A federal investigation found that Nippon Dynawave's Longview, Washington, chemical tank was declared unfit for service before it catastrophically failed on May 26, 2026, killing 11 workers.

An inspection contractor flagged the tank in July 2025 as "not fit for continued service unless corrected" because wall thickness had thinned below safe limits. PBS News Follow-up exterior inspections in October 2025 and February 2026 again found large areas thinner than the calculated minimum safe thickness, but the company did not repair, derate, or remove the tank from service. PBS News The vessel ruptured May 26, 2026, around 7 a.m., releasing about 900,000 gallons of caustic white liquor, blowing out building walls and killing 11 workers. PBS News The U.S. Chemical Safety Board says process conditions shifted hours before the blast when a digestor was taken offline, allowing the tank to fill toward capacity before it failed.

The U.S. Treasury proposed a rule on Friday, August 28, 2026, to cut Banque Misr's UAE branches off the U.S. dollar system.

Treasury framed the rule as a first step against what it called the bank's "egregious support" for Iran and opened a 30-day comment period. PBS News Egypt's central bank said the move is limited to the UAE branches' U.S. dollar transfers and does not affect Banque Misr's Egyptian or other overseas operations. PBS News Treasury also announced sanctions the same day on the manager of Iran's Bank Melli Dubai branch and on a Hong Kong firm alleged to have laundered Iranian funds.

On Friday, August 28, 2026, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, President Trump signed an executive order creating a commission to plan a U.S. Space Academy.

At the same ceremony, he awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. New York Times The order establishes a commission to be chaired by the head of NASA and directs it to propose key details for the Space Academy within 120 days. New York Times The administration described the plan as a preliminary design and said no campus location has been selected.

On Thursday, August 13, 2026, Judge Philip Hom of a New York appeals court stayed a temporary restraining order that had halted New York City's luxury-home surcharge rollout, allowing Mayor Mamdani's administration to resume sending and enforcing surcharge notices.

The stay lets the city continue mailing surcharge notices and enforcing deadlines while it appeals Judge Wayne Ozzi's earlier order. Fox News Homeowners' attorney Randy Mastro called the notices "blatantly illegal" and said plaintiffs will seek permanent relief at an August 31, 2026 hearing before Judge Ozzi.

Federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein on Friday, August 28, 2026 again rejected Donald Trump's attempt to move the Manhattan hush-money case to federal court and to dismiss it on presidential immunity grounds.

Hellerstein said Trump failed to show the required "good cause" for removal after first litigating immunity in New York state court. MS NOW He wrote that a litigant cannot seek victory in one court and then switch forums when a loss appears likely. MS NOW The judge found none of the evidence Trump cited involved official presidential acts. MS NOW He added that "paying hush money to an adult film star or engaging in a cover-up of an embarrassment" is not covered by presidential immunity.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a secret, same-day trip to Moscow on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, to press Russian intelligence officials on NATO threats, Iran and Russia's heavy losses in the Ukraine war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov publicly confirmed Ratcliffe held talks with Russian intelligence counterparts but said he did not meet President Vladimir Putin, who was "immediately informed." PBS News Russian state media reported a U.S. military aircraft landed at and departed Vnukovo Airport on August 25. PBS News Ratcliffe met with FSB chief Aleksandr V. Bortnikov and privately delivered a bleak intelligence assessment of Russia's military and economic position while urging Moscow to seek a deal to end the fighting. New York Times U.S. officials told Kyiv about the delegation and asked Ukraine to pause strikes on Moscow, St. Petersburg and some northern regions while the delegation was in Russia.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison approved the merger of Sanford Health and North Memorial Health on August 28, 2026, clearing the deal to proceed with conditions intended to protect jobs and services in the state.

Ellison required Sanford and North Memorial to keep employee jobs, honor collective bargaining agreements and preserve current levels of emergency transport, mental health and reproductive services. Business Journal The combined organization will invest $15 million to support rural providers and enhance Level 1 trauma and safety-net care in the Twin Cities. Business Journal Sanford CEO Bill Gassen said the deal is expected to close in September.

St. Paul police recovered a bronze bust of Olympic gymnast Suni Lee during a shots-fired raid at a Forest Street home around 12:30 a.m., and arrested a man on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

Officers responding to the shots-fired call found spent rifle casings outside and, after securing the scene, obtained a search warrant to search the home. FOX 9 Inside they recovered multiple firearms, ammunition and the bronze Suni Lee statue. FOX 9 The statue was taken from Phalen Regional Park on July 31, 2025, and city officials said they plan to reinstall it there.

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin ruled Thursday night, August 27, 2026, that the Pentagon illegally punished Anthropic for criticizing the administration's AI policies.

Lin wrote in a 59-page order that the Pentagon acted to make "a public example" of Anthropic for its "arrogance" rather than on any articulable belief the company would sabotage its model. NPR She said neither the Constitution nor the federal statute the government invoked allows sweeping penalties chiefly for criticism, and she rejected the administration's national-security justification as "empty." MS NOW Lin had earlier blocked the Pentagon from labeling Anthropic a supply-chain risk and from enforcing President Trump's social-media directive barring federal agencies from using Anthropic's Claude chatbot.

King Harald V of Norway died peacefully at age 89 on Friday, August 28, 2026, at the National Hospital in Oslo, and his son immediately succeeded him as King Haakon VIII.

Hospital officials said he died at 6:35 a.m. local time. CBS News Crown Prince Haakon became king at once; his wife Mette-Marit is now queen and their daughter Ingrid Alexandra is crown princess and heir. PBS News Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre called it "a day when a whole nation is in mourning" and praised Harald's "unwavering faith in the Norwegian people." CBS News

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani on Thursday, August 27, 2026, issued a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking key Postal Service requirements in a final mail-ballot rule just weeks before the midterms.

The order halts mandatory trackable barcodes, federal envelope-approval steps and a requirement that states upload mail-voter lists to a USPS portal, and it sets a Sept. 3 hearing on whether to extend the block. CBS News Talwani wrote the record contains no evidence of widespread mail-ballot fraud and said plaintiffs would suffer "irreparable harm" because many states have already ordered ballots and lack time and funds to comply.

President Trump announced a 90-day plan on Aug. 21 to allow up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be imported tariff-free, saying the move will help lower U.S. prices.

The White House proclamation backing the program was signed Aug. 19 and the administration says the import window will run for 90 days. MS NOW The plan directs the tariff-favored beef to be sold at 25% below current market prices, a figure the White House highlighted. MS NOW Economists say the consumer benefit will likely be modest: the extra supply equals roughly a 2% increase in U.S. beef availability and could cut retail ground-beef prices by about $0.25-$0.35 per pound rather than the larger drop the 25% claim implies. NPR The average U.S. ground-beef price in July was about $6.89 per pound. NPR Ranchers and trade groups have protested the policy as harmful to producers, and the American Farm Bureau Federation warned the timing overlaps the crucial September-November sales season.

Walmart and the Justice Department confirmed they reached an undisclosed settlement Friday, August 28, 2026, resolving the department's December 2020 lawsuit over opioid dispensing at Walmart pharmacies.

The 2020 suit accused Walmart pharmacies of filling thousands of invalid opioid prescriptions and failing to report suspicious orders in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. CBS News The DOJ had cited potential civil penalties of $67,627 per unlawful prescription and $15,691 per unreported suspicious order, but the final settlement amount was not disclosed.

Wells Fargo, acting as trustee for commercial mortgage investors, filed a foreclosure action Aug. 13, 2026 in Hennepin County District Court against affiliates of Workspace Property Trust.

The suit seeks Minnesota collateral tied to a $1.28 billion nationwide commercial loan that covered 146 suburban office and light industrial/R&D properties and went unpaid at its July 1, 2025 maturity.

A military judge in Guantánamo excluded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's 2007 confessions to FBI agents as involuntary on Friday, August 28, 2026, removing what prosecutors called their most crucial evidence.

Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama barred the statements from trial, saying they were not voluntary and cannot be used at the military commission. New York Times Schrama had set June 5, 2028, as the start date for a joint Guantánamo trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants and said extra time was needed to resolve pretrial evidence disputes.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh warned at Jackson Hole on Friday, August 28, 2026, that recent cooling in inflation may not reflect improved underlying trends and left open further policy action.

July consumer prices remained above the Fed's 2% goal, with CPI at 3.4% and the Fed's preferred PCE at 3.7% year-over-year. NPR Markets quickly upped odds of a September rate increase, with options prices moving from about one-in-three to above 50% and CME Group's FedWatch showing roughly a 55% chance for the Sept. 15-16 meeting.

A massive glacier detachment and debris flow along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday killed at least 469 people in Nepal and at least five in Tibet, and left more than 1,500 people missing.

The U.S. Geological Survey says seismic and satellite data show the event was a magnitude-5.2 glacier collapse that sent ice, rock and water rushing downstream. PBS News Researchers measured river levels rising as much as 9 meters within about 30 minutes, and dozens of bridges and tens of kilometers of road were swept away, hampering access. CBS News The U.S. State Department says about 90 Americans are unaccounted for and has pledged $500,000 in aid and a disaster-response adviser. NPR Nepal's army and security forces have airlifted thousands to safety, but officials briefly paused some rescue operations amid fears that a newly formed barrier lake upstream could breach.

A jury in Plymouth County Superior Court began deliberations Thursday over whether Lindsay Clancy was criminally responsible for killing her three children or should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Testimony formally ended Wednesday and closing arguments were held before deliberations began. CBS News Jurors were instructed they could return verdicts ranging from first-degree murder to manslaughter or not guilty by reason of insanity, with first-degree carries life without parole and an insanity finding typically meaning commitment to a state psychiatric hospital.

A Koblenz regional court on Friday, August 28, 2026, sentenced 81-year-old Hans S. to life in prison for the 1994 rape and murder of U.S. tourist Amy Lopez.

Lopez, 24, a visitor from Texas, was found dead near Koblenz's Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in 1994 with stab wounds, severe head injuries and signs of strangulation. CBS News The court said Hans S. had sought a victim, lured Lopez onto a secluded path and killed her with a "particular gravity of guilt," a finding that limits his prospects for early release.

A 48-year-old Minneapolis man was killed just before 2 a.m. Friday when a BMW X5 struck his Nissan Rogue that was stopped on the southbound shoulder of Highway 169 near County Road 21 in Shakopee.

The BMW was driven by an 18-year-old Shakopee man. FOX 9 The Nissan's driver died, and his three passengers and the BMW driver were uninjured.

Marine One again had trouble reaching Washington, D.C., air traffic controllers while preparing to take off on Thursday, August 27, 2026, and contact was not made until another pilot intervened.

The incident came about an hour after the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report saying Reagan controllers did not hear Marine One's required three-minute warning calls during an August 4 near-miss. CBS News The report also said an attempted backup relay through the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling helicopter facility failed. CBS News The Federal Aviation Administration said controllers established contact before Thursday's takeoff but did not explain why the radio problems appeared to recur. CBS News Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had said on August 11 that interference issues had been fixed and such a failure "should not take place again," a claim contradicted by Thursday's incident.

Two Frankfurt Airport workers died after contracting malaria, one of six employees infected in a cluster reported the week of August 28, 2026, officials said.

The Robert Koch Institute said an imported Anopheles mosquito carried on an aircraft is the likely cause of the cluster. CBS News Four other infected workers were hospitalized for treatment, and airport crews have placed mosquito traps to test captured insects.

A man was fatally shot inside a car around 3:20 a.m. Friday, August 28, 2026, on the 2400 block of 18th Avenue South in south Minneapolis, police said.

Officers responded after ShotSpotter alerts and 911 calls reporting gunfire at the block, the department said. FOX 9 They found a man in the driver's seat with life-threatening gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Oakland police identified 34-year-old Jose Jesus Rodriguez as the suspect in a stabbing spree in East Oakland that killed one person and injured four on Monday evening, August 24, 2026.

Officers arrested Rodriguez about 30 minutes after the first reported attack in the 1500 block of 39th Avenue, police said. NBC Bay Area He is booked into Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. NBC Bay Area Authorities named the fatality as 58-year-old Gonsalo Lopez, who died at Cesar Chavez Park, and said three victims were in stable condition while one remained critical as of Tuesday, August 25, 2026.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper on Thursday pressed lawyers over the Kennedy Center's plan to restore President Donald J. Trump's name to the building by Sept. 8, saying the timetable raised questions as an appeal proceeds in Washington.

Cooper repeatedly asked Justice Department lawyer Bradley Mayers, "What's magic about that date?" and challenged tying the rush to renovation needs rather than the statute that governs the center's name. PBS News He also questioned whether he could block any new inscriptions while the May ruling is on appeal. CBS News The judge said more factual development was necessary and ordered discovery into how the board adopted its Aug. 13 resolution.

Mexican authorities raided five properties in Tamaulipas near the U.S. border on Thursday, August 27, 2026, seizing 135 exotic animals and diesel tied to a fuel-smuggling ring.

Troops recovered about 18,000 gallons of diesel along with fuel tanks, pumps, firearms and tools, and authorities arrested one person. CBS News The raids uncovered Bengal tigers, jaguars, lions, hyenas, mandrills, a camel, an American bison and a green macaw; 35 of the animals are classified as endangered.

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) chief Adm. Brad Cooper said transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz are free of Iranian sea mines and that shipping lanes are open. CBS News He said the lanes had "momentum" building.

Cooper said U.S. forces have assisted nearly 1,500 commercial vessels in transiting the strait over the past several months and helped move about 750 million barrels of crude oil out of the Persian Gulf. CBS News President Trump said U.S. forces helped 24 oil tankers transit the strait the previous night, compared with roughly 120 ships that transited the strait daily before the war. CBS News Cooper said that since the United States resumed a naval blockade in mid-July, Iran has exported "zero barrels of oil from its shores." CBS News Iran's oil minister acknowledged exports have "declined to some extent" but said deliveries continue in distant waters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally presented upgraded valor medals at the Pentagon on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, to retired Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby, retired Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston and retired Cpl. Michael Gretzon.

Eby and Houston were upgraded to Bronze Star Medals with the "V" device for valor, and Gretzon was upgraded to the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with the "V" device. CBS News Eby's citation says he continued screening evacuees after the Abbey Gate blast, took command after his platoon commander and half his platoon were killed or wounded, reestablished security and helped evacuate injured personnel. CBS News Houston's citation says he was wounded and concussed, surrounded by gunfire and tear gas, yet pulled multiple wounded Marines to safety from an exposed position. CBS News Gretzon's citation says he self-applied a tourniquet, remained in an exposed position to conduct crowd control and prioritized evacuation of the most critically wounded, actions described as doubtlessly life-saving. CBS News Hegseth said the Marines' "fearless response represents the pinnacle of combat heroism. Simply put, valor." CBS News

The United States, South Korea and Japan will hold the Freedom Edge trilateral drill Sept. 7-11 in waters off Jeju Island, focused on missile defense, anti-submarine warfare and surveillance.

The exercise goes ahead after President Trump ordered the U.S.-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise cut short, a move followed by North Korea launching about 10 short-range ballistic missiles. NPR North Korea's Foreign Ministry accused the United States of "hostile moves," including a possible air-to-air missile sale to South Korea, and warned of a "serious, immediate and powerful" response.

The U.S. Army used a high-energy laser to shoot down three suspected cartel drones along the U.S.-Mexico border late Aug. 25 and early Aug. 26, 2026.

U.S. Northern Command said the unmanned aircraft systems were engaged by an Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser operated by the southern border Joint Task Force. CBS News Officials said the drones were judged hostile because they supported activities that posed a physical threat to U.S. military and Customs and Border Protection personnel, but they withheld locations and cartel attribution for security reasons.

Defense lawyers for the "Minnesota 15" asked a federal judge in Minneapolis on Thursday, August 27, 2026, to compel DHS to disclose surveillance and facial-recognition records from Operation Metro Surge.

Attorney Kevin Riach, representing defendant Isaac Sant, argued the request at a hearing before U.S. District Judge David Schultz, who said he will issue an order at an unspecified time. FOX 9 DHS declined to comment, and Sant and defense lawyer Jordan Kushner accused the agency of using Metro Surge as a pretext for broad spying on Twin Cities residents and civic groups.

Christopher Robert Nelson, 45, of Eagan, was sentenced Aug. 27 in Minneapolis federal court to 17 years in prison and five years of supervised release for producing child pornography.

Officials said investigators and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified 25 known victims across 46 separate series of abuse material found on his device. FOX 9 Prosecutors said the material included roughly 400 images and videos and that Nelson coerced at least one 11-year-old girl in January 2023 to send explicit content in exchange for money.

A judge has ordered Quadrel Realty Group to pay $750 a day for failing to carry out court-ordered repairs and rent credits at the Brentwood Apartments in Minneapolis.

The penalty has pushed the company's debt from nearly $50,000 in fines to more than $100,000, court records and tenant accounts show.

Riverside County prosecutors announced on August 27, 2026, that the woman long known only as "Claudia" has been identified as Lydia Jane Wade McWhorter of Texas.

Genetic genealogy and DNA testing of both paternal and maternal relatives allowed investigators to confirm her identity after more than three decades. Fox News Her remains were found on August 30, 1992, along Highway 95 about seven miles north of Blythe, California. Fox News Keith Hunter Jesperson, the "Happy Face Killer," had confessed to killing the woman he called "Claudia" after his 1995 arrest and later pleaded guilty in Riverside County; he received a sentence of 25 years to life for that case.

Fairfax County detectives arrested nine men in an undercover online child-exploitation sting and charged them with roughly 20 offenses, authorities said.

Three of the suspects are Salvadoran nationals: Reyben Sanchez Hernandez, Wilmer Alexander Aguilar Cruz, and Henry Adalberto Flores Herrera. WJLA DHS says all three are in the United States illegally, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged detainers for them in July. WJLA ICE lodged detainers for Flores Herrera on July 17, Sanchez Hernandez on July 29, and Aguilar Cruz on July 31, but all three were released on secured bonds of $3,000 to $5,000.

Minnesota's drought worsened this week as the U.S. Drought Monitor and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported the area in extreme drought jumped from 1% to 4% of the state.

Severe drought now covers 45% of Minnesota, up from 44% last week, while 30% is in moderate drought and 17% is abnormally dry. FOX 9 The DNR is urging residents to water newly planted trees with 15-25 gallons per week for the first three to five growing-season years. FOX 9 Farm-level impacts include delayed alfalfa harvests, earlier corn harvests with smaller kernels and lower expected yields, and soybeans that look healthy but are under-yielding without August rain.

The Democratic Republic of Congo launched an Ervebo Ebola vaccination campaign in Kisangani on Thursday, August 27, 2026, to protect health workers and contacts amid the country's deadliest outbreak on record.

The World Health Organization cleared 70,000 Ervebo doses for use in Congo, with 50,000 slated for frontline health workers and 20,000 reserved for a clinical trial targeting Bundibugyo Ebola. PBS News The campaign initially covers 14 health zones in Tshopo, Bas-Uele and Haut-Uele provinces and will prioritize immunizing health workers and people who had close contact with confirmed patients. PBS News The outbreak has infected 5,713 people and killed 2,744 across six provinces, a confirmed-case fatality rate of about 48%.

Federal officials reported Thursday that the Cyclospora outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce has grown to 11,458 illnesses across 20 states, with two deaths reported in Michigan.

The outbreak now spans 20 states after Georgia, Tennessee and Texas were added to the list of affected jurisdictions. CBS News Michigan has recorded two deaths tied to the outbreak, and the CDC reports roughly 17,180 cyclosporiasis cases and 922 hospitalizations nationwide in 2026. FDA and Mexican authorities are inspecting and testing produce at Taylor Farms de Mexico, identified as the likely source. CBS News The FDA says it remains confident all recalled iceberg lettuce linked to this outbreak is off the U.S. market.

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, the defense rested in Duane "Keffe D" Davis's murder trial in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, sending the case to closing arguments.

Jurors are scheduled to hear closing arguments Monday before deliberating Davis's alleged role in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. CBS News Retired Las Vegas detective Dan Long testified he could not independently corroborate some details of Davis's 2009 account. CBS News Long said Davis admitted being in the Cadillac and named the four men investigators believe were inside. CBS News Prosecutors say their case leans heavily on his recorded interviews, a 2019 memoir and recorded jail calls that they say show he orchestrated the attack after a casino fight.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement signed a $16.7 million no-bid contract on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, with Compliant Technologies LLC to buy 6,000 electroshock gloves.

The gloves, marketed as G.L.O.V.E. devices, cost $2,495 apiece and can deliver an electric shock when switched to electrical mode and applied to a subject's bare skin. CBS News ICE procurement documents say the gloves may be used on people who are "actively or passively resisting" as a lower-impact use-of-force option. CBS News An instruction manual urges officers to give subjects a chance to comply, limit shocks to about 15 seconds, and avoid use on vulnerable people including the elderly and pregnant women.

Three more defendants in the Feeding Our Future fraud were sentenced in federal court in Minnesota and ordered to repay millions in stolen child nutrition funds.

Abdihakim Ali Ahmed was sentenced to 54 months in prison and must report to prison on October 6 at noon, with Judge Nancy Brasel recommending a Minnesota minimum-security facility. FOX 9 Brasel told Ahmed, "This was a global pandemic. Instead of helping, you did the opposite of helping and you stole." FOX 9 Minneapolis man Ahmed Abdullahi Ghedi, 37, received a 65-month prison term, two years of supervised release and will forfeit a Park Avenue mansion and a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. FOX 9 Prosecutors say Ghedi funneled more than $2 million into a shell company, spent heavily on vehicles and credit cards, and paid kickbacks while billing for more than 1.6 million fake meals. FOX 9 Hussein Mohamed Farah was sentenced to 20 months, ordered to pay $471,000 in restitution and given two years of supervised release. FOX 9 Ahmed Sharif Omar-Hashim, also known as Salah Donyale, drew 36 months for wire fraud tied to his company Total Financial Solutions.

Ramsey County and Minnesota officials sued two rival gangs to block them from the Minnesota State Fair, and eight of 10 named alleged members have agreed to avoid the fair and its safety zone from Aug. 27-Sept. 8.

Three alleged Muddy members earlier signed a joint stipulation promising to skip the fair; in return prosecutors agreed to dismiss those three from the broader nuisance lawsuit if they comply. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul A Ramsey County judge did not ban the two remaining named Muddy defendants from the fair but barred them from associating with known gang members, intimidating anyone, or using gang signs inside the safety zone. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Police will not use facial-recognition technology, and officers who think they spot an alleged gang member must first call a specialized Ramsey County deputy familiar with the targets before any arrest. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Sheriff Bob Fletcher also sent warning letters to 233 people tied to 12 gangs, saying any attendance with known gang members will be documented for potential future prosecution. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Ramsey County Attorney John Choi called the action preventative, and State Fair Police Chief Ron Knafla said officials will be sensitive to not interfering with fairgoers who are just there to enjoy the event.

Three Secret Service civilian officials were placed on administrative leave on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, as the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility opened a review into possible misconduct.

One of the three is communications chief Anthony Guglielmi, and reports say all three were serving in non-law-enforcement civilian roles when removed from duty. MS NOW News outlets have described the inquiry as looking into "possible" or "potential" misconduct but said officials have not publicly disclosed specific allegations.

A crash in Brooklyn Center killed one girl under age 10 and left another under age 10 critically injured after both were struck while riding the same minibike.

The southbound driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators. FOX 9 The Minnesota State Patrol and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office are leading the investigation. FOX 9 A KSTP reporter on scene said bystanders performed CPR on one child near Brooklyn Drive and 63rd Avenue North.

A U.S. defense official in Europe warned Aug. 27, 2026 that Patriot missile stocks in Europe are "beyond critical," leaving forces with very limited ability to stop a Russian ballistic missile strike.

