Following a statewide appearance schedule including a stop at the Gerdau Ameristeel Factory near the Highway 61 and 494 interchange, US Vice President Mike Pence accompanied by a regiment of black stretch SUV’s turned south for a little home cooking, provided Thursday afternoon by The North Pole Restaurant in Newport. According to locals, the Vice President ate and talked with servers and owners while a full contingent of Washington county , Dakota County, Minnesota State Troopers and various other official looking vehicles waited at the Newport center, filling up nearly every parking space in the lot.
Many more law enforcement squads waited at the bottom of onramps for the motorcade to depart, blocking off access to westbound rushhour traffic just before 6 pm. One onlooker mused that the VP was probably disappointed that he missed shopping at Bartel’s Hardware which closed earlier this year.
