Stacy Tommes of Woodbury sets a rose she painted blue into a bucket as members of Backing the Blue, a non-profit group of law enforcement wives, prepare 4000 roses for the the Wednesday memorial service for Burnsville first responders, killed in the line of duty, at Savage Fire Station No. 1 in Savage on Tuesday Feb. 23, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

With steady hands and a circular motion, women used spraypaint to coat the top of white roses — turning them red or blue — as they gathered at a Savage fire station Tuesday.

For around seven hours, the police officers’ wives from around Minnesota readied 4,000 roses for Wednesday’s memorial service for two Burnsville police officers and a firefighter killed in the line of duty. The effort is about more than the roses, which they’ll hand out to people in attendance at the service.

They want the recipients to know: “We’re thinking about them. We’re there with them. We support them,” said Shanna McArthur, fallen officer memorial rose director for Backing the Blue Line, a Minnesota nonprofit of law enforcement spouses and significant others.

The flowers are the most that the nonprofit has prepared for a funeral, reflecting the magnitude of the tragedy — the worst line-of-duty killings in the state in people’s memory. Thousands are expected to show their respects at the memorial service.

Backing the Blue Line usually prepares blue flowers and, for the first time, made red flowers to represent the fire service.

Buckets of roses painted red and blue are ready as members of Backing the Blue, a non-profit group of law enforcement wives, prepare 4000 roses for the the Wednesday memorial service for Burnsville first responders, killed in the line of duty, at Savage Fire Station No. 1 in Savage on Tuesday Feb. 23, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Burnsville firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, was fatally shot as he tried to aid Burnsville officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand, both 27.

Shannon Gooden opened fire on them “without warning” as police tried to get him to surrender peacefully on Feb. 18, authorities have said. He also injured Burnsville police Sgt. Adam Medlicott, who has been released from the hospital.

‘Good for the soul’

The preparation of the flowers is a time of bonding for the women who gathered Tuesday at the fire station.

The women worked in groups: After taking the leaves and thorns off the roses and putting the stems in individual tubes with water, they spraypainted them. Then, they tied a tag on each one that says: “Forever in our hearts” and includes Finseth, Ruge and Elmstrand’s badge numbers.

Backing the Blue Line had about 60 volunteer spots open for Tuesday’s flower preparation and they filled up within an hour, said McArthur, whose husband is a St. Paul police officer. People traveled from as far as Grand Rapids, Minn., and southern Minnesota.

“We do this because at any given time, it could be us,” McArthur said. “We can get together and mourn together, but also do something that we know is going to help give comfort to the families.”

Some of the women have been on the other side with Backing the Blue Line providing blue flowers for their husbands’ funerals.

DiAnn Valentino’s husband, Ron, was a Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy who died in 2017. Valentino, who is Backing the Blue Line’s family support director, was at the fire station Tuesday to prepare roses.

“When my husband passed away, they did roses for his funeral and it was this amazing support from these amazing women that just made all the difference,” she said.

Samatha Wilkes counts the number of finished roses as members of Backing the Blue, a non-profit group of law enforcement wives, prepare 4000 roses for the the Wednesday memorial service for Burnsville first responders, killed in the line of duty, at Savage Fire Station No. 1 in Savage on Tuesday Feb. 23, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

As they work on the flowers, the women talk and listen to each other, including about how they’re affected by the killings of Finseth, Ruge and Elmstrand. “It’s comforting to be with other women who understand,” Valentino said. “It’s good for the soul.”

A. Johnson & Sons Florist in St. Paul dropped off two vanloads of the roses to the fire station Tuesday.

The flowers are white mondial roses from Ecuador — “they’re a premium rose, they’re very thick and full” and the thickness of the petals allows the paint to only be on the top layer, said Ani Eoloff, A. Johnson & Sons general manager. They provided the flowers to Backing the Blue Line at a discount of over 50 percent, she said.

“It was a little bit of a challenge” to get all the flowers in a short amount of time, but they were able to work with several farms to acquire them, Eoloff said.

