English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in St. Paul, MN

UPDATE (5/1/25): City of Saint Paul, Wild Shift Legislative Ask to Prioritize Xcel Energy Center Renovations in 2025

The City of Saint Paul and Minnesota Wild narrowed the immediate scope of the Xcel Energy Center Arena Complex renovation project to prioritize a $488 million upgrade to the 25-year-old Xcel Energy Center, temporarily putting on hold the Saint Paul RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium updates until a future date.

The project still includes an entire renovation of Xcel Energy Center, creating a modern, best-in-class facility. The state contribution would help expand the Xcel Energy Center’s north wall along 5th Street to improve the northeast entrance security area, increase ADA accessibility, reduce congestion in corridors and update restroom plumbing. City and local partners will provide $200 million; the Minnesota Wild will provide the remaining $238 million, plus any cost overruns for the rest of the renovation. Read the press release...

This is What Transformation Looks Like

This is a generational opportunity to go all in on revitalization by transforming Downtown Saint Paul into a more dynamic entertainment district anchored by a renovated Arena Complex—comprised of the Xcel Energy Center arena, Saint Paul RiverCentre, and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

The proposed renovation project is the cornerstone of a safer, more energized Saint Paul, attracting more visitors, more activity, and more vitality. The project also boosts efforts to grow tourism, support the city’s all-in public safety framework, and bring more residents to live in the downtown core.

A renovated Arena Complex is a catalyst for Saint Paul’s growth, fueling momentum and unlocking new opportunities for entertainment, restaurants, retail, housing, hotels, and more.

Project Information Sheet

The Xcel Energy Center, which opened in 2000, is in its 25th year of its intended 25-year lifespan, and the Saint Paul RiverCentre, which opened in 1998, and 93-year-old Roy Wilkins Auditorium require significant renovations to facilities.

Renovations to the city-owned Arena Complex are estimated to cost $769 million. To bring this vision to reality, the city is asking the state to fund half of the cost, with Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold funding 30%, and the city and local partners providing the remaining funds. Ramsey County continues to explore its partnership investment in the proposed Arena Complex renovation.

Proposed Funding Breakdown:

Reinvesting in the Economic Engine of Saint Paul

The Arena Complex stands as the most prolific driver of economic activity in the Capital City—no single business or entity attracts more people to Downtown Saint Paul. Each year, the Arena Complex serves over 2.1 million visitors and contributes $383 million in spending for the City of Saint Paul.

The Xcel Energy Center was constructed in 2000 at a cost of $173 million, with 30% of funding contributed by public sources and the remaining 70% invested by the Minnesota Wild. It needs critical reinvestment to improve accessibility, enhance visitor and vendor experience, and upgrade infrastructure, technological, space needs.

It is home to the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Frost professional hockey teams, and the Minnesota Roller Derby league. The Arena Complex also hosts a wide variety of cultural, educational, and athletic events such as the annual weekend-long Hmong New Year celebration, high school graduations, major national and international concert tours and performances, conventions and trade shows, Minnesota State High School League tournaments, and more.

Economic Rejuvenation Opportunity

Downtown Transformation

Regional and Statewide Asset

Recent News

Minnesota Wild Owner’s ‘All In’ for 2025 Arena Funding

3/31/2025 | Twin Cities Business

Earlier this month, Minnesota Wild Owner Craig Leipold and Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter jointly appeared before the investment committees in the Minnesota House and Senate seeking state funding to renovate the Xcel Energy Center Arena Complex.

Read More

St. Paul, Minnesota Wild want state to cover half of $769M Xcel Energy Center renovation

3/29/2025 | Star Tribune

Gutting and refurbishing the 25-year-old arena would cost nearly three-quarters of the total, with Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter saying the facility is at the end of its competitive lifespan. Improvements would include upgraded seating options; security and accessibility enhancements; new HVAC and wiring; and the addition of public-facing restaurants attached to the building’s exterior.

Read More

St. Paul looks to state for half of $769 million renovation of the Xcel Center

3/20/2025 | Pioneer Press

The mayor’s office said it's due for major accessibility, technology and building upgrades in order to sustain the number of events and opportunities choosing St. Paul. They predicted the planned renovations will drive concerts, conventions and sporting events to downtown, boosting annual local spending by $110 million.

