MARK VANCLEAVE and STEVE KARNOWSKI.

Frontiersman Sports owner Kory Krause recounts Robin Westman's visit to his store during an interview, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in St. Louis Park, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Gun store owner says shooter who killed 2 schoolchildren showed no warning signs before attack

The shooter who killed two children and injured 21 others at a Minneapolis church was seen on video visiting a suburban gun shop the weekend before the attack. The video shows Robin Westman spent about 40 minutes examining guns and bought a revolver at the store in St. Louis Park. Owner Kory Krause told The Associated Press on Thursday that Westman passed background checks and had a valid permit. The gun Westman purchased wasn’t one of the guns used in the shooting. Krause says his staff is experienced in looking for warning signs but saw none.

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An osprey perches on a flagpole near its nest at a high school athletic field Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Apple Valley, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Ospreys nesting on stadium light pole disrupts Minnesota high school’s fall sports season

A pair of ospreys have disrupted the fall sports season at a Minnesota high school by nesting on a light pole on the football field. Protected by law, the birds forced Apple Valley High School to switch to day games to avoid harming them with the hot floodlights. The school is now working with the Department of Natural Resources to monitor the chicks. Officials plan to remove the nest once the young ospreys fly off in around a week. The school aims to relocate the nest to a new platform in hopes that the parents will return next year.

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Why a Minneapolis neighborhood sharpens a giant pencil every year

Residents will gather Saturday in a scenic Minneapolis neighborhood for an annual ritual — the sharpening of a gigantic No. 2 pencil. The 20-feet-tall pencil was sculpted out of a mammoth oak at the home of John and Amy Higgins. The beloved tree was damaged in a storm a few years ago. But the Higginses saw it not so much as a loss, but as a chance to give the tree new life. The sharpening ceremony on their front lawn has evolved into a spectacle that draws hundreds of people to the Lake of the Isles neighborhood, complete with music and pageantry.

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