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Tag: St. Louis Park News

  • Minnesota man, 36, killed in lightning strike in Peru; family navigating loss

    Video from Peru shows first responders racing to rescue a Minnesota man after he was killed in a lightning strike. Now, his family is trying to figure out how to get his body home.

    “You will be missed greatly by your family and son, especially,” said Brett Skoog, Yuri Botelho’s brother-in-law.

    Brett Skoog said if he could tell his brother-in-law one last thing, he’d say, “We know you’re in a better place.”

    On Thanksgiving Eve, Botehlo was biking in the mountains of Peru with his friend James and a guide when tragedy hit out of nowhere. A sudden lightning strike killed Yuri and left his friend critically hurt.

    “Kelsey was tracking his watch, saw it wasn’t moving,” said Brett Skoog.

    Botelho, 36, was on an annual Thanksgiving trip with his beloved wife of three years, Kelsey, and their 15-month-old son, Tyson.

    “We’ll make sure we do our part in making sure Tyson knows how much he was loved,” said Mandy Skoog, Botelho’s sister-in-law.

    Botelho, a jujitsu-loving Brazilian native, posted about how proud he was to become an American citizen in May on Instagram.

    An Instagram post created by Yuri Botelho on May 2, 2025. It said, in part, “Officially American Citizen … after a lot of effort, hard work, paperwork, sweat, blood, tears, taxes, fees, doubts and anxiety we made it.”

    Skoog Family


    He had recently relocated to Minnesota with his wife and son to be near her family and worked for the city of St. Louis Park.

    “If you met Yuri once, you’ll never forget him,” said Mandy Skoog. 

    When WCCO asked her, “Why?” She responded, “He is just the happiest person I have ever met.”

    As of Friday night, his wife and baby boy are in South America, fighting logistics to get his body back home.

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    Yuri Botehlo, 36, with his wife, Kelsey, and their 15-month-old son, Tyson. 

    Skoog Family


    “You almost feel helpless, which is why I’m very thankful my brother and Kelsey’s friend pretty much hopped on a plane as soon as they could,” said Brett Skoog.

    Mandy Skoog added, “She’s fighting as a spouse trying to get Yuri home and fighting for her son, making sure he has everything he needs. Man, we were lucky to have him”.

    The City of St. Louis Park said the following in response to the incident:

    “We at the City of St. Louis Park are aware of the very tragic news about Yuri Botelho. This is a tremendous loss for his family, his friends and for all of us as his colleagues. Yuri had only been with the city for a short time but was already a trusted and valued employee and friend. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

    Financial support and prayers are what the family says they need most. An online fundraiser has raised nearly $30,000.

    Frankie McLister

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  • Reborn Chi-Chi’s opens in St. Louis Park, with nary a reservation available




































    Chi-Chi’s makes long-awaited return to restaurant scene



    Chi-Chi’s makes long-awaited return to restaurant scene

    02:01

    Chi-Chi’s, the Minnesota-born Mexican restaurant chain that served up its last chips and salsa about 20 years ago, made its return on Monday with a new Twin Cities location.

    The reborn Chi-Chi’s opened in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, at 11 a.m. Reservations for opening day were fully booked.

    One of the first customers through the door on Monday morning was Debbie Kruppa, who drove in from Ohio.

    “My sister, when she was younger, I would take her to Chi-Chi’s every Friday night,” Kruppa said. “That was our thing. And we would eat so much that we were so full afterwards, but we had to get [the fried ice cream]. And then when I met my husband, he loved Chi-Chi’s too so we would come here all the time.”

    Marno McDermott and former Green Bay Packer Max McGee founded the chain in 1975, and the first location opened in Richfield, Minnesota, in 1976. At its height, Chi-Chi’s boasted more than 200 locations across the U.S.

    Over the ensuing decades, the chain changed ownership several times before bankruptcy and a hepatitis A outbreak at a location near Pittsburgh sounded its death knell in 2004.

    The restaurant announced a comeback last year, thanks to an agreement with Minnesota-based Hormel Foods, which has owned the Chi-Chi’s trademark since 1987. The deal allowed Michael McDermott, Marno McDermott’s son, to use the name for physical locations. Michael McDermott announced the St. Louis Park spot earlier this year. It’s located at 1602 West End Blvd.

    Cole Premo

    contributed to this report.

    Anthony Bettin

    Anthony Bettin is a web producer at CBS Minnesota. He primarily covers breaking news and sports, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings.

