The widow of a St. Paul firefighter who recently died unexpectedly was surprised Friday by the Front Line Foundation, which presented her with a $20,000 death benefit.

St. Paul firefighter Timothy Bertz takes the firefighter oath during a graduation ceremony at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, Dec, 17, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Timothy Bertz, 52, graduated from the St. Paul Fire Department academy on Dec. 17, worked at the training facility on Dec. 19, and had a sudden and major medical event at home on Saturday, Dec. 20, according to the fire department. He died at the hospital on Dec. 22.

“Bertz dedicated his life to protecting others with courage, humility and an unwavering sense of duty,” the Front Line Foundation said in a statement. “He was a U.S. Navy veteran and proudly served with the Harris, Lino Lakes and St. Paul fire departments. Even after death, Bertz continued his legacy of service through organ donation — gifting four people vital organs and countless others through donated tissue.”

Andrea and Tim Bertz would have celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary the day after his memorial service.

“It is our privilege to help lift the financial burden from the Bertz family during this incredibly difficult time,” said Suzanne Holt, the foundation’s president and executive director. “Bertz was the epitome of a public servant and his lifetime dedication to helping others should not — and will not — be forgotten.”

Started in 2018, the Front Line Foundation has paid $655,000 to family members of fallen Minnesota first responders.

Related Articles

Minneapolis Public Schools offer remote learning through Feb. 12

‘Pure love. Pure joy. Pure sunshine’: Renee Good’s wife speaks out after ICE killing

Community members call for ‘real accountability’ after St. Paul police use of force during November ICE operation

St. Paul: Maryland Avenue CVS ordered removed by March 1

Hennepin County prosecutor calls on the public to share Renee Good shooting evidence with her office

Renee Good was “made of sunshine.”

Good, the 37-year-old Minneapolis woman who was shot and killed Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in South Minneapolis, believed people were put on this planet “to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole,” her wife, Becca Good, wrote in a statement shared Friday with Minnesota Public Radio.

Renee Nicole Macklin Good believed “there is kindness in the world,” Becca Good wrote in a statement. (Courtesy of GoFundMe)

Renee Good sparkled and radiated kindness and “lived by an overarching belief: there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow,” Becca Good wrote.

The Goods had recently moved to Minneapolis with their 6-year-old son “to make a better life for ourselves,” Becca Good wrote. During their extended road trip to Minnesota, the couple “held hands in the car while (their) son drew all over the windows to pass the time and the miles,” she wrote.

“What we found when we got here was a vibrant and welcoming community (where) we made friends and spread joy,” according to the statement. “And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever.

“We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness,” she wrote. “Renee lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine.”

The couple on Wednesday had stopped their Honda Pilot in the area of 34th Street and Portland Avenue to “support our neighbors,” wrote Becca Good, who witnessed the shooting.

“We had whistles. They had guns.”

“Renee leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father,” she wrote. “I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way.”

Becca Good thanked people for reaching out and supporting her family and for granting her family privacy as they grieve.

“We thank you for ensuring that Renee’s legacy is one of kindness and love,” she concluded. “We honor her memory by living her values: rejecting hate and choosing compassion, turning away from fear and pursuing peace, refusing division and knowing we must come together to build a world where we all come home safe to the people we love.”

A GoFundMe online fundraiser to help the Goods was shut down on Friday after receiving donations of more than $1.5 million. Fundraiser organizers said the money will be placed in a trust for the family.

“Thank you for your generosity,” the post states. “If you’re looking to donate, we encourage you to support others in need. We’re truly grateful.”

“We are here brokenhearted and in awe of your generosity,” Becka Tilsen, a friend of the family, shared on a GoFundMe update on Thursday. “My family met Renee and Becca after they moved to town and became fast friends. … Thank you again for your compassion. They feel this tidal wave of care and it really matters.”

Related Articles

Comedian John Mulaney postpones weekend shows following ICE shooting

Minneapolis schools offer remote learning as tensions rise over federal immigration enforcement

Federal officers are leaving Louisiana immigration crackdown for Minneapolis, documents show

Hennepin County prosecutor calls on the public to share Renee Good shooting evidence with her office

Court records reveal details of ICE agent’s previous dragging incident in Bloomington

By RIO YAMAT and SHAWN CHEN

LAS VEGAS (AP) — CES 2026 offered a glimpse of a future that feels straight out of a sci-fi movie: bendable screens, paper-thin TVs and cars and gadgets that can think for themselves as they get to know you and your family’s wants and needs.

As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang put it, “The ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here.”

