Nosy visitors prompt road closure
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. » The state highway that runs through the Grand Canyon is closed after visitors disregarded the park closure. Residents of Grand Canyon Village still can access State Route 64.
The Grand Canyon was forced to turn away visitors after the federal government shut down. The highway had been open to through traffic, but visitors were pulling off the road and removing barricades from overlooks to see the canyon.
Park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge said the highway closure is to ensure safety and protect resources, and anyone caught in restricted areas could receive a citation or be arrested.
Firm will resurrect Crystal Palace
LONDON » Britain’s Crystal Palace, the Victorian exhibition center that was once the largest glass structure in the world, will be brought back to life with investment from Chinese developers.
Shanghai-based ZhongRong Group will spend $811 million on a replica of the iron and glass building as a cultural attraction in South London.
The Crystal Palace was designed for the 1851 Great Exhibition, when thousands of exhibitors around the world gathered to display the latest technology.
Originally erected in Hyde Park, the huge glass structure was moved three years later to South London. A fire destroyed it in 1936.
The plans, announced Thursday, would replicate the building’s Victorian design in that South London location in its original size and scale, including exhibition space and public parks.
Minnesota posts fall color spots
ST. PAUL, Minn. » Minnesota’s fall-color season is gearing up for what’s expected to be an impressive show. The peak color is arriving a bit later than last year thanks to a warm September.
The Department of Natural Resources’ updated fall color map, posted Thursday, shows three main pockets of peak color so far, in north-central and northeastern Minnesota.
Much of the North Shore, one of Minnesota’s premier fall color destinations, is less than 75 percent turned because Lake Superior has a moderating influence on temperatures. But Pat Arndt of the Parks and Trails Division at DNR said the colors are starting to pop inland.
