Latest news with #TwinCities
CBS News
5 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Twin Cities "Pizza Man" inspiring community to fight hunger, one pie at a time
By WCCO reporter Ashley Grams It's no surprise the number of people who need help affording food is also on the rise. That's got one small business in the Twin Cities hungry to help in a unique way. The owner of Pizza Man in Columbia Heights is offering free pie to those struggling in his neighborhood. "[We] have seen people eating out of our dumpsters and, I don't know how else to phrase it, we don't want someone to have to live that way," said owner Chris Kolstad. Kolstad posted on Facebook earlier this week, letting his followers know about the dumpster divers and efforts to help them out. Staff is now leaving a pizza out back after they close. "Hey, if you're out here doing this you can come talk to me," Kolstad said. "We're sitting in a building full of food 24/7, it's hard to watch somebody eat out of your garbage can." Kolstad says hundreds of people have reached out, wanting to support his efforts. He started gathering donations, with plans to cover the cost of pizzas and donate to local food banks. "We're going to do a little grocery run this weekend and pick up a bunch of stuff deliver it to a couple different food banks," Kolstad said. "We'll be leaving some available for when people walk in and talk to us." Nonprofits in Minnesota say the need for food security is rising. A report from the Food Group says Minnesotans made 9 million visits to food shelves in 2024, which was 1.4 million more visits than the year before. "It's just ever-increasing numbers of people are just showing up," said Dave Rudolph, co-director of SACA Food Shelf in Columbia Heights. "It's seniors, it's adults, it's younger adults, people come in with kids." SACA says the number of people using their services has increased over the past four years, rising from 51,600 individuals in 2021 to 68,100 last year. Rudolph says they're on track to serve even more people this year. "A lot of them are looking for produce and proteins, those are some of the more expensive things," Rudolph said, adding the food shelf always accepts monetary and food donations. For Kolstad, it's about using what you have to help others. 'There's what, 7 billion people in the world, if everybody can make a little tiny difference, it's monumentally better every day." Kolstad plans to make a grocery run this weekend using the donations, and will then make some deliveries to local food banks.
CBS News
6 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Wildfire smoke may mean trouble for your furry friends — what a vet says pet owners should know
More days of wildfire smoke may mean more trouble for your pets, as veterinarians say they're seeing an increase in respiratory illness in dogs, cats and even birds. "As an emergency vet, we do see a lot of pets affected by air quality, especially wildfires that contain a lot of particles," Dr. Colette Friedenson at Southview Animal Hospital said. "Pets can be even more affected because they're so little and they breathe fast and low to the ground where the pollutants are more concentrated." The air quality index (AQI) in the Twin Cities again reached the red level on Thursday, which correlates to a warning to all individuals. According to Friedenson, an AQI over 150 is also unhealthy for animals. "Dogs we can see coughing, excessive panting, runny and watery eyes. Sometimes real stress if they have underlying heart disease," she said. "Especially cats who are outdoors who have asthma, we see cats who we require to open their mouth to breathe who are breathing rapidly and might collapse or might develop fluid around the lungs." The alert will remain in effect through 5 p.m. on Saturday, with smoke from Canadian wildfires keeping air quality index levels in the unhealthy categories. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has the latest AQI forecasts on its website. According to IQAir, Minneapolis' air quality was third-worst among the world's major cities on Thursday afternoon. Only Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chicago had worse AQI levels. This is one of the longest air quality alerts on record, tying with those issued for St. Louis County during the Greenwood fire in 2021, according to the agency. "For dogs, for the most part, if you take them outside a few minutes at a time, you won't see any issues unless they have a preexisting condition," Friedenson said. "For cats with asthma, even indoor only, we're seeing issues with breathing inside. If your pet is coughing, having trouble sleeping without panting, decreased appetite or gum color looks not like a normal bubble gum pink, but pale or gray. For cats, if they're breathing with their mouth open, those are reasons you'd want to go to a vet pretty quickly."