And everywhere you looked, robots. They roamed the show floor, assisted workers and entertained crowds — from humanoid helpers and furry “cyber pets” to task-specific machines.

Here’s a recap of some of the attention-grabbing gadgets at CES 2026, the annual technology trade show in Las Vegas:

Star Wars and Lego

Asad Ayaz, left, and Dave Filioni stand on stage with C-3PO and R2-D2 during an LEGO news conference ahead of the CES tech show Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Lego leaned heavily into fan nostalgia this week to unveil its latest innovation, enlisting Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer David Filoni and a lineup of familiar Star Wars characters, including Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO and X-wing pilots.

On Monday, the company introduced Lego Smart Play, a new platform built around connected bricks, tags and specially designed minifigures in partnership with Star Wars. These smart bricks are equipped with sensors that detect light and distance, triggering coordinated lights and sounds when used together to bring builds to life.

LEGO smart bricks are shown during a LEGO news conference ahead of the CES tech show Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

The platform allows fans to build interactive scenes, like space battles or lightsaber duels.

Real buttons are so back

Another point for nostalgia: Clicks Technology is reviving the physical phone keyboard with its magnetic QWERTY model that clips onto phones.

Co-founder Jeff Gadway said the company’s Power Keyboard “is one keyboard for all your smart devices.”

The Clicks physical keyboard for Apple iPhone is demonstrated during ShowStoppers on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 7, 2025. Gadgets, robots and vehicles imbued with artificial intelligence will once again vie for attention at the Consumer Electronics Show, as vendors behind the scenes will seek ways to deal with tariffs threatened by US President-elect Donald Trump. The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opens formally in Las Vegas on January 7, 2025, but preceding days are packed with product announcements. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

It features a full QWERTY layout, with directional keys and a number row, in a callback to the Blackberry-era of smartphones for those who miss real buttons. The company said it also doubles as a wireless power bank.

Return of LG’s Wallpaper TV line

If you’re not familiar with CES, just know that new TV announcements are ubiquitous to the show — some big, some small, some even transparent. But LG brought something distinct to CES this year: an OLED TV that’s only 9mm thick.

An attendee stands in front of LG ‘s In Tune monument, a large scale installation composed of 38 LG OLED evo W6 Wallpaper TVs at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Caroline Brehman / AFP via Getty Images)

The South Korean tech company announced the OLED evo W6 model from its Wallpaper line just ahead of CES but reporters and industry representatives were able to see it for the first time at the show.

As advertised, the screen displays video nearly edge-to-edge and is ridiculously thin (though it doesn’t roll up like its name implies). Like the previous models in its Wallpaper line, the TV’s inputs are housed in a box that sits nearby. LG representatives claim you can seamlessly stream 4K video and audio to the screen. No pricing was available but the new TV will be available in 77- and 83-inch sizes.

The vacuum that can climb stairs

Chinese robovac maker Roborock introduced a vacuum that literally sprouts chicken-like legs to navigate up and down stairs. There are vacuums out there capable of this feat (and there were even a few others at CES), but this one actually cleans the steps along the way.

The newly introduced Saros Rover took its time in its ascent and descent during the demo on the showroom floor, but Roborock said it will be able to traverse almost any style of stairwell, including spiraled and curved. Unfortunately, no release date was given for the Rover, which the company says is still in development.

Razer goes the smart glasses route with headphones

Gaming tech company Razer brought a very interesting concept to CES, a set of over-ear headphones that can largely replicate the capabilities of currently available smart glasses (think Meta’s Ray Ban glasses).

During the demo, Razer’s host asked the AI-powered headset — dubbed Project Motoko — to translate a Japanese restaurant menu into English and even asked it to search up information on The Associated Press.

The headphones see using built-in cameras and take audio inputs from microphones. What AI model serves as the base of the headphones is up to the user, and it sounded like the usual suspects were supported — ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude.

While it’s being developed largely as a consumer product, Razer did mention that it could be sold to businesses to gather data to train AI models. Razer said consumer data retrieved from the headphones wouldn’t be sold for training purposes and that enterprise sales would be siloed from consumer sales.

Extended-reality platform aims to help process grief

Do you wish you could speak one more time with a loved one who died unexpectedly? Or sit down for a conversation with your younger self? One company is exploring how immersive technology might make something like that possible, at least in part.

VHEX Lab showcased its SITh.XRaedo, an immersive extended-reality grief therapy platform that creates a virtual avatar from a single photo and, according the company, is guided in real time by a trained XR therapist. Wearing a virtual reality headset, users can speak with the avatar, which responds through speech, nods, smiles and other gestures.

