Luis Javier Avila-Lopez, 38, was arrested after law enforcement seized the cocaine earlier this year. A Coon Rapids man has been charged after he was allegedly found to have been in possession of more than 25 pounds of cocaine with the intent to sell it. Luis Zamier Avila-Lopez, 38, was charged on Friday in Anoka County Court with one count of a first-degree aggravated controlled substance crime and one count of a first-degree controlled substance crime. On Jan. 26 of this year, members of the West Metro Drug Task Force were investigating a vehicle allegedly bringing a large amount of cocaine ..read more

Michelle Marie Quackenboss-Kelley, who was hit by a vehicle on March 1, died of her injuries Tuesday. A pedestrian hit by a driver in Coon Rapids last week has died from her injuries. Michelle Marie Quackenboss-Kelley, 51, of Coon Rapids, was struck at the intersection of East River Road and 85th Avenue Northwest at around 1:40 p.m. on March 1.  According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, Quackenboss-Kelley died on Tuesday, March 8, at Hennepin Healthcare. Her cause of death was listed as multiple blunt force injuries sustained in the collision ..read more

The crash happened around 1:30 a.m. A motorcyclist was killed in a crash in Coon Rapids early Thursday morning.  The crash happened just after 1:30 a.m. near the 3400 block of River Rapids Drive Northwest, according to the Anoka County Sheriff's Office.  "Early indications show that the adult male driving a motorcycle was traveling westbound on River Rapids Drive NW when he lost control and crashed," a press release from the department said.  Medical aid was provided at the scene but the man was pronounced dead.  He was not wearing a helmet, the sheriff's office said.  ..read more

The limbless beast is free to go wherever it wants. The slithering snake shown in the pictures above and below is safe and sound after Coon Rapids police released it back into the wild after finding in a public space on Tuesday.  A conservation officer who captured the snake posted on social media saying "99% of the time being a CSO you get to help very cute creatures," while the "other 1% we try not to think about."  That limbless reptile is now roaming free in Bunker Park. Bullsnakes, also known as gopher snakes, are commonly found in counties along the Minnesota, Mississippi ..read more

Neither crash victim was wearing a helmet, according to law enforcement. Motorcyclists died in separate crashes in Coon Rapids and Mounds View on Wednesday.  The first fatal crash happened just after 4 p.m. in the area of 119th Ave. NW and Hanson Blvd. NW in Coon Rapids, with the Anoka County Sheriff's Office reporting that a man was riding northbound on Hanson Blvd. and collided with a vehicle driver turning south onto Hanson Blvd. from the Lions Coon Creek Park entrance.  The motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet and died at the scene. No further information about the crash has be ..read more

It was a dramatic opening day for Bunker Beach Water Park. The scorching temperatures heating up Minnesota proved to be too much even for one of the state's biggest water parks.  Saturday was opening day of the 2021 season at Bunker Beach Water Park, located in Coon Rapids. That afternoon, reports surfaced that multiple guests had suffered heat stroke. Per WCCO's Erin Hassanzadeh, paramedics responded to the scene and treated 10 people for "heat-related issues." FOX 9 reports the number at 10 to 20 victims, with "with several needing to be transported to the hospital." By this time, t ..read more

The apology comes after a KARE 11 investigation into the raid, which law enforcement executed at the wrong address. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has apologized to a family who was terrorized during a no-knock warrant raid in February because law enforcement had the wrong address, and is now asking for an investigation into the "horrible mistake." The apology comes following a KARE 11 investigation published last week that found Minneapolis police requested a raid on the wrong address, with KARE saying "some basic checking could have prevented the wrong-address raid." The intend ..read more

The week-long strike would start May 10. Thousands of Allina Health workers are preparing to strike over a contract they say is unfair and disrespectful.  SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, which is the union representing 4,000 frontline healthcare workers at eight Allina Health facilities in Minnesota, could go on a week-long strike on May 10 if they don't reach a deal on a new contract.  On Wednesday, workers announced they plan to file a 10-day notice to strike, saying they need a contract that "respects us, protects us and pays us."  "I'm ready to strike because I feel like it's a ..read more

A person matching his description was seen around 8 a.m. Authorities are asking the public help keep an eye out for a 13-year-old boy who has been reported missing.  According to Coon Rapids police, Gavin Ryan Tessman was last seen leaving home on foot around 7:40 a.m. Thursday. He was going to the school bust and was seen on 105th Ave. NW near Uplander St. NW in Coon Rapids, though he never arrived at the school bus stop, nor his school.  Police have confirmed that a person matching Tessman's description was seen on the north side of the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park near 99th ave ..read more

Student Nick Himley was forced to change in a segregated locker room at Coon Rapids High School. A transgender student who was forced to change in a segregated locker room while competing on the boys swim team has won a $300,000 settlement from Anoka-Hennepin School District. The settlement was announced Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, who joined the family of Nick Himley and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights in suing the district over Himley's treatment at Coon Rapids High School in 2016. Himley had been allowed to use the boys locker room for swim for several months, h ..read more