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Adventurous urban explorer, 16, known for discovering creepy places VANISHES and has not been seen for a month
A 16-year-old adventurer known for discovering spooky places went missing a month ago, according to his family. Evan Peters is known for exploring abandoned locations in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, officials said. The teen left his home in Monticello on June 27 and has not been seen since, police said. Peters was apparently communicating with his family until recently, as reported by Fox 9. It's not clear what the team told his family during the weeks he remained in contact with them after he was last seen last month. Peter's mother Amber wrote on Facebook on Wednesday: 'My son went missing from his Father's home on June 27th! Please share and pray for his safe return!' His older brother Correy added: 'Please share to help find my little brother, Evan, who has been missing for the last month.' Peters is considered an endangered missing person by police. He is believed to be in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, though officials noted he could be anywhere. The teen last posted on Facebook on May 20, when he shared a picture looking over a green area from an elevated structure. Peters described himself as an urban explorer - someone who visits abandoned properties and tunnels. He often posted images on social media of what appeared to be tunnels and other deserted properties. Various images on his Facebook show him climbing different structures in both green and cosmopolitan areas. In one picture, he is seen standing on a sign that read, 'Private Property. No Trespassing.' Officials described Peters as 5 feet 9 inches tall, 145 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. The teen has amateur tattoos on his hands and a radioactive symbol on his right shoulder. Anyone with information about Evan's whereabouts was asked to contact the Wright County Sheriff's Office at (763) 682-7600.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Authorities searching for 16-year-old urban explorer believed to be frequenting Twin Cities
Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding a central Minnesota teen last seen over a month ago. The Wright County Sheriff's Office says 16-year-old Evan Peters left his residence in Monticello, Minnesota, on June 27 and has not returned. He had been communicating with his family until recently. Peters is believed to be frequenting the Twin Cities metro area and is a self-described "urban explorer," visiting abandoned properties and tunnels, according to the sheriff's office. Authorities say Peters is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs around 145 pounds. He has brown eyes and brown hair, and "amateur" tattoos on his hands and a tattoo of a radioactive symbol on his right shoulder blade. Anyone who has seen Peters or has information related to his whereabouts is asked to contact the Wright County Sheriff's Office at 763-682-7600 or call 911.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Grammy Award-winning artist teams up with Lynx to donate $250,000 to 10 Minnesota nonprofits
Grammy Award winner Justin Vernon, the frontman for Bon Iver, is teaming up with the Minnesota Lynx to give back to the community. Vernon is using his star power to help those working to end gender inequality, domestic violence and sexual abuse. Through his 2ABillion campaign, he's giving $25,000 each to 10 different Minnesota nonprofits. "The players, the league has been going for a long time, and I'm just lucky to be around it and to amplify what's already happening," said Vernon. On Monday night, Vernon, alongside Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman and Lynx Hall of Famer Seimone Augustus, played hoops with dozens of young girls from She Rock She Rock, a Twin Cities nonprofit that empowers women and girls through music. It was special for Vernon and the Lynx to spend meaningful time with the people who are directly benefiting from this partnership. "It's why we do what we do. It's helping the community. It's giving back. It's helping overcome societal issues," said Carley Knox, president of business operations for the Lynx. The She Rock girls were in awe of meeting a star musician they look up to. "It was very honoring, honestly. I was very happy to be in his presence," said Jordan Dunkley, a She Rock She Rock participant. These girls shared how much the nonprofit has impacted their lives over the years. "For me, it helped me with teamwork and be able to help put myself out there in ways I wasn't able to before," said Brynhilde Gilbertson, a She Rock She Rock participant. Jenny Case, co-founder and artistic director of the nonprofit, said they've already put their $25,000 donation to use. "We hired additional staff, we gave away a lot of scholarships to campers that wouldn't have been able to attend otherwise and we got some new equipment that we desperately needed," said Case. It was a special moment for Heideman to take a break from the high competition with the Lynx. She uses music in a big way to improve her own game in the WNBA. "I'm always listening to music, 24/7. Whatever mood I'm in, music has always been an outlet for me, so just being able to have it as an outlet is special," said Heideman, whose pregame song of choice is Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan. Vernon has been a long-time Lynx fan, growing up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He says joining forces with his favorite team made perfect sense to him. "Watching the Lynx play is like watching the John Coltrane Quartet play," said Vernon. The Lynx and Vernon say this partnership is just the beginning, and they plan to continue to give back to the Twin Cities community for seasons to come.