The official told the AP U.S. forces in Europe would have "very limited" capability to defend against even a single Russian ballistic missile strike. PBS News NATO's spokesman and the Pentagon publicly rejected the claim of shortages. PBS News CSIS data cited in the report estimate operations tied to the Iran war have used about 1,500 of roughly 2,330 U.S. Patriot interceptors. PBS News That analysis put remaining global stocks at roughly 759-827 as of late July 2026. PBS News The report also said long-range strike missiles such as ATACMS are short in Europe, and that Germany and other allies have Patriot launchers but not enough interceptor ammunition.

On August 27, 2026, the Justice Department filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in its lawsuit accusing Harvard University of tolerating antisemitism.

The filing keeps alive an effort that could, if successful, cut some federal research grants or recover past payments. New York Times U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns dismissed the case on August 13, finding the cited incidents too isolated to prove ongoing Title VI violations.

Three Stars and Stripes leaders sued the Pentagon in federal court in Washington on Thursday, August 27, 2026, alleging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon officials tried to fire them in retaliation for reporting on the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The plaintiffs are publisher Max Lederer, editor in chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte, who received separation notices from the Pentagon last week. CBS News Their complaint says officials cited "insubordination" after Slavin and Korte defended the paper's independence in July interviews and after Stars and Stripes published reporting tied to conditions aboard the Lincoln, and it asks a court to block the firings.

By Thursday, August 27, 2026, the Ross Fire in Palo Pinto and Jack counties had burned more than 80,000 acres and was 21% contained, forcing new evacuations and road closures.

Residents along County Road 2210 toward Highway 281 were ordered to evacuate, and an evacuation center opened at Twin Lake Recreation Center in Jacksboro. CBS News Jacksboro ISD delayed the start of school by two hours while Perrin CISD canceled classes because of the wildfire and evacuations. CBS News U.S. Highway 180 was closed between South FM 4 and FM 919, and a Temporary Flight Restriction was imposed over the fire area. CBS News Worth Ranch suffered catastrophic damage to many buildings, though no scouts or guests were present and the camp ranger was safely evacuated. CBS News A livestock holding station opened at the Old Mineral Wells Sale Barn to shelter displaced animals.

St. Paul's Randolph/Shepard Road homeless encampment has more than tripled in size since the city cleared Pig's Eye Park, raising urgent safety and health concerns, Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker said.

The site sits on a former auto salvage yard with soil contaminated by lead and carcinogens, in a flood-prone area that emergency crews find hard to access. FOX 9 Emergency medical services recently responded there to a stillbirth, and the city says only seven former Pig's Eye residents have used the newly funded shelter beds despite a $1 million expansion. FOX 9 Assistant Mayor Baker also said activists have planted "booby traps," creating safety concerns for city staff.

Minneapolis police say a July 8 death at a Loring Park apartment of 54-year-old Abdiwahab A. Isse has been reclassified as a homicide, officials said Aug. 27.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide and listed the cause as complications of blunt force head injury, the release said.

Ratko Mladic, the convicted Bosnian Serb commander, died at age 84 on Thursday, August 27, 2026, in a U.N. prison hospital in The Hague, U.N. officials said.

Serbian state RTS television and official Bosnian Serb broadcasters reported his death, CBS News said. CBS News A family member speaking anonymously to the Associated Press confirmed the death and said Mladic's son Darko was traveling to The Hague, CBS reported. CBS News U.N. court officials told the Associated Press they could not immediately confirm the reports, CBS said.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday moved to fire two LaGuardia air traffic controllers accused of leaving work early the night an Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck, killing both pilots.

The agency says the controllers falsified timecards in apparent "early shoves" and has proposed termination for alleged timecard fraud. CBS News Two other controllers were in the tower when the crash occurred, and the National Transportation Safety Board says staffing with two controllers on the midnight shift at LaGuardia is common practice.

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, Judge Aaron Roberts dismissed all charges against Wyandotte County Deputy Richard Fatherley in the murder case arising from the July 2025 death of inmate Charles Adair in Kansas.

The Wyandotte County district attorney's office filed a notice of appeal the same day and publicly disagreed with the dismissal. New York Times Fatherley had been charged with second-degree murder in the July 2025 death. New York Times Prosecutors said an affidavit alleges he kneeled on Adair's lower back while other deputies restrained the handcuffed man on a bunk, and a nurse later found Adair unresponsive.

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, Tristan Tate asked a Miami federal judge to grant bail so he and his brother can help fight U.K. rape and trafficking charges.

In court, Tristan testified that ants infested his cell, he lacked toilet privacy and he lost about 14 pounds in nearly six weeks, saying those conditions prevent adequate defense preparation. PBS News Defense lawyers said the brothers' claims of extreme wealth, multiple passports and ownership of a roughly $50 million superyacht were exaggerated or staged for social media. PBS News Attorney Howard Srebnick told the judge Andrew Tate's online persona was performative and compared it to Sacha Baron Cohen's "Ali G" character. PBS News Judge Lauren Louis has not set an extradition hearing date, and the United Kingdom has until mid-September to submit supporting evidence to the State Department.

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced federal charges against more than 80 alleged members of the Los Baja Deo gang in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

Prosecutors say the Mayagüez-based group trafficked fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs and generated nearly $50 million in proceeds. PBS News The indictment links the gang to shootings, killings, kidnappings and assaults and says it distributed at least 340 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics. PBS News Acting U.S. attorney Héctor Ramírez-Carbó said 81 violent gang members will face justice and that the takedown seeks to restore safety for families in Mayagüez.

A driver deliberately rammed a car into a group of pedestrians outside a bar near Caen's train station on Wednesday night, August 26, killing two men and injuring nine others.

Victims included two men aged roughly 17 to 40, and seven of the nine injured were initially reported in critical condition. France 24 Police arrested a 26-year-old man born in Russia in the nearby coastal town of Ouistreham and opened a murder and aggravated-assault investigation. France 24 Prosecutors said they were not treating the case as terrorism at this stage.

Meta and a coalition of U.S. states reached a proposed settlement in a federal child-safety trial in Oakland on Wednesday, agreeing to roughly $17 billion in payments over 10 years and new limits on teen use.

The deal would impose a default two-hour daily cap for users under 18, a default midnight-to-6 a.m. block liftable only by a parent, and hidden like counts for minors. NPR It bans extreme cosmetic surgery filters for minors, requires a non-personalized feed option, and mandates stronger age checks plus independent audits and state oversight. NPR If approved, the proposal projects at least $1.5 billion for California and smaller shares for New Jersey, Massachusetts and Virginia, and some funds would support youth mental health programs.

Five-year-old Liam Tadeo and his father, Victor Martinez Nieto, were deported to Mexico on August 27, 2026, after being detained in Austin, Texas, by ICE officers.

Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said the pair were sent together to Mexico. MS NOW They had been held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, a child-heavy family detention site that the Trump administration reopened in 2025 and which is run by CoreCivic.

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority Board voted to approve an additional $6 million investment in Heritage Park Apartments, pending approval from the city's Board of Estimate and Taxation.

MPHA said it will repurpose funds from other agency projects and part of its annual housing levy to cover the money. FOX 9 The authority said $3 million will pay near-term operating needs, and $3 million from MPHA's 2027 levy is being held for a future $55-65 million large-scale rehab. FOX 9 MPHA said the long-term project could include full in-unit renovations and major plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roof, stucco and window work across the 440-unit complex. FOX 9 Director Abdi Warsame framed the $6 million as on top of roughly $12 million MPHA says it has invested at the site since 2022, blamed a past lack of "political will" and thanked Council Member Pearll Warren for elevating the issue.

Walser Automotive agreed to pay $490,000 to the State of Minnesota and court documents say all criminal charges tied to a Hennepin County tax-evasion case will be dropped.

Prosecutors accused Walser and a buyer, William Frederick Ward, of using Montana limited liability companies to title new luxury cars out of state. FOX 9 They said the cars were then resold as "used" to avoid Minnesota motor vehicle sales tax. FOX 9 Investigators noted many cars had identical or nearly identical odometer readings between manufacturer purchase and final sale. FOX 9 They also cited Montana's lack of vehicle sales tax and Walser's employee-lease practice as evidence the company knew a car must be placed in actual operation to qualify as "used" under Minnesota law.

The Minneapolis City Council voted 13-0 Thursday, August 27, 2026, to pass a dress-code posting ordinance for bars and restaurants, and the measure now heads to Mayor Jacob Frey for final approval.

Lead sponsors Jason Chavez and Pearll Warren, with co-authors Robin Wonsley and Council President Elliott Payne, championed the ordinance at the council vote. FOX 9 Chavez and Warren said the rule is meant to curb arbitrary exclusions and increase transparency by forcing venues to post their dress codes where patrons can see them.

Meta removed an Iran-based influence network of Facebook and Instagram accounts that used AI-generated memes to pose as American users and target U.S. political audiences.

The company's latest threat report, shared Thursday, August 27, 2026, details four Facebook accounts and 31 Instagram accounts tied to operators in Iran. The accounts shared AI-created content about U.S. politics, including anti-Republican messages and posts on Israel-Palestine and immigration.

As of Thursday, August 27, 2026, U.S. officials say the administration is close to a deal with Venezuela's interim government for an ownership stake in more than a dozen oil fields.

The fields under discussion contain about 90 million barrels of proven reserves and were previously linked to Venezuelan insiders and Chinese-affiliated interests. Axios Secretary of State Marco Rubio and acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez are leading the talks, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright is planning a possible trip to Venezuela next week. Axios Officials say the arrangement could more than double U.S. oil reserves and is being pursued amid wars in Iran and Ukraine and a Strategic Petroleum Reserve at a 40-year low.

A Florida grand jury concluded that officials in Gov. Ron DeSantis's administration misappropriated $10 million from a Medicaid settlement and routed the money through the Hope Florida Foundation.

The leaked report says the foundation then quickly redirected most of the funds to political committees that opposed the 2024 marijuana legalization ballot measure. New York Times The grand jury labels the transactions "misappropriation" of public funds and calls them "part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities." CBS News

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, UEFA filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida seeking discovery from FIFA entities to support a planned Swiss criminal complaint.

UEFA said it also filed in a Manhattan federal court seeking discovery from Thrive Capital Management and related advisers as part of the same effort. CBS News The contemplated Swiss complaint alleges possible criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code tied to a scrapped plan to sell about a 20% stake in a FIFA commercial unit for $4.2 billion. CBS News UEFA has warned it may pursue accountability after previously threatening to boycott FIFA competitions and cautioning FIFA on August 3 not to destroy documents linked to the proposal.

The FBI and Department of Justice seized three internet domains tied to China-linked hacking group QTFY on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, crippling its QScan scanning and QTRouter anonymization platforms.

Newly unsealed court records say QTFY stole data from more than 300 victim organizations, including U.S. defense contractors, financial firms and universities. Fox News The FBI affidavit says QTFY successfully breached three Department of Energy laboratories, the National Institutes of Health and a Department of Health and Human Services agency before the takedown. Fox News Federal advisory documents cited in filings say QTFY scanned Senate and hospital networks in March 2026 and probed a U.S. election system in June 2026, though those attempts reportedly failed.

Christopher A. Bravo Marin, 46, of Minneapolis, was indicted on a federal charge accusing him of laundering at least $750,000 in drug proceeds for Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The indictment returned Aug. 20, 2026, accuses Bravo Marin of a conspiracy that ran from February 2023 through February 2026. FOX 9 The complaint says he processed structured transfers just under $1,000, used fake Hispanic-origin sender names, straw beneficiaries in Mexico, forged signatures and texted receipts.

On Wednesday evening, August 26, 2026, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's lawyer sent a six-page letter to the White House saying there is no legally cognizable cause to remove her from the Fed Board.

Attorney Abbe Lowell's letter calls the administration's claims "untried and unproven allegations of criminal wrongdoing" and says the president lacks legal grounds to oust Cook. MS NOW The filing cites 1993 mortgage records alleging Donald Trump listed two Florida properties as his primary residence within seven weeks and points to reports that other senior officials also listed multiple primary residences. MS NOW Lowell notes Cook's Atlanta condo and Ann Arbor house were listed as primary residences on separate mortgages but says that was an "entirely inadvertent oversight," and points to a document labeling the Atlanta unit a "2nd home." MS NOW Cook has publicly denied the allegations as "unfounded and untrue." CBS News

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols denied the Justice Department's bid to dismiss Steve Bannon's contempt-of-Congress conviction in Washington, D.C.

Nichols said the Justice Department's single-sentence motion that dismissal served "the interests of justice" was too conclusory under Rule 48(a)'s "with leave of court" standard. MS NOW He invited prosecutors to file a new, more detailed motion explaining their rationale and to show why Rule 48(a) allows dismissal after Bannon's jury conviction and four-month sentence.

A federal judge in Brownsville, Texas, denied Minnesota's emergency request to keep ICE agent Christian Castro jailed, and Castro was released from Cameron County Jail after reaching Texas' 90-day pre-extradition limit on Thursday, August 27.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. denied Attorney General Keith Ellison's request for a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, clearing the way for the release. Minnesotareformer Gov. Greg Abbott told the court he is awaiting his Secretary of State's determination and his lawyers argued Texas has discretion over whether Castro qualifies as a fugitive.

The Trump administration plans to raise deportation flights to Haiti from once a month to once a week starting as soon as the week of August 24-30, 2026, targeting thousands whose Temporary Protected Status (TPS) ended.

A first post-TPS deportation flight carried 161 people on August 20, 2026, after about eight flights earlier in 2026. The move comes as the State Department warns U.S. travelers not to visit Haiti and the Federal Aviation Administration has banned commercial landings at Port-au-Prince because of crime and reported gang fire at aircraft. New York Times Former U.S. special envoy Daniel Foote said conditions in Haiti have worsened and criticized sending back people who have spent most of their lives in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. denied Minnesota's emergency request Wednesday to force Gov. Greg Abbott to sign an extradition warrant for ICE officer Christian Castro, clearing the way for his release Thursday.

The judge also refused to bar Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino from releasing Castro, finding Minnesota's suit not ripe because Abbott has neither agreed nor refused to sign a rendition warrant. Fox News Abbott has tied his delay to an internal state review and to Minnesota's handling of alleged social-services fraud, saying he will not act until fraud-related losses are addressed. CBS News Minnesota told the court recorded jail calls showed Castro discussing marrying a woman in Mexico and buying a home there, which prosecutors said made him a flight risk.

Gov. Tim Walz proclaimed Aug. 27 "Annunciation Day of Hope, Resilience and Love" as Minneapolis held a one-year remembrance and supply-drive at Pearl Park.

The event, set from 1-5 p.m., included flower and tree plantings, assembling youth care kits for Avenues for Youth and collecting supplies for Minneapolis Public Schools. FOX 9 Organizers released specific lists of requested school and care-kit items and asked residents to place two candles or lights in their windows in memory of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel.

The FDA granted expedited approval Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, to daraxonrasib, marketed as Rasonque, for advanced metastatic pancreatic cancer, clearing a new option for patients whose disease no longer responds to other treatments.

In a 500-patient randomized Phase 3 trial, median overall survival was 13.2 months with daraxonrasib versus 6.7 months with chemotherapy, and fewer severe side effects were reported. NPR Revolution Medicines will sell the drug as Rasonque, and the company set a U.S. list price of about $39,800 for a one-month supply. NPR Common side effects include skin rash, mouth sores and diarrhea. NPR FDA acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas said the agency approved the drug more than six months ahead of its target date and called doing so part of the FDA's "fundamental duty" to deliver treatments quickly.

The Legal Accountability Center filed bar complaints in New York and Virginia on Tuesday against U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and two deputies. MS NOW Rep. Jamie Raskin opened a House Judiciary Committee investigation the following day that specifically includes cases brought by Pirro's office.

The filings name deputies Carlton Davis and Steven Vandervelden. PBS News They accuse the prosecutors of abusing their power to seek "meritless" indictments of six Democratic lawmakers over a video urging troops to resist unlawful orders. PBS News Pirro's office called the complaint "frivolous" and accused the Legal Accountability Center of trying to "weaponize the disciplinary process." MS NOW

Maplewood Development asked the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board on Aug. 6 to demolish about 60 abandoned buildings at the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant parcel in Arden Hills, citing safety concerns.

Arden Hills City Council approved the demolition request on Aug. 10, but the state board must still sign off and a 20-day public comment period is required before demolition permits can be issued. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal The teardown would clear land for the developers' 62-acre Hillview Business Park, which envisions roughly 972,200 square feet of warehouse, distribution and office space north of Rice Creek Commons.

Dolly Parton died peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 25, 2026, her representatives said.

Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death in a social media video earlier Tuesday. NPR Her representatives called her life a "rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see" in the statement confirming she died peacefully. NPR CBS News aired a special report anchored by Tony Dokoupil that framed the development as breaking news and did not provide a cause of death or memorial plans.

A Maryland county circuit court judge blocked a Democrat-backed constitutional redistricting amendment from the November 2026 ballot on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, citing missed statutory deadlines.

Judge Robert Thompson held that the amendment was submitted too late because Democrats missed a July 1 statutory deadline requiring the state secretary of state to certify ballot summaries. Fox News Thompson also found the ballot language intentionally misleading and said the measure violated Maryland's single-subject rule by also granting the state Supreme Court original jurisdiction over congressional redistricting suits. PBS The Maryland Senate Republican Caucus praised the ruling as ensuring the state complies with constitutional and election procedures before voters are asked to amend the constitution.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is preparing to remove the "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" (ALARA) radiation-protection standard, a change that could let some nuclear workers receive higher doses, NPR reported Thursday, August 27, 2026.

NPR says the proposed update would remove ALARA from the NRC's radiation-protection framework. NPR The reporting says the change is being framed as part of a pro-nuclear push to supply power for artificial-intelligence data centers and to accelerate reactor buildout.

A Suffolk County grand jury has indicted a Boston man, Shieh, on multiple charges including involuntary manslaughter over a May 13 boat crash near Logan International Airport that killed 24-year-old Elizabeth "Lizzie" Dankert.

The indictment also lists boat OUI causing death, two counts of boat OUI causing serious bodily injury, unauthorized boat use and a Logan Airport security violation.

President Trump's investment accounts continued trading oil and gas stocks during the Iran war, filings show.

The filings show his accounts executed thousands of trades through the second quarter of 2026, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in Chevron, ConocoPhillips and other energy stocks. CBS News On April 7, 2026, the accounts sold between $500,000 and $1 million of ExxonMobil stock, and Exxon's share price fell the next day after his ceasefire announcement. CBS News Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee estimate Mr. Trump's oil and gas holdings rose from $13-46 million to $17-61 million between early 2026 and mid-August. CBS News The White House said independent managers using computer-based model portfolios direct all trades and that neither Mr. Trump nor his family can influence timing or asset selection.

U.S. forces struck suspected drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific on Aug. 23 and in the Caribbean on Aug. 25, killing six people and raising the campaign's toll to at least 227 dead in 68 strikes.

The Pacific strike killed two people the military accused of trafficking, the military said. PBS The Caribbean hit killed four people who U.S. Southern Command described as "narco-terrorists." CBS News SOUTHCOM said "confirmed intelligence" tied both vessels to narco-trafficking but did not publicly produce evidence the boats were carrying drugs at the time of the strikes. PBS Gen. Francis L. Donovan said Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere will "hunt, disrupt, and defeat" cartel networks.

A chartered Cessna 441 carrying eight people crashed while on approach to the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport on August 20, 2026, killing everyone aboard.

NTSB Alaska region chief Clint Johnson said there were two pilots and six passengers and that the plane departed Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport before crashing about 12:15 p.m. local time while on approach. PBS News The NTSB said the aircraft was on its second instrument approach in heavy fog after the pilots aborted a first landing attempt, and automated observations showed visibility fall from roughly 10 miles to under a quarter-mile within about 15 minutes of the crash.

A Piper PA-24 en route from Anchorage crashed Wednesday, August 26, 2026, into about 15 feet of water in Seldovia Slough near Seldovia, Alaska, killing all four adults aboard.

Alaska State Troopers recovered the victims after the tide went out, authorities said. CBS News The aircraft came to rest in roughly 15 feet of water, and the National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation; no cause has been determined. CBS News Sen. Dan Sullivan said he will be briefed by the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration on the crash.

On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, Nikolay Mladenov told the U.N. Security Council that Israeli strikes in Gaza are undermining President Trump's ceasefire plan and risking a collapse of the demilitarization effort.

Mladenov said Hamas has agreed to disarm and transfer Gaza to civilian rule under Trump's 20-point proposal. NPR He criticized continued Israeli strikes since the October 2025 ceasefire, saying they are still killing Palestinians and delaying demilitarization and the civilian transition. NPR Israel's deputy U.N. ambassador Noa Furman said Israel backs the plan but insisted Hamas must first disarm before Israeli forces withdraw from current positions. NPR U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said U.S. officials are addressing concerns about the plan and will judge Hamas's disarmament by concrete actions.

The St. Paul City Council unanimously passed a resolution on Aug. 26, 2026, urging an end to Flock Safety license-plate cameras in the city and Ramsey County and asking officials to report back within 60 days.

Mayor Kaohly Her and Police Chief Axel Herny said the two Flock cameras owned by the city will be removed while the council request is acted on. FOX 9 The resolution is nonbinding and directs the mayor's office and Ramsey County commissioners to respond within 60 days. FOX 9 Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher rejected calls to end his office's contract, calling ALPRs "one of the best technologies" and saying searches are audited and restricted to authorized sergeants. FOX 9 Fletcher also credited the cameras with big drops in crime, citing about a 40% decline in violent crime and roughly 70% fewer auto thefts over three years.

On Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture released about 8,000 parasitoid wasps into Ki-Chi-Saga Park in Chisago County as the emerald ash borer spreads across the state.

Ki-Chi-Saga Park covers about 97 acres and is roughly 90 percent ash, leaving nearly the entire canopy vulnerable to emerald ash borer. FOX 9 Most of the roughly 8,000 released wasps were placed as pupae and larvae in tree-mounted pull boxes and bark barrels. FOX 9 The adult wasps are gnat-sized, native to Asia, parasitize emerald ash borer eggs and larvae, and do not sting people. FOX 9 State entomologist Angie Ambourn said studies show the wasps can establish and persist for years after releases. FOX 9 Local parks staff say the Ki-Chi-Saga canopy still has "a lot of green leaves," suggesting the biocontrol may be buying time even as long-term success remains uncertain.

Federal Judge David Hittner on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, struck down Texas's 2023 drag-performance law as unconstitutionally vague and blocked its enforcement statewide.

Hittner's 34-page order said the law's "sexually oriented" nudity standard was so vague it could criminalize performers such as Dolly Parton or Elvis impersonators. MS NOW The suit was brought by drag performer Brigitte Bandit and by Extragrams LLC and 360 Queen Entertainment LLC, and Attorney General Ken Paxton defended the law. MS NOW Hittner characterized affected performances as constitutionally protected speech and suggested critics could "just don't go" to shows instead of relying on criminal penalties.

The State Department on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, designated three European leftist groups as transnational terrorist organizations, blocking their U.S. assets and forbidding most U.S. dealings with them.

The groups named were Palestine Action (UK-based), Masar Badil (with branches in Western Europe and Canada) and Autistici/Inventati, also known as the A/I Collective, based in Italy. New York Times The designations were issued under Executive Order 13224, which blocks property and interests in property of designated groups subject to U.S. jurisdiction and bars U.S. persons from transactions with them.

An airport worker was fatally struck by a moving Airbus A350 during pushback of French Bee Flight BF5761 at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport on Monday, August 24, 2026.

The worker was employed by ground-handler Samsic and was struck while the jet was being pushed back from a gate, officials said. Fox News The Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the Quebec coroner's office have opened investigations, and airport operator ADM says it is cooperating and supporting witnesses.

The U.S. Army announced on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, that it will add nuclear microreactors at five domestic bases under its Janus Program.

