MPR News Update

Republicans gather in Duluth Friday to begin winnowing their field of U.S. Senate candidates. An endorsement contest could bring some to drop out of the race, but an August primary will determine the nominee for the general election.For Democrats, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan heads into this weekend's DFL state convention with a victory already in hand. Her opponent in the DFL Senate race, U.S. Rep Angie Craig, decided Wednesday to skip the convention, with the delegate math showing a strong advantage there for Flanagan. The two will instead battle it out in the August primary.Four Twin Cities leaders will accept the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Profile in Courage Award this Sunday on behalf of the people of the Twin Cities.

Some members of the Minneapolis City Council are questioning Mayor Jacob Frey's handling of investigations into former police Chief Brian O'Hara, who resigned on Tuesday.Attorneys for independent journalist Don Lemon are renewing their push for access to grand jury transcripts in the case of Lemon and 37 others charged in connection with a protest at a St. Paul church in January.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Following Minneapolis police Chief Brian O'Hara's resignation Tuesday, Mayor Jacob Frey appointed assistant Minneapolis police Chief Katie Blackwell — who has been at the department for over 25 years — as acting police chief effective immediately. Minnesota is celebrating the completion of a major milestone in the ongoing cleanup of the St. Louis River. The river forms the headwaters of Lake Superior. There's been a major effort to clean up the river since 1987.The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is one step closer to getting land back from the University of Minnesota. Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation paving the way for the university to return the land on which its Cloquet Forestry Center is situated.Traffic is now down to a single lane in each direction through fall along two stretches of Interstate 94 in central Minnesota. MnDOT says crews are repairing and resurfacing two bridges along eastbound I-94 between Sauk Centre and Melrose.

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig says she'll skip the DFL convention in Rochester and head straight to a Senate primary.Minneapolis city leaders are searching for a new police chief after Brian O'Hara resigned Tuesday.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara resigned Tuesday amid allegations that he interfered with an internal investigation. The investigation explored allegations that the chief had sexual relationships with city employees. According to investigators, there was sufficient evidence that O'Hara intentionally deleted data on his city-issued cell phone that was related to the investigation. At the DFL convention this weekend, the endorsement that will garner the most attention is in the U.S. Senate race. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig are seeking their party's endorsement.The temporary closure of one of the state's few marijuana testing labs could spell trouble for the budding industry. Last week, Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management froze testing at Legend Technical Services for failing to meet security and testing requirements. State law requires testing, but Minnesota already faces a backlog with demand spiking.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals won't reinstate a law to ban certain gun trigger mechanisms. And gas prices were down slightly today after hitting a four-year Memorial Day high yesterday.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

A statewide summer traffic enforcement campaign is now underway with officers, deputies and troopers across Minnesota placing extra attention on speeding drivers. The campaign is also targeting distracted and impaired driving, as well as seat belt use.Minnesota is commissioning a study on nuclear energy after state lawmakers recently approved funding.Minnesota lawmakers approved $3 million to help colleges fight student enrollment fraud. College administrators call the fake enrollments “ghost students.”The head of the Native American Community Clinic says a new affordable housing and health center project currently under construction in south Minneapolis is designed as an indigenous space. Players of the unique Hmong sport tuj lub hope more people give the time-honored sport a spin.