Members of Backing the Blue Line will hand out the flowers to the Burnsville police and fire department members, along with their families, and also to first responders from other agencies, McArthur said.

What to know for Wednesday’s memorial service

The joint, public memorial service is at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Grace Church, 9301 Eden Prairie Road in Eden Prairie.

Officials are expecting thousands of attendees at the church and, at the families’ wishes, family and public safety personnel will be seated first.

The public is encouraged to gather to watch the live broadcast of the service at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 13801 Fairview Drive in Burnsville. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Live video and audio of the 11 a.m. Wednesday memorial service will be available at grace.live and youtube.com/gracechurchmn.

A procession after the memorial service is expected to start about 2 p.m. and last several hours. The route can be viewed here.

Traffic delays and congestion should be expected throughout Eden Prairie most of Wednesday, especially near Grace Church, according to the city.

For members of the public who want to attempt to attend the memorial service in person, overflow parking and bus transportation will be provided at Miller Park and Staring Lake Park, both in Eden Prairie, starting at 9 a.m. and until the church is at capacity.

The Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 canceled school on Wednesday, saying it was “due to planned road closures and expected impacts to transportation throughout the area.”

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Bears mascot delights students in Tinley Park

A special friend stopped by last week at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy School for Exceptional Children in Tinley Park to help everyone shake off the winter blues.

Staley Da Bear, the official team mascot for the Chicago Bears, danced his way through a crowd of cheering students and staff, exchanging high fives with a multitude of raised hands.

“You ready to have a dance party?” his handler asked above the roar. “Let’s go!”

School administrators invited Staley to stop by the school to help motivate students as they settle into the second half of the school year.

About 70 students attend the therapeutic day school, including students from Thornton Township District 205, Thornton Fractional District 215, Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, Crete Monee District 201-U, Consolidated High School District 230 and Flossmoor District 161.

Oak Lawn library, Tinley book store reunite for RomCon

Fans of romantic literature will be swooning Feb. 17 as the Oak Lawn Public Library presents RomCon, an afternoon event dedicated to the genre. Independent bookstore Love’s Sweet Arrow, in Tinley Park, is teaming up with librarians to produce the free mini-convention featuring eight romance authors along with book signing, author panels, raffles, trivia and book sales.

Love’s Sweet Arrow owner Rosanne Backlin recruited a diverse group of authors to visit the library, including Danielle Jackson, Kelly Farmer, Tinia Montford, Tamara Jerée, Rien Gray, Hanna Earnest and Sara Fujimura. Author Olivia Dade will be doing a virtual visit to the event.

Dade, who lives in Sweden, is the author of Avon bestsellers “Ship Wrecked” (2022) and “Spoiler Alert” (2020) and she has a new novel coming out, “At First Spite” in 2024. Bettcher says,

“It’s a really big deal for us to have her participate in RomCon,” said fiction librarian Emily Bettcher.

Oak Lawn’s RomCon is from 1 to 4:15 p.m. Feb. 17 from 1-4:15 p.m. Register in advance for updates and a special treat on the day, at 708-422-4990 or cal.olpl.org/event/10993047.

Hidden Oaks Nature Center to close for most of 2024

The Forest Preserves of Will County’s Hidden Oaks Nature Center, 419 Trout Farm Road, Bolingbrook is about to be transformed, but the process will require the facility to be closed for most of the year starting Feb. 19.

FPD officials said Hidden Oaks Preserve also will close on occasion for outdoor renovations during the year, as necessary, but the renovations will not affect Hidden Lakes Trout Farm, which is in the northern part of the preserve.

The interior and exterior work at Hidden Oaks Nature Center is designed to convert the former Bolingbrook Park District site, which was purchased by the Forest Preserve in February 2022, into a nature center tailored to Forest Preserve-type exhibits and activities.

Officials said the renovation will provide new design features throughout the first floor and a new permanent live animal tank for the nature center’s resident turtles, and an elaborate indoor bird-watching lookout deck will be installed.