Five companies will be eligible for up to $2.2 billion over five years to own, build and operate the microreactors if they meet project milestones. PBS News The pilot sites are Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia and Fort Drum in New York. PBS News The Army said it expects the pilot to grow to more than 20 reactors in total.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 49,571 people in July 2026, averaging about 1,599 apprehensions per day.

For the first month of President Trump's second term, people with only civil immigration violations made up more than half of those arrests. CBS News ICE averaged more than 800 daily arrests of people with no U.S. criminal record.

Meta will pay Minnesota $214 million and impose new age-based limits on Facebook and Instagram to resolve the state's teen-addiction lawsuit, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said.

Under the agreement, Meta must set a combined two-hour daily limit for users ages 13 to 17, add mandatory pauses after 15, 60 and 90 minutes, and block access overnight from midnight to 6 a.m. FOX 9 The deal also ends push notifications on school days, restricts beauty filters and visible like counts, and requires stronger age-assurance measures plus independent auditing for most changes for five to ten years.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in New York overturned the Trump administration's policy suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries on Friday, August 21, 2026.

Her ruling vacated the ban and set aside visa denials that were based solely on the nationality-based policy, potentially restoring access for affected family and employment petitioners.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a drought disaster declaration Wednesday, August 26, 2026, covering 26 of Puerto Rico's 78 municipalities and unlocking federal aid as water rationing tightens.

The federal declaration makes emergency loans available to farmers and supplements a July local emergency declaration that activated National Guard water operations. PBS News More than 180,000 water customers face 48-hour shutoffs under rationing measures announced in early August.

CVS and Walgreens each say they have filled about 100,000 Medicare "Bridge" prescriptions for $50-a-month obesity drugs, roughly 200,000 total, signaling strong early uptake of the pilot program.

Walmart says Bridge prescriptions are rising and have been processed at more than 5,000 of its pharmacies. NPR The Bridge runs through December 31, 2027, charges a $50 patient copay, and covers beneficiaries with obesity plus qualifying conditions while excluding those with sleep apnea or Type 2 diabetes.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on August 20, 2026, upheld a lower-court order blocking Quincy from installing two Catholic saint statues at the city's new public safety headquarters.

The 10-foot bronze figures depict St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian, patrons of police and firefighters, and were commissioned by Mayor Thomas Koch. Fox News Taxpayers and faith groups sued in May 2025, represented by the ACLU of Massachusetts, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Fox News They argued the statues violated Article III of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights by endorsing a specific religion. Fox News The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is defending Quincy, said the ruling is not final and pledged to keep litigating the city's ability to honor first responders.

The House Oversight Committee released the transcript of its closed-door interview with former Barclays CEO Jes Staley on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.

The interview, conducted last month as part of the committee's review of federal investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, was published in redacted form. MS NOW Staley, whose name appears thousands of times in Justice Department Epstein document releases, has denied wrongdoing and resigned from Barclays in 2021 amid a U.K. regulatory probe. MS NOW The committee has also released transcripts of interviews with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Bill Gates and former Epstein assistant Sarah Kellen.

A Duval County jury on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, convicted 38-year-old Mario Fernandez Saldana of first-degree murder and solicitation in the killing of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan in Jacksonville Beach.

Bridegan was shot on a Jacksonville Beach road in February 2022 after exiting his SUV to change a tire while his 2-year-old daughter remained inside. CBS News Prosecutors showed three checks totaling $10,000 from Fernandez Saldana to alleged gunman Henry Tenon and said Tenon's DNA was found on a tire planted at the scene. CBS News Tenon, a former tenant of Fernandez Saldana, initially pleaded guilty and agreed to testify but later withdrew his deal and is set for trial next year. CBS News Bridegan's ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, whom prosecutors describe as a co-architect of the plot, is scheduled to stand trial in September 2026.

Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, of up to 50% on roughly CA$27.6 billion (about US$20 billion) of U.S. imports, with the measures set to take effect September 8.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Ottawa will "match U.S. tariffs dollar for dollar, rate for rate" and mirror U.S. tariff tiers across more than 800 product categories. NPR The package will apply 15%, 25% and 50% duties and targets sectors including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics. PBS News Ottawa also unveiled a CA$7.5 billion support package for affected workers and businesses, adding to more than CA$30 billion in earlier tariff-related aid.

Mike Mazzei narrowly won the Oklahoma Republican runoff for governor on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, defeating Attorney General Gentner Drummond. PBS News He will face Democratic Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson in the November general election to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.

The runoff drew 371,188 total votes, with Mazzei earning 186,604 votes (50.27%) to Drummond's 184,584 (49.73%), a margin of 2,020 votes. Runoff spending topped $14 million in television and digital ads, and the overall governor's race spending neared $40 million; Mazzei self-loaned at least $11.9 million to his campaign.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a two-hour briefing on Saturday, August 22, detailing his rift with dismissed defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov and rejecting wartime national elections as too risky.

Zelenskyy said he offered Fedorov four alternative government roles after removing him as defense minister and that Fedorov rejected all four options. PBS News He tied inaccurate Defense Ministry claims that SpaceX had approved Starlink coverage over Russian territory to an awkward exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Musk later rejected the plan. PBS News On Wednesday, August 26, Zelenskyy awarded Elon Musk Ukraine's Order of Freedom for Starlink's role in the war while acknowledging Musk still limits coverage over Russian territory.

Actor Tim Curry died Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at his home in Los Angeles at age 80, his longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz confirmed.

CBS News aired an on-air bulletin confirming Curry's death but did not add details on cause or funeral arrangements. CBS News Tributes began pouring in online as fans and colleagues remembered his stage and screen work.

Philan-Tam-Duy Le was arrested Tuesday afternoon, August 25, 2026, outside the U.S. Capitol after officers found an upright guillotine in his pickup truck.

The pickup was parked illegally in a restricted area that includes the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. MS NOW U.S. Capitol Police said they are investigating why Le drove from California to Washington with the device.

President Donald Trump threatened a $5 billion defamation lawsuit over a think tank's crime report, and the Center for American Progress declined to retract it by the end-of-business Friday deadline.

Trump's August 17 demand letter gave CAP until the end of business Friday to retract the July 13 report, a deadline the group did not meet. PBS Neera Tanden, CAP's president, called the threatened $5 billion suit "a transparent attempt to silence us" and vowed the group will not "cower nor bend." PBS CAP general counsel Kevin Metz wrote that the defamation allegation is "utterly absurd" and that "truth is not and cannot be defamation." PBS

The Third Circuit on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, ruled that Rep. LaMonica McIver must face two federal assault charges tied to a May 2025 oversight visit to the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark.

The appeals court said McIver's alleged conduct — slamming her forearm into one agent, grabbing that agent and using her forearms to strike another — was not legislative in nature. MS NOW The panel rejected McIver's request to extend the Supreme Court's presidential-immunity ruling to members of Congress, saying that expansion would "exceed even the Presidential Immunity." MS NOW McIver released a statement saying the decision chills congressional oversight and "emboldens the Trump administration," and that she is exploring all legal options. MS NOW Her attorney Paul Fishman warned the ruling lets DOJ and DHS "thwart members of Congress from inspecting an ICE detention facility, create chaos, and then prosecute those members and pretend it was their fault." MS NOW The reporting also noted Delaney Hall was reopened as an ICE facility in February 2025 after reports the operators lacked proper permits and inspections, and that the prosecutor who brought the charges was later ruled to have been serving unlawfully.

Sen. Darline Graham won the South Carolina Republican U.S. Senate runoff on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman and securing the GOP nomination for the November general election.

With more than 95% of precincts reported, Graham led Norman roughly 52% to 48% in the runoff. Christian Science Monitor MAGA Inc., the Trump-aligned super PAC, spent nearly $830,000 on Monday for phone calls and text messages backing Graham in a late surge. PBS News President Trump held an in-person rally in Myrtle Beach on August 21 and a runoff-eve tele-rally urging voters to back Graham. NPR Norman poured more than $1 million of his own money into the closing week and criticized outside PAC spending as he conceded.

Dan J. Sullivan finished among the top four in the August 18, 2026 Alaska U.S. Senate primary and advanced to the November ranked-choice general election.

The Alaska Division of Elections lists the challenger on the ballot as "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr." with no party affiliation. PBS News The incumbent appears as "Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent," a distinction that may matter because Alaska's ranked-choice system lets transfers from third- and fourth-place finishers decide the winner.

On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced the state's first two measles-related deaths in 35 years, both in unvaccinated people from Lancaster County.

State health officials reported 393 confirmed measles cases in 2026, occurring across 28 counties. Fox News Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen warned that many Pennsylvanians are unfamiliar with measles' severity and urged MMR vaccination as the best protection. CBS News Gov. Josh Shapiro said at an August 25 news conference that he declined an offer of support from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in responding to the outbreak.

On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the Commerce Department said U.S. real gross domestic product grew at a 1.5 percent annual rate in the second quarter, matching an earlier estimate.

Consumer spending accelerated to a 3.4 percent annual pace in Q2, up from 0.5 percent in the first quarter. PBS News Imports surged at a 12.5 percent rate and subtracted 1.64 percentage points from second-quarter GDP growth. PBS News A measure of underlying domestic demand excluding government and trade rose 4.2 percent in Q2, signaling stronger private demand. PBS News The Commerce Department's inflation gauge was up 3.7 percent year over year in July, unchanged from June and above the Federal Reserve's 2 percent goal.

Boston Scientific said it uncovered a cyberattack on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, that is disrupting its global information systems and limiting processing and shipping of customer orders worldwide.

In an August 26 securities filing, the company said the attack is disrupting systems used to process and ship customer orders. CBS News Boston Scientific has hired external cybersecurity firms to investigate and contain the threat but said it does not yet know when full operations will be restored.

Zymire Hughes, 22, was arrested Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Las Vegas by a U.S. Marshals Service task force and is being held in the Clark County Detention Center with no bail set.

Clark County records list Hughes in custody with a hearing scheduled for Thursday morning, August 27, 2026. New York Times Las Vegas Township Justice Court records show he was arrested on felony charges, though the filings did not itemize specific counts. New York Times Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Hughes is expected to face aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime and terroristic threats. New York Times Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark said "the fear that one man brought to the Philadelphia community comes to an end" with Hughes's capture.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled an "economic D-Day" sanctions campaign against Iran at a Washington news conference on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, aimed at severing Tehran's remaining economic lifelines.

Bessent said the initiative, internally called Operation Economic Outcast, broadens U.S. secondary sanctions beyond oil to five sectors — digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping — and included nearly 60 new OFAC designations. MS NOW Treasury officials warned the campaign can reach countries and governments that facilitate Iran's cashflow and said they would give targeted partners time to wind down Iran business rather than immediately blacklisting them.

The personal consumption expenditures price index rose 3.7% year over year in July, matching June's pace. CBS News The PCE is the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge. CBS News The reading, released Wednesday, August 26, 2026, came in hotter than economists expected and could complicate the Fed's plans for cutting interest rates.

Economists polled by FactSet had forecast a 3.6% annual PCE increase for July. Core PCE, which excludes food and energy, rose 3.3% year over year in July. The headline and core measures both rose 0.2% month to month in July.

A 44-year-old man killed eight relatives, including four children, during a Sunday dinner at a home outside Billings, Montana, and then set the house on fire.

Family member Brad Ireland identified the suspected shooter as 44-year-old Alan Smith and said the attack occurred during a Sunday dinner on August 23, 2026. CBS News Authorities confirmed eight victims spanning four generations, including great-grandmother Evelyn Smith; parents Dana and Barb Smith; Megan Ghekiere; and children Owen Ireland, 13, Chloe Ireland, 7, Landon Ghekiere, 15, and Charlotte Ghekiere, 12, who placed a 911 call and is being hailed as a hero. CBS News Billings police said officers responded to a 911 call about an active shooting at 6:01 p.m., found the house fully engulfed within minutes, and that firefighters battled the blaze until about 1 a.m.

The FBI said it wrapped up Operation Riptide, a 60-day campaign that disrupted global cybercrime networks preying on Americans, seizing millions in illicit funds and securing more than 200 arrests.

The campaign sequenced 13 operations, froze or seized over $23 million in illegal cryptocurrency, initiated return of $31 million stolen by North Korean actors, and led to six extraditions and six technical infrastructure takedowns.

Four teenagers have been charged after a stolen Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon crashed head-on early Saturday, Aug. 22, near Route 50 and Third Street in Mays Landing, New Jersey, killing a couple.

The victims were identified as Alice Stilwell Holt, 67, and Robert "Bob" Barr Jr., 54, both of Egg Harbor Township. Fox News Authorities say the G-Wagon had been stolen about 3:40 a.m., and that officers from Longport and Hamilton Township followed or pursued the teens before the crash. Fox News Officials say the teens led officers on an hours-long pursuit before the fatal collision.

An arbitrator ordered the Washington Post to reinstate columnist Karen Attiah with full back pay and benefits on Thursday, August 20, 2026, ruling the paper lacked cause to fire her.

Arbitrator Sarah Miller Espinosa found the Post did not prove at a June 4, 2026, hearing that Attiah committed gross misconduct. CBS News Espinosa also found the paper lacked "good and sufficient cause" to terminate her under the union contract.

The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade and financial transactions with Iran on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, saying the move was a response to alleged Iranian missile launches toward Emirati waters and shipping.

UAE authorities said nationwide missile warnings sounded on Tuesday night, August 18, after two Iranian ballistic missiles splashed down in the Persian Gulf and were assessed as targeting maritime traffic. MS NOW Iran denied launching the missiles, while Emirati officials warned the strikes followed months of attacks they attribute to Tehran that have hit nearly 20 ADNOC vessels and killed one person.

Armed gangs massacred at least 47 people and abducted more than 50 in Kenscoff, Haiti, on August 23, leaving hostages threatened and prompting a U.N. outcry.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said 22 of the 47 victims were reportedly executed inside a church compound where they had sought shelter. NPR A gang leader who identified himself as "Izo 2" posted a social media video threatening to kill all hostages if any gang members were hurt by security forces and named National Police Director Vladimir Paraison. NPR A local resident, Marc Paul, said gangs kidnapped his brother, stepmother, stepfather, two cousins and a 16-year-old niece who was raped but escaped and reunited with him.

On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, conservative media personality Bernadette Wilson advanced from Alaska's 17-person gubernatorial primary to the November ranked-choice general election, securing a spot on the four-person ballot.

Democrats Tom Begich and Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins also clinched spots on the four-person general election ballot. New York Times The fourth slot remains undecided as several Republicans are separated by roughly 1,000 votes while counting continues.

On Monday, August 24, 2026, the Trump administration submitted a classified civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, starting a 90-day review that could be ended only by a joint resolution of disapproval.

The pact was signed in Washington last month by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart. MS NOW It is expected to run 30 years and include U.S. companies. MS NOW The submission was made under the Atomic Energy Act. MS NOW The law gives Congress 90 days in session to review the pact and allows lawmakers to block it only by passing a joint resolution of disapproval. MS NOW The full agreement is classified at an unusually high level compared with past U.S. nuclear cooperation pacts that were generally public with classified annexes.

Glenn "Bubba" Pysher, 22, was shot and killed by police early Sunday, August 23, 2026, in Upper Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, after homeowners reported an attempted break-in.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said an encounter behind the house led to the shooting and that the incident is under investigation. CBS News Homeowners called 911 after Pysher mistakenly went to the wrong house in a wooded area, authorities said.

A Dallas family court judge on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, extended a temporary restraining order and delayed a custody decision in a surrogacy dispute over a newborn who became critically ill after heart surgery.

Newly filed court documents said the baby was re-intubated and placed back on a breathing tube after his condition worsened following an Aug. 17 Norwood open-heart procedure. Fox News The filings said the infant suffered possible complications and is again in critical condition under close hospital monitoring. Fox News In Dallas family court, intended mother Nausheen Gilkar testified that since the surgery the baby has struggled to breathe, choked on tubes and required a blood transfusion.

Staff at Sussex I State Prison in Virginia intercepted a suspected drone drop around 1:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, and seized about $324,000 in contraband.

The package held an estimated $324,000 in contraband at prison value, including a one-pound bag of suspected methamphetamine and 17 cellphones with charging cables. Fox News Officials also recovered 20 sheets of paper saturated with an unknown liquid, 30 disposable lighters, tobacco, tattoo ink, perfume and glue. Fox News They also found hex wrenches, USB Wi-Fi adapters and SIM cards, and the Virginia Department of Corrections' Office of Law Enforcement Services is investigating and has publicized a phone number for tips.

A coalition of New York sheriffs sued the state in federal court after Gov. Kathy Hochul's Local Cops, Local Crimes Act took effect Tuesday, saying it bars them from entering ICE immigration-enforcement agreements.

Rensselaer County Sheriff Kyle Bourgault is the lead plaintiff in the suit, which says the law unconstitutionally restricts sheriffs from entering federally authorized agreements with ICE. Fox News The law bars new agreements to house civil immigration detainees and requires existing detention contracts to be terminated under their terms within three months of the effective date. Fox News Hochul warned any police department or sheriff's office that maintains an ICE agreement will face legal action and told those suing, "bring it on." Fox News Attorney General Letitia James issued subpoenas to the sheriff's offices of Broome, Steuben, Nassau and Rensselaer counties and to the Nassau County Police Department over their ICE cooperation. Fox News Nassau County Executive and GOP gubernatorial challenger Bruce Blakeman said he would "probably" join the sheriffs' lawsuit.

Xcel Energy says the utility pole that fell onto a vehicle and killed a driver in a Hopkins parking lot had been inspected recently and was in compliance with required safety standards.

Police now say the driver did not strike the pole before it fell. FOX 9 Xcel says it is conducting an internal investigation while working with authorities and issued a statement offering condolences. FOX 9 About 160 Xcel customers lost power because of the incident, and service was expected to be restored by noon Monday.

On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the Conference Board said U.S. consumer confidence fell to 89.4 in August from 90.2 in July, the lowest reading in seven months.

Survey responses collected August 3-16 cited elevated prices — especially for oil and gasoline — and concerns about war, geopolitics, food, trade and jobs. PBS News Gasoline prices remain above $4 per gallon, a trend the coverage links to the ongoing conflict in Iran.

Everton Blair Jr. won the August 25, 2026 special election runoff to fill Rep. David Scott's House seat in a deep-blue Atlanta-area district, shrinking the Republican majority in the House.

Blair defeated Marcye Scott, the congressman's daughter, and will serve only through the current term ending in January 2027. New York Times Combined with Aisha Wahab's recent special election win in California, Blair's victory narrows the GOP majority from 218-212 to 218-214.

Canada is imposing $20 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods effective Sept. 8, a move that threatens Minnesota's farm exports and raises costs for local growers.

Minnesota ships about $5.5 billion in goods to Canada each year, making Canada the state's largest trading partner. FOX 9 Farmers and state leaders warn the tariffs could squeeze margins by raising prices for equipment and fertilizer while pushing crop prices lower. FOX 9 Minnesota Farmers Union president Gary Wertish says more farmers have entered foreclosure mediation this year than in the previous three years combined, and he partly blames tariff impacts.

U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 denied Ghislaine Maxwell's pro se motion to vacate her 2021 conviction and 20-year sentence in the Southern District of New York.

Engelmayer called the petition "lengthy and rambling" and said many claims were frivolous. Fox News He held that the "vast majority" of the arguments were procedurally barred and that the trial evidence was "overwhelming", leaving her convictions intact.

Jacob John Audie, 37, of South St. Paul, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday for the premeditated first-degree murder of his 72-year-old roommate.

Audie was found guilty on one count of premeditated first-degree murder and one count of intentional second-degree murder after a stipulated-facts trial on Aug. 19, 2026. FOX 9 Prosecutors said Michael Maurice Schille, 72, was shot inside the apartment they shared on April 11, 2025. FOX 9 Investigators found Schille on a back-bedroom couch holding a remote and with a gunshot wound to the left side of his face. FOX 9 Audie admitted using Schille's rifle and calling 911, prosecutors said.

On August 25, 2026, U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. blocked enforcement of Ohio's new DMV proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration, and the state said it will immediately appeal.

Judge Oliver granted a preliminary injunction that bars Ohio from requiring documentary proof of citizenship when issuing or renewing a driver's license before offering voter registration. Fox News The order found the state likely conflicted with the federal National Voter Registration Act by adding requirements to the motor-voter process.

Rodolfo Rebollar-Gonzalez, 29, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in St. Paul on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, after pleading guilty to meth trafficking.

He received a 120-month federal term and had pleaded guilty on April 24. FOX 9 Court documents and prosecutors say he was in the United States illegally while committing the offenses.

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross issued a joint appeal in Geneva on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, calling for binding bans and limits on autonomous "killer robot" weapons. PBS News They warned the world is "dangerously close" to machines autonomously targeting people and called 2026 a needed "turning point." PBS News

The statement singled out a November 2026 meeting of the Convention on Conventional Weapons as the main forum to pursue binding global rules. PBS News It noted that while investigators have not confirmed battlefield use of fully autonomous weapons, a race toward greater autonomy in weapons development is already under way.

On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, Louisiana officials and SpaceX unveiled a $100 billion plan to build a new spaceport on 125,000 acres in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.

State officials said construction is expected to begin in 2027 with a first launch as early as 2029, and they projected about 3,000 jobs over 10 years. CBS News The site sits about 200 miles west of New Orleans on land formerly owned by Exxon.

As of August 25, 2026, two U.S. Navy destroyers, USS Spruance and USS Michael Murphy, remain deployed while the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln heads home.

Lincoln is returning with escort USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., leaving Spruance and Michael Murphy separated from the carrier strike group. MS NOW All three destroyers have been deployed with the Lincoln strike group since late 2025, stretching past the Navy's typical seven-month destroyer deployment. MS NOW A 7th Fleet spokesperson said strike group composition changes based on mission requirements and that disaggregation on deployment is not uncommon.

Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson signed an order that bans firearms and other weapons in all Minnesota court facilities, effective Sept. 1, 2026.

The ban applies to everyone, including people with permitted carry, but allows limited exceptions for on-duty licensed peace officers and some federal agents. FOX 9 It also allows weapons formally introduced as evidence and permits weapons screening at courthouse entrances, with denial of entry for those who refuse.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi announced in Damascus on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, that the SDF has dissolved and merged into the Syrian army.

Abdi said the merger completes integration with the Syrian army and ends the SDF's role as an independent military force. PBS News The SDF once controlled roughly 25% of Syrian territory and had been the main U.S. partner against the Islamic State group.

Donald Steven Lang, 62, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, was arrested in Canada over the weekend at the request of U.S. authorities on a federal child-exploitation charge.

A federal grand jury in Hawaii indicted Lang on August 20, 2026, on one count of sexual exploitation of children tied to alleged abuse aboard his 55-foot sailboat Ishi between September and December 2024.

On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the U.S. Secret Service confirmed to Fox News Digital that it is aware of an Iranian state media video that threatens Barron Trump and depicts locations linked to his whereabouts.

Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring said the agency "investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees" but declined to discuss operational details for security reasons. Fox News The Iranian-produced video closes by offering a suggested $10 million reward for information on Barron Trump's location. Fox News PBS also reported that the Secret Service confirmed awareness of the video.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, August 24, 2026, signed a decree allowing the state to temporarily seize management of critical infrastructure damaged in Ukrainian drone attacks if owners fail to adequately protect or restore it.

The decree covers energy, industrial, communications, transportation and logistics facilities, and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said the move is state management intervention, not a change of ownership. PBS Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said some business owners have not paid sufficient attention to anti-drone safety. PBS Analysts say the decree is meant to compel companies to fund repairs and defenses rather than rely on the state.

A new study finds SNAP households in states that adopted sugary-drink restrictions cut sugary beverage purchases by about 12.4% from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2026.