An attorney for an ICE agent charged in a February road rage incident during “Operation Metro Surge” says there's more to the story than what's shown in a widely circulated video. Prosecutors allege Gregory Morgan pointed a handgun at another vehicle on Highway 62 after a traffic dispute. He faces two felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. He's set to make a first appearance in court Friday.The founder of a nonprofit that's become synonymous with fraud in Minnesota was sentenced Thursday to nearly 42 years in prison. Aimee Bock, who founded and led Feeding Our Future, was also ordered to pay $243 million dollars in restitution.Federal law enforcement officials say they will continue to investigate allegations of fraud in the state of Minnesota and in other states. During a press conference Thursday, officials announced charges against 15 people who allegedly stole $90 million in taxpayer dollars.A federal judge has set a July 1 hearing on a possible injunction to stop Minnesota's ban on prediction markets. The new law bans the organization or advertising of prediction markets like Kalshi or Polymarket in Minnesota. For the first time in two years, visitors to a state park in northern Minnesota can once again travel nearly a half-mile underground into a historic mine. Crews have been working nonstop since then to get it reopened.The CBS News radio division is calling it quits Friday. WCCO in Minneapolis switched to being an ABC News affiliate on Thursday.Go deeper with the latest edition of the Minnesota Today newsletter.Feds say 15 charged with bilking Medicaid programs in MinnesotaAimee Bock sentenced to 500 months in Feeding Our Future fraud caseFollowing 2-year hiatus, Soudan underground mine tours to resume on the Iron RangeSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock has been sentenced to 500 months in prison -- that's nearly 42 years -- for orchestrating what investigators say was the nation's largest COVID-era fraud scheme. Bock was also ordered to pay $243 million in restitution.And federal authorities announced today they've filed criminal charges against 15 Minnesotans accused of stealing millions from federal programs.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The Flanders wildfire in Crow Wing County is now 95 percent contained. Authorities say they believe it was sparked by a campfire. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said it has identified people of interest in connection with the case. Good financial news for Target today -- the Minneapolis-based retailer saw better-than-expected sales in the first quarter.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

State lawmakers are giving counties and tribal communities $90 million to upgrade the old and inefficient technology they use to administer SNAP and Medicaid benefits.Immigration advocates in Minnesota say fear, policy changes and longer processing delays are discouraging some eligible immigrants from applying for U.S. citizenship. Organizations that help immigrants apply for citizenship say applications have dropped over the past year.Red Lake Nation tribal band members will cast votes Wednesday in an election for leadership positions, including tribal chairman. Tribal secretary and district representative positions are also up for a vote this year. The tribal nation holds elections every four years. Results are expected to be announced Thursday.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it has located the origin of the Flanders Fire near the north shore of Flanders Lake. The fire started early Saturday afternoon and grew to more than 1,600 acres. Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang says individuals appear to have started a campfire near Flanders Lake on Saturday or the night before. Minnesota is being sued by a federal agency over a new state law banning prediction markets.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Minnesota prosecutors on Monday charged an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with assault in connection with the January shooting of a Venezuelan man. The Minneapolis City Council will revisit a proposal this week for a new emergency responder training center.Cooler temperatures and higher humidity have helped fire crews working to contain two wildfires burning in northern Minnesota. Authorities say the Flanders Fire in Crow Wing County was 60 percent contained as of Monday evening. Crews were also fighting the Stewart Trail Fire along the North Shore near Two Harbors. That fire has now been contained.Hundreds of millions of dollars will go to HCMC, the state's busiest Level 1 trauma center and teaching hospital, after this year's legislative session.

Minnesota prosecutors have charged an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the January shooting of a Venezuelan man in north Minneapolis. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office says ICE agent Christian Castro fired through the front door of a duplex, striking Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg. Authorities say a downed power line sparked the wildfire that's burning on the North Shore of Lake Superior and has destroyed more than 30 buildings.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

An oil analyst says refining issues in the nearby Great Lakes region has contributed to a gas price spike in Minnesota. The platform GasBuddy says the average price in the state as of today is about $4.45 a gallon, up nearly 30 cents from earlier this week. Minnesota Democratic lawmakers held a sit-in overnight at the Capitol.... demanding that Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth let a gun violence prevention bill face a House vote.

Legislators now have a financial framework from which to hammer out bills. An end-of-session deadline arrives this weekend given that lawmakers can't pass bills after Sunday. Leaders agreed to help HCMC and hospitals around the state, give property owners tax relief and put more money into infrastructure projects. The deal also increases funding for security concerns as well as anti-fraud measures.There are still many details about the signed agreement that are not yet known, and a small window left for lawmakers to get bills ready for votes.

Gas prices jumped sharply at many Minnesota stations yesterday -- and that's reflected in a spike in the statewide average price today.And advocates delivered a foot-high stack of petitions to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth today demanding she let a gun control bill face a vote. Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Legislators now have a financial framework from which to hammer out bills. An end-of-session deadline arrives this weekend given that lawmakers can't pass bills after Sunday. Leaders agreed to help HCMC and hospitals around the state, give property owners tax relief and put more money into infrastructure projects. The deal also increases funding for security concerns as well as anti-fraud measures.There are still many details about the signed agreement that are not yet known, and a small window left for lawmakers to get bills ready for votes.