Read More

St. Paul, Minnesota Wild look for state help in Xcel Energy Center renovation

3/19/2025 | Minnesota Public Radio

The Xcel Energy Center was built in downtown St. Paul in 2000 as a way to draw an NHL expansion team to Minnesota. It worked and opened the door for the Minnesota Wild. But a quarter-century after it opened, St. Paul city leaders and Wild executives say it is time for the city-owned arena and adjoining facilities to get a renovation.

Read More

Minnesota pro sports teams face vast stadium, ballpark and arena needs

2/7/2025 | Star Tribune

The Wild, St. Paul and Ramsey County will ask the state to cover half the Xcel renovations, with the remaining costs split among themselves, a city spokesperson said. League and local officials have not revealed the dollar figure they’re seeking, but they previously said the project will cost about $300 million.

Read More

Wild insider: Bettman pushes for public funding of Xcel Energy Center renovations

1/28/2025 | New York Times

Xcel Energy Center is also the heartbeat of St. Paul nightlife, so an arena renovation could trigger redevelopment around the arena and revitalize downtown with the possible addition of a hotel, residential areas, retail and restaurants. Bettman weighed in Thursday, making it clear that he thinks the Wild deserve public money because of what they and the arena do for downtown St. Paul, the surrounding community and the state.

In the summer of 1980, the man now known as Pope Leo XIV saw the new movie “The Blues Brothers” with a Lutheran friend at Roseville 4, a now-demolished theater on Larpenteur Avenue.

They also ate at the Black Forest Inn in Minneapolis and spent time at Luther Seminary, where friend John Snider lived. The Rev. Snider is now the senior pastor at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in West St. Paul, and during that summer of 1980, he, Bob Prevost, as the pope was then known, and three others served together in a clinical pastoral education group at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

“I’d say, ‘Bob, let’s get together,’ but it was kind of bouncing around a bit,” Snider said. “He finally said, ‘If we’re going to be friends, we have to make a commitment.’ It was like, oh, yeah. So we did. We did a lot of things all summer, and I just think of that as one of those characteristics that’s true to him — people count, and he makes a commitment to be there with you.”

Then, as now, many seminary students are required to complete clinical pastoral education at medical centers or hospitals, almost like an internship where they gain skills on “the relational, conversational, emotional side of the job,” Snider said.

The men were in their early 20s; this was before they were ordained by their respective religious bodies: Snider at Luther Seminary in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Prevost within the Augustinian order of the Roman Catholic Church. While Snider lived at the seminary in St. Paul, Prevost lived on the hospital campus in Minneapolis.

“I’ll tell you the other thing: To have known someone — we were 22 and 23 or maybe 24 — and to see this guy now being under a microscope, and lots of people either fawning on him or dogging him for this and that is like, ‘What?!”’ Snider said. “But truthfully, I don’t worry about him. He’s not in it to be pope; he’s in it to serve.”

About a week before the papal conclave was set to begin earlier this month to select a new pope, Snider reached out to his old friend — not knowing he would soon become pope, of course, but wishing him well as a voting member of the College of Cardinals.

“He responded, ‘Love to you and Polly and thanks for your friendship through the years. It’s all in God’s hands. Blessings, Bob,’” Snider said.

Snider is set to retire from St. Stephen’s on Sunday, May 18 — the same day as Leo XIV’s inaugural mass in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City.

The Roseville 4 theater, which had been on the corner of Larpenteur and Fernwood Street since the 1970s, closed in 2008 and was torn down to make room for a Cub Foods grocery store expansion.

As far as Snider knows, Prevost has not been back to Minnesota since that summer, but Snider visited his friend in Rome in 2010 when the now-pope was serving as the global head of the Order of St. Augustine.

No sitting popes have visited Minnesota; Prevost’s 1980 summer work makes him only the second pope in history known to have visited Minnesota before his papacy. Before becoming Pope Pius XII, then-Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli briefly stopped in St. Paul on a national tour in 1936.

“All my friends are like, ‘So when’s your next trip to Rome?’” Snider said, laughing. “But I’m not sure what a pope’s vacation schedule is like! How many days off do you think the pope gets to request?”