The decline amounts to roughly 34 fewer 12-ounce cans of sugary drinks per person per year, and researchers reached the result by analyzing Numerator purchase data from about 15,000 SNAP households and comparing restriction and non-restriction states. CBS News Economic modeling in the paper projects that a nationwide SNAP sugary-drink ban would yield about $1.2 billion in net annual benefits, mostly from reduced obesity and diabetes treatment costs.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, declined felony charges against Edward "Jake" Lang in connection with his Minneapolis rally arrest, saying prosecutors could not prove required intent.

Moriarty said extensive evidence showed communication and logistical coordination between Minneapolis Police and Lang's security detail, a dynamic she said undercut a felony riot case. FOX 9 She also noted an officer was struck by a truck, but police reports showed the officer did not believe the driver saw what was happening, which undercuts an assault theory that requires intent. FOX 9 She said the Minneapolis City Attorney could still pursue misdemeanor or gross-misdemeanor charges against Lang. FOX 9 A counterprotester who was dressed as Spider-Man has been charged with fifth-degree assault after video showed him striking Lang, and officials identified him as 33-year-old William Nicholas Love. FOX 9 The Minneapolis City Attorney's Office filed the charge as fifth-degree assault — fear of bodily harm or death — and officials said no detailed complaint was yet on file.

Firefighters had largely halted the Hawk Fire near Reno on Tuesday, and thousands of residents began returning even as more than 20,000 people remained unable to go home.

The blaze has scorched roughly 15,000 acres and was about 27% contained as of Tuesday, officials said. PBS News The fire has destroyed more than 30 homes and injured seven people, including three first responders. PBS News Authorities ordered about 42,000 residents to evacuate and placed roughly 45,000 more under warnings as the zone reached the edge of the University of Nevada, Reno campus. NPR Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency and mobilized the Nevada National Guard with helicopter crews and troops, and the Reno-Sparks Convention Center served as a primary shelter. NPR Nearly 10,000 customers remained without power, portions of U.S. Route 395 were closed, and two Northern Nevada medical centers evacuated patients and stayed closed.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 announced a Unified Court System to fast-track emergency New York City Housing Court cases tied to severe landlord negligence.

The fast-track applies to buildings where at least one-third of units have an open vacate order or immediate hazardous violations that affect essential services. Fox News In extreme, persistent negligence cases where tenants seek new management, judges must require parties to return to court within five days after service. Fox News Mamdani said landlords who cannot follow the law "should not be a landlord of that property," and he said officials are still developing how to enforce court no-shows.

The Department of Homeland Security told Nevada officials in early August that only 185 voter ID numbers from an initially publicized pool of 15,903 matches were ones the agency felt confident belonged to noncitizens.

A DHS official on the call described the 15,903 figure as a "ceiling" that still required manual review. NPR The day after the call, DHS provided Nevada with only the 185 voter ID numbers and told the state that more than 14,000 additional matches needed further review. NPR Nevada election officials asked DHS for the underlying data points used to make those 185 matches, but DHS refused to supply them.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer seeking custody of William Serrano Domenech, a Cuban national charged in the Aug. 17 fatal shooting of Raul Aballe in the Miami area.

Domenech, 49, is charged with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and is being held in the Miami-Dade County jail. Fox News ICE lodged the immigration detainer with Miami-Dade authorities the day after his arrest and asked to take custody if he is ever released locally.

CBS News reported Tuesday that a Mass General Brigham study found at least one-quarter of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

The network first aired a segment at 7:56 AM Central that translated the study's technical prevalence range into "nearly a quarter" for viewers. CBS News In that broadcast Dr. Céline Gounder explained the study's findings and the implications for NFL players and head-injury risks.

HealthPartners confirmed Tuesday that the adult woman rescued from a duplex fire on the 700 block of Magnolia Avenue East on Saturday has died from her injuries.

Fox 9 earlier reported firefighters rescued a woman and a toddler from the burning duplex, one of three structure fires that broke out in roughly 90 minutes Saturday. FOX 9 FOX 9 said there has been no public update on the toddler's condition as of Tuesday.

Tyler Robinson's lawyers asked a judge to ban cameras and livestreaming at a Sept. 1 court hearing in Utah, saying live electronic coverage would unfairly prejudice a possible murder trial.

Robinson's attorneys filed two motions on Saturday, Aug. 22 asking Judge Tony Graf Jr. to bar cameras and livestreaming at the hearing. Fox News The filings say electronic media would "memorialize and widely disseminate" largely hearsay-based evidence from the preliminary hearing and could prejudice the public. Fox News Defense lawyers wrote the case is not a "reality TV show" and cited harassment of witnesses whose statements were used as "reliable hearsay" before the July preliminary hearing.

New York City officials announced on Sunday, August 23, 2026, that forensic investigative genetic genealogy identified an adult woman killed at the World Trade Center, the 1,654th identified victim.

The identification resulted from a collaboration between the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner and the NYPD's Investigative Genetic Genealogy Squad, officials said. Fox News City officials said she is the 1,654th person identified from remains recovered after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, which killed 2,753 people there, and that about 1,099 victims remain unidentified.

Oklahoma's primary runoff on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, features a constitutional amendment to lock the state's voter ID rules into its constitution, part of a broader wave of election-rule measures on 2026 ballots.

NPR reported that at least six states, including swing states Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, will consider voter ID questions on their 2026 ballots. NPR The measures have become a flashpoint in partisan fights over access and election security.

Maj. Jason Watson of the U.S. Air Force was charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice on Tuesday. CBS News The charges include three counts alleging contemptuous remarks about President Donald Trump.

Watson also faces counts of disobeying orders and conduct unbecoming an officer. CBS News His lawyer and CBS reported he is the first major in U.S. military history to be charged under Article 88. CBS News They said the case is being processed through formal criminal charges rather than only internal discipline. CBS News Air Force Secretary Troy Meink publicly reminded airmen after Watson's July detention to comply with rules on personal conduct, political activity and uniform wear.

The Justice Department charged Ohio resident Alex Justin Miller, 26, with interstate transmission of a threat to injure after prosecutors say he emailed Rep. Randy Fine death and beheading threats.

Prosecutors say Miller also threatened to burn Fine's home and murder his family, and that the emails called for death to both Fine and former President Donald Trump. Fox News The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida is handling the case after an investigation by the FBI, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, the Secret Service and the U.S. Capitol Police.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun on Monday called for a "thorough review" of Northern Indiana Public Service Company after prolonged outages left thousands near Gary without power nearly two weeks after an August 11 storm.

As of Aug. 24, nearly 4,000 NIPSCO customers in Gary and nearby cities still lacked power, the New York Times reported. New York Times Braun had earlier requested an expedited major disaster declaration from FEMA for 54 counties and said storm and recovery losses could exceed $5 billion. CBS News He activated the National Guard and the president approved an emergency declaration to allow federal aid.

Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation is committing up to $15 million to redevelop downtown St. Paul, using investment capital officials say could steer which projects get financed and tackle lingering office vacancies.

The funds will be deployed as investment capital tied to specific redevelopment projects rather than given as unrestricted grants. Bizjournals Foundation leaders said the move aims to attract private co-investment and speed project starts in the downtown core.

Drew Andres Owens was released from the Mecklenburg County Jail on August 22, 2026, after posting bond on five felony counts for allegedly communicating threats of mass violence on educational property.

His release comes days before Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools are set to begin classes, renewing concern among parents and administrators. Fox News Bond in the four-school case had been lowered from a $135,000 secured bond with electronic monitoring to $60,000 on May 1, 2026, and a separate $15,000 bond covered the Garinger High School threat.

Federal officials on Friday, August 21, 2026 ordered major cuts to Colorado River deliveries for California, Nevada and Arizona, threatening farms, cities and hydropower.

Officials said the reductions total 1.25 million acre-feet annually for California, Nevada and Arizona and 250,000 acre-feet annually for Mexico over two years, and are tied to operating rules that expire in October 2026. PBS News Arizona water director Tom Buschatzke said the 2027-2028 reductions "will provide substantial stability." PBS News California negotiator JB Hamby called the plan "a bridge, not a permanent solution." PBS News Nevada conservation advocate Kyle Roerink linked the federal action and poor hydrologic conditions to stalled plans for a new airport, shopping malls and slower real estate development around Las Vegas.

President Trump filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on August 20, 2026 asking the justices to revive his dismissed defamation suit against CNN over its "big lie" coverage.

The petition says CNN's use of the phrase "big lie" and accompanying imagery conveyed provably false factual accusations likening him to Nazi propaganda. MS NOW CNN must file its response by September 21, 2026, and the Supreme Court has no set deadline to decide whether to take the case.

The U.S. State Department will begin returning diplomats to multiple Middle East embassies during the week of August 25, 2026, reversing evacuations tied to the Iran war and changing staffing levels.

Embassies in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait are slated to restore higher staffing levels, according to an internal State Department document. New York Times A State Department statement said officials adjusted staffing posture at certain Middle East posts after a security review to balance mission needs with personnel safety.

On August 24, 2026, in Kyiv, U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the United Kingdom will share classified technical information on British SCALP cruise missile components so Ukraine can assemble its own long-range missiles.

Defense firm MBDA will provide those classified parts details to enable Ukrainian assembly. MS NOW Experts say Ukrainian-assembled SCALP missiles are unlikely to become operational before sometime in 2027 and will not materially help Ukraine through the coming winter.

The Trump administration plans to revoke up to 200,000 B1/B2 business and tourist visas held by people who have applied for or are seeking asylum, U.S. officials say.

Internal State Department documents say the revocations would cover B1/B2 visas issued from 2016 through 2026 and would be carried out with the Department of Homeland Security on a rolling basis. NPR State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed coordination with DHS but declined to confirm a specific number, saying the count will be dynamic. NPR Two unnamed U.S. officials said most affected asylum seekers with pending cases would be recategorized and would lose B1/B2 status rather than face immediate deportation. NPR Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau defended the move on X, saying people are "fed up with bogus asylum claims." NPR

The CDC and FDA tied a multistate E. coli and salmonella outbreak to alfalfa sprouts grown by Minneapolis-based Everything Sprouts.

Two Wisconsin consumers infected with salmonella have filed lawsuits against Everything Sprouts.

On Monday, August 24, 2026, Mike Lindell declined to submit the $825,000 payment required to trigger a discretionary recount in Minnesota's Republican gubernatorial primary.

Lindell's campaign says the Secretary of State's contingency plan would recount only votes for Lindell and front-runner Lisa Demuth, excluding other Republican candidates, and that approach violates Minnesota recount law. CBS News The Secretary of State's office says the contingency plan was approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18. CBS News It says the plan follows state law and mirrors procedures used in Minnesota recounts for roughly two decades. CBS News Lindell has asked a court to waive the $825,000 payment deadline while the dispute is resolved. CBS News Unofficial primary totals show Lisa Demuth with 179,683 votes and Mike Lindell with 134,282, and state officials say they found no fraud or irregularity in the count.

On Monday, August 24, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule that would charge a $103,265 fee on each H-1B petition subject to the annual cap.

The fee would apply to petitions for workers both abroad and already in the United States. New York Times DHS projects the rule would generate roughly $8.8 billion per year and would exempt cap-exempt employers such as nonprofit universities and hospitals.

Judge Dabney Friedrich postponed the U.S. trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi on Monday, August 24, 2026, after prosecutors disclosed new evidence, delaying jury selection and giving defense lawyers more time to prepare.

Prosecutors disclosed the material to the defense on Saturday, August 22, 2026, prompting the defense to ask for time to investigate it. CBS News Friedrich scheduled a status hearing for September 1, 2026, and cited the case's complexity, the new evidence and defense preparation needs as reasons for the delay.

President Donald Trump's plan to import 660 million pounds of foreign beef tariff-free and sell it at 25 percent below market has alarmed Minnesota ranchers, who say it could bankrupt operations.

Rancher Don Schiefelbein says he expanded his operation by 50 percent after recent high prices and now expects the plan will make his new production unprofitable. FOX 9 Rancher Aaron Chervstad warned the imports could be mixed with U.S. beef and sold as American, leaving consumers unable to tell the origin. FOX 9 The White House has said President Trump is expected to sign an executive order by next week, though officials have not disclosed which countries would supply the beef.

Gov. Gavin Newsom pressed California lawmakers in late August 2026 to pass a plan capping what utilities pay for wildfire damage and shifting more property costs to insurers.

The proposal would limit payouts to victims and lawyers. PBS It would require CEOs to forfeit bonuses if a fire causes more than $1 billion in damage and allow fines up to $10 million against shareholders for prevention failures.

Roughly 60 Allina hospice nurses in the Twin Cities metro voted unanimously to authorize a seven-day unfair-labor-practices strike, the union said.

No strike date was set, and the nurses already held a one-day strike earlier this summer. FOX 9 Federal law requires the union to give Allina 10 days' notice before any walkout, and the parties meet again Friday with a federal mediator after more than a year of negotiations.

Worcester police said they believe a body found Monday afternoon in woods off May Street is Karen Solomon, 58, and that investigators now view the case as a "tragic murder-suicide." CBS News

Two Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital employees discovered the body around 1 p.m. Monday, Worcester police said. CBS News Authorities said a handgun was recovered near the remains and that the body has been preliminarily identified as Solomon, 58, with final confirmation pending the medical examiner.

Eight-year-old Lillian Smart of Louisiana died over the weekend after being diagnosed with a brain-eating amoeba infection likely linked to a swim at Lake Claiborne.

Family spokesperson Kyle Roberts said brain injuries became too severe for her to recover. CBS News The Louisiana Department of Health said last week this is the state's first confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection since 2013. CBS News Gov. Jeff Landry wrote on X that he was "heartbroken over the news of Lillian's passing." CBS News

Taiwanese prosecutors charged nine people on Monday, August 24, 2026, over illegal exports of high-end Nvidia B300 AI servers to mainland China, with prosecutors seeking prison terms.

Prosecutors say the case centers on Nvidia B300 GPU servers that are banned from sale to China, and that 74 machines were routed to the mainland through Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong. PBS News Prosecutors are seeking maximum five-year sentences for four defendants, including an Nvidia manager surnamed Chang, and have charged others with using a Japanese shell company and falsifying export documents.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon unveiled a bill on Monday, August 24, 2026, that would ban social media use by children under 16 in New Zealand.

The proposal would force platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook to verify users' ages and could fine companies up to 10% of global revenue for breaches. PBS News Messaging services, online games and certain artificial-intelligence apps would be excluded, and the bill contains no penalties for parents or children. PBS News Two of the three parties in Luxon's governing coalition say they will vote against the bill, so it will need opposition support to pass. PBS News Because Parliament will dissolve on October 1, 2026, the bill cannot be voted on before that date.

Burning restrictions were lifted across all three million acres of Superior National Forest, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, effective 12:01 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, officials said.

More than 1,600 of roughly 2,000 BWCA campsites — about 73% — had reopened beginning Aug. 13, and two additional Echo Trail entry points are due to open Tuesday, Aug. 25. FOX 9 Officials reported seven July lightning fires have burned about 76,032 acres combined, with 598 personnel assigned as operations shift toward recovery. FOX 9 A new Muskeg Creek Fire inside the BWCAW was reported around Aug. 23 and crews are assessing resource needs.

The Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte on Friday, August 21, 2026, saying the three committed insubordination.

The department said the dismissals followed comments the three made in a CBS News interview and labeled the conduct insubordination. CBS News Slavin told the Associated Press he was dismissed after a CBS interview in which he called hypothetical censorship of news for service members a "red line" and defended Stars and Stripes' statutory editorial independence. PBS News Korte said she was told she was being fired for insubordination after telling CBS she worked for Stars and Stripes "not for the Pentagon, not for any administration, not for any policymaker." PBS News Separation notices are subject to appeal, the Pentagon said.

U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack on Sunday, August 23, clarified that his remark about the Golan Heights did not change U.S. policy and reaffirmed President Trump's 2019 recognition of Israeli sovereignty.

Barrack told the Associated Press that his earlier remark described the Golan's historical status and was not a departure from the administration's position. PBS News He also said the United States does not negotiate with Hezbollah and that his criticism of missing parties at Lebanon-Israel talks was meant to highlight Iran's role in arming Hezbollah.

Twin Cities average gasoline price rose to $4.19 per gallon on Monday, August 24, 2026, an 18.2-cent weekly jump that tightens household budgets as refinery disruptions squeeze supply.

The increase is 6.5 cents above a month ago and $1.18 more than a year earlier, with metro pump prices now ranging from $3.60 to $4.39 and statewide spreads widening to $3.46 to $4.85.

Iran-linked hackers took a small U.K. power plant offline for four days in July 2026, British outlets reported, in what officials said did not threaten the country's overall electricity supply.

U.S. officials say Iranian-linked actors also targeted water systems in roughly a dozen U.S. states, including New Jersey, Minnesota, Georgia and South Dakota.

The Federal Trade Commission said Monday it settled an antitrust suit requiring Zillow and Redfin to strip anticompetitive terms from their rentals deal and let Redfin resume rental listings.

The FTC's complaint said Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to stop Redfin's multifamily rental listings and repost only Zillow-supplied apartment listings, and to transfer Redfin's advertising customers to Zillow. CBS News The FTC and Zillow reached the deal the morning the case was to go to trial in a federal district court in Virginia.

Sean Grayson, 32, a former Sangamon County deputy serving a 20-year sentence for the killing of Sonya Massey, died in prison on Sunday, August 23, 2026.

His attorney, Daniel Fultz, confirmed Grayson's death but declined to provide details, and the Illinois Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to requests for information. CBS News Grayson was convicted of second-degree murder in October 2025 and was sentenced in January 2026 to the maximum 20-year term for the July 6, 2024 shooting of 36-year-old Sonya Massey at her Springfield-area home.

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pleaded no contest Monday in Columbiana County after his Sunday arrest in East Palestine, Ohio, and was sentenced to jail and fines.

Prosecutors amended the original allegations to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools, and York entered a no-contest plea during a hearing on Monday. OutKick He was released on a $5,000 bond. OutKick A judge sentenced him to two days in jail, credited one day for time served, and ordered payment of $1,150 in fines.

Union and health officials warned wildland firefighters this week about using the supplement glutathione for smoke exposure after pharmacy recalls and reports of illness tied to treatments.

The International Association of Firefighters issued a safety advisory the week before August 24, 2026, saying glutathione is not FDA approved and lacks evidence of safety or efficacy for smoke exposure.

French tourist Pierre Michel Formosa died after becoming stranded and collapsing in Death Valley during 116-degree heat on Monday, August 17, 2026.

Formosa and a companion had become stuck in mud on a remote Death Valley road and then began walking across salt flats to seek help. CBS News Formosa collapsed after walking about 1.3 miles with no other people in sight while temperatures reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit that afternoon.

More than a dozen public-interest and consumer groups on August 21, 2026 urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate AI companies for buying, scanning and then destroying bulk-purchased books.

The groups said the firms follow a "hoard-and-destroy" model: they purchase books in bulk, digitize them for model training and then discard the physical copies. CBS News They said the practice can erase unique print copies and limit public access, which the groups argue could be an unfair method of competition under Section 5 of the FTC Act.

Two Phoenix police officers were fired and arrested Saturday, August 22, 2026, on aggravated assault and kidnapping charges tied to an unreported violent traffic stop in Phoenix on August 5.

The officers were identified as Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez, and each was held on a secured $100,000 bond. CBS News Investigators allege the officers smashed a car window, punched the male driver, threatened to shoot him, handcuffed the female passenger and used a Taser on both occupants.

President Trump on Sunday, August 16, 2026 ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce U.S. participation in the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, linking the cuts to South Korea's refusal to join U.S. efforts to denuclearize Iran.

The drills began Monday, August 17 as scheduled but the U.S. requested they end Friday, August 21, canceling or converting many live-fire events to simulations. CBS News The originally planned 11-day exercise involved about 18,000 South Korean troops and complex scenarios including live-fire precision targeting, maneuver operations, a wet gap crossing and distribution of prepositioned equipment.

The U.S. federal debt climbed past $40 trillion on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, and interest payments have become the government's second-largest expense.

The Treasury Department's daily financial report confirmed the milestone as annual federal budget deficits top $2 trillion, even after the Supreme Court ordered more than $100 billion in refunds of Trump-era tariffs. NPR Interest payments now exceed $1 trillion a year and were about 15% higher in the first ten months of the fiscal year than a year earlier. NPR Thirty-year Treasury yields hit a 19-year high this week, which helped push the average 30-year mortgage rate to roughly 6.7%.

Benjamin Parker, 36, was found dead inside a vehicle behind a Safeway in Enumclaw, Washington, on Sunday, Aug. 23, after officials linked him to five slayings in Forest Grove, Oregon.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office says it believes Parker killed himself and that there is no ongoing threat to the community.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon told CNN on Sunday, August 23, 2026, that the federal government will crack down on sexual misconduct by school staff.

McMahon said districts often reassign teachers accused of misconduct instead of firing them, and she pledged the Education Department will work to stop those moves from escaping official records. Fox News She pointed to a May 2026 Title IX investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School District. Fox News She also cited reporting that at least 67 California educators found to have committed sexual misconduct between 2019 and 2025 were not stripped of their licenses.

Minneapolis is launching a public search for a new police chief, starting with three council-led community listening sessions this week as the first step in a six-part process.

Mayor Jacob Frey expects the search to last about 16 weeks, with a nominee submitted to the City Council for confirmation in October or November. FOX 9 Interim Chief Bill Peterson is not seeking the permanent job. FOX 9 Former Chief Brian O'Hara resigned after Mayor Frey said O'Hara could be discharged over alleged interference in an internal investigation of a subordinate.

Christopher Boone Crimmins, 34, was charged Sunday after a boom-truck grapple crushed a coworker's head during on-the-job horseplay Thursday in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Dakota County charged Crimmins with one felony count of second-degree manslaughter and set bail at $40,000 without conditions or $20,000 with conditions. Fox News The victim was 26-year-old tree worker Tyler Anthony Lynch.

At least 30 people were killed when the Dar Es Salam landfill in Conakry, Guinea, collapsed after heavy rain on Sunday, August 23, 2026, burying nearby homes.

Officials said six people were seriously injured and multiple homes, including a three-story building, were destroyed as rescue teams worked to find others trapped under the mound. Fox News Search-and-rescue operations were underway to locate additional victims trapped beneath the garbage, officials said.

A security worker was stabbed just after 4 a.m. Sunday on the 3200 block of 2nd Street North in Minneapolis after refusing two women entry to an after-hours club, police said.

Two women in their 20s were arrested on assault charges, and the victim was hospitalized and is expected to survive, authorities said.

Tropical Storm Moke dumped heavy rain on Hawaii's Big Island on Sunday, August 23, 2026, threatening life-threatening flooding and mudslides in areas still recovering from Hurricane Lala.

The National Hurricane Center said Moke's center was about 310 miles south of Hilo on Sunday morning with top sustained winds near 45 mph. PBS Forecasters warned Moke could drop up to 10 inches across the Big Island, with isolated totals reaching 15 inches and up to 6 inches on eastern Maui. PBS The NHC warned the rain could trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides on windward and southeast slopes, particularly where soils are saturated. NPR More than 6,700 customers, mostly on the Big Island, remained without power as crews worked to restore service. PBS State officials activated a joint information center to coordinate updates.

A Texas judge denied Karmelo Anthony's motion for a new trial in the killing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf on Saturday, August 22, 2026, preserving his June 2026 murder conviction and 35-year sentence.

Retired Judge Michael Chitty issued a half-page order after a two-day hearing near Dallas, saying he had reviewed evidence and arguments but offering no detailed reasoning. PBS Defense attorney Russell Wilson said the team will appeal and pursue every lawful avenue. PBS The hearing featured testimony about an off-the-record "gentleman's agreement" to limit character evidence and whether that pact influenced Anthony's decision not to testify, a claim former defense attorney Toby Shook made and prosecutor Bill Wirskye disputed.