The company, which won a digital health innovation award at CES, said the platform is designed to help people process grief and find closure, offering an alternative way to mourn.

Personal mobility on autopilot

Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride — that’s exactly what some conference attendees did at Strutt’s booth. Curious volunteers sat blindfolded in the robotics company’s new self-driving personal mobility chair called the EV1, which senses its surroundings and navigates on its own. With the push of a button and a forward lever, the chair guided riders through a small course, looping them around without requiring any active control.

Tony Hong, CEO and founder of the Singapore-based Strutt, told AP that the chair has a full suite of sensors that helps it avoid bumps, walls, people and other obstacles, adjusting in real time as it drives.

A “cyber pet” that turned heads at CES

Allergic to dogs or cats but still craving a furry sidekick? Chinese tech brand Ollobot pitched a futuristic alternative: a rolling, purple “cyber pet” named OlloNi. Part plush toy, part AI robot, OlloNi is designed to feel warm and expressive, unlike the stiff, humanoid home robots that often dominate robotics, the company said.

OlloNi uses a screen mounted at its neck, making eye contact and cycling through thousands of animated expressions meant to mirror human emotion and interaction.

Scratch behind its fuzzy “ears,” and OlloNi’s wide digital “eyes” pop open in apparent delight, which drew attention and laughs from passersby on the show floor.

Uber dives back into the robotaxi game

Uber used CES to pull back the curtain on its upcoming robotaxi, offering the public a first look at a self-driving vehicle developed with luxury EV maker Lucid Motors and autonomous technology company Nuro.

Lucid, Nuro, and Uber unveil a robotaxi during Nvidia Live at CES 2026 ahead of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 5, 2026. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

Uber called it the most premium robotaxi yet, with cameras, sensors and radar for full 360-degree awareness, along with a sleek, low-profile roof “halo” fitted with LED screens that display a rider’s initials and ride status. Inside, passengers can tailor the temperature, seat heating and music, while on-screen visuals show what the vehicle sees and the route it plans to follow in real time.

The companies said on-road testing, led by Nuro, began in the San Francisco area last month, as they work toward launching the service before the end of the year.

Associated Press journalists Aya Diab, Jessica Hill and Ty ONeil contributed to this report from Las Vegas.

The St. Thomas men’s hockey team, winners of its last five games, is looking very much like the team that earned the top spot in the CCHA preseason coaches poll.

A regulation win on Saturday night over No. 15 Minnesota State in Mankato would catapult the Tommies past the Mavericks and into the top spot in the conference.

The Tommies (11-7-3 overall, 8-3-2 CCHA) are second in the CCHA, one point behind Minnesota State (12-5-5, 8-3-3). The Tommies have played one less game.

“I don’t think we’ve played our best hockey yet,” Tommies head coach Rico Blasi said. “Which is, I guess, a good thing. But its also our job (as coaches) to make sure we’re pushing the pace here, pushing the envelope to make sure they get to that standard.”

The teams split the first two meetings this season, with the Mavericks winning 3-1 in St. Paul before the Tommies won in Mankato, 4-3 in overtime.

“We’ve had some really good games over the last couple of years,” Blasi said. “It’s a good in-state rival; we’ve battled pretty hard.

“They’re the best team in our league right now and we’re chasing them.”

Blasi said the key to the Tommies’ winning streak has been the players buying into the “team” mentality.

“Part of our culture is to make sure our compete level is at a good place,” Blasi added. “I think our guys have been doing that.”

Blasi said playing a disciplined game will be a key for the Tommies.

“We can’t give the special teams any opportunities,” he said. “They are very good offensively. Their ‘D’ corps is as mobile as any ‘D’ corps in the country.”

While not putting too much emphasis on one game at this stage of the season, the outcome could prove pivotal. The teams will be meeting for the final time during the regular season.

“We’ll only have 12 games, six weeks left,” Blasi said. “The month of February is really short, and we’ve put ourselves in position where we’re playing meaningful games in January and February.

“So, this is important. We only play one game this weekend. I’m sure (Mavericks head coach Luke Strand) is telling them the same thing. As much as I say it at the beginning of the year, there’s always the thought that there’s so many games left.

“Now when I say it, they know that there isn’t that much time left.”

Related Articles

Men’s hockey: Alex Gaffney has found a home, and his game, at St. Thomas

Wisconsin-River Falls’ Kaleb Blaha joins top D1 QBs as finalist for Manning Award

Gophers land Oklahoma transfer tight end Kaden Helms

Men’s basketball: As roster dwindled, Gophers connected

Gophers add California edge TJ Bush Jr. in transfer portal