Travel bans, visa restrictions and fears of being arrested or detained are presenting challenges for students from other countries wanting to come to the U.S. to study here. And lawmakers have come together on a deal to dedicate $165 million to housing programs.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

How social media looks on the devices of young Minnesotans could be in for a major change. The Minnesota House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to require social media age verification and less addictive interfaces for kids.The Wisconsin Department of Justice has finished its investigation of a Superior police officer shooting and killing a 42-year old man in April. It's one of two police shootings in Superior in the past two months. A ban on prediction markets passed both the Minnesota Senate and House Tuesday, and now heads to the governor's desk.

The director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research said Sunday the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship does not pose a serious public threat.The Fargo City Commission will likely approve a new police chief Monday night. Interim Chief Travis Stefonowicz is the sole finalist in the search for Fargo's Chief of Police. Stefonowicz would be replacing Dave Zibolski, who retired last month and drew criticism over the department's use of artificial intelligence to identify and arrest a women for a crime even though she said she'd never been to Fargo. Minnesota is one of several states debating a proposal to allow for "plug-in solar" or "balcony solar." The bill allows people to quickly connect small scale solar systems to their homes or apartments.

U.S. Senator and past presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar says she wouldn't have run for Minnesota governor if she was contemplating another presidential run. And a preliminary report from federal investigators says a pilot radioed “abort” and started turning shortly after takeoff from Crystal Airport last month... before the plane crashed, killing both people aboard.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has nominated Police Chief Brian O'Hara to serve a second term. Now the city council gets a chance to weigh in.A proposal to create an independent watchdog over state government is nearing a signature from the governor. The proposal to create a new Office of the Inspector General overwhelmingly passed the House.White Earth Nation leadership shared program updates and priorities for the coming year at the annual State of the Nation Thursday in Mahnomen.A stretch of Highway 12 in the western Twin Cities will be closed again this weekend. That closure runs between Interstate 494 in Minnetonka and Central Avenue in Wayzata. It begins at 10 p.m. Friday and runs through 5 a.m. Monday. Traffic will be detoured to Highway 55.

Minnesota officials are forecasting air quality issues this summer due to wildfire smoke and high ozone levels. Meteorologists with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency say drought conditions are increasing the risk of wildfires and they're expecting 12 to 16 days of smoky air this summer. And a Minneapolis man pleaded guilty this morning to spraying vinegar on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar earlier this year. Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The Minneapolis City Council is expected to cast a final vote on a bill that would ban assault weapons in the city. A man accused of spraying vinegar on U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is due back in federal court Thursday morning where he's expected to enter a guilty plea. One of a series of bills to curb fraud in state programs stalled in a Minnesota House committee Tuesday. The bill aims to stop fraudsters from getting more state money from another agency. Without Republican support, it got bogged down in a tie vote. Border Czar Tom Homan says mistakes were made in Minneapolis earlier this year during ICE's enforcement on immigration. Homan says the public will continue to see mass deportations, especially in sanctuary cities.

A Minnesota man who spent years in prison before his conviction for first-degree murder was vacated in 2023 may now receive several million dollars from the state. A judge found that faulty witness testimony was used in convicting Marvin Haynes for the 2004 killing of Harry Randy Sherer in Minneapolis.And local leaders and labor unions are urging Minnesota lawmakers to prioritize lead pipe replacement this year.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The Hermantown City Council voted last night to table a vote on a massive Google data center. The tech giant wants to build a nearly $2 billion complex in the city near Duluth. And Minnesota's newly named temporary commissioner for the Department of Human Services is out on medical leave for at least the next month. Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will give his annual State of the City address Tuesday. It will be his first State of the City gathering since the federal immigration enforcement surge earlier this year.It is difficult for the courts to claw back public money stolen through fraud. So a group of Minnesota legislators are trying a new approach to create a tax on fraud. The U.S. Justice Department says it's suing the state of Minnesota to stop a lawsuit that the state filed against the oil industry over climate change. At issue is a 2020 lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison alleging ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute deceived and defrauded Minnesotans about climate change. The suit is still making its way through the courts.