Rubén Rocha Moya, Sinaloa's governor, submitted an indefinite leave of absence on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026 — one day after he returned to the governor's office.

Rocha had announced his return on Friday, Aug. 21, saying he resumed the governorship "with a clear conscience and head held high." Fox News His leave request was contained in a letter dated Aug. 22 that the Sinaloa state congress stamped as received that day. Fox News Rocha said he spent 112 days away from office to make himself available to Mexican authorities and to personally appear before the Attorney General's Office. Fox News President Claudia Sheinbaum posted on X that "no personal interest can ever stand above the interests of the people and the Nation" after his brief return.

On Sunday, August 23, 2026, Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian defended a mid-June memorandum of understanding with the United States as Tehran's best route out of a "neither war nor peace" stalemate.

Mohsen Rezaei, the newly appointed head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview aired late Saturday that neighbors who join new U.S. sanctions would be treated as enemies. PBS News He warned Tehran could target alternative oil-shipping routes from the Persian Gulf if those countries cooperate with sanctions. PBS News Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected Monday, August 24, 2026, to announce additional U.S. economic measures that U.S. officials call part of an "unprecedented" isolation campaign. PBS News A U.S.-led multinational naval coalition reported no confirmed attacks in the Strait of Hormuz during the 48 hours before Sunday, though shipping traffic remained below normal.

China's Chang'e-7 lunar mission was postponed on Sunday, August 23, 2026, after the China Manned Space Agency said it would not launch from Wenchang this year.

Officials said a comprehensive assessment found the mission "does not meet the launch conditions" but they did not specify the problems. CBS News Chang'e-7 had been planned to launch from Wenchang on Hainan Island to survey the lunar south pole and search for water ice in permanently shadowed craters.

On August 6, 2026, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested Keisha Epps and Tamra Marshon Stewart on four counts each of child neglect, punishable by up to five years in prison.

Arrest records say four children lived primarily in a tractor-trailer cab with the couple beginning in December 2019 and did not attend school for about five years. Fox News Investigators said the children lacked regular medical and dental care, had an unnatural gait, were poorly fed, all slept curled together in a single small bunk, and one had an untreated permanent burn scar. Fox News The children alleged Stewart sexually abused someone and beat that person when confronted, and that Epps knew of or witnessed the abuse but left the children alone with him. Fox News One child reportedly had an untreated sexually transmitted infection and court documents say capital sexual battery charges against Stewart will be filed in the 9th Judicial Circuit.

Neal's family and attorney on Aug. 22 said body-camera video viewed at the Shelby County district attorney's office raises questions about a federal agent's decision in the late-May fatal shooting at Neal's Memphis home.

Attorney Andre Wharton said the footage comes from a second agent, not the officer who fired. NPR He said it shows agents at the apartment doorway while Neal stood some distance away holding a knife, and that one agent told colleagues he had no gun before another agent fired.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is considering stepping down by the end of 2026, two people familiar with the matter told CBS News on Saturday, August 22, 2026.

CBS News links Driscoll's possible departure to months of behind-the-scenes friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, including Hegseth's early-April removal of Gen. Randy George as Army chief of staff. CBS News The Army has also moved to phase out its Unmanned Assault Battalion, a drone unit set up to absorb lessons from the Ukraine war. CBS News That decision unfolded amid tension between the battalion's champions and acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve.

Minneapolis police are investigating a spree that left 87 vehicles with smashed windows across nine neighborhoods, local reporting said.

Ivan Koh said he discovered his car window smashed on 1st Avenue South and saw seven or eight other damaged cars nearby. FOX 9 Koh told FOX 9 this was his second break-in in less than three weeks; the first time thieves took about $20, and the second time nothing was stolen but the window was destroyed. FOX 9 He said repeated repairs are draining his savings as he prepares to start an unpaid internship, and that the incidents have him second-guessing his move to Minnesota.

A laptop battery ignited aboard an American Airlines flight on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, and one passenger received medical attention for possible burns.

The pilot initially reported possible burn injuries after the device caught fire, CBS first reported.

A federal judge in Tennessee on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, sentenced Kyle William Spitze to 77 years in federal prison.

Prosecutors said Spitze coerced 30 young people to send him nude images, to abuse animals and to engage in self-mutilation. New York Times They said he operated within online extremist circles known as Harm Nation and 764, which the Anti-Defamation League says took its three-digit name from the Texas founder's ZIP code. New York Times The Department of Justice described those groups as part of a "nihilistic violent extremism" movement that glorifies mass murder and urges victims to self-harm. New York Times Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg called the 77-year term "the longest federal sentence ever imposed on a nihilistic violent extremist" and said it demonstrates that such conduct will not be tolerated.

Minneapolis police arrested Ananias Cortex Williams on Aug. 19 in connection with a July 20 shooting on the 1200 block of Oliver Avenue North that wounded a man.

The victim suffered a left-arm wound and three parked cars were struck, police said. FOX 9 Investigators recovered roughly 35 spent shell casings and linked a 9mm casing from the scene to a Glock 19 tied to three other shootings earlier in 2026.

Nancy Kassebaum Baker, the former U.S. senator from Kansas, died Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, at age 94 of natural causes, her son Bill Kassebaum confirmed.

Bill Kassebaum described his mother as an "independent-minded Republican" who was willing to oppose her party when she thought it was right. MS NOW CBS News also published an obituary reporting her death.

Federal agents arrested 11 cruise ship crew members in Boston after boarding two vessels between August 14 and 16 in a sweep tied to alleged child sexual-abuse materials.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said nine of those arrested are from the Philippines, one is from Indonesia and one is from Nicaragua. CBS News Agents boarded the Volendam and the Norwegian Breakaway in Boston and searched crew quarters and electronic devices before processing all 11 for removal under Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The Justice Department said Friday, August 21, 2026, that TikTok and its owner ByteDance will pay $400 million to settle a U.S. lawsuit over children's online privacy.

Under the deal TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and another $100 million becomes payable after a court order overturns a prior consent decree against predecessor Musical.ly. PBS News The settlement resolves a 2024 Justice Department lawsuit that accused TikTok and ByteDance of collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. PBS News The complaint also said the companies ignored parental deletion requests and failed to delete accounts they knew belonged to under-13 users. PBS News Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. called the agreement "a major victory for American children and parents" and said it reinforces online protections for families.

A man with reported ties to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel was sentenced to 21½ years in prison in Minnesota for trafficking methamphetamine.

FOX 9 reported the sentence as part of a federal drug-trafficking case tied to a Minnesota meth ring.

Russian drone strikes hit a shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih on Friday, August 21, 2026, killing 16 people and wounding scores of shoppers.

Rescue services said the attack wounded 130 people, including 23 children, and that nine people remained missing, among them two children. CBS News Ukrainian officials said at least 20 people were killed across Ukraine on Friday, including the 16 victims at the Kryvyi Rih mall.

Highway 280 from I-94 to Highway 36/I-35 reopened after a roughly four-month MnDOT rebuild costing about $34 million, restoring traffic in time for the Minnesota State Fair.

The project included bridge repairs, ramp resurfacing and drain repairs as part of the $34 million effort.

The U.S. Senate on Aug. 8 passed a bill delaying a federal ban on intoxicating hemp-derived THC until Dec. 11, 2026, a temporary lifeline for Minnesota producers who say the market is collapsing.

The measure cleared the Senate by 61-32 and uses delay language championed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and modeled on her Hemp Planting Predictability Act with Sen. Rand Paul. FOX 9 The bill would also ban synthetic hemp derivatives even as it extends the broader hemp-derived THC market, and it still must pass the U.S. House before the delay and the synthetic ban become law. FOX 9 Minnesota's Department of Agriculture says licensed hemp farmers fell from more than 400 at the industry's peak to about 60 after ban language first appeared and to just 46 this year.

Christopher Boone Crimmins, 34, was charged with second-degree manslaughter after a hydraulic grapple crushed a coworker's head on Aug. 20, 2026, on 132nd Street West in Apple Valley.

The 26-year-old victim died at the scene, and a witness said the grapple hit or pinched his head. FOX 9 Investigators found blood on the grapple.

A man was found dead inside a detached garage after an early Friday morning fire on the 4700 block of Colfax Avenue North in north Minneapolis.

Fire crews extinguished a large blaze before it could spread to nearby houses, trees or power lines. FOX 9 A man who was not associated with the home's residents was found dead inside the garage, and authorities said the man's identity, cause of death and the fire's origin remain under investigation by Minneapolis fire arson investigators, police and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.

Police say the three bodies recovered from Minneapolis waterways this week have been identified or otherwise distinguished, and investigators have found no known link between the cases.

The East River Flats victim was identified as a 56-year-old woman named Sognesand. FOX 9 The Stone Arch victim was identified as Randip Eugene Satoskar. FOX 9 A decomposed body found along the shore of Bde Maka Ska remains under investigation and has not been publicly identified. FOX 9 Jurisdictions are split: Minneapolis police are handling the East River Flats case, the Hennepin County Sheriff is handling the Bde Maka Ska matter, and University of Minnesota Police are overseeing the Stone Arch investigation.

The man found near the Stone Arch Bridge was identified Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, as 54-year-old Randip Eugene Satoskar.

University of Minnesota Police said they currently see no known connection between Satoskar's death and two other bodies recently recovered in Minneapolis. FOX 9 FOX 9 earlier identified the East River Flats victim as 56-year-old Karen Sognesand on Aug. 19, 2026. FOX 9 The decomposed body recovered at Bde Maka Ska remains under the Hennepin County Sheriff's investigation, and officials say each case is being handled separately.

NASA named Minnesota State's Transportation Center of Excellence one of seven national aerospace skilled technical workforce State Hubs, making it the only hub in the Midwest.

The designation brings $1.5 million over three years to build a statewide system of aerospace career pathways through apprenticeships, technical training and work-based learning. FOX 9 NASA highlighted Minnesota's technical college network and named Dakota County Technical College, Pine Technical and Community College, and Ridgewater College as core partners.

Lime temporarily geofenced downtown Minneapolis ahead of a planned scooter takeover and says it has permanently banned riders it identified as entering I-35W.

Lime restored normal downtown service Thursday morning after the preemptive restriction. FOX 9 The company says it will permanently ban anyone it identifies as having ridden on I-35W and will issue warnings to other participants. FOX 9 The Minnesota State Patrol confirmed reports of roughly 200-300 scooters on I-35W during the takeover but said troopers made no contact or enforcement at the time. FOX 9 State patrol and Minneapolis police called the riding "reckless and disruptive" and urged scooter companies to work with the city on geofencing.

Minnesota lost about 1,900 nonfarm jobs in July, a 0.1% monthly decline that cooled a recent run of gains in the state's labor market.

The report showed the unemployment rate fell to 4.3% even as labor force participation slipped to 66.9%, which remains well above the national 61.4% rate. FOX 9 Over the year to July, Minnesota added 44,092 nonfarm jobs, a 1.5% increase compared with a 0.2% rise nationally.

Minnesota's statewide minimum wage will rise to $11.87 per hour on Jan. 1, 2027, and Minneapolis' minimum will increase to $17.02 per hour.

The state also sets a 90-day training wage of $9.68 for workers under 20 years old. FOX 9 Minneapolis' 2027 rate rises from $16.37 in 2026 to $17.02. FOX 9 Minnesota's 2027 statewide adjustment was 3.99%, with the law capping annual increases at 5%.

Marquez Hill-Turnipseed, 24, agreed to a 40-year prison plea for two second-degree murder counts tied to the June 2025 drive-by mass shooting at Boom Island Park that killed one person and wounded five.

He signed a Hennepin County plea, accepting a 480-month term with the two murder sentences to run concurrently. FOX 9 The June 2025 drive-by at Boom Island Park killed 23-year-old Stageina Katraya Shapryia Whiting and injured five others, investigators said. FOX 9 Charging documents said investigators recovered roughly 130 shell casings and linked nine guns to the attack.

A 24-year-old New Brighton man was charged with attempted murder after prosecutors say he fired at a Ramsey County sergeant and the officer's K-9 during a traffic stop in Maplewood.

He faces charges of attempted murder, ineligible possession of a firearm and two assault counts — one alleging the sergeant was shot and one alleging the K-9, Sonny, was shot. FOX 9 Prosecutors say he is legally ineligible to possess a firearm because of a prior criminal sexual conduct conviction.

Minneapolis police say their Violent Criminal Apprehension Team has made 88 arrests since the unit became operational on March 24, 2026.

Those arrests include 17 for murder, 10 for first-degree assault, 14 for second-degree assault, and 5 for aggravated robbery. FOX 9 The tally also includes 4 criminal vehicular-homicide or operation charges, 3 domestic assaults, 3 sexual assaults, 2 robberies of a person, 1 carjacking and 30 other violent-crime warrants.

A 17-year-old was arrested after a 14-year-old boy was shot in St. Paul; the victim arrived at St. John's Hospital about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and is expected to survive.

Police say the shooting occurred on Supornick Lane off Maryland Avenue near Hazelwood Street, and St. Paul police arrested the 17-year-old in connection with the incident.

Mayor Jacob Frey proposed a 2.5% increase to Minneapolis park funding on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, while the Park Board voted unanimously to seek 5.86%, creating a $3.1 million gap.

Frey said the shortfall could be closed by consolidating human resources, finance and information-technology functions with the city. FOX 9 He cited Park Board spending of $1.8 million on HR, $1.9 million on finance and $3.5 million on IT and made on-camera remarks pitching consolidation as a way to preserve recreation services. FOX 9 Park Board Superintendent Alfred Bangoura pushed back, saying the board has not seen sufficient specifics from the city. FOX 9 Bangoura added the board's prior "service redesign" work shows proposed consolidations could duplicate rather than streamline services.

A judge ordered Isanti standoff suspect Jason Michael Phillips held on a $3 million bond and ordered a mental-health evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial.

Phillips faces 32 felony charges, including assault and attempted murder of a peace officer, and his next court appearance is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Central on Oct. 21, 2026. FOX 9 The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating after a SWAT officer fired during the standoff; the agency has identified Anoka County Deputy Brian Torborg as the officer and said no one was injured. FOX 9 Body-worn and squad cameras recorded portions of the incident, and BCA crime-scene staff recovered multiple rifles, shotguns and spent cartridge casings throughout the home.

Antonio Carlos Grajeda Jr., 20, of Savage was charged Wednesday with five felonies, including drive-by shooting and assault, in Dakota County over a July 11 I-35E road-rage shooting in Eagan.

The July 11 incident occurred about 5:16 p.m. on I-35E northbound near Deerwood Drive and Diffley Road in Eagan. FOX 9 Shots were fired at a woman's vehicle and at a gray sedan carrying two men, authorities said.

A Brooklyn Park home on West Broadway was condemned after officers found nearly 30 cats, including three dead cats, during a July 22 search of the residence.

Sixty-eight-year-old Ann Rickson has been charged with six counts of animal neglect in Hennepin County. FOX 9 Officers seized more than 29 cats and a dog during the search. FOX 9 Three surviving cats later had their eyes surgically removed.

Minneapolis authorities identified the body found near East River Flats Park as 56-year-old Karen Sognesand and said her death occurred Saturday with no known link to other cases.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Sognesand's death occurred sometime on Saturday, the day her body was found. FOX 9 The Minneapolis Police Department said the case shows no known connection to the body recoveries at Bde Maka Ska or near the Stone Arch Bridge. FOX 9 Police said the recoveries included the East River Flats case on Saturday night and a body along the east shore of Bde Maka Ska on Sunday morning. FOX 9 A third body was recovered near the Stone Arch Bridge around 1 p.m. Monday, and that scene was investigated by University of Minnesota police.

Dakota County authorities are asking the public for tips about the friends, associates and recent activities of Timothy Standish Jr., 40, whose body was recovered near East River Flats Park in Minneapolis.

Standish lived in Minneapolis' Stevens Square neighborhood. FOX 9 Dakota County first appealed for information in an Aug. 17 report asking for tips about Standish's friends and recent activities. FOX 9 The Minneapolis Police Department said it does not see a connection between the East River Flats recovery and other recent recoveries.

Blue Line light rail trains between Target Field and the Mall of America will resume service Thursday after a months-long construction shutdown, Metro Transit said.

The closure was used to upgrade signals and vehicle-guiding equipment to improve schedule reliability and reduce delays. Metro Transit said the work will help restore a more dependable timetable for riders.

FastWave, a Brooklyn Park medtech founded in 2021, has won FDA clearance to begin a pivotal clinical trial of its peripheral intravascular lithotripsy system.

The company is launching a $40 million Series B to fund a pivotal trial of up to 125 patients. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal FastWave aims to file a 510(k) with FDA by late 2027 and could launch commercially in early 2028.

Target is investing more than $1 billion in its U.S. grocery business in 2026, a move that represents about 20% of its capital budget as it chases a new niche in food retail.

The company says the outlay is roughly twice its typical annual food investment and will fund assortment and store upgrades aimed at boosting food sales. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Target has added about 4,600 new food items, expanded produce and global foods, and opened a "food-forward" prototype with a grocery section roughly 30% larger than average.

Elon Musk's xAI asked a federal judge in St. Paul Wednesday to block enforcement of Minnesota's new ban on AI-generated nude images.

A judge earlier denied xAI's request for a temporary restraining order, and xAI is now seeking a preliminary injunction to halt enforcement of the law. FOX 9 The judge said he plans to issue a ruling by email on Monday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, a move that could open about 62,000 acres in Minnesota's Superior and Chippewa national forests to logging and roadbuilding.

Nationwide, the proposal would allow permanent roads on 18.2 million acres and temporary roads on 11.3 million acres of currently roadless forest. FOX 9 USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the rule has hampered wildfire-risk reduction and forest-health work. FOX 9 Environment Minnesota and other groups say new roads would damage habitat and water quality.

Michael Salas, 52, of San Antonio, was sentenced in St. Paul to 256 months for producing and attempting to produce child pornography involving an 11-year-old Minnesota girl.

U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud called the conduct "depraved, cruel, and contemptable." FOX 9 Prosecutors said the sentence reflects the seriousness of online child sexual exploitation.

A suspect was arrested and charged in alleged burglaries at The Gnome pub and a Lexington business in St. Paul.

Pub owner Brian Ingram said he learned of the arrest but remains frustrated by repeat break-ins and by how past cases were handled. FOX 9 Ingram said the latest break-in left about $20,000 in damage that he covered with bank loans instead of insurance. FOX 9 He is publicly calling for harsher penalties for repeat burglars.

Gov. Tim Walz signed Executive Order 26-10 on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, banning new nonferrous mining near the Boundary Waters and targeting the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed.

The order directs the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Pollution Control Agency to halt new environmental reviews and permitting, stop offering new nonferrous mineral and surface leases in the RRHW, and decline to act as cooperating agencies on federal reviews. FOX 9 Walz said the fight for the Boundary Waters' future is over and vowed his administration will protect the area "forever." FOX 9

Minnesota's housing inventory hit a seven-year high in July 2026 as new listings and sales rose in the Twin Cities and across the state.

Statewide inventory reached 20,084 homes in July, a 9.1% increase and the highest level since 2019. FOX 9 New listings in July rose 9.1% statewide and 8.0% in the Twin Cities metro compared with a year earlier, while statewide pending sales were up 2.7% and closed sales rose 11.2% year-over-year. FOX 9 Year-to-date closed sales are up 2.7% and new listings are up 6.2%. FOX 9 Median prices rose modestly to $375,000 statewide and $408,000 in the Twin Cities, increases of 2.7% and 3.3% respectively.

Adrian Ricardo Flowers, 37, of St. Paul, was charged with attempted first-degree murder after he allegedly fired at Eagan police officers during a domestic disturbance, prosecutors said.

He faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer and two counts of first-degree assault of a peace officer. FOX 9 Prosecutors also charged him with two counts of obstructing legal process involving risk of death or serious harm and a firearm violation. FOX 9 The criminal complaint says Flowers fired a shot at one officer's head and missed, then pointed the gun at a second officer and pulled the trigger but the weapon jammed. FOX 9 Because of a prior conviction for unintentional second-degree murder, Flowers is legally prohibited from possessing firearms, the complaint says. FOX 9 Judge Christopher Bates set bail at $1 million without conditions or $750,000 with conditions, and a following hearing is scheduled Sept. 9 in Hastings. FOX 9 Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said the shooting left officers "very close" to being killed and praised their actions.

A Prior Lake daycare teacher, Rachel Lowe, 36 of New Prague, is charged with six counts of malicious punishment of a child after surveillance video allegedly showed her striking six children.

The footage from New Creations Child Care & Learning allegedly shows Lowe striking, slapping, pulling hair and grabbing children between July 9 and July 17, 2026.

The Minneapolis City Council's Business, Housing & Zoning Committee unanimously approved renewal of Reign Event Center's liquor license.

Minneapolis police told the committee they found no direct link between the club and the gunfire and have signed off on a revised security plan for the venue.

Donald Trump on Aug. 10 issued an executive order proposing to space out childhood vaccines and separate the measles-mumps-rubella shot, a move that collides with falling Minnesota vaccination rates.

Minnesota's kindergarten MMR coverage fell to 85.7% in 2025-2026, down from 86.5% the prior year, while the state's overall kindergarten vaccine exemption rate rose to 6.9% from 5.9%. FOX 9 State coverage for other core vaccines was mostly flat or slightly down: DTaP 86.1%, varicella 86.2%, hepatitis B 91.8% and polio 86.7%. FOX 9 Nationally, kindergarten vaccine exemptions hit a record 4.2% with exemptions rising in 41 states and the District of Columbia.

CDC's 2025-26 kindergarten data show Minnesota's MMR vaccination rate fell to 85.7% while the state's exemption rate rose to 6.9%, leaving coverage well below the 95% herd-immunity benchmark.

Minnesota's MMR coverage was 86.5% in 2024-25, so the latest figure represents a 0.8 percentage-point drop. FOX 9 Other kindergarten coverage rates were DTaP 86.1%, varicella 86.2%, hepatitis B 91.8% and polio 86.7%, all below the 95% threshold.

Three Minneapolis firefighters were checked for minor injuries after crews responded just after 4 p.m. on August 17 to a house fire on the 1200 block of Russell Avenue North in north Minneapolis.

The home's two residents escaped unharmed, and the house was badly damaged and later boarded up. FOX 9 The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents.

A court found that Minneapolis failed to inspect any public housing units from 1992 through at least 2020, flouting a city rental-inspection ordinance and raising questions about tenant safety.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals in 2020 ruled the city must inspect Minneapolis Public Housing Authority units like other rentals and that the authority must obtain rental licenses. FOX 9 A 2025 appellate decision criticized Minneapolis for restricting checks to 311 complaint calls and for not otherwise changing its inspection practices for public housing. FOX 9 The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority controls more than 6,000 low-income homes and long argued it could lose federal funding if it obtained city licenses, a claim the court rejected.

Investigators say businesses tied to former Anoka County prosecutor Andrea Sampson and two co-defendants are linked to roughly $2.5 million in potentially fraudulent Medicaid claims for autism services, housing stabilization and assisted living.

The Minnesota Attorney General's Office filed a related Medicaid-fraud case against Salman Ahmed Elmi, alleging Reva Health billed Medicaid for more than $1 million for services that were not provided or not eligible.

Three members of the Brown family were found dead inside the licensed Brown Bear Daycare in Hopkins in an apparent murder-suicide. FOX 9 The City of Hopkins scheduled a public vigil for Kristen and her daughter Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Downtown Park, and relatives asked for privacy while thanking the community.

Kristen Brown's sister, Amanda Paulson, said Kristen was a peacemaker, that 7-year-old Evie loved dresses and jewelry, and that she had been nervous after the couple separated in April, fearing Nathan "might do something horrible." FOX 9

On August 12, 2026, police said a Burnsville homicide was linked to a separate deadly incident at Brown Bear Daycare in Hopkins that left four family members dead.