Oak Forest High School earns diversity award

Oak Forest High School has earned the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science A. Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access in AP computer science courses, according to a news release from the School District 228.

Oak Forest High School was one of 225 institutions in the country recognized in the category.

“We are so proud of the unique perspective our female students bring to the fields of Math and Science,” said Oak Forest principal Jane Dempsey. “This is a recognition of our belief that anyone can succeed in any field. Our graduates are a testament to the impact created by opening doors to women.”

Oak Forest Raiders chosen to lead Fleadh

The Oak Forest Raiders instructional tackle football and cheerleading program for boys and girls ages 5 to 14, which has been operating in the area for more than 50 years, was chosen as grand marshals for the 15th anniversary edition of the Oak Forest Fleadh.

Players, families and coaches will lead the parade, which steps off at 11 a.m. March 2 at 151st and Central Avenue and heads to the Oak Forest Park District. The parade will be preceded at 8:30 a.m. by the CNB Oak Forest Fleadh 5K race, which starts and finishes at 155th Street and Betty Anne Lane. More than 500 people are expected to participate. Activities also are planned before and after the race at Fire Station 1, 5620 Jame Drive. Street closures are planned for the race and for the parade. More information is at www.oak‐forest.org.

Visitor’s Bureau video highlights Southland attractions

The Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched its interactive destination video for visitors’ vacation and residents’ staycation ideas.

The video displays footage of Chicago Southland amenities with their corresponding logo and website link synced on the side of the screen. Users can also scroll through the vertical list of all amenities in descending order of appearance.

“This interactive video helps our tourists and residents peruse and visit many of Chicago Southland attractions in one source,” said Jim Garrett, president/CEO of the bureau. “The video includes nature centers, art galleries, restaurants, breweries, museums, sports facilities, golf courses, and performing arts centers to name a few.”

The CSCVB interactive video is available at www.visitchicagosouthland.com/#clicktivated.

Send news to communitynews@southtownstar.com.

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Toronto arrived at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Tuesday night as the hottest team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

That designation belonged to Minnesota early in the season, and it knew going in that ending Toronto’s five-game winning streak would go a long way in getting its season back on track.

But the losing ways continued as Toronto extended its winning streak with a 4-3 overtime victory. Minnesota has lost seven of its last nine games, including two in overtime.

Sarah Nurse’s second goal of the game was the game-winner and came after Sophie Jacques’ second goal of the game tied the game for Minnesota in the final minute of regulation after pulling its goaltender.

“The good news is we only gave up one point,” said Minnesota coach Ken Klee. “We got one, they got two. But, it was just one of those games. We were out-chancing them. I think they only had two shots in the third, and one of them went in.

“It’s one of the games where you know it is going to be tight. We just have to find a way to bury pucks.”

Minnesota had scored two goals or less in its last eight games. It last scored three goals in a game on January 27, a 4-3 overtime loss.

“It’s tough,” said Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield. “We haven’t been on the winning end of things lately, and it just feels like it’s piling on. It’s not like we’ve been playing bad. There’s just little things we have to clean up.

“At this level the little things come back to bite you in the butt. That’s what’s happened the last few times we’ve lost.”

Minnesota, which was shut out 2-0 by Boston on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center, once again was without injured forwards Taylor Heise and Liz Schepers. Looking to produce more offense, Klee spoke prior to the game about the need to create more traffic in front of the opposing net.

Minnesota showed improvement in that area, but true scoring chances remained at a premium. All three of Minnesota’s goals were scored by defensemen.

“All the goalies in this league are so good that if you don’t get traffic it’s going to be tough to score,” Klee said. “It was an emphasis for us (Tuesday), and you pay a price. You get cross-checked in the back.

“It’s a hard thing for forwards to do. But when they do it we can score goals.”

Blayre Turnbull gave Toronto a 1-0 lead at 5:43 of the first period when she snuck a wrist shot through the pads of Minnesota goaltender Nicole Hensley.

