Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was named one of North America’s best airports by an air travel trade group for the sixth time in seven years.

Airports Council International gave MSP and Detroit Metropolitan Airport its 2022 Airport Service Quality award for North American airports that serve between 25 million and 40 million passengers annually, according to the organization’s website.

ACI bases its ASQ awards on thousands of passenger surveys that track 30 aspects of a traveler’s airport experience, including check-in, security screening, cleanliness and staffing, the organization says.

Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which operates MSP, said in a news release that the airport’s staff is committed to “creating an excellent customer service culture at every touchpoint of a passenger’s journey through MSP.”

“For MSP to be recognized by our travelers as one of the best in the world year after year is a testament to our focus on providing exceptional airport experiences so Minnesota thrives,” Ryks said in the news release.

MSP is the 16th busiest airport in North America by passenger volume, serving 31.2 million travelers in 2022, an increase of 24 percent from the year before, the MAC’s news release said.

— Staff report

High school senior killed in weekend collision

A Farmington teen was killed Saturday afternoon when his car was rear-ended at an intersection and pushed into oncoming traffic, authorities say.

Rodrigo Leon Dooley, 17, was driving east in a Toyota Corolla sedan on 160th Street East in rural Dakota County shortly before 2:30 p.m., when he slowed down to make a left turn at Freeborn Avenue, according to information released by the Minnesota State Patrol.

The driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, 49-year-old Gina Lynn Jermasek of Hastings, rear-ended Dooley and pushed his vehicle into the westbound lanes of 160th Street, where the teen was struck head-on by a Dodge Grand Caravan driven by 25-year-old Steven Anthony Lutchen of Newport, the State Patrol said.

Dooley, who was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, was ejected from his car by the impact, the State Patrol said. He died at the scene.

Jermasek and a passenger in Lutchen’s van suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash and were taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

Farmington Public Schools Superintendent Jason Berg told KSTP-TV that Dooley was a senior at Farmington High School and had been a student in the district since kindergarten.

“This loss will be felt throughout our district as Rodrigo had many connections across the three buildings he attended,” Berg told the station.

The roadway was dry at the time of the crash and alcohol was not a factor, said the State Patrol, which is the investigating agency.

— Staff report

Xcel to host Richie, Earth, Wind & Fire

It’ll be an evening of ’70s soul and ’80s pop on Aug. 4 when Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire kick off their joint tour at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. March 13 through Ticketmaster. Citi cardholders have access to a presale that runs from 10 a.m. Tuesday through 10 p.m. Sunday. Neither the venue nor the promoter announced ticket prices.

An Alabama native, Richie considered becoming a priest but chose to pursue music instead. In 1968, he joined the Commodores as a singer and saxophonist. The band signed to Motown and scored a series of hits including “Easy,” “Brick House,” “Three Times a Lady” and “Lady (You Bring Me Up).”

In 1980, Richie wrote the No. 1 hit “Lady” for Kenny Rogers. The following year, he sang the theme song for the film “Endless Love” with Diana Ross, which became one of Motown’s biggest hits. Richie then went solo and released a string of successful singles including “Truly,” “All Night Long (All Night),” “Hello,” “Say You, Say Me” and “Dancing on the Ceiling.”

In the late ’80s, Richie took a break from his career to care for his father, who died in 1990. In the time since, he has taken a more casual approach to music, occasionally releasing new music and touring sporadically. In 2018, he joined Katy Perry and Luke Bryan as a judge on “American Idol,” a gig he has continued annually including the currently airing 21st season.

Founded in Chicago in 1969 by the late Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire has earned 17 Grammy nominations, including a lifetime achievement award in 2016, and a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While the band’s time spent ruling the pop charts is now in the past, EWF did release a series of classic singles still heard on radio, including “Shining Star,” “September,” “Boogie Wonderland” and “After the Love Has Gone.”

Both acts have played various stages around the metro in recent years, including well-attended Minnesota State Fair Grandstand shows for EWF in 2018 and Richie the following year.

— Ross Raihala

School board fills vacant position

Chris Lauer, a member of the board of the Partnership Plan, the nonprofit organization that funds extra programs in Stillwater Area Schools, has been selected to fill the open seat on the Stillwater Area Board of Education.

Lauer was one of six applicants who applied for the position, which opened earlier this year after school board member Eva Lee, who was elected to a four-year term on the board in November, resigned after taking a job at the district.

Lauer, 51, of Stillwater, is the manager of the Integrity Insurance Agency in Richfield. He and his wife, Lesley, have two sons in Stillwater Public Schools.

“We have relied on the school system to help me raise our children, and they’ve done a great job up to this point,” he said Monday. “I want to give back to them. This is an opportunity for me to dig in and make sure that the system works for everybody.”

Lauer joined the Partnership Plan’s board in 2020. “I love the idea of empowering teachers to teach and children to learn in new ways,” he said in an interview at the time of his appointment. “We see the impacts of successes and failures in education every day. The Partnership Plan provides venture capital for a better society.”

Lauer will be sworn in on April 11 and will serve on the school board until a successor is elected by special election in November. He said he would likely be among the candidates running for the seat.

The school district encompasses 18 communities, including: Afton, Bayport, Baytown Township, Grant, a portion of Hugo, Lake Elmo, Lakeland, Lakeland Shores, Lake St. Croix Beach, Marine on St. Croix, May Township, Oak Park Heights, St. Mary’s Point, Stillwater, Stillwater Township, West Lakeland Township, Withrow, and a portion of Woodbury.

— Mary Divine

Ham radio club offering newcomer instruction

Yes, amateur radio is still a thing, thank goodness.