The Hennepin County medical examiner identified the four as Nathan Matthew Brown, Kristen Ann Brown, their 7-year-old daughter Evie Ann Brown and 78-year-old Alice Anne Brown. FOX 9 Hopkins investigators say Nathan Brown stabbed his wife and their daughter and then died of a self-inflicted gunshot, and Burnsville police found Alice Brown dead inside a Maple Island Road home.

A federal judge in Minnesota dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought the state's full voter registration list, blocking federal access to private voter data.

The judge found no legal basis under the Civil Rights Act of 1960 or the Help America Vote Act for demanding unredacted voter rolls and called the effort a "fishing expedition." FOX 9 As a result, Minnesota officials will not have to turn over private voter information. FOX 9 The ruling follows similar Justice Department suits that have failed in at least 23 states and the District of Columbia. FOX 9 Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and Attorney General Keith Ellison praised the decision as a win for voter privacy and election security.

State election officials are reviewing video that shows conservative influencer Cameron Higby, disguised in a niqab, trying to vouch for or cast other Minneapolis voters' ballots on primary day.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon called the conduct "outrageous and totally unacceptable." FOX 9 He said poll workers flagged the behavior in real time and that law enforcement is reviewing the matter. FOX 9 At one Minneapolis polling place workers required documentation from the vouched-for voter and told Higby he could only vote if the person was already registered. FOX 9 Two other sites said vouching did not require ID but would be validated and could cover up to eight vouchees.

Ramsey County seniors have lost more than $1.2 million to fraud since Aug. 1, the sheriff's office warned, and officials are urging anyone who suspects they were targeted to report it immediately.

Seventeen confirmed senior victims have been identified, with ages ranging from 61 to 78 and individual losses that span about $700 to roughly $800,000. FOX 9 One 73-year-old victim lost about $800,000, authorities said.

A man in his 20s was critically wounded in a shooting reported about 4:40 a.m. Sunday in the 3300 block of 38th Avenue South in Minneapolis. FOX 9 He arrived at a hospital just before 5 a.m. with potentially life-threatening gunshot wounds.

Police found evidence of gunfire outside a home being used as an Airbnb, and they said no arrests have been made and no motive has been announced.

William Davon Hall, 29, was charged with second-degree murder in Chisago County after prosecutors say he fatally beat his cellmate, Stephen Scott Washington, at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Rush City on Oct. 9, 2025.

Surveillance video shows about seven minutes of rapid movement and punching, then Hall covering the cell window from 1:00 to 1:06 p.m. before an alarm sounded at 1:26 p.m., officials said. FOX 9 Stephen Washington was found unconscious in cell 230 and pronounced dead at 2:07 p.m., and the Midwest Medical Examiner found extensive blunt force head and neck injuries and ruled the manner of death a homicide.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified St. Paul officer Jacob Pederson as the shooter in the August 10 police shooting near Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

Pederson is a 12-year veteran of the St. Paul Police Department. FOX 9 The BCA said the shooting was recorded on squad-car and body-worn cameras. FOX 9 The agency also said it will submit its investigative findings to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office for review.

Eighteen-year-old Ash Ranallo-Korbel fell about 20 stories inside Minneapolis' Checkerboard Grain Elevator and survived, and a Chicago law firm has opened an investigation into alleged security failures at the site.

Chicago-based Romanucci & Blandin says it is weighing a civil case and cites years of security complaints and easy access at the Checkerboard site. FOX 9 Officials called Ranallo-Korbel's survival a "miracle" because he landed on a relatively softer flat-roof membrane rather than a harder surface.

Roseville police arrested two men they say are responsible for nearly 30 burglaries and vehicle break-ins across Roseville and the Twin Cities metro.

Aaron Matthew Million was arrested Aug. 7 in Minneapolis while driving a 2018 Toyota Highlander reported stolen. FOX 9 Police say evidence seized in a stolen Kia Forte later linked Million to a separate Roseville home burglary on Aug. 10. FOX 9 Laurence John Charette was tied to a stolen Ford Bronco Sport after officers found a Department of Corrections ID and a probation officer's card inside, and he was arrested Aug. 13. FOX 9 Both men now face felony burglary charges, Roseville police said.

A firefighter died after a mid-morning medical emergency while working the Bear Trap Fire near Ely, officials said.

He was identified as Leslie R. Washington, 41, of Noorvik, Alaska, who worked for Scorched Earth Services on a K-River 2 contract crew. FOX 9 Gov. Tim Walz ordered U.S. and Minnesota flags at state buildings to half-staff in Washington's honor, and national wildfire leaders issued condolences.

Wright County mother Charlotte Free Breton was charged Thursday in connection with a May 3 crash in Rockford that killed a woman who was walking on a sidewalk.

She faces charges of aiding and abetting criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation causing substantial bodily harm, prosecutors said. FOX 9 The victim's wife was seriously injured in the crash.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her proposed 2027 budgets that would raise property taxes by 11.3% and 6.8%, and force cuts to libraries and safety programs.

Frey's plan would raise Minneapolis property taxes about 11.3% and would cost the median Minneapolis homeowner roughly $409. FOX 9 Her proposed a $888 million budget that would raise St. Paul property taxes about 6.8%, adding roughly $58 for the median St. Paul property owner. FOX 9 St. Paul officials warned the plan could close Dayton's Bluff Library, cut hours at other libraries and rec centers, and trim police supervision roles. FOX 9 Frey's budget would shrink the community service officer program and make drastic cuts to the city's violence interrupter program.

Jerry Jovan Harris, 37, was charged in Ramsey County with second-degree murder and manslaughter after the death of Isaiah Jacob Wilson, who was assaulted outside the Dorothy Day Center on Aug. 3.

Prosecutors say security footage shows Harris "lifted his leg, reared back and punched" Wilson with no prior physical altercation, according to the charging document. FOX 9 Medical records list Wilson's cause of death as an acute left frontal subdural hematoma that led to brain death, and he was declared neurologically brain-dead and taken off life support on Aug. 7.

Trent Fair, 31, was sentenced Aug. 11, 2026, to 260 months in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor in a multi-state grooming case.

He will also serve 20 years of supervised release after his prison term, federal prosecutors said. FOX 9 Court documents say Fair admitted producing child pornography involving at least a "few dozen" victims and soliciting abuse material from minors as young as 10.

The Minnesota Supervised Release Board met on August 11 and delayed its decision on convicted St. Paul police officer killer Ronald Reed's parole until its next meeting on September 11.

Board members were split between granting a staggered, work-release-first "presumptive parole" over six to nine months and denying parole for at least a year. FOX 9 A motion to deny parole and reconsider in one year failed on a 2-3 vote. FOX 9 Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell cast the deciding vote and said he wanted to "figure out what it would take to move this forward." FOX 9 Members who favored some form of release cited Reed's institutional behavior and that he lived in the community for nearly two decades after the 1970 murder without additional violence. FOX 9 During the hearing Reed denied any role in Officer Sackett's killing, said he was wrongfully convicted and said his ex-girlfriend placed the false 911 call.

An Edina police officer suffered a fractured left maxillary sinus and will require oral surgery after a struggle during an arrest linked to a disturbance at the Edina Aquatic Center on Aug. 8.

The suspect, 21-year-old Tiana Hughes of Minneapolis, was arrested on suspicion of violating a domestic abuse no-contact order, and a second officer sustained a bite laceration to the right bicep during the altercation. FOX 9 Officials say the struggle unfolded at Hennepin County Medical Center after Hughes was transported there and briefly uncuffed to use the bathroom.

Shortly after 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, a driver was killed when a southbound Honda Odyssey rolled, struck the I-494 bridge and caught fire on Highway 100 near I-494 in Bloomington.

Minnesota State Patrol said the vehicle rolled and struck the bridge before igniting, and one person inside was pronounced dead at the scene. FOX 9 Southbound lanes on Highway 100 were closed for several hours during the morning commute while investigators processed the scene.

Republican Lisa Demuth and Democrat U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won Minnesota's gubernatorial primaries Tuesday, setting up the state's first woman-vs-woman general election this November.

Demuth captured 44.3% of the GOP vote, defeating Mike Lindell and Kendall Qualls, and would be Minnesota's first Black governor if elected. FOX 9 Klobuchar won the Democratic primary with about 89.7% and has tapped former Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer as her running mate. FOX 9 Statewide turnout topped a record 1,103,000 ballots, roughly 25% of eligible voters; counties will canvass returns and present them to the State Canvassing Board on August 18.

Lisa Demuth won the Republican primary for Minnesota governor on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. FOX 9 Her victory sets up a general election matchup with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and guarantees Minnesota will elect its first woman governor.

Demuth defeated Mike Lindell, who ran with former President Donald Trump's endorsement. Minnesotareformer Kendall Qualls, who held the formal Minnesota GOP endorsement, was also a primary opponent. FOX 9 Statewide primary turnout topped about 1,103,000 ballots, roughly 25% of eligible voters, setting a new record above the 2018 total by about 177,000 votes. FOX 9 Counties will certify the results and the State Canvassing Board will review the returns on Aug. 18, the secretary of state said. FOX 9 FOX 9 also compiled an issue comparison from candidates' campaign materials showing Demuth's stances on fraud, immigration and the Metro Surge, taxes and health care heading into the general election.

Michele Tafoya won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Minnesota's primary on August 11.

Unofficial data from the Minnesota Secretary of State show more than 1,103,000 ballots were cast statewide in the August 11 primary, roughly a 25% turnout. FOX 9 Secretary of State Steve Simon said the high turnout showed Minnesotans "value democracy" and noted the State Canvassing Board will review the results on August 18.

Peggy Flanagan won the DFL nomination for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat in the August 11 primary, putting her on the ballot for the November general election.

Minnesota set a primary turnout record, with the Secretary of State reporting more than 1,103,000 ballots cast — roughly 25% of eligible voters. FOX 9 It is the first state primary to surpass one million ballots, breaking the 2018 mark of 925,554.

Activist investor Ancora Holdings Group offered roughly $1.2 billion for H.B. Fuller's building adhesive solutions unit, targeting the St. Paul-based company's construction business.

The proposed price is about $1.2 billion. Bizjournals The targeted division serves construction and building customers and is one of H.B. Fuller's major business segments.

Scott Jensen defeated GOP-endorsed Nate George to win the Republican primary for Minnesota state auditor, setting up a November matchup with Democrat Zack Filipovich.

The state auditor oversees the financial integrity and accountability of local governments and monitors about $60 billion in local spending statewide.

Matt Little won the DFL primary in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, and will face Republican Rep. Eric Pratt in the November general election.

Incumbent Rep. Eric Pratt ran unopposed for the GOP nomination and is now locked into a head-to-head matchup with Little in November. FOX 9 Minnesotareformer's race call included updated vote totals and percentages that finalized the primary outcome.

On Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, Department of Justice observers were denied entry to polling sites in Hennepin and Ramsey counties in the Twin Cities, prompting state officials to outline an alternate monitoring plan.

Secretary of State Steve Simon said state observers will accompany DOJ teams outside the 100-foot buffer at polling places when inside access is not granted. Minnesotareformer Simon also cited Minnesota law that limits non-local observers from entering polling places. Minnesotareformer He emphasized that DOJ monitors language access, disability access and overall compliance, and he warned against actions that could look like voter intimidation.

A federal appeals court ruled Minneapolis Public Schools may keep a union-contract clause that gives layoff protection to teachers of color.

The decision leaves the provision in place as the district manages budget- and enrollment-driven staffing cuts.

Eastbound I-94 was shut down near Olson Memorial Highway in Minneapolis' North Loop Sunday night after a crash, creating heavy backups and prompting an on-scene crash investigation.

MnDOT's 511 travel site listed "crash investigation work" as the reason for the eastbound closure. FOX 9 Traffic cameras showed long backups along I-94 shortly after 10 p.m. as crews worked at the scene. FOX 9 There was no immediate information on injuries or when lanes would reopen.

A 5-year-old child was found unresponsive in the water at Lake Minnetonka Regional Park in Minnetrista Saturday afternoon and later died after being taken to a hospital.

Lifeguards pulled the child from the water, performed CPR and the child was transported to a hospital where they were pronounced dead. FOX 9 The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is leading an active drowning investigation and has not released the child's name or further circumstances.

An 18-year-old man suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound just after 2:30 a.m. Sunday near the Stone Arch Bridge area in downtown Minneapolis, police said.

Police responded just after 2:30 a.m. to reports of gunfire in the 500 block of Main St. SE. FOX 9 They also reported shots near 6th Ave. and 2nd St. SE. FOX 9 The victim told officers he heard gunfire while outside near the intersection and was struck. FOX 9 He ran away and a friend drove him to a hospital, where he arrived about 2:40 a.m. FOX 9 No arrests have been announced, and police released no information on a suspect or motive.

A fire broke out just before 10 a.m. Saturday in a three-story apartment building on the 1000 block of Portland Avenue near Elliot Park, injuring a firefighter and displacing residents.

Firefighters arriving at the building found heavy smoke and flames coming from third-floor windows and called a second alarm to contain the blaze. FOX 9 One Minneapolis firefighter was hospitalized with a non-life-threatening injury, and residents from four apartment units were displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross.

A man in his 30s was found shot inside a vehicle and died after the Minneapolis Police Department responded about 10:30 p.m. Friday to the 2000 block of 3rd Avenue South in Minneapolis.

Officers found the man with life-threatening wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. FOX 9 No arrests or suspect details have been released, and the motive remains unknown.

Minneapolis will receive $2 million in federal funding to study grade-separation and other fixes for chronic train delays in the Camden neighborhood, city officials announced Friday.

Canadian Pacific is adding $50,000 to the study, and city leaders said the work could lead to construction beginning around 2030 if projects and funding are approved.

On Friday, August 7, 2026, the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission formally voted to recommend a pardon for La Thammavong, a Lao refugee facing deportation whom supporters say would likely die if removed.

A Mayo Clinic doctor told the Commission Thammavong relies on more than a dozen post-transplant medications that are not available in Laos and that deportation would likely be a death sentence. FOX 9 Commission members noted Thammavong has had a clean criminal record for the last 25 years after earlier convictions for assault, drug and theft in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Niron Magnetics has been approved for a federal loan of up to $150 million to expand production of rare-earth-free permanent magnets at facilities in Minnesota, a move that could boost local jobs and investment.

The money is earmarked for scaling manufacturing at Niron's Minnesota plants. Bizjournals The financing ties a major piece of federal industrial policy and clean-tech supply-chain strategy directly to the Twin Cities manufacturer.

A man fleeing Chisago County deputies drove his car into the St. Croix River and drowned just before 6 p.m. Thursday at the Railroad Landing river access.

Deputies said the driver exited the vehicle and tried to swim away after driving into the water, and they lost sight of him. FOX 9 A multi-agency search recovered his body about 9 a.m. Friday roughly one-eighth of a mile downstream.

Minnesota Attorney General settled with Unlock Partnership Solutions for $944,626 over unlawful home-equity loans and barred the company from lending in Minnesota without a mortgage license.

The package includes $201,050 in direct refunds, about $460,000 in debt cancellation and $283,576 for additional restitution to be administered by the Attorney General. FOX 9 Unlock entered about 86 "home equity agreement" deals with Minnesota homeowners starting in 2021, advancing $30,000 to $339,500 per agreement and typically claiming around 33% of each home's equity. FOX 9 The Attorney General's office calculated that Unlock's fees and equity stakes effectively charged illegal, very high costs. FOX 9 In some deals the total costs equaled 100% to 140% of the advanced amount, with annualized rates near 22% and large origination fees.

On Friday, August 7, 2026, a Minnesota judge found probable cause that Mike Lindell violated state campaign-finance bribery rules by handing out MyPillows at the July 4 Delano parade.

The judge said Lindell and his supporters tossed MyPillows, which typically sell for about $35, to paradegoers along with campaign literature. FOX 9 Lindell testified his campaign paid $4.90 per pillow wholesale and said similar pillows could be bought individually for $9.95 with a promo code. FOX 9 The judge noted Minnesota law bars giving voters a "thing of monetary value" to influence votes and that a narrow $5 exemption for food and nonalcoholic drinks does not cover pillows. FOX 9 The case has been referred to the state's chief administrative law judge, who will assign a three-judge panel for a full evidentiary hearing.

Revol Greens warned it will close its Medford, Minnesota greenhouse on Oct. 4, 2026, a move that would eliminate 89 jobs if no buyer or investor is found.

The company filed WARN notices that carry the same Oct. 4, 2026, shutdown date for its Temple, Texas greenhouse, where 115 employees would be laid off. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Interim CFO Michaele Gobel said Revol's business has been hurt by a national Cyclospora outbreak tied to competing lettuce suppliers, even though Revol's greenhouse-grown products were not linked to the contamination.

St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her declined to answer questions about an ongoing sexual harassment investigation Thursday at the Grand Victoria mixed-use project groundbreaking on Grand Avenue, saying she did not want to be "distracted." FOX 9

After the ceremony, Her was quickly escorted away by staff and did not remain to socialize or take questions. FOX 9 City Council President Rebecca Noecker praised Her at the event, saying the city is "so lucky" to have her leading it.

Daniels Sharpsmart of Shakopee paid $47,000 in penalties after state regulators found it stored hazardous and infectious waste without the proper permits, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said.

The MPCA concluded the company intentionally stored 132 hazardous waste shipments without a proper storage permit. FOX 9 Investigators also found the firm accepted 19 hazardous shipments it was not authorized to receive and failed to report rejected shipments as required. FOX 9 Inspectors said Daniels Sharpsmart did not send 11 rejected loads to proper facilities and delayed shipping seven other loads beyond the 60-day deadline.

Dakota County is weighing a 16% to 21% property tax levy increase and planned staff cuts to close a budget shortfall, county officials announced.

Officials are considering three levy options: 21% (about $167 more per home per year), 19% (about $145), and 16% (about $123). FOX 9 All of the proposed tax scenarios still require cuts to libraries, parks, public health, crisis workers, youth homelessness outreach and corrections staff, and labor union AFSCME says employee morale is low as layoffs are discussed.

Two Woodbury brothers were sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for leading a fentanyl pipeline that moved nearly 30 kilograms of pills from Arizona to the Twin Cities.

Shiloe Devanglo Nixon, 37, and Malik Deronte Nixon, 30, each received 180-month terms and five years of supervised release. FOX 9 Ernesto Alexis Seals of Welch was sentenced to 120 months and Justin Keith Banks of Rush City drew 60 months, while couriers Amanda Jennifer Freeman and Zakiya Niajoneu Whitney were given time served and supervised release.

Minneapolis officials say police overtime has surged far beyond the department's budget, and Mayor Jacob Frey warned a tax increase may be needed to cover the gap.

The city's 2026 budget included roughly $2.5 million for police overtime, while the Minneapolis Police Department has logged more than $20 million in overtime each year since 2022. FOX 9 MPD staffing has fallen from 888 sworn officers before 2020 to a budgeted 731 and an actual force of about 654 this year, a drop officials say is pushing officers into long overtime.

Minneapolis officials issued a hazardous blue-green algae warning that immediately closed all three Cedar Lake beaches — East/Hidden, Point/West and South.

The advisory follows water tests that showed microcystin toxin levels at Cedar Lake South Beach exceeded state closure standards, city officials said. FOX 9 Officials warn people and pets to avoid all body contact with lake water and said the warning will remain in effect until further notice because blooms can shift quickly.

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education awarded $2.8 million in Student-Parent Support Initiative grants for fiscal year 2027 to 24 colleges and community organizations across the state.

Recipients will receive up to $125,000 each, a group that includes multiple Twin Cities institutions and Hennepin County, officials said.

Mike Lindell released a campaign plan calling for the elimination of Minnesota's state income tax, a proposal he says would be funded by deep cuts to education and health care.

The proposal would target K-12 programs and Medicaid-type spending, shifting how the state raises revenue and reducing appropriations for schools and health services.

A report released Thursday by the National Independent Venue Association found Minneapolis independent music venues generate more than $2 billion in annual economic impact while only 20% reported a profit.

The study says indie stages directly employ more than 7,300 people, support about 15,000 industry jobs and drive $134 million in off-site spending. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal First Avenue's CEO Dayna Frank told the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal the venue runs on a 1-3% margin. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal She said the club faces a 17.5% downtown sales tax on beer and a 3% entertainment tax on tickets.

Sun Country Airlines said it has cut more than 20% of its August and September 2026 schedule at Minneapolis-St. Paul after losing pilots to other carriers and shifting aircraft into cargo flying.

Allegiant CEO Greg Anderson told analysts Delta Air Lines' stepped-up hiring in the Twin Cities is drawing away Sun Country's junior MSP-based pilots. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Sun Country pays first-year first officers $83.28 per hour. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Allegiant's new pilot deal starts first officers at $107.28 per hour, and Delta pays roughly $118 to $247 per hour for comparable first-year positions.

A new analysis says student opt-outs from Minnesota's statewide Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments have nearly tripled since 2019, undermining confidence in the test data.

The analysis found that by 2025 about 40% of 10th-grade reading tests statewide and 11.5% of all grade-and-school combinations failed to meet the federal 95% participation requirement.

A 26-year-old woman was struck and killed while walking in the center lane of westbound I-94 at West 7th Street in St. Paul around 12:20 a.m. Thursday.

An SUV hit her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

A federal civil lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Minnesota woman who says she was hospitalized with salmonella after eating a chicken burrito bowl from the Roseville Chipotle at Fairdale Shoppes on June 24, 2026.

The complaint alleges raw jalapeño peppers in the bowl caused the contamination and seeks $75,000 in damages. FOX 9 It cites state and federal lab data showing the salmonella strain in the woman's body matches the outbreak strain. FOX 9 MDH has linked that outbreak strain to jalapeños served at Chipotle and other Mexican-style quick-service restaurants. FOX 9 Chipotle said MDH has "no ongoing concerns" with the chain and that its ingredient traceability system isolated a common jalapeño lot, prompting a proactive removal and replacement of those peppers.

St. Paul Planning Commission released the ReConnect Rondo Restorative Neighborhood Area Plan for public review on July 31, 2026, mapping a proposed I-94 land bridge estimated to cost about $260 million.

The plan includes a financing framework from the Urban Land Institute that calls for state, federal and philanthropic support, and it sets a public hearing before the Planning Commission for Sept. 11, 2026.

UCare will lay off 102 employees at its Minneapolis headquarters at 600 Stinson Blvd., the company told state officials.

UCare's notice to Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development says the affected roles are mostly administrative and management positions. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal The company says remaining staff have been kept on to transition state contracts to Medica, a task it expects to complete this fall. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal An earlier listing to sell or lease UCare's 210,000-square-foot headquarters through Savills was pulled, and broker James Vos was unavailable for comment.

More than 500 concession workers at Target Field staged a one-day strike during the sold-out Noah Kahan concert on Aug. 5, 2026, aiming to press contract demands and disrupt stadium service.

UNITE HERE Local 17 said the walkout ran from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and was timed to the concert to maximize leverage. FOX 9 Delaware North says it offered $20 per hour for non-tipped, part-time employees and a new health plan, but the union says some non-tipped roles like food runners were excluded and the coverage would reach only about 10 of roughly 500 workers.

City crews began clearing the Pig's Eye Park encampment around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, with outreach teams on site helping residents pack and offering limited storage and shelter priority.

Volunteers and officials disagree on how many people live at Pig's Eye: volunteers say more than 100 people stay there. FOX 9 The city estimates about 140 residents and noted a posted sign at the camp claims more than 250. FOX 9 City officials say roughly 200 people live in the camps slated for clearing across St. Paul. FOX 9 Ramsey County plans to open a transitional hub at 11th and Cedar to process displaced residents. FOX 9 The city and county say outreach teams will continue follow-up after the clearings.

A wild female deer near Stillwater that died July 16 has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday.

