23-year-old man at the Green Line’s Dale Street platform in St. Paul in May.

On July 27, a Saturday afternoon, a man was shot and wounded and robbed of his e-bike at a St. Paul bus shelter at Snelling Avenue and Spruce Tree Drive, a block from University Avenue. The investigation remains active and the victim is in stable condition, according to Metro Transit police.

“The trends we’re seeing are encouraging, but our work is far from over,” Metropolitan Council Charlie Zelle said in a Tuesday statement. “We are committed to maintaining a transit system that makes people feel safe and confident in their surroundings.”

Metro Transit crime reports are down 17.5 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared to last year’s second quarter.

Seven serious crime categories — including homicide, sex offenses, robbery and assault — are down 18.4 percent (266 reports in this year’s second quarter vs. 326 in last year’s second quarter), said Metro Transit Police Chief Ernest Morales III. Other crime categories dropped 37 percent (579 reports in this year’s second quarter vs. 924 in last year’s second quarter).

Safety and security plan

The Metropolitan Council, of which Metro Transit is a service, endorsed in June 2022 Metro Transit’s Safety and Security Action Plan with more than 40 action items. Metro Transit has been providing quarterly updates.

“One core focus of our work is improving official presence on our system by building multiple layers of presence,” said Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras on Tuesday. “… The Transit Rider Investment Program is contributing to that overall effort to build up those layers of presence on transit.”

Metro Transit rolled out the Transit Rider Investment Program, or TRIP agents, on the Green and Blue lines in February. They’re civilians who inspect fares and issue administrative citations for nonpayment of fares, and remind passengers about rules against smoking, loud music and other inappropriate behavior that have dogged efforts to lure some passengers back to the trains.

There are currently about 28 TRIP agents, and Kandaras said they anticipate hiring an additional 22 who will start training in September.

Metro Transit is continuing to build its “Take Pride in Your Ride” campaign, which they launched earlier this year “to foster respectful culture for riding on transit, and really reminding people that there are rules for riding,” Kandaras said.

The intent in the beginning was to target smoking because it’s one of the top complaints that Metro Transit receives from riders and employees. They’ve expanded to littering and this month they’re launching a new focus on not holding doors on light-rail trains — “this is another frequent complaint we receive that people are holding up the train when they hold doors open for others,” Kandaras said.

From April through June, Metro Transit police documented 397 instances of smoking-, drug-, and alcohol-related offenses, a 50 percent increase compared to the same time last year. Metro Transit said that was primarily due to a targeted push to combat onboard smoking.

The work Metro Transit is doing is shaped by rider feedback and they’ll have six more listening sessions this month. Details can be found at metrotransit.org/listening-sessions-tour-2.

Ridership up

Metro Transit provided nearly 23.5 million rides between January and June, up about 9 percent from the same period last year, and has an average weekday ridership of more than 143,000 rides.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 77.9 million rides throughout 2019, according to Metro Transit data.

Metro Transit has hired more than 200 bus and train operators so far this year. Quarterly service changes are taking effect Aug. 17 and Metro Transit will be able to increase Green and Blue Line frequency, Kandaras said. Trains that are currently running every 15 minutes will start running every 12 minutes between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The route 80 bus, which operates along White Bear Avenue between Sun Ray and Maplewood Mall, will run every 30 minutes rather than the currently hourly schedule.

In gearing up for the Minnesota State Fair, Metro Transit will provide State Fair express bus service to six park and ride locations.

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Worth considering

With no words and a very loose plot, “Old Growth” creates a sort of vibes-based narrative arc of community and acceptance in nature through dance, puppets and stage combat. It’s lyrical and all quite beautiful, if slightly opaque. The show runs a half hour, well under the standard 50 minutes, and the choreography is a bit imprecise at times. (Turns out, the half-local, half-Atlanta cast only began joint rehearsals last week.) Just as a forest is more than a collection of trees, the show is at its best when the whole cast moves together, pulsating and growing and extending as one.

Presented by Loom Lab at The Southern Theater; 10 p.m. Aug. 8, 8:30 p.m. Aug. 10

Still trying to decide what to see? Check out all our Fringe reviews at twincities.com/tag/fringe-festival, with each show rated on a scale of Must See, Worth Considering, Could Be Worse or You Can Skip.

The Minnesota Fringe Festival is presenting more than 100 hourlong stage acts from Aug. 1–11 around Minneapolis. Visit MinnesotaFringe.org for ticket and show information.

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Must see

It’s no surprise Jamie Brickhouse is a skilled speaker. The man is a several-time storytelling champ and memoirist with a national profile, after all. Touching and laugh-out-loud funny, “I Favor My Daddy: A Tale of Two Sissies” tells a tale of a family chock-full of big personalities and, probably, possibly, homosexuality, lovingly laid atop an exploration of thorny questions like whether parents and children can ever truly know one another. At times, pacing felt rushed and character voices blurred together, but the narrative is masterfully woven: At the climactic revelation, you’ll find — like Brickhouse did in real life — that signs were there all along.

Presented by Jamie Brickhouse at Open Eye Theatre; 7 p.m. Aug. 8, 10 p.m. Aug. 10

Still trying to decide what to see? Check out all our Fringe reviews at twincities.com/tag/fringe-festival, with each show rated on a scale of Must See, Worth Considering, Could Be Worse or You Can Skip.

The Minnesota Fringe Festival is presenting more than 100 hourlong stage acts from Aug. 1–11 around Minneapolis. Visit MinnesotaFringe.org for ticket and show information.

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By JENNA FRYER

PARIS (AP) — The United States had a big night in track and field at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, winning two gold medals and five overall.

Gabby Thomas blazed her way to an easy win in the 200 meters — and beat 100-meter winner Julien Alfred, who earned silver and now owns the only two medals in her country’s history. American sprinter Brittany Brown was third.

