Originally published on May 5 MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO — An Apple Valley baker is hanging up her apron temporarily to face an unexpected fight. Ann Alaboud is well known for her buttercream frosting and elaborate cakes, but even more well-known for winning “Cake Wars” on the Food Network. Just two weeks after opening up her new Sweet Treasures bakery location, she had to shut it down. “I got confirmation that I do have cancer on my birthday, so it was just like devastating,” Alaboud said. “You don’t even like think that you would get cancer.” (credit: Ann Alaboud) After searching for answers from h ..read more

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO — An Apple Valley baker is hanging up her apron temporarily to face an unexpected fight. Ann Alaboud is well known for her buttercream frosting and elaborate cakes, but even more well-known for winning “Cake Wars” on the Food Network. Just two weeks after opening up her new Sweet Treasures bakery location, she had to shut it down. “I got confirmation that I do have cancer on my birthday, so it was just like devastating,” Alaboud said. “You don’t even like think that you would get cancer.” After searching for answers from healthcare professionals for a year, Alaboud was eventu ..read more

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO) — Emerald ash borers are an invasive, yet common beetle that feeds on and kills ash trees in 40% of Minnesota counties. Apple Valley is one metro community seeing the problem firsthand, which is hard for residence to see, as the area is known to be heavily forested. “I think it is few and far between when you come through neighborhoods like this and there are a lot of trees,” said Melanie Gorham, who frequently walks her dog, Lucy, along Diamond Path Rd., which has several trees infested with emerald ash borers. Orange dots marks the spot on the trees along this road ..read more

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO) – Is it unheard of to have cold temperatures in April? No. But it is putting some businesses in a spring conundrum. Twelve out of 25 overnights this month have been below freezing, which isn’t ideal for planting flowers or vegetables. John Lauritsen talked with an Apple Valley business who is seeing the negative side of this April weather. Twenty degrees below average outside. But inside the greenhouse at Pahl’s Market, it’s almost tropical. “It’s lovely to come into these places. That’s why I hit so many this week of the year,” said customer Dee Olson. For the most ..read more

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO) — A driver whose blood alcohol content was allegedly twice the legal limit after he was pulled over in Apple Valley blamed his errant driving on the wind, a criminal complaint states. Earl Hucks, 47, of Prior Lake faces two counts of first-degree driving while impaired, Dakota County court documents filed Monday show. (credit: Dakota County) Around 5:45 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to a report of a vehicle moving erratically. The vehicle’s registration was also expired. An officer pulled over the driver, identified as Hucks. “Hucks initially told the officer t ..read more

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO) — Police say a driver fleeing a traffic stop crashed into a house in Apple Valley early Sunday. According to the Apple Valley Police Department, an officer attempted to stop a driver near Pennock Avenue and 145th Street West around 1 a.m. The driver, a 29-year-old male, made “a number of moving violations” and appeared to be driving impaired, police said. (credit: CBS) The driver fled the stop, running a red light and losing control while taking a curve. He crashed into a house, police said, and was hospitalized with minor injuries. No one in the house was injured ..read more

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO) — Minnesota has been called “the Purple State,” sometimes because of politics, other times related to sports. Or perhaps, “The Purple One” himself, Prince. But recently in some Twin Cities suburbs, neighbors are seeing purple for a different reason. There is a bit of a mystery in Apple Valley surrounding 24 streetlights that are shining bright purple along Cedar Avenue. (credit: CBS) “I drive by them every day and I always thought it was super odd. Like, why just the ones by the [traffic] lights,” said Farmington resident Juliana Morelos. There’s speculation over t ..read more

Originally published on Nov. 23, 2021 BRAINERD, Minn. (WCCO) — A former Lakeville middle school principal was found dead Saturday inside a central Minnesota jail. The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office says staff found 53-year-old Christopher Jerome Endicott unresponsive, and life-saving measures were unsuccessful. Endicott was convicted in Dakota County in 2019 of burglary, identity theft and stalking, and was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison. Chris Endicott (credit: Dakota County Sheriff’s Office) Investigators say Endicott hacked into a neighboring school district’s database a ..read more

BRAINERD, Minn. (WCCO) — A former Lakeville middle school principal was found dead Saturday inside a central Minnesota jail. The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office says staff found 53-year-old Christopher Jerome Endicott unresponsive, and life-saving measures were unsuccessful. Endicott was convicted in Dakota County in 2019 of burglary, identity theft and stalking, and was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison. Chris Endicott (credit: Dakota County Sheriff’s Office) Investigators say Endicott hacked into a neighboring school district’s database and amassed a large amount of personal ..read more

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The search for an owl that flew away from the Minnesota Zoo earlier this month has come to a sad end. The zoo said Gladys, an Eurasian eagle owl, was found hurt on a roadside by a neighbor, who took the owl to the zoo. Unfortunately, the veterinary team was unable to save Gladys. “For the last five years, Gladys has been a beloved ambassador of her species in the bird show,” the zoo said in a statement. “This is a difficult day for our team. Whenever an animal dies, we feel the impact of that loss as a Zoo community.” Gladys (credit: Minnesota Zoo) Gladys flew off of a t ..read more