“If and when the grid goes down, and cellphones and other traditional forms of communication don’t work, we will step in and offer our help to public-safety agencies,” said Dave Glas, past president of the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association. “We are the backup to their backup, especially during power and/or communications outages. We were big during the hurricanes all throughout Florida, for example.”

SARA is offering free entry-level amateur radio instruction at the Stillwater Public Library. Eight weekly sessions will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, beginning March 9.

The Federal Communications Commission regulates amateur radio — also known as ham radio — with exam sessions conducted by volunteer groups working under FCC direction. Exams will be April 27.

Instruction is free for all ages, and knowledge of Morse code is not required. Former ham-radio operators are welcome to attend and can qualify for a new operator’s license.

For information, go to www.radioham.org or call Dave Glas at 651-436-3334.

— Mary Divine

Man pleads guilty in girl’s fatal shooting

A Minneapolis man on Monday pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the May 2021 death of a 9-year-old girl who was shot while jumping on a trampoline.

Trinity Ottoson-Smith, 9, was at a friend’s birthday party in North Minneapolis when prosecutors said Dpree Shareef Robinson fired a 9-mm handgun from the alley at three people on the back porch, hitting the girl. She later died.

Authorities said Robinson had previously threatened a resident of the home who was allegedly part of a rival gang. Prosecutors last year said search warrants on Robinson’s social media accounts showed that he described himself as an “active shooter” for a local gang.

Robinson will receive a sentence of 37½ years when he is sentenced March 21, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement.

His guilty plea to second-degree intentional murder means he avoids trial on a premeditated murder count that carries a sentence of life without parole.

Trinity was the second child to die from gunfire in the city in as many weeks that spring.

— MPR News

Anti-abortion group’s facility vandalized

Minneapolis police are investigating vandalism reported over the weekend at a “crisis pregnancy center” operated by a group opposed to abortion.

New Life Family Services, which operates the First Care Pregnancy Center at 2015 Chicago Ave. S. in the Phillips neighborhood, reported Saturday that someone broke windows and spray-painted on the building the previous night. A video shared by the group shows graffiti left on windows by the entrance, including the phrase: “If abortion arn’t safe neither r u.”

It’s at least the third incident of vandalism targeting abortion opponents in the Twin Cities since last summer, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortion remains legal in Minnesota.

In the most recent incident, Minneapolis police said officers were flagged down early Saturday by a Metro Transit bus driver who reported seeing two people vandalizing the building. Responding officers didn’t find anyone at the center when they arrived, but contacted building security and processed the scene for evidence.

There were no arrests in the case as of Monday morning.

First Care’s website says it “provides comprehensive services including pregnancy testing, information about abortion, options counseling, ultrasounds, and STD testing and treatment.”

It’s a program of New Life Family Services, which states it counsels “women and men who believe abortion is the ‘only’ solution to an unplanned pregnancy,” with “the hope each client will make a life-affirming decision for their unborn child.”

In a statement on New Life’s website, Executive Director Tammy Kocher said the group is “fully committed to continue serving the Phillips community“ in the wake of the vandalism. It also operates First Care Pregnancy Centers in St. Paul, Richfield and Rochester, as well as a second Minneapolis location.

Last July, vandals broke windows and spray-painted graffiti on a St. Paul “crisis pregnancy center” operated by the group Birthright. Several weeks prior to that, in June, someone smashed windows and left graffiti on the offices of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life in Minneapolis.

— MPR News

Bill would transfer state parkland to tribe

Bills introduced in the Minnesota Legislature propose transferring state land in Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the Upper Sioux Community before the end of this year.

The House bill, which was introduced Thursday, has its first hearing scheduled at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee.

A companion Senate bill was introduced Wednesday and referred to the Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee. A hearing is not yet scheduled.

The legislation is only a couple paragraphs long. It says the Department of Natural Resources will transfer state-owned land in the Minnesota River park “for no consideration” to the Upper Sioux Community by Dec. 1, provided there are no legal barriers.

By Dec. 15, the DNR would be required to send a report describing any legal barriers that exist and recommending ways to address the barriers.

Upper Sioux Tribal Chairman Kevin Jensvold said he plans to testify Wednesday and did not want to comment before the hearing.

Granite Falls Mayor Dave Smiglewski, who is also chairman of Friends for Upper Sioux Agency State Park, told Forum News Service on Monday that he first learned of the legislation late last week.

“We have heard the idea here and there over the last couple years,” he said, but he was surprised to learn that legislation had been filed already.

The legislation leaves many unanswered questions, he said.

It’s not clear whether the park will remain open or if the land will be used for another purpose after the transfer, Smiglewski said.

The park is near Granite Falls in Yellow Medicine County.

— Forum News Service

Volunteers sought for weather observations

Volunteers are needed to help monitor rainfall for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.

The Minnesota State Climatology Office is asking for individuals to volunteer by putting a 4-inch rain gauge in their yard and recording the data online.

MSCO is currently looking for volunteers “outside of the immediate Twin Cities metro area.” Volunteers will be trained on observing rainfall and weather trends as well as how to submit the data from their individual rain gauge into the online database.

A purchase of the four-inch gauge is required and can be bought at a discounted price from the network’s website.

“These volunteers help the DNR verify high rain and snow totals after big events, monitor drought and flooding, make our precipitation maps more accurate and provide needed guidance on Minnesota’s changing climate,” said Luigi Romolo, state climatologist. “This is also a great educational activity for families with kids and a rewarding hobby for anyone interested in weather or climate.”

— Makenzi Johnson