DNR staff collected the deer and sent samples to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which confirmed CWD earlier this week. FOX 9 The detection occurred in a deer permit area about 30 miles from the nearest known CWD cases in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, prompting a DNR response plan that could include new hunting restrictions and expanded surveillance.

Minnesota joined more than 20 states and D.C. in a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., challenging a Trump administration policy to share TANF recipient data.

The suit targets a proposed Administration for Children and Families rule that would let federal agencies and some outside entities access recipients' immigration status and Social Security numbers. FOX 9 The filing names more than 20 states plus D.C., with Minnesota listed among the plaintiffs.

Mike Lindell resigned as MyPillow CEO on Aug. 4, 2026, reduced his stake to a minority and will remain on the company's board to focus on Minnesota's Republican gubernatorial primary.

James Furlong, who was MyPillow president from 2004 to 2019, is returning as CEO, and Justin Butler will join the company as chief financial officer. FOX 9 Lindell said he is leaving day-to-day control of the company to concentrate on his campaign.

A man's body that went missing after he reportedly went under while swimming across the Mississippi River near Hidden Falls Regional Park in St. Paul was recovered Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Law enforcement says the swimmer was last seen near the 1300 block of Mississippi River Blvd. S after going under while trying to swim across the river. FOX 9 Search teams were unable to locate him at first, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources joined the recovery effort on Sunday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private prison operator CoreCivic plan to open a 1,600-bed immigration detention center at the former Appleton, Minnesota, prison before the end of 2026, and ICE says it will put the facility into active use rather than holding it in reserve.

ICE intends to fold the Appleton lockup into its national detention network, primarily housing pre-removal detainees and transfers, though officials expect average occupancy to run below the 1,600-bed maximum. Minnesota Reformer The federal contract will let ICE scale populations up or down while continuing to pay CoreCivic base fees even when many beds are unused.

A Minnesota state trooper was injured Sunday when a northbound driver ran off Interstate 35 and struck the trooper's parked squad car just south of 220th Street North in Forest Lake.

Both the trooper and the other driver were hospitalized at Regions Hospital, and Forest Lake police say alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor.

Jeffery Scott Maciej, 66, of Champlin, was charged with gross misdemeanor harassment and misdemeanor disorderly conduct after video showed him setting off loud fireworks outside his neighbors' house on July 4, 2026.

Home security video recorded a man outside the Hoffmans' Champlin home saying "This one's for Hope" and "This one's for John" while igniting the fireworks, police said. FOX 9 A Minnesota State Patrol trooper turned over the neighbor's video to Champlin police, and the Hoffmans identified Maciej's voice. FOX 9 Maciej later admitted to setting off the fireworks and making comments about his neighbors, and he was summoned to appear in Hennepin County court on Aug. 25, 2026.

Edina police say the July 22 gunfire at Yancey Park involved a feud between two groups described as Somali, and investigators say they have evidence but are hampered by a lack of cooperating witnesses.

Police say more than 30 people were present during the incident and no one was struck by gunfire. FOX 9 Chief Todd Milburn told a crowd at a park meeting that investigators have evidence but are struggling with witness cooperation and called that reluctance a broader metro trend.

MnDOT is awarding $8 million in grants to 39 Minnesota municipal airports to fund 57 safety and infrastructure projects.

Work funded includes runway and turf rehabilitation, crack repairs, obstruction removal, stormwater planning, fuel-pump replacements, facility upgrades, and improved lighting and security. FOX 9 The grants are intended to boost safety and keep local airports operational for pilots, emergency services and local businesses.

Legacy Investing plans to convert the former Star Tribune printing facility in Minneapolis' North Loop into a data center, a proposal that has sparked a City Council debate over a downtown moratorium.

The building has been empty since Star Tribune printing ended last year, and Legacy has not announced a construction timeline or responded to requests for comment. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Minneapolis Downtown Council CEO Adam Duininck says the project could reduce downtown's roughly 30% vacancy rate and help shift property-tax burdens off homeowners, renters and small businesses. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Council Member Michael Rainville explicitly backs the plan as a way to broaden the tax base, saying residents and small businesses are "getting crushed" by current taxes. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Council Member Aurin Chowdhury warns a low-job data center may not be the best use of prime downtown land and says she wants "real commitments" on clean energy and community benefits from Legacy.

Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette will resign at the end of the year but remain as interim while Mayor Jacob Frey conducts a national search for his successor.

The City Council twice rejected Barnette's reappointment, largely over Minneapolis Police Department overspending in 2025, and faced an August 3 deadline to act before the seat would be vacated. FOX 9 Frey will reappoint Barnette as interim commissioner to keep continuity in the office while a national recruitment proceeds.

Vance Boelter raised health and religious-rights complaints at his first Hennepin County state-court appearance on August 3 as prosecutors restart state murder charges, and the judge delayed any substantive rulings.

Judge Juan Hoyos appointed a public defender, asked for written arguments from both sides and moved the matter to a September 2 review without taking immediate action; Boelter did not enter a plea.

Nineteen-year-old Cordero Orlando Ratcliff Jr. of Brooklyn Center was charged after allegedly breaking into an occupied south Minneapolis home on July 31 and attempting to rape a woman.

Prosecutors say Ratcliff entered the home naked from the waist down, wielded a screwdriver and used a taser on the victim's neck, legs and stomach.

Minnesota has raised the penalty for Medicaid fraud over $1,000,000 by placing those offenses at Severity Level 8 on the state sentencing grid, creating a presumptive prison sentence effective August 1, 2026.

The change comes as part of new guidelines that make large-scale medical-assistance fraud more likely to result in prison time rather than probation or diversion.

A Minneapolis developer plans to demolish an office building on Franklin Avenue to build 145 apartments, converting commercial office space into multi-family housing along the corridor.

The proposal calls for 145 apartment units on the Franklin Avenue site and would repurpose the existing commercial office property. Bizjournals Specific timing, affordability levels and the project's final design will depend on city planning and zoning approvals.

July 2026 was the sixth-warmest month on record for the Twin Cities, with an average temperature of 78.9°F.

The metro recorded 10 consecutive days with highs of at least 90°F, the longest 90°F streak in more than 70 years. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reached 100°F last week, the first 100°F reading there since 2022.

A serious crash shut down southbound Highway 169 in Shakopee early Monday, closing the road to all but emergency vehicles between County Road 17 (Marschall Road) and County Road 15 (Marystown Road).

Northbound Highway 169 is down to one lane between Old Brick Yard Road and County Road 17 because of the crash response. FOX 9 Shakopee police said the closure began early Monday and is expected to last through the morning while investigators work the scene. FOX 9 They released no information on injuries or the number of vehicles involved.

Five Twin Cities men were charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct after authorities say they sexually abused a 14-year-old runaway who was found in Minneapolis following a June 13 missing-person report.

The men, from St. Louis Park, Andover, Zimmerman, New Brighton and White Bear Lake, now face state charges. Alphanews Officials say they met the girl through online platforms before the alleged abuse, and the case prompted a month-long investigation by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

A man was found with apparent life-threatening gunshot wounds after a shooting shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday outside Deja Vu Showgirls on Washington Ave N near 3rd Ave N in Minneapolis' Warehouse District.

Police followed a vehicle from the scene to Hennepin Healthcare, where the wounded man was located. FOX 9 The Minneapolis Police Department's Firearm Assault Shoot Team is leading the investigation, and officers placed multiple evidence markers in front of Deja Vu and the Office Pub and Grill. FOX 9 No arrests had been made as of Sunday morning.

A woman was stabbed after a large fight between two groups shortly after 11:20 p.m. on Aug. 1 along Boone Avenue North near 63rd Avenue North in Brooklyn Park, police said.

Officers found the injured woman at the scene, rendered first aid and had her transported to a hospital, authorities said.

Two drivers were critically injured in a head-on crash on Highway 61 near Aspen Lane in White Bear Township just before 1 a.m. Saturday, and a 25-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of DWI.

The collision involved a northbound Honda CRV and a southbound Toyota RAV4 that struck head-on or nearly so, officials said. FOX 9 Both drivers were taken to area hospitals in critical condition, and the 25-year-old Toyota driver was booked on suspicion of DWI-criminal vehicular operation before being released to hospital care pending blood-test confirmation and any formal charges.

Blaine police arrested 24 people after a two-day undercover online sting in which suspects allegedly offered to pay for sex with someone they believed was underage.

Investigators say they communicated with 368 people who responded to the online ads. FOX 9 Police said several arrestees are repeat offenders and at least one is a registered sex offender. FOX 9 Authorities have not released names or specific charges for the suspects.

A federal judge denied xAI's request for a temporary restraining order, allowing Minnesota's new ban on AI "nudification" tools to take effect on Aug. 1.

U.S. District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank wrote that xAI's delay in filing "suggests that harm is not immediate." FOX 9 The court declined to pause enforcement while xAI's First Amendment challenge proceeds, so there will be no last-minute stay. Minnesota Reformer The judge ordered the parties to meet and confer and set an Aug. 19 hearing on xAI's emergency motion for a preliminary injunction.

Investigators now say Iran is "probably" behind coordinated cyberattacks that targeted roughly 36 Minnesota community water systems, prompting a federal warning about rising attacks on U.S. water utilities.

CISA issued an alert saying hackers have increasingly targeted programmable logic controllers used by water utilities and in some attacks changed passwords to lock out operators. FOX 9 The FBI says utilities in about seven states reported incidents that degraded operations and identified the targeted devices as Automation/Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 series PLCs. FOX 9 About 36 community systems were targeted, and four cities — Plymouth, South St. Paul, Maple Plain and Braham — publicly reported disruptions; Plymouth and Maple Plain later restored communications.

Northern Iron, a St. Paul iron foundry, will close in December after a fight with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency over air pollution.

The agency moved to revoke the plant's air permit after finding it likely emitted unacceptable levels of lead and other particles. FOX 9 Northern Iron announced the shutdown will take effect in December, ending more than 100 years of operation in St. Paul.

A Faribault man, Justin Lee Campbell, 41, was charged July 29 with stealing a Flock police camera removed from Lyndale Avenue South near Highland Place.

He faces counts of interfering with emergency communications, theft of movable property and fourth-degree property damage. FOX 9 A Flock automated license-plate reader at Lyndale Avenue South and Highland Place went offline at 1:43 a.m. July 27; officers found it missing with its cables cut.

On Friday, July 31, 2026, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development set the 2027 Minnesota Paid Leave premium at 0.88% of covered wages, unchanged from 2026.

Employers may collect up to half of that premium — 0.44% of wages — from employees, though they may choose to pay a larger share themselves. FOX 9 DEED's actuarial review found 2026 premium collections are broadly in line with benefits paid and projects the fund will remain sustainable through 2027 without a rate increase. FOX 9 More than 75,000 Minnesotans have used Paid Leave in 2026, and the program has paid out over $600 million in benefits so far.

nVent is opening a new liquid-cooling manufacturing plant in Blaine, leasing 160,000 square feet at 3705 and 3745 Pheasant Ridge Road. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal The plant will employ more than 200 people and is expected to begin production in the first half of 2027.

This is nVent's third Twin Cities facility expansion in three years, bringing more than 400,000 square feet of added space to the region. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal The new Blaine site was developed by CSM Corp., with R.J. Ryan Construction as general contractor and Colliers handling leasing. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal nVent reported Q2 2026 sales of $1.5 billion, up 53 percent year over year, and raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $5.00-$5.10.

Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, pleaded not guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Minnesota to 31 counts tied to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme after being extradited from Somalia on July 16.

He is being held at Sherburne County Jail. FOX 9 The indictment alleges he deposited more than $5 million in bribes and fraud proceeds into accounts tied to shell companies he controlled.

The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation Friday into a University of Minnesota-backed MyGenderDolls project after parents said the dolls were used in Minnesota classrooms without notice or an opt-out.

The probe is focused specifically on the MyGenderDolls project rather than a generic category of "transgender dolls." Alphanews Parents told reporters the dolls were shown to students across certain age ranges and grade levels and that schools gave no prior notice or opt-out option. Alphanews Alphanews reports the project is funded and institutionally backed by the University of Minnesota's Eli Coleman Institute and includes curriculum materials tied to its stated educational goals.

Novarum Development Partners bought the 25-acre former Wells Fargo Home Mortgage campus at 2701 Wells Fargo Way for $8 million cash and plans a more-than-1,000-unit redevelopment called Iconic Plaza.

The Iconic Plaza plan calls for more than 1,000 apartments, townhomes and other residences plus retail, health care and educational space, a school, a banquet hall and a fitness center. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Developers estimate total project costs at up to $250 million and expect a five-year buildout that will need additional financing, multiple city approvals and dozens of tenant leases. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Plans show four new multifamily buildings, including a 15-story, 400-unit tower along I-35W, and a new technology center at 2801 Fourth Ave. S.

U.S. Marshals arrested a 17-year-old in Peoria, Illinois, on July 29 on a murder warrant tied to the Hartkopf Park shooting that killed a 16-year-old.

The suspect was taken into custody about 6:30 p.m. and is being held at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center pending extradition to Minnesota. FOX 9 Another 17-year-old suspect in the same case was arrested in Hennepin County on July 8.

Developer Steve Minn proposed a five-story, 104-unit affordable senior housing building beside the Stone Arch Bridge at the east end of Main Street.

He is seeking rezoning of a triangular parking lot between Main Street and Father Hennepin Bluff Park. FOX 9 He has offered to build and maintain a new Main Street bike and pedestrian trail segment as part of the plan.

The Minneapolis City Council voted 7-5 to approve the Minneapolis Police Department's request to apply for a $300,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant to upgrade NIBIN ballistic technology.

Council Member Jason Chavez warned the grant could tie the city to federal immigration enforcement. FOX 9 Assistant City Attorney Amy Schutt said the grant's terms do not require cooperation with ICE or violate the city's separation ordinance. FOX 9 Council Members Soren Stevenson and Aisha Chughtai argued the department should pay the $300,000 itself. FOX 9 Council Members Jamal Osman and Pearll Warren said the upgrade would help the city process ballistic evidence and deliver justice in gun cases.

Investigators have ruled the cause of the July 17 fire at the Helix Apartments in St. Louis Park "undetermined." FOX 9 They said they found no evidence of arson, improperly discarded smoking materials, or cooking or grill activity on the balcony.

The St. Louis Park Fire Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office say the blaze began on a fourth-floor balcony, but heavy damage prevented investigators from identifying a specific ignition source. FOX 9 Officials cautioned the undetermined classification could change if new evidence emerges, and they expect a final written report online by mid-to-late August.

Pearson's Candy Co. will close its St. Paul plant at 2140 W. 7th St. on Sept. 28, 2026, laying off about 80 workers, a WARN notice shows.

Some affected employees are represented by BCTGM Local 22 and reportedly have no bumping rights, which limits their options for reassignment. FOX 9 The union filed a June complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging Pearson refused to bargain and engaged in bad-faith bargaining. FOX 9 State Rapid Response Team specialist John Mohs is the designated point person handling the layoff event.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has reached a settlement that orders Blaine-based MN Fundraising Initiative to stop operating in Minnesota and to dissolve.

Ellison's office says investigators found MNFI disguised hundreds of paid stadium workers as 'volunteers' and paid them hourly 'grants' to staff concessions at Target Field, U.S. Bank Stadium and Allianz Field. FOX 9 The probe found MNFI paid more than $1.1 million in 'grants' to current or former board members, including over $237,000 to a single board member. FOX 9 For-profit vendors including Minnesota Sportservice, Levy Premium Foodservice and Aramark Sports and Entertainment benefited from low-cost labor while avoiding payroll and tax obligations, the office said.

The landlord of the historic St. Paul Athletic Club building has filed for bankruptcy protection to restructure its debt, putting the downtown commercial property into court-supervised reorganization while it remains open.

The filing covers a major downtown multi-tenant commercial building that continues to operate with tenants in place. Bizjournals The move is intended to restructure debt amid elevated office vacancies and refinancing stress in downtown St. Paul.

Kyle James Steffen, 38, of Wyoming, Minnesota, was charged in Chisago County after police say he placed a screw-studded "pitfall" along the edge of Goodview Park; the complaint came April 28, 2026.

Authorities say the device was a roughly 3-foot by 5-inch plastic strip with about 40 three-inch screws pointing upward. FOX 9 It was anchored in grass bordering the park's popular bike path, police said.

Minneapolis' Firearm Assault Shoot Team is investigating a non-fatal shooting around 11:56 p.m. Wednesday on the 1700 block of East Lake Street that left an adult man with potentially life-threatening injuries.

Officers found the man outside a Lake Street business and say he was shot multiple times. FOX 9 A possible suspect fled on foot through an alley, and no arrests had been reported at the time of publication.

The Minneapolis Police Department's multi-agency FAST unit responded late at night to a non-fatal shooting in the 1700 block of East Lake Street, where a man suffered life-threatening injuries.

FOX 9 reports FAST was deployed to the commercial-corridor scene and worked the late-night response alongside other agencies. FOX 9 The outlet says linking FAST to this critically injured victim shows the unit is operating in the field rather than existing only on paper.

An adult man was critically wounded in a late-night shooting around 11:56 p.m. Wednesday on the 1700 block of East Lake Street in Minneapolis, authorities said.

He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to Hennepin Healthcare with potentially life-threatening injuries. FOX 9 The suspected shooter fled on foot through a nearby alley, and Minneapolis Police Department's FAST unit is investigating; no arrests have been made.

More than 95% of Minnesota is now in some level of drought, and the Twin Cities metro has moved into moderate drought, state drought monitors reported Thursday, July 30, 2026.

The statewide drought area jumped from about 87% the prior week to over 95% this week. FOX 9 Nearly all of northern Minnesota is in severe drought, a condition that has helped fuel wildfires in the Boundary Waters and Superior National Forest. FOX 9 More than three quarters of the state now faces at least moderate drought, raising risks for crops, municipal water strain and lawn deterioration in the metro.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert saying Red's Steak Cilantro and Lime Burritos sold at Costco may contain undeclared egg, posing a major allergen risk.

The alert covers 3-lb 2-oz cartons with ten individually wrapped burritos produced June 19, 2026, bearing establishment number EST. 46069 and lot codes starting with L1 SD6170. FOX 9 Shipments went to Costco distribution centers in Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan, and the products are no longer sold in stores but may still be in consumers' freezers.

A person was fatally shot on the 200 block of 7th Street East in downtown St. Paul early Thursday, and police are treating the death as a homicide.

St. Paul police kept part of Wacouta Street taped off as of 6:15 a.m., though 7th Street had reopened to traffic and buses. FOX 9 Police have released no details about the victim, suspects or motive and have not said if anyone has been arrested.

Boston Scientific lowered its 2026 organic net sales growth outlook to 5-6% and announced a restructuring designed to cut about $500 million in annual costs.

The company said the savings will come from supply-chain changes, production shifts and organizational restructuring, and that layoffs are expected though it did not specify job counts or affected sites. Business Journal CEO Mike Mahoney confirmed layoffs are expected but gave no specifics on numbers or locations. Business Journal The company employs about 59,000 people worldwide, including roughly 10,000 in Minnesota, where much of its cardiovascular work is based. Business Journal Its cardiovascular business accounted for 66% of 2025 net sales.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is weighing whether proposed changes to the NorthMet copper-nickel mine require a supplemental environmental impact statement, and it plans to decide on next steps in roughly one month.

NewRange Copper Nickel proposed increasing ore production from 32,000 to 40,000 tons per day and shortening the mine life from 20 to 16 years. FOX 9 The redesign would swap rail transport for a covered conveyor and place tailings on adjacent, previously mined iron-ore lands. FOX 9 NewRange has also filed a Clean Water Act Section 404 wetland permit application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Brentwood Apartments residents in the Loring Park neighborhood say they have no hot water and are finding human feces in hallways after a gas leak disabled stoves and laundry.

Tenants say homeless people are sleeping in small basement closets and that the problems have persisted for months. FOX 9 They say a gas leak left them without stoves and laundry for four days and that hot water still has not been restored. FOX 9 Chicago-based Quadrel Realty Group manages the building and was fined nearly $50,000 earlier this year for failing to improve conditions after a 2025 heat outage, tenants say.

Osso Capital, a New York private equity real estate firm, bought the 336-unit Twelve 501 Apartments in Burnsville, marking the firm's entry into the Minnesota market.

The complex at 12501 Portland Ave. sits on about 15 acres and includes 336 units. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal It was built in 1986, renovated in 2017, and was about 97% occupied when it was marketed. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Seller FPA Multifamily bought the property in early 2017 for $35.35 million, and Dakota County now assesses it at roughly $47.2 million.

Victims in the Highway 62 gun-pointing case said they will invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify at a Hennepin County hearing unless the federal government grants them immunity.

ICE agent Gregory Morgan Jr. is charged in Hennepin County with two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for a Feb. 5 gun-pointing incident on Highway 62. FOX 9 Prosecutors say Morgan drove a black Ford Expedition on the shoulder to pass traffic, then pulled alongside a blocking vehicle, rolled down his window and pointed a handgun at the driver and passenger.

Christopher Allan Amelsberg, 36, of Minneapolis pleaded guilty July 27 to producing and attempting to produce child pornography after admitting he exploited at least 12 girls online.

Amelsberg admitted targeting girls ages 14 to 17 via text messages and social media from August 2023 through May 2026, prosecutors said. FOX 9 He is a registered sex offender with a prior Minnesota conviction for possessing child pornography and now faces a mandatory minimum 25-year federal prison sentence. FOX 9 Investigators said there may be additional victims and urged anyone with information to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.

Scott and Angel Hill of Plymouth were charged with six felony counts of failing to file individual returns and six felony counts of failing to pay individual income tax, prosecutors said.

Officials say the couple owes $813,000 in tax penalties, and Scott Hill alone allegedly owes about $1.2 million tied to prior tax-felony charges. FOX 9 The complaint says they funneled many small deposits into a company bank account to avoid reporting laws, then moved money into personal accounts to buy two Teslas and a Cadillac Escalade. FOX 9 Prosecutors allege the couple did not file individual tax returns from 2019 through 2024, and Scott Hill also failed to file business tax returns during that time. FOX 9 Each felony count carries up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine under Minnesota law.

Four men have pleaded guilty in Minnesota to a scheme that bilked Medicaid of about $2.25 million by billing housing services under the company name Brilliant Minds.

Alphanews confirmed that two previously reported defendants, Mustafa Dayib and Abdulbasit Ibrahim, are among the four who have now admitted guilt. Alphanews Prosecutors say the defendants submitted roughly $2.25 million in false Medicaid claims through the Brilliant Minds name.

A man was killed when he was struck by a train just after 9 p.m. Friday near the 2700 block of Ferry Street in Anoka as people were leaving the Anoka County Fair.

Deputies responded just after 9 p.m. Friday to the train-pedestrian crash near the 2700 block of Ferry Street, the sheriff's office said. FOX 9 Investigators said early information shows the man was trying to cross in front of an oncoming train when he was struck and killed. FOX 9 Traffic leaving the Anoka County Fair was disrupted and Metro Transit assisted some people in returning to their vehicles; no other injuries were reported.

A federal jury in Minneapolis convicted Michaela Karon McKinney on three counts tied to fentanyl trafficking in July 2026, and she faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison under the charges.

Prosecutors told the jury McKinney helped distribute more than 180 grams of powder fentanyl, about 500 M-30 fentanyl pills and roughly 30 grams of meth during trips in June and July 2024. FOX 9 The conviction followed a two-day trial that began July 13, and co-defendants La'Veal O. Allen and Marquise J. Walker have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Hundreds of protesters in south Minneapolis rallied to demand ICE leave Minnesota and to press city and state officials for sanctuary-style policies after two fatal encounters involving federal agents.

