From 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, the eastbound lanes of Interstate 94 will close between Minnesota Highway 280 and Western Avenue in St. Paul, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

There also will be no access to the eastbound interstate from cross streets in the work area. The closure will allow crews to inspect and repair bridge decks, clean sewer drains and other conduct other maintenance.

Motorists will detour north on Highway 280, east on Minnesota 36 and south on Interstate 35E during the work.

Meanwhile in Woodbury, several eastbound I-94 entrance and exit ramps will close early Thursday for repaving.

The ramps to and from eastbound I-94 and Woodbury Drive/Keats Avenue North will close starting at 5 a.m. Thursday and will reopen in mid-October.

Motorists going toward I-94 can use Woodbury Drive/Keats Avenue North, westbound or eastbound I-94 and Radio Drive/Inwood Avenue North. Those coming from I-94 can bypass this closure using eastbound or westbound I-94, Manning Avenue and Woodbury Drive/Keats Avenue North.

This closure is part of a larger MnDOT I-94 pavement project between state Highway 120/Century Avenue and the St. Croix River that will end this fall, according to MnDOT. All construction activities are weather dependent and subject to change.

More information can be found at mndot.gov/metro/ projects/i94oakdale-stcroix.

— Maddie Robinson

St. Paul

Artist is killed in Lowertown shooting

A woman working on an art project outside a building in St. Paul’s Lowertown was killed in a daytime shooting on Wednesday.

Officers were called just before 5:20 p.m. to the 200 block of East Kellogg Boulevard about multiple reports of shots fired. In an alley, they found a woman with apparent gunshot injuries, according to police.

The Lowertown Lofts Artists Cooperative said it was one of their members who was working on an art project outside their building on Kellogg Boulevard between Wacouta and Wall streets.

“Our community is in shock and grief as we grapple with the unimaginable,” the cooperative said in a statement.

Officers determined the suspect left the area in a car, according to the police department. Police hadn’t announced an arrest as of Wednesday night.

Homicide investigators “are laser focused on determining what happened, who was responsible, getting that person into custody,” said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman. They ask anyone with information to call them at 651-266-5650.

Police said they will release the name of the victim after the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office confirms her identity.

— Mara H. Gottfried

St. Paul

Tree-planting event planned on East Side

Urban Roots, a nonprofit that provides environmental education internships to youth on St. Paul’s East Side, will be hosting a tree-planting event Saturday in an effort to improve the tree canopy in that area of the city.

The organization is aiming to plant more than 100 trees in one day on the East Side, which has lower tree canopy coverage than other parts of the city, according to Tree Equity Score, a database that measures the distribution of tree cover in urban areas across the United States.

Tree canopy coverage can reduce air pollution and mitigate the urban heat island effect, a phenomenon where urban areas are significantly warmer than neighboring rural ones, according to an Urban Roots news release. The tree planting event is part of a larger initiative with other environmental organizations including Frogtown Green, Tree Trust and the Nature Conservancy.

To learn more, visit urbanrootsmn.org.

— Maddie Robinson

Little Canada

Motorcyclist, 45, killed in highway collision

A 45-year-old motorcyclist died in a crash on Minnesota 36 in Little Canada on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

A Hyundai Tucson and the motorcycle were both heading east on Highway 36 near Rice Street, approaching Interstate 35E about 3 p.m. The Hyundai was stopped in the right lane for traffic when the motorcycle, driven by Emilio Reyes Miller, of Roseville, collided with the vehicle, the State Patrol said.

The two people in the Hyundai were uninjured.

— Mara H. Gottfried

Washington County

Candidate forums begin on Saturday

A series of candidate forums, sponsored by the Stillwater Gazette, are set to begin Saturday and run through Thursday, Oct. 3.

Marguerite “Margot” Rheinberger will moderate the forums. Candidates for Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District, Minnesota House District 33B, the Washington County Board, Stillwater City Council, Oak Park Heights City Council, Bayport City Council and the school board for Stillwater Area Public Schools will be featured.

The forums are closed to the public, but are available to watch virtually on www.youtube.com/@ValleyAccessChannels.

Saturday, Sept. 28

• Stillwater City Council — Ward 2: 10 to 10:30 a.m. on www.youtube.com/live/oL-l2M1vmzE

• Stillwater City Council — Ward 3: 10:45 to 11:15 a.m. on www.youtube.com/live/eAPfWpCJeVU

• Washington County Board — District 3: 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on www.youtube.com/live/Lg-lvjPiZO4?

• 4th Congressional District: 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. on www.youtube.com/live/_9Z93zXJvLw

Tuesday, Oct. 1

• School board candidates for Stillwater Area Public Schools: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. on www.youtube.com/live/4mtS57pyrzg

Wednesday, Oct. 2

• Bayport City Council: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. on www.youtube.com/live/aYiyPnDCGdw

Thursday, Oct. 3

• Oak Park Heights City Council: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. on www.youtube.com/live/KDR2rFwkc10

• Minnesota House District 33B: 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. on www.youtube.com/live/3QT_fd-368Q

— Maddie Robinson