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  • 2 killed, 3 injured after motorist drives into Park Tavern patio in St. Louis Park

    2 killed, 3 injured after motorist drives into Park Tavern patio in St. Louis Park

    2 killed, 3 injured after motorist drives into outdoor bar patio in St. Louis Park


    2 killed, 3 injured after motorist drives into outdoor bar patio in St. Louis Park

    03:46

    ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — Two people are dead and at least three others are injured after a driver drove through an outside patio area in the west metro Sunday night.

    According to St. Louis Park city officials, surveillance video shows a male driver entering the Park Tavern parking lot around 8 p.m. The video shows him attempting to park and then driving into the outside patio. 

    The driver, a 56-year-old St. Louis Park man, has been arrested for criminal vehicular homicide. 

    “I was just leaving Park Tavern. I was driving out of the parking lot, I noticed a car speeding up and I turned out of the way and he just barely nicked me on my back left,” witness Josh Fix said. “Was pretty shocked so I turned my head around and saw him drive into the patio.”

    The names of the victims have not been officially released, but WCCO has learned that the two deceased victims include a server at the restaurant and an employee from a nearby hospital. 

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    WCCO


    Anyone with information is asked to call 952-924-2618.

    The restaurant released a statement late Sunday.

    “Following the tragic incident on our patio Sunday night, Park Tavern will be closed until further notice as we support and care for our staff and neighbors,” the statement read. “Thank you for your understanding and kindness during this incredibly difficult time.”

    The St. Louis Park Police Department was assisted by multiple agencies including the Hopkins, Minnetonka and Wayzata police departments, as well as the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

    “This is an active and ongoing investigation of the St. Louis Park Police Department. Additional updates will be provided as more information is available,” city officials said in a statement. 

    Park Tavern is located on the 3400 block of Louisiana Avenue.  

    Kirsten Mitchell


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    Kirsten Mitchell joined the WCCO team as a reporter in November of 2021. A Saint Paul native, Kirsten is proud to tell stories in her home state. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Go Gophs!) and interned at WCCO during her time there.

    Kirsten Mitchell

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  • St. Louis Park police help deliver a newborn in a parking lot. But the family’s ties to law enforcement run deeper.

    St. Louis Park police help deliver a newborn in a parking lot. But the family’s ties to law enforcement run deeper.

    ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — It’s not the 911 call St. Louis Park police officer Maddie Turnquist expected on a night shift a few weeks ago — helping deliver a baby wasn’t part of the job description when she took an oath to protect and serve her community. 

    “We’re not taught how to deliver babies, no,” she joked. 

    But she answered the call and a doctor’s, too, to help guide her through the delivery. With Turnquist and other officers on the scene, baby Theo made his big debut in the backseat of his parents’ car.

    “I was focused on that and the mom and making sure the baby cried when [he] came out and make sure [he] was breathing,” Turnquist told WCCO. 

    His grandfather, John Tragiai, said Theo and his mom, Katelyn, are healthy and doing well. He later called the St. Louis Park police chief to express his gratitude for their help, but also to share that his family intimately understands the important work they do. 

    Tragiai was himself an officer in the St. Cloud Police Department. But that’s not where the law enforcement ties end. He came into his daughter Katelyn’s life after his wife and Katelyn’s mother, Wendy, had lost her then-husband St. Joseph police officer Brian Kleinfelter in the line of duty.

    He was shot and killed in 1996 while trying to stop a liquor store robbery. Katelyn, Tragiai said, was only months old. He later adopted her when she was 4 years old. 

    “[Kleinfelter’s] hand was in that delivery and I just felt compelled to share that part of the story with the chief,” Tragiai said. 

    Their personal story makes them especially grateful to Turnquist and her colleagues who answered the call that night. 

    “Law enforcement plays such an important role in our lives. And let’s not forget who they are and what they do,” he told WCCO. “When tragedy strikes, when you’re in it, it’s difficult to see outside of it. Just knowing that there is good that comes out of tragedy — the Kleinfelter family, our family, Katelyn — we’ve all been blessed in so many different ways. We would have never seen that back in 1996.”

    “So maybe it’s just giving people a little bit of hope,” he said.

    Turnquist explained it was refreshing to hear from the family that she made an impact on them, but it’s just part of the job. 

    “When you call, we’re going to show up,” she said.

    Caroline Cummings


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    Caroline Cummings is an Emmy-winning reporter with a passion for covering politics, public policy and government. She is thrilled to join the WCCO team.

    Caroline Cummings

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