Gas Explosion Shakes South Minneapolis, Causes Evacuations in Richfield

Last week’s largest story was the near 60th Street and Nicollet Avenue, just on the border of South Minneapolis and Richfield. No injuries were reported, however authorities needed to evacuate people from homes and nearby businesses in Minneapolis and Richfield until it was deemed safe to return.

In addition, and on a lighter note, on Friday and .

Here’s what else happened in Richfield last week:

Government

State Rep. Linda Slocum (DFL-Richfield) was named as a Champion of Racial Justice for her work in addressing .

Soon all Minnesota voters may need a specialized photo ID in order to cast their votes. As part of that, highly populated areas will have systems to read the IDs. Sen. Ken Kelash was concerned with where the funding would come from to implement this new system. To view the video on this issue, click .

Police and Fire

Multiple popped up on Richfield Public Safety’s Crime Reports from March 14.

Schools

The creative media director for the Minnesota School of Business (MSB) Richfield campus attended a conference in Austin, TX to in their fields.

The Neighborhood Files

The showing that while Richfield has only slightly grown in population, its demographics have changed dramatically. To see the figures, click here.

Editor’s Notebook

Richfield Patch Local Editor Caitlin Burgess , including: The Lakes at Lyndale redevelopment project, teen pregnancy rates in schools and more.

Nature Notes

While the weather is a bit gloomy now, last week’s warm-up caused a huge meltdown in Richfield and throughout much of the state. One area that the meltdown is greatly apparent is at Richfield Wood Lake Nature Center. To see a photo gallery of the center, click .

Must-See

Patch’s guides and lists to activities, good deals, Richfield real estate and more, were back with more great information. Click on the links below to see what you missed!

• : Discounts on Chinese food and haircuts;
• : Country club fun;
• Great Escape: Making a “;”
• : Kicking cabin fever;
• : Five more homes in search of new owners;
• One more home SOLD! in Richfield;
• Patch Picks: ;
• : Tips for parents of preschoolers;
• Viewfinder: .