Thomas finished in 21.83 seconds to add a gold to the bronze she took home in the event from Tokyo three years ago. The 27-year-old Harvard graduate, who has a Masters in public health, took the lead for good at the curve and was never challenged in the final stretch. She grabbed her head with both hands after winning.

Cole Hocker, meanwhile, pulled the upset of the track meet with a stunning victory in the 1,500 meters.

(L-R) Bronze medalist Yared Nuguse of Team United States , silver medalist Josh Kerr of Team Great Britain, gold medalist Cole Hocker of Team United States amnd Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Team Norway cross the finish line during the Men’s 1500m Final on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Hocker outraced favorites Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr to the finish line in an Olympic record 3 minutes 27.65 seconds. He pulled from fifth to first over the final 300 meters to beat his personal best by more than 3 seconds.

He beat Kerr by .14 seconds, while Ingebrigtsen, who set the pace through the first 1200 meters, ended up in fourth behind American Yared Nuguse.

Annette Nneka Echikunwoke won a silver in the women’s hammer throw.

Silver medalist Annette Nneka Echikunwoke of Team United States celebrates after competing in the Women’s Hammer Throw Final on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

A look at other events from Day 11 of the Paris Olympics:

US women’s soccer team to play for gold

The United States women’s soccer team advanced to the gold-medal game and will make its sixth appearance in the Olympic final following a 1-0 win over Germany.

Sophia Smith broke a scoreless game in extra time by outmaneuvering defender Felicitas Rauch and German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. It was Smith’s third goal of the tournament.

Players of Team United States celebrate after Sophia Smith #11 of Team United States scores her team’s first goal during the Women’s semifinal match between United States of America and Germany during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Lyon on August 06, 2024 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

The Americans are undefeated in France under new coach Emma Hayes and are vying for their fifth Olympic gold medal. They U.S. Women’s National Team missed out on the finals at the last two Olympic tournaments. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and relegated to the bronze-medal match at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

US women’s volleyball team advances

The reigning Olympic champion U.S. women’s volleyball team posted a straight-set victory against Poland to advance to the semifinals in Paris.

The Americans next play powerhouse Brazil on Thursday.

Kathryn Plummer #22 of Team United States reacts with teammates during a Women’s Quarterfinals match against Team Poland on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris Arena on August 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The Americans made a lineup change after the team’s five-set defeat to China on July 29 to open group stage play, moving veterans Jordan Larson and Kelsey Robinson Cook to reserve roles and bringing in Avery Skinner and Kathryn Plummer. The Americans bounced back to beat Serbia two days later.

Teen wins skateboarding gold

A 14-year-old won the women’s park skateboarding and knew she had a podium locked up as soon as she nailed her final run.

Arisa Trew of Australia scored a 93.18 on her final but still had an excruciating wait to see which step on the podium she’d stand on. Only when a 92.63 popped up for Japan’s Cocona Hiraki to end the competition did Trew knew she was taking home gold.

Gold medalist Arisa Trew of Team Australia competes during the Women’s Park Final on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on August 06, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

At 14 years and 88 days old, Trew became the youngest Australian to win a medal. The previous youngest was Sandra Morgan, who was 14 years and 184 days old when she won gold in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay in 1956.

Wrestler goes out on top

Mijain Lopez concluded his career at the top, retiring after winning the 130-kilogram final for his fifth consecutive gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling.

The 41-year-old Cuban defeated Yasmani Acosta Fernandez of Chile 6-0. It made him the first Olympian to win gold in an event in five straight Games.

Mijain Lopez Nunez of Team Cuba (red) celebrates after winning during the Wrestling Men’s Greco Roman 130kg Semifinal against Sabah Saleh Aze Shariati of Team Azerbaijan (blue) on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Champs-de-Mars Arena on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Following the match, he placed his shoes in the center of the mat, symbolizing his retirement.

At the last Olympics, Lopez became the first male wrestler to win four gold medals when he dominated in Tokyo, blowing through the field unscored upon in four matches.

Perfect 10 in diving

Quan Hongchan of China won her second gold medal in diving competition at these Games and did it by scoring a perfect 10 on the first of her five dives.

An underwater view shows China’s Quan Hongchan competing in the women’s 10m platform diving final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 6, 2024. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

The dive was a forward 3 1/2 somersaults and hardly made a ripple as she set off wild cheers from Chinese fans as the seven judges all registered scores of 10.

The 17-year-old, a three-time world champion, said she has scored 10 three times before — including twice while winning gold in Tokyo.

The two Chinese women teamed up earlier to win the 10-meter synchronized.

Brazil upset in beach volleyball

Top-ranked David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden jump-set their way into the beach volleyball semifinals by beating Evandro and Arthur of Brazil at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.

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Brazil’s loss means the sport’s spiritual home will not win a men’s medal for the second straight Olympics. The Brazilian men took gold in Rio de Janeiro and Athens and three other medals in between.

Seine River water concerns cancel marathon swim test

A test run meant to allow athletes to familiarize themselves with the marathon swimming course in the Seine River was canceled over concerns about water quality in the Paris waterway.

World Aquatics made the decision to cancel the exercise at an early morning meeting. Fluctuating bacteria levels in the long-polluted waterway have been a constant concern throughout the Games with the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events both planned in the river.

Another marathon swimming test event is scheduled for Wednesday, and organizers will decide early that morning whether it will go forward. The women’s marathon swim competition is set for Thursday, while the men are scheduled to race Friday.

The triathlon mixed relay event was held in the river this week. World Triathlon released data showing that when the triathletes swam, the levels of fecal bacteria E. coli and enterococci were within acceptable levels for the length of the triathlon relay course.