Minnesota tied the game less than two minutes later. Jacques moved in from the right point to beat Toronto goalie Kristen Campbell on a backhander from just off the crease for her first goal of the season.

Minnesota’s Lee Stecklein took a penalty in the first minute of the second period, and Toronto scored on the power play to take a 2-1 lead. Kali Flanagan beat Hensley on a slap shot from the blue line for her second goal of the season.

Natalie Buchbinder’s first goal of the season pulled Minnesota even at 11:33. Buchbinder’s slap shot from the right point hit a couple of Toronto sticks in the slot before beating Campbell just under the crossbar.

Nurse scored with five minutes to play in the third period to put Toronto ahead 3-2, and it looked like it would be the game-winner until Jacques’ heroics in the final minute.

Briefly

>> The teams split the first two meetings of the season, with Minnesota winning 3-1 at Xcel January 10 and Toronto winning 4-1 at home on February 3.

>> The PWHL announced on Tuesday that it will hold its second player draft in June. Players will be able to declare for the seven-round draft between March 1 and May 8.  Any players who declare and are not selected will become free agents.

After two impressive road wins last weekend pulled them within two points of a Western Conference playoff spot, the Wild came home and coughed up a pair of one-goal leads in a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center.

Stefan Noesen scored the go-ahead goal when he deflected puck with his face into the net with 9 minutes, 58 seconds left in regulation, and Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov scored game-tying goals in the first and second periods, respectively, as Carolina snapped a two-game losing streak.

Connor Dewar and Jonas Brodin scored to give the Wild one-goal leads in the first period, and Filip Gustavsson stopped 25 of 28 shots, but there was little he could do about the game-winner.

Noesen was crashing the net when a high shot by teammate Jack Drury crossed the crease on a high angle and caromed off his face back toward the net and past Gustavsson at 11:02. That made it 3-2 Hurricanes at 11:02, and Carolina made it stick.

The Wild lost in regulation for just the second time since returning from the all-star break on Feb. 7 (7-2-1).

Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 28 of 30 shots for Carolina.

Dewar broke the seal at the midpoint of the first period, receiving a pass from Declan Chisholm — who had earlier kept the puck in the zone with a pinch — in the slot, turned and fired and wrist shot that Kochetkov never saw for a 1-0 lead at 9:50.

The Hurricanes tied it 1-1 when Jordan Martinook threw a shot at Gustavsson from the point and Jordan Staal backhanded the rebound in shortside at 15:26.

Minnesota retook a lead late when Bradon Duhaime sent a shot toward the net and Brodin deflected it past Kochetkov to make it 2-1 with 20.3 seconds left in the first period.

The teams played to a standstill in the second period until the final 30 seconds, when the Wild twice failed to dump the puck for a change and instead turned the puck over to start a Hurricanes rush.

Kaprizov tried to skate into the Carolina zone but was intercepted by Jordan Staal, who forced a turnover. The puck wound up on the stick of Chisholm, but his dump attempt hit teammate Matt Boldy in the back.

Svechnikov picked up the puck and sent it ahead to Staal, who skated it into the zone before passing back to Seth Jarvis — who hit Svechnikov streaking to the net. He swept the puck wide of the net, but it hit Gustavsson’s pad and caromed into the net to make it 2-2 with 24.4 seconds left in the period.

It was a quick, unfortunate turn of events for the Wild, but entirely avoidable with a decent decision from the neutral zone.

The Wild came close to retaking the lead late in a power play early in the third period on a pair of plays by Ryan Hartman. He deflected a shot off the inside of the post and it deflected across the goal line but never crossed. The forward then sent a pass to Marco Rossi at the corner of the crease, but the center’s shot was stopped by Kechotkov.

Rossi left the ice after his left leg bent awkwardly in a collision with Jarvis in the corner of the Wild zone — Rossi was called for tripping on the play — midway through the third period. He tried to stretch out his leg before trainer John Worley came to the ice and led him down the tunnel, but he returned to finish the game.