A Blaine resident diagnosed with heart failure at age 28 plans to return to the Porcupine Mountains in 2026 for a snowmobiling trip he takes each year with friends. For that resident, Spencer Peka, the trip almost never would have happened. Peka said that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he began having increasing difficulty catching his breath. While at his family cabin north of Askov over Memorial Day weekend that year, he noticed trouble breathing, though not enough to raise concerns. ...

After going into closed session to discuss preliminary allegations, the Andover City Council unanimously voted to terminate the full-time building supervisor of the city’s Community Center. Council Member Scott Schue, making the motion to terminate the employee, said that it was based on relevant documentation that they had already received, as well as testimony from the individual. The termination was effective immediately. City Attorney Scott Baumgartner said that the Council had discussed testimony, and that Recreational Facilities Manager Erick Sutherland had been in the meeting along with human resources and City Administrator Sarah Cotton. He indicated that based on testimony and evidence he approved of the termination. ...

The Heights Theater in Columbia Heights will change ownership in early 2026, ending a 27-year run under owner Tom Letness. In a Facebook announcement, the theater said it will be acquired by Brody Sheldon and the Schopf family, who own and operate the Music Box Theatre in Chicago. They are partnering with Minnesota native Ryan Oestreich in the purchase. The Heights plans to close after its annual New Year’s Day screening of “Holiday Inn.” It will reopen Jan. 9 with a showing of Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother.” According to the announcement, reopening events will also include a Robert Redford retrospective and the theater’s 17th Film Noir festival in partnership with Trylon Cinema. ...

The Blaine City Council approved a resolution on Dec. 1 to receive a feasibility report and order improvements, along with the preparation of plans and specifications, for a rehabilitation project on South Lake Boulevard. The vote was 6-1, with Council Member Jess Robertson opposing. Director of Engineering Dan Schluender said the council had ordered the feasibility report in September. The project area runs along a segment of South Lake Boulevard from the west end at Lakes Parkway to a northeast end that also connects with Lakes Parkway. ...

The Fridley City Council voted 4-0 on Nov. 24 to approve the first reading of an ordinance that would raise fees for renting the city’s open-air park shelters. Mike Maher, the city’s parks and recreation director, told the council the city’s open-air shelters are available from May through October and were rented 96 times in 2025. Reservations for the 2026 season open on Jan. 5. The fees were last updated in 2023. Maher said the new fees aim to balance affordability and accountability. ...

Coon Rapids boasts a new Panda Express, which opened the morning of Dec. 1. Original Article

Panda Express held a grand opening Monday morning, Dec. 1, for its new Coon Rapids location at 3465 124th Avenue, opening on the site formerly occupied by White Castle. The previous fast-food restaurant closed after 26 years of operation, with a sign announcing it had “permanently closed.” According to a press release, Panda Express launched its opening with a 9:30 a.m. community celebration. The first 88 guests in line received a special gift, and 40 panda headbands were distributed to guests under 18. The event included a ribbon cutting with the local chamber of commerce and a $1,000 donation to the ACBC emergency food shelf. ...

The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office received an unusual message from an Oak Grove resident this month after a deputy helped track down two runaway animals. According to the email, the resident was out of state when a security-camera alert showed a sheriff’s squad in the driveway. A mini horse and mini donkey had slipped out of their enclosure overnight while a family member was house-sitting. A passerby reported the pair after spotting them near the roadway and worrying they could be hit. ...

Residents of Columbia Heights raised concerns about possible police involvement in a suspected immigration enforcement action on the morning of Nov. 24. Resident Brenna Zeimet told the City Council that she and several neighbors were standing in support of immigrant community members when, according to her account, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived. Zeimet described what she believed was improper conduct by both enforcement personnel and officers with the Columbia Heights Police Department. ...

At its Nov. 24 meeting, the Columbia Heights City Council unanimously approved a fourth amended loan agreement for the redevelopment site at 4300 Central Ave. NE. The redevelopment plan includes between 20,000 and 60,000 square feet of retail space, 400 to 600 market-rate apartments above retail on the east side, a central park amenity, significant infrastructure upgrades, underground parking, low-density single-family housing to the west, and environmental features such as solar panels and rain gardens. ...