The Legislature has two more weeks to complete its session work, and Capitol leaders are still in search of agreements on key issues. Gov. Tim Walz said he's hopeful for something on guns and school safety.The Minnesota Board of Pardons held an emergency meeting Monday to grant clemency to a man facing deportation to Laos because of a past conviction. At "Ricky" Chandee was convicted of second-degree assault more than 30 years ago. He received a deportation order after serving his sentence. Chandee is among several immigrants who have asked the state to pardon convictions that disrupted their status in the U.S. Also Monday, a federal judge heard arguments in a lawsuit over federal agents' treatment of protesters and observers during increased federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.

The number of people canceling or not using their permit to visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness rose again in 2025. The U.S. Forest Service says more than 40 percent of permits for May 1 through September 30 last year were never used.Depleted by injury, the Minnesota Timberwolves saw other players step up on Thursday to lift them to a first-round playoff series win over Denver. Now the battered Wolves face another tough test against San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals starting Monday night. Expect traffic delays on a busy central Minnesota highway over the next couple of months as a detour goes into effect starting Monday. That detour is along U.S. Highway 10 just east of Wadena. MnDOT says it's to allow crews to replace a culvert under the highway. It'll be a short detour to start, but that will be extended to a much longer route in early June as crews replace a second culvert. The detour will remain in place until early to mid-July.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed a pair of ordinances yesterday.The average price of gas in Minnesota has now climbed above $4 a gallon amid the ongoing war in Iran and uncertainty about the Strait of Hormuz.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Kelly Bleyer. Music by Gary Meister.

A bill to make Minnesota's bridges safer passed the House unanimously Thursday. The measure directs the Minnesota Department of Transportation to make a statewide plan to identify bridges with high suicide rates and incorporate suicide prevention in new bridges.The judge presiding over the Feeding Our Future case is limiting convicted ringleader Aimee Bock's access to confidential case documents after she allegedly directed her sons to send the files to reporters and elected officials.As gas prices climb, drivers want to fill up at the gas station offering the cheapest gas. One south Minneapolis independent gas station with cheaper prices says it's seeing heavier traffic since the start of the war in Iran.

A document obtained by MPR News shows that dozens of Minneapolis police officers worked with a previously undisclosed Homeland Security Task Force last year, which city leaders say is not involved in immigration enforcement. And Minnesota's unemployment rate stayed steady last month. The state added 800 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis between February and March, but fewer people were looking for jobs.

The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld the first-degree premeditated murder conviction of Adam Fravel. Fravel was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to life in prison for killing Madeline Kingsbury of Winona. Kingsbury, who had two young children with Fravel, disappeared in 2023. Her body was found after a two-month search.Three members of a Prior Lake family are facing federal charges for allegedly attacking a conservative influencer outside the Whipple federal building earlier this month.A bill to help the financially troubled HCMC hospital and fill gaps left by federal cuts in Medicaid and food assistance passed the state Senate Wednesday afternoon.And a citizens group is suing the northeastern Minnesota city of Hermantown to block a proposed Google data center.Go deeper with the latest edition of the Minnesota Today newsletter.From 2024: Adam Fravel sentenced to life in prison for murdering Madeline KingsburyPrior Lake family charged with assaulting conservative influencer at ICE protestCitizens' group files lawsuit to block Google's proposed Hermantown data centerSubscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

More Medicaid fraud investigators remain in the mix for the state Attorney General's office.And the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating after gunfire left one person dead and a police officer injured early this morning in Richfield.Those stories and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

A DFL gun violence prevention package faces one last committee hurdle Wednesday in the Minnesota Senate. Gov. Tim Walz delivered his final State of the State speech Tuesday. The two-term Democrat had plenty of support from members of his party as he listed off the changes his administration has ushered through. A new health inequities analysis released Wednesday shows widespread racial and ethnic disparities persist in Minnesota. Runoff from this week's snowmelt and heavy rain continues to keep rivers running high in northeastern Minnesota. A flood warning goes into effect Thursday morning along the South Kawishiwi River near Ely.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says today's execution of search warrants at multiple locations across the Twin Cities is an example of state and federal agencies working together.The federal Department of Homeland Security says the warrants are part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to fraud. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families confirmed the operation, saying it stems from information it shared with state and federal law enforcement.That story and more in today's evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.