The Brief

BRIMSON, Minn. (FOX 9) - Three wildfires continue to burn in northern Minnesota, prompting evacuation orders for people living near the fires.

Fire crews are currently fighting three growing wildfires in St. Louis County, north of Duluth. They include:

"This is probably going to go down as one of the more historic fires in our lifetime," St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay told FOX 9 on Wednesday.

Here's the latest on fire boundaries and evacuation orders in St. Louis County (as of 6:30 a.m. Thursday).

Brimson Complex fires map

The Brimson Complex fires include the Camp House fire and the Jenkins Creek fire, and have impacted about 35,000 acres as of Wednesday.

Evacuation areas:

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office has issued evacuation orders for people living near the fires (see map above). You can check the evacuation areas here. Some areas of Lake County have also been impacted. An evacuation map for Lake County is available here.

Click here to find out if your address is in an evacuation zone.

St. Louis County Sheriff Ramsay said one in 10 people do not want to leave their homes when told to evacuate.

There are also closures in the Superior National Forest (see closure information below).

Camp House fire

The Camp House fire is north of Brimson and started around 1 p.m. on May 11.

The fire has burned nearly 15,000 acres (14,979 total acres) as of Wednesday morning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center and the Minnesota Incident Command System. The fire is 0% contained.

At least 146 structures have been destroyed in the Camp House fire, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

Authorities estimate firefighting efforts have cost $800,000 so far, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

What caused the fire? :

The sheriff says this fire appears to have started with a camp fire that was left unattended. He adds that the DNR has identified the person who started the fire.

Jenkins Creek fire

The Jenkins Creek fire is just northwest of the Camp House fire. It started around 11 a.m. on May 12, 15 miles southeast of Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota.

The fire has burned 15,571 acres as of Thursday morning. The fire is 0% contained.

A couple of structures have been damaged or destroyed, but the sheriff said the fire remains too active to check and get further details.

Authorities estimate firefighting efforts have cost $650,000 so far.

What caused the fire?:

According to the sheriff, this fire might have started with a discarded cigarette along Highway 16, as it began near a roadway.

Munger Shaw fire map

The Munger Shaw fire is smaller and is burning south of the Camp House and Jenkins Creek fires. It started around 2:30 p.m. on May 12 about two miles east of Elora Lake.

The fire has burned about 1,600 acres as of Wednesday morning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire is 0% contained.

Authorities estimate firefighting efforts have cost $950,000 so far.

Evacuation areas:

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office has issued evacuation orders for people living near the fire (see map above). You can check the evacuation areas here. Click here to find out if your address is in an evacuation zone.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office latest evacuation update on Wednesday stated, "Due to fire movement residents south of Comstock Road, west of Upper Bug Lake Road, East of Lily Lake, and North of Wood Tick are to evacuate safely out of the area."

The Cotton Community Center was made available as a temporary evacuation point.

What caused the fire? :

This fire appears to have started with a bail of hay that caught fire and quickly spread, the sheriff said. The homeowner called 911 immediately, but it was already too late when authorities got there.

Superior National Forest closures due to wildfires

The U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday said due to the Brimson Complex fires, which include the Camp House and Jenkins Creek fires, the agency has closed a portion of the Laurentian Ranger District, which went into effect at 12:01 p.m. on May 13.

This closure prohibits visitors from entering campsites, recreation sites, trails, roads and lakes. The recreation sites impacted are:

You can find a list of updated closures here.

Ways to help after Minnesota wildfires

What you can do:

As of May 13, crews battling the fires were not accepting donations of food and drinks. However, people can donate to the Wildland Fire Federation or the American Red Cross, the Minnesota Incident Command System said.

Severe weather is moving through Minnesota Thursday afternoon.

Credit: KARE 11

MINNEAPOLIS — Severe weather is moving through Minnesota, where the central part of the state and western Wisconsin are under a tornado watch until 8 p.m.

4:05 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning is issued in Wisconsin for Chippewa and Eau Claire Counties until 4:45 p.m. This storm has reportedly produced 1-inch hail, the largest seen today.

Credit: KARE 11

4 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning is issued in Minnesota for Becker and Clay counties until 4:30 p.m.

3:50 p.m.

A tornado warning is issued in Wisconsin for Polk County until 4:15 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning is issued in Minnesota for Kanabec and Mille Lacs counties until 4:15 p.m.

Credit: KARE 11

3:38 p.m.

A tornado warning is issued in Wisconsin for Polk and St. Croix counties until 4 p.m.

A tornado warning is issued in Wisconsin for Dunn and Pepin counties until 3:45 p.m.

A tornado warning is issued in Minnesota for Benton and Stearns counties until 4 p.m.

Credit: KARE 11

3:34 p.m.

There is a confirmed tornado on the ground in the New Richmond, Wisconsin area, meteorologist Ben Dery says. Take shelter in the most interior room on the lowest level of the house.

Credit: KARE 11

3:32 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning is issued for Aitkin County until 4 p.m. east of Lake Mille Lacs. There is potential for quarter-size hail in this storm system.

3:27 p.m.

A tornado warning has been issued for Polk and St. Croix counties in Wisconsin until 4 p.m.

Credit: KARE 11

3:20 p.m.

A tornado warning has been issued for northern Wadena County until 3:30 p.m.

3:10 p.m.

A tornado warning has been extended in St. Croix County until 3:30 p.m. It is currently over River Falls, moving northeast at 45 mph. If you are in the area of this storm, take shelter in the lowest level of your home in a place without windows.

Another tornado warning has been issued for northern Mille Lacs County until 3:30 p.m. There could be very large hail in this system.

Credit: KARE 11

3:05 p.m.

A storm is moving over I-94 in Stearns County. A tornado watch is active in this area until 3:15, and the storm has had reports of a tornado and a small tornado.

3 p.m.

A tornado warning has been issued for Pierce County, Wisconsin, until 3:15 p.m. A severe thunderstorm warning is issued for St. Croix and Washington counties until 3:15 p.m.

MPS has lifted the groundstop for flights.

Credit: KARE 11

2:55 p.m.

New tornado warnings have been issued in Minnesota. Grant, Otter Trail until 3 p.m.; Wadena county until 3:30 p.m.; Stearns and Todd counties until 3:15 p.m.

2:50 p.m.

The main threat is wind gusts up to 60 mph and hailstones the size of quarters. The tornado warning for Anoka and Hennepin County has expired, a severe thunderstorm warning remains for Anoka and Ramsey counties.

A severe thunderstorm warning is issued for Washington and St. Croix counties until 3:15 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Buffalo and Wabasha counties until 3:30 p.m.

Likely by 4 p.m. the storm threat will be over for the Twin Cities metro.

Tornado warnings in the Brainerd and the Fergus Falls areas have expired.

2:40 p.m.

Downtown Minneapolis is in the clear of potential tornadoes as the storm moves north through the metro. A tornado warning remains in effect for Hennepin and Anoka counties.

Credit: KARE 11

2:30 p.m.

The storm is moving north at 50 mph through the Minneapolis area. KARE 11 meteorologist Ben Dery says in a short amount of time a tornado could quickly drop, but there have been no reports.

If you live in the storm area, go into a safe place in your home in the basement or a room with no windows.

The groundstop at MSP goes until 3 p.m. for severe thunderstorms.

Credit: KARE 11

Credit: KARE 11

2:26 p.m.

A tornado warning has been issued for Anoka and Hennepin Counties until 2:45 p.m.

Credit: KARE 11

2:25 p.m.

MSP flights are grounded due to thunderstorms.

Storm spotters around MSP are seeing a rotating wall cloud around MSP.

2:15 p.m.

A tornado warning has been issued for Crow Wing County until 3 p.m. in the Brainerd area, moving northwest.

Storms are moving at 60 mph and have the ability to produce hailstones up to the size of a quarter, KARE 11 meteorologist Ben Dery says.

There is a severe thunderstorm warning in Hennepin and Ramsey counties until 2:30 p.m. A severe thunderstorm warning is also active in Olmsted and Wabasha counties until 2:45 p.m.

A tornado warning in Pope and Stevens counties expired at 2:15 p.m.

More severe weather is expected in western Wisconsin.

Credit: KARE 11 Weather

Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Minneapolis MN, Saint Paul MN and Bloomington MN until 2:30 PM CDT pic.twitter.com/iBiV3RqU3E

— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) May 15, 2025

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - As many as 10 tornadoes touched down in Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Thursday as storms pushed east.

Storms begin to push into northern MN, Wisconsin

What we know:

The worst of the storms have passed out of the Twin Cities metro but tornado warnings have been issued in parts of northern Minnesota and western Wisconsin as the storms push east.

Footage of multiple tornadoes touching down in MN, WI

Tornadoes were reported in Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Thursday as storms pushed east. There was a report of an observed tornado in the New Richmond area and near Roberts around 3:30 p.m. There was also a report of a tornado near Spring Hill, not far from Melrose, that left behind debris.

There was a report of an observed tornado in the New Richmond area and near Roberts around 3:30 p.m.

Tornadoes reported north of Twin Cities

What we know:

The National Weather Service says a tornado was reported in central Minnesota near Melrose, Minn. – about 30 miles northwest of St. Cloud. The report came in at around 2:52 p.m.

There was also a report of a tornado near Spring Hill, not far from Melrose, that left behind debris.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Stearns and Todd counties as a result of the report.

Tornado warning issued for downtown Minneapolis

What we know:

A doppler-indicated tornado warning was issued covering downtown Minneapolis at 2:25 p.m.

There are no reports of observed tornadoes or funnel clouds in Minneapolis.

Power outages have been reported in the Twin Cities as a tornado-warned storm moved through downtown Minneapolis. According to Xcel Energy Center's outage map, more than 2,500 customers have been impacted in the Twin Cities metro.

The warning expired at 2:46 p.m.

Tornado watch in MN, WI

Why you should care:

The tornado watch is in effect until 8 p.m. for much of central Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

The watch storms expected in the afternoon hours could bring a few tornadoes along with large hail and wind gusts up to 70 mph.

The storms are set to move through in the early to mid-afternoon hours. The watch expires at 8 p.m.

Funnel cloud in Benson, Minnesota

A funnel cloud was captured on camera during a tornado-warned storm in Benson, Minnesota, on May 15, 2025. This video was sent to FOX 9 by Tammy.

Tornadoes reported in western Minnesota

Local perspective:

The National Weather Service says a trained observer reported a tornado spinning southwest of Benson, Minn. in Swift County around 1:15 p.m.

That's about 120 miles west of the Twin Cities. FOX 9 is tracking the storms and will provide updates as available.

Minutes later, the weather service reported another tornado report southeast of Morris, which is just to the north of the other report.

Storm photos

What you can do:

If you are able to safely take a photo of the storm or of damage, you can send them to fox9.com/photos.

Timeline of what to expect with Thursday afternoon storms

Timeline:

The afternoon storms are forecast for the region between noon and 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Storms will start earlier in central and southern Minnesota, before moving to the north and east. The Twin Cities metro could see storms in the early afternoon hours before wrapping up around 3-4 p.m. The storms are forecast to move out of the FOX 9 viewing area by the dinner hour.

The area that could see the highest chance of severe weather is in western Wisconsin, stretching into the northern end of the I-35 corridor.

What to expect:

Afternoon storms could bring large hail that's 1-2 inches, wind gusts of up to 60-plus mph, and there is an isolated risk of tornadoes.

Parts of central Minnesota are also under a Level 2 and Level 3 risk of severe weather on Thursday. The Level 3 risk stretches from eastern Minnesota, including areas near and northeast of the Twin Cities, into Wisconsin.

The high on Thursday is around 81 degrees in the Twin Cities metro.

The severe weather outlook for May 15, 2025.

Much cooler weekend

What's next:

After a stretch of sunny, warm weather this week, things are changing. Thursday will bring the potential for storms, and then it gets much cooler for the weekend.

Widespread 50s are in the forecast for Friday afternoon.

This weekend, highs in the 50s are in the forecast on Saturday, while Sunday will be more pleasant, with highs in the 60s and some sunshine.

Severe WeatherWeather ForecastMinnesota