Alex Pretti's makeshift memorial near Nicollet Avenue has drawn visitors from across the country and at least one from Ireland, and a nearby restaurant has become an informal support hub for mourners and activists. FOX 9 Owner Tracy Wong says she opened her doors to freezing demonstrators and now displays a wall of thank-you notes. FOX 9 Federal authorities recently turned over evidence from the Pretti and Renée Good shootings to Hennepin County prosecutors, but Pretti's family left a same-day meeting with federal prosecutors unconvinced that justice was any closer.

A 19-year-old Minneapolis man was charged Friday with murder and weapons offenses in a deadly June 21 shooting at the Wedge Co-op parking lot on the 2100 block of Lyndale Avenue South.

Authorities identified him as Markez Patton, 19, and charged him with two counts of second-degree murder, possession of a machine gun, ineligible possession of a firearm or ammunition, and fleeing a peace officer. FOX 9 Police say one man died from gunshot wounds while being transported to a hospital and a second victim drove himself to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Pramila Jayapal said they were barred from speaking with ICE detainees during an oversight visit to the Whipple Federal Building in the Twin Cities on Friday, July 24, 2026.

They said ICE required them to sign paperwork that barred interaction with people in custody and then refused to let them meet detainees. FOX 9 Jayapal said every detainee she saw was in leg restraints and that such restraints are not standard at comparable holding facilities. FOX 9 The lawmakers were told about 38 detainees were being transported that day for deportation, mostly routed through New Orleans. FOX 9 Omar estimated roughly 300 immigration detainees are held in four Minnesota county jails. FOX 9 A van believed to be carrying deportees drove past their news conference as activists shouted at it, underscoring local anger over Operation Metro Surge and unresolved killings from ICE encounters including Alex Pretti.

Twin Cities property managers said Friday they are stepping up leasing-office safety measures and backing faster eviction tools after a triple homicide at a St. Paul apartment complex that left three leasing employees dead.

Ramsey County prosecutors charged 30-year-old Tsegaab Ademassu Binessu with three counts of second-degree murder with intent in the killings, according to charging documents. FOX 9 Prosecutors say the complaint ties the shootings to an argument over a $65-per-month parking garage contract that property managers would not cancel. FOX 9 Surveillance video described in the complaint shows the suspect shooting three people in the Davern Park leasing office. FOX 9 Police recovered 21 spent 9mm casings in the leasing office. FOX 9 Officers say the suspect stole a victim's car to flee and was later located in St. Louis County with items including a passport and an empty magazine.

Darius Olson-Baker, 25, was charged Friday in two Brooklyn Park home-invasion sexual assaults that prosecutors say occurred July 17 and July 22, and he is being held on $1 million bail.

He faces 10 felony counts, including four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct alleging penetration while armed with a dangerous weapon, four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of first-degree burglary. FOX 9 Olson-Baker was arrested after a special Brooklyn Park police task force was formed, and his first court appearance is scheduled for Friday at 1:30 p.m. Central.

The City of Shakopee revoked the license of a local hotel and ordered it to shut down, citing repeated police calls and two deaths tied to an adult-themed event.

Police had responded to 84 calls for service at the property before the city acted. Bizjournals Two people died during an adult-themed event at the hotel, a fact the city said helped justify revoking the license.

A judge dismissed wage-theft charges Wednesday against Bishop Harding Smith of Brooklyn Park, who leads the nonprofit Minnesota Acts Now.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said it disagrees with the dismissal and that the judge's decision was based on case timelines, not the merits of the evidence. FOX 9 Smith acknowledged paying staff about $20 an hour while the Hennepin County contract required $35 an hour, and he said he believed the contract set a rate "up to" $35.

Jowharah Bilal, 49, of Maplewood, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault after allegedly stabbing a Maplewood police sergeant on July 21, 2026.

Charging documents say Sgt. Anthony Gabriel was speaking with Bilal about alleged threats and shoplifting when she suddenly pulled a knife and repeatedly stabbed him. FOX 9 A nearby witness who helped disarm Bilal was her adult son, who told police she has experienced serious mental health issues for years but refuses treatment. FOX 9 Bilal allegedly admitted taking merchandise but said she returned it and apologized. FOX 9 She told investigators she grabbed a knife after being told she was under arrest but did not remember using it. FOX 9 Bilal also told investigators the officer 'must have been a robot' because she did not see blood. FOX 9 She is scheduled for a first appearance in Ramsey County District Court on July 23, 2026.

Nicole Mitchell has filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State to run for a Woodbury City Council seat in the November 2026 election.

She says her campaign will focus on four priorities: science-based decisions, keeping costs low, greater transparency and better representation. FOX 9 Woodbury's council races are nonpartisan and at-large, with four-year terms. FOX 9 Two seats currently held by Steve Morris and Jennifer Santini are on the 2026 ballot.

Two men were charged Thursday in connection with a July 18 fatal shooting near Edmund Avenue West and North Kent Street in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood.

Prosecutors charged Treeheem Smith, 29, with aiding an offender after he allegedly helped conceal evidence. FOX 9 They charged Anthony Rivera, 28, with ineligible possession of a firearm or ammunition after he was allegedly seen firing a handgun on video.

Minnesota will make impersonating a police officer a felony effective Aug. 1, upgrading the crime from a misdemeanor and raising the legal stakes for people who pretend to be law enforcement.

The law sets a maximum sentence of two years, and up to five years if the impersonation occurs while committing another crime. FOX 9 Sen. John Hoffman authored the bill.

A motorcyclist was killed when their motorcycle collided with an automobile at Brooklyn Boulevard and Unity Avenue North in Brooklyn Park on Monday, July 20, 2026, at 9:37 p.m. Central.

All parties remained on scene and are cooperating with investigators, and no arrests were made at the scene. FOX 9 The Minnesota State Patrol is assisting Brooklyn Park police with a formal accident reconstruction.

A motorcyclist was killed around 9:37 p.m. Monday after a crash at Brooklyn Boulevard and Unity Avenue North in Brooklyn Park.

The rider was taken to a hospital and later died from injuries sustained in the collision. FOX 9 All parties stayed on scene and are cooperating while the Minnesota State Patrol conducts a formal reconstruction, and no arrests have been made.

Minnesota will raise the legal age to buy and possess kratom from 18 to 21 effective Aug. 1, 2026.

Under HF 3453, selling kratom to anyone under 21 will be a gross misdemeanor, and possession by those under 21 will be a misdemeanor.

A CNN investigation alleges federal immigration agents assigned to Operation Metro Surge lied to federal prosecutors about enforcement actions in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, potentially undermining criminal and immigration cases.

Prosecutors relied on those agent accounts in building Metro Surge criminal and immigration cases. Minnesota Reformer The allegations come as local officials and residents press authorities over Metro Surge fallout, including Ramsey County's federal lawsuit over the seizure of U.S. citizen Chongly Scott Thao and protests after fatal ICE shootings.

Farmington police arrested four people Thursday in connection with the July 14 hit-and-run that killed 13-year-old Sasha Balandin as she rode a bicycle in Farmington.

A 30-year-old Farmington man was arrested on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide and failing to stop, police said. FOX 9 Three others — a 28-year-old woman, a 36-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman — were arrested on suspicion of aiding an offender, police said.

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday moved to dismiss an assault charge against Christina Rank, an Inver Grove Heights paraprofessional, saying they could not find probable cause and dismissing the case with prejudice.

Rank had been charged in January after a vehicle crash tied to Operation Metro Surge and was one of 16 people arrested on allegations of attacking or impeding federal officers. FOX 9 She spent nearly 12 hours in federal custody after the incident.

Muhammad Abdulqadir Omar pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, admitting he and a co-defendant fraudulently obtained millions from Minnesota's Medicaid Housing Stabilization program.

Prosecutors say Omar and Ibrahim Bashir Abdi billed the program for more than $3.2 million between June 2022 and April 2025 and billed for 92 hours of services after a recipient's death. FOX 9 Charging documents also allege Omar personally collected another $480,000 through false claims and that he used some funds to buy property in Kenya. FOX 9 He is one of 15 defendants in a broader, roughly $90 million Minnesota fraud case targeting state-funded programs.

Abdiaziz Shafii Farah was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to bribe a juror, to run consecutive to his 28-year Feeding Our Future fraud term for a total of 38 years behind bars.

Prosecutors said the juror, identified as "Juror 52," reported finding a bag that contained $120,000 and a note offering more money if she voted to acquit seven defendants. FOX 9 She was dismissed from the jury.

Former Minneapolis chief communications officer Adam Fetcher was charged Wednesday, July 22, with financial transaction card fraud.

Police allege he stole a coworker's debit card at the city office and used it about an hour later to buy $481 in merchandise at a Minneapolis tobacco shop.

Minnesota's 988 mental health lifeline is handling about three times as many contacts now as when it launched in 2022, state reporting shows.

FOX 9 reported that since July 2022 Minnesota's 988 centers have answered more than 370,000 contacts. FOX 9 Contacts rose from roughly 25,000 in the first half of 2022 to about 83,000 in the first half of 2026.

Two children riding an electric moped crossed in front of oncoming traffic on Highway 169 at 114th Avenue in Champlin, narrowly avoiding being struck by a truck traveling about 55 mph.

Champlin police said the maneuver was an illegal crossing that was captured on a patrol dashcam and that neither child was wearing a helmet. FOX 9 Police described the video as a public-safety warning to riders and parents.

The Minneapolis City Council's Business, Housing and Zoning Committee on Tuesday delayed Reign nightclub's liquor license renewal after nine people were injured in an early Sunday mass shooting outside the club in Uptown Minneapolis.

Council Member Jason Chavez said 911 calls to the club's address tripled between 2021 and 2024 and questioned why the renewal was moving forward. FOX 9 Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer called the violence "outrageous" and said the council is taking the incident seriously as it weighs licensing options.

Minnesota will implement multiple new laws on Aug. 1 that ban "nudify" image software, require payment transparency in public contracting, broaden virtual-currency custody and change food-bank and veterinary rules.

The new law bars owning, controlling or advertising software, apps or websites built to "nudify" photos or videos and lets victims sue civilly. FOX 9 The Payment Transparency Act requires public contracting agencies to provide project payment dates and amounts within seven days of a written request and to share subcontractor contact information. FOX 9 Banks and credit unions may begin offering virtual-currency custody in a non-fiduciary role if they adopt written policies on risk management, internal controls, cybersecurity, business continuity and compliance.

UBS will leave its namesake UBS Plaza in downtown St. Paul when its lease expires in mid-2028 and consolidate Minnesota offices into new space in Edina.

The bank is leasing about 29,000 square feet on the fifth floor of Opus Development's new 118,000-square-foot Arcadia building at 5115 Arcadia Ave. in Edina. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal CBRE will occupy roughly 15,750 square feet on the building's third floor and Opus plans to take about 29,000 square feet for its own headquarters, leaving Arcadia nearly 63% pre-leased. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal UBS will also wind down space in the IDS Center in Minneapolis and the 8500 Tower in Bloomington as those leases end through 2027, while retaining a presence in downtown Wayzata.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher on Tuesday, July 21, held a meeting at the sheriff's patrol office in Arden Hills to detail Somali gang activity and appeal to parents for help. FOX 9 About 200 people attended.

Fletcher's office said about a dozen Somali gangs involve roughly 300 young people and have been tied to 14 murders and more than 100 shootings in recent years. FOX 9 Fletcher and investigator Jama Shine said many incidents involve automatic weapons and are fueled by social-media bragging, and they framed the meeting as an effort to educate Somali parents and enlist their help. FOX 9 Grieving mother Fatuma Salad and resident Harun Awad spoke about the toll of the violence, and Fletcher said he plans another meeting within the next couple of weeks focused specifically on solutions.

SmartAsset ranked the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro the eighth most expensive of 48 large U.S. metropolitan areas to raise a child in 2026.

The group's estimate puts the yearly cost for one child in a two-working-adult household at $33,307, signaling higher household expenses for families across the Twin Cities.

Federal authorities have halted more than $1 billion in federal Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota, tying the move to fraud and program-integrity concerns and leaving Minnesota with hundreds of millions in lost funds.

CMS says it will restore full payments only after Minnesota meets specified corrective actions and timelines on provider screening, oversight and reporting. Minnesota Reformer Federal officials say the funding stoppage responds to alleged systemic weaknesses in Minnesota's fraud controls rather than a paperwork technicality. Minnesota Reformer Minnesota Department of Human Services says it is aggressively rooting out fraud through provider moratoriums and revalidation and warns the cutoff risks harming legitimate providers and patients. Minnesota Reformer Senators have pressed questions and criticism in recent days, with some lawmakers raising a roughly $2 billion withholding figure as they pressed federal officials for answers.

Jordan Thomas Land, 32, of Becker, was charged by summons in the fatal October 27, 2024, crash in Dayton, Minnesota, that killed a motorist whose disabled SUV was stopped in the center lane.

The victim was identified as 60-year-old Julie Kay Terwey of South Haven, whose Ford Escape had stopped after hitting a deer, and the collision occurred around 5:31 a.m. FOX 9 Investigators say Land's Mazda was traveling between 70 and 85 mph and his phone records showed nearly constant use of TikTok, Safari and Facebook from about 5:05 a.m. until seconds after the crash.

A St. Louis Park teacher, Steven Samuel Burth, was charged Tuesday in Hennepin County with gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child after an alleged May 5 dragging of an 8-year-old at Aquila Elementary.

Prosecutors say the May 5 incident left the student with a rug-burn-like injury to his side. FOX 9 The child, two classmates and a CornerHouse forensic interview all reportedly tied the injury to Burth.

Costco has bought the former TGI Fridays at 12519 Riverdale Blvd. in Coon Rapids for $5.5 million to relocate and expand its fuel station.

The new station will double pump capacity from 10 pumps serving 20 cars to 20 pumps serving 40 cars and expand vehicle queuing from 43 to 84 spaces.

Maple Grove Fire Chief Maddison Michael Zikmund, 36, resigned effective July 16, 2026, after being charged in Anoka County with third-degree criminal sexual conduct while in a position of authority.

Blaine police say the alleged assault occurred in spring 2017 when the victim was 17 and a fire explorer in the SBM Fire Department program Zikmund helped supervise. FOX 9 Police say Zikmund admitted exchanging explicit photos with the teen and touching her vagina under her clothing at his Blaine home, though he denied having sex.

One man was killed after an argument turned into a shooting Wednesday afternoon on the 200 block of 27th Avenue North in north Minneapolis, police said.

The shooting was reported at 2:36 p.m., and officers found the victim outside with life-threatening gunshot wounds. FOX 9 The victim later died at North Memorial Health. FOX 9 Police say officers arrested a suspect near 30th Avenue North and Washington Avenue North less than 20 minutes after they were dispatched. FOX 9 The suspect was booked into the Hennepin County Jail.

Minnesota added 13,200 jobs in June 2026, marking the state's third straight month of job growth, state officials reported.

The statewide unemployment rate held at 4.4% in June, compared with a 4.2% national rate. FOX 9 Educational and health services added 7,800 jobs while professional and business services added 3,500 and manufacturing added 2,800. FOX 9 Leisure and hospitality added 2,700 jobs, while trade, transportation and utilities lost 2,000 and government lost 1,400. FOX 9 Department of Employment and Economic Development officials say labor-force participation and wage growth remain in decline despite the new hires. FOX 9 Gov. Tim Walz called the numbers evidence of Minnesota's broader economic recovery and credited state investments in workforce and small businesses.

Housing inventory and home sales in the Twin Cities climbed in June 2026, with pending sales and new listings rising and statewide inventory hitting a seven-year high.

Pending home sales in the Twin Cities rose 9.7% year over year in June, while new listings increased 10.5%. Metro inventory grew 5.1% to 10,897 homes for sale, and statewide inventory reached 19,008 — up 7.5% from last year.

On Thursday, July 16, 2026 the Minneapolis City Council voted to approve and set aside $2.5 million in emergency funds to relocate residents of the Heritage Park housing complex.

The funds will be used to relocate 686 residents living in 212 households and to pay for urgent repairs at the complex during the transition. FOX 9 The council also approved a legislative directive requiring regular updates on the relocation process and spending, and it requested a legal memo exploring options to recover some or all of the $2.5 million from the court-appointed receiver. FOX 9 City officials said work to move residents out of Heritage Park is already underway.

The Minneapolis City Council deadlocked 6-6 on Thursday, July 16, 2026, a tie that procedurally killed a proposed Skydio contract for a "drones as first responders" pilot. FOX 9 The result blocks a proposed 75-day trial and leaves unclear whether the city will seek another vendor, rewrite contract terms, or shelve the drones-as-first-responders idea.

Multiple council members said Skydio's past sales and support to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement helped drive their votes against the contract. Minnesota Reformer Organized protesters, including local civil-rights and privacy groups, packed City Hall on July 15 and warned the program would expand warrantless aerial surveillance over north Minneapolis and communities of color. Minnesota Reformer City staff and Minneapolis police officials said the drones would speed response times and improve safety, but those arguments failed to win a majority. Minnesota Reformer Council members LaTrisha Vetaw and Soren Stevenson framed the dispute as a clash between local safety needs and surveillance or immigration-abuse concerns. FOX 9 Council Member Jamal Osman said he supports the drones-as-first-responders concept in principle but opposed Skydio as the vendor and urged restarting the plan with a different company.

The University of Minnesota Medical School announced it has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study how animals fight viruses.

Researchers will collect living cells from more than 100 animal species to create a "cellular zoo" that maps how different immune systems respond to infection. FOX 9 The project will focus on arboviruses such as West Nile to learn how animals' innate immunity influences whether viruses can jump to and spread in people.

Sun Country Airlines will cut 58 routes from its fall schedule out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, shrinking leisure service as the carrier reallocates pilots.

The airline tied the reductions to an ongoing pilot shortage and to increased demand from its Amazon Air cargo contract, saying cargo operations require more pilot resources. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal The cuts primarily affect leisure routes served from Sun Country's MSP hub, reducing seasonal options for travelers.

Ramsey County filed a federal lawsuit on July 15, 2026, saying DHS unlawfully refused to hand over evidence in a criminal probe of a Jan. 18 ICE raid in St. Paul.

The complaint says investigators are probing possible kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment of Hmong-American U.S. citizen Chongly Scott Thao. Minnesota Reformer The county asked the court to compel DHS and ICE to produce body-camera or operational video, reports and the identities of agents involved. Minnesota Reformer County investigators say Thao was not suspected of any crime when agents broke into his home, removed him, drove him around for about an hour and then returned him home. FOX 9 Sheriff Bob Fletcher said the conduct could amount to false imprisonment or kidnapping depending on the agents' intent.

Minnesota health officials are tracking Cyclospora infections as U.S. cyclosporiasis cases surge, with thousands sick nationwide and dozens of cases already confirmed in the state.

Public health labs have confirmed 41 infections in Minnesota since May 1, which the Minnesota Department of Health calls not unusual but concerning. FOX 9 Cyclosporiasis has caused at least 6,000 illnesses in 34 U.S. states this year, including more than 3,000 in Michigan.

Robbinsdale switched from tip411 to the Bridge911 alert and tip app on July 6, 2026, moving city alerts and police tip-taking to the new platform.

Bridge911 will carry city alerts for snow emergencies, critical incidents and traffic-impacting events, and it will accept police tips. FOX 9 The app adds video calling and an officer-verification tool so residents can confirm the identity of Robbinsdale officers.

Timothy Ryan Gregg, 53, a former Department of Homeland Security agent from Eagan, Minnesota, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison on a transportation-of-child-sexual-images charge.

Prosecutors say Gregg admitted having sex with the victim at least nine times between early March and May 2025. FOX 9 He continued the encounters after checking a law-enforcement database and confirming the girl was 17. FOX 9 He also used his Homeland Security number and email to book the hotel rooms where the encounters occurred. FOX 9 As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped a production-of-child-pornography count that would have carried a 15-year mandatory minimum.

Pentair cut its 2026 revenue outlook and said CFO Nick Brazis has resigned after roughly four months, with former CFO Bob Fishman returning as interim chief.

The company now expects 2026 revenue to fall as much as 7% from 2025's $4.2 billion, down from earlier guidance of 2%-4% growth. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Preliminary second-quarter revenue was about $930 million, a 17% year-over-year decline, and adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.12 versus prior guidance of $1.47 to $1.50. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Pool treatment sales plunged 16% amid dealer destocking and weaker demand tied to higher interest rates and inflation.

Donald Trump endorsed MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor via a Truth Social post Wednesday morning, injecting his backing into the Republican primary and potentially reshaping a competitive three-way race.

Trump praised Lindell for "sacrificing" for "election integrity" and said he had his "complete and total endorsement" and "will not let you down," according to the post. FOX 9 The endorsement comes amid a field that includes House Speaker Lisa Demuth and the party-endorsed Kendall Qualls, setting up a high-stakes Republican primary ahead of the August 11, 2026, nomination.

Minnesota will receive $514,871 from consumer genetics firm 23andMe as part of an $18 million multistate recovery tied to the company's bankruptcy over a 2023 data breach.

The payout is Minnesota's share of the larger recovery that resolves state claims against 23andMe's estate, officials said. FOX 9 The 2023 breach exposed genetic and ancestry data for about 6.9 million customers worldwide, including 92,385 Minnesotans. FOX 9 Attorneys general found 23andMe failed to implement basic safeguards like multifactor authentication and protections against credential-stuffing, and they said the company did not promptly detect the intrusion.

A crisis call to a Burnsville home around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday ended in a large house fire that left one adult male dead, police said.

Officers reported seeing a man inside the Maple Island Road residence who was armed with a firearm and withdrew from the house out of caution. FOX 9 Police deployed non-flammable chemical irritants in an effort to get the man to come out before the home became fully engulfed. FOX 9 After firefighters extinguished the blaze, investigators found one adult male dead inside the home. FOX 9 The City of Burnsville asked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the State Fire Marshal Division to lead the investigation.

Officials in Eagan and New Brighton say catalytic converter thefts in their cities have dropped about 95% since Minnesota's new law took effect Aug. 1, 2023.

Police say officers have been able to reassign resources from converter stings and bait-car operations back to broader investigations and regular patrol work. FOX 9 The law requires converters to be clearly tied to a specific vehicle and makes illegal scrap purchases a crime.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health warned that dogs adopted or imported from South Dakota are showing a high prevalence of canine brucellosis, an incurable bacterial disease that can force lifelong quarantine or euthanasia.

The board said it has traced seven brucellosis-positive dogs to South Dakota and is considering new import and quarantine rules for dogs coming from that state. FOX 9 The agency recommends veterinary exams, certificates of veterinary inspection, and testing before adoption or resale while it evaluates those measures.

An 8-year-old boy riding an electric scooter was struck and killed by a pickup truck Friday around 2 p.m. at Candlewood Drive and Brunswick Avenue North in Brooklyn Park.

Police say the driver immediately called 911 and remained at the scene. FOX 9 Authorities say he showed no signs of impairment and is cooperating with Brooklyn Park police and the Minnesota State Patrol investigation.

Young America's Foundation filed a federal lawsuit challenging the University of Minnesota's gender-identity and pronoun policies, seeking policy changes and $1 in nominal damages and alleging the rules chill speech.

The complaint says students can be disciplined for refusing to use preferred pronouns or for expressing views that "there are only two genders" or opposing transgender participation in women's sports. FOX 9 It points to a U of M administrative policy that expects community members to use names and pronouns consistent with individuals' specified gender identities and pronouns.

The White House removed all three sitting commissioners of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission effective July 9, 2026, leaving the agency without a quorum and unable to act.

Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland were notified of their firings by email, while Republican Christy McCormick was permitted to resign. FOX 9 Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who sat on the EAC board of advisors, said the removals will hamper the agency's work but he does not foresee immediate effects on Minnesota's election administration.

The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission is weighing 35 commutation applications Friday, including requests from people convicted in several high-profile Twin Cities murders.

Among the applicants is Ronald Reed, who was convicted in 2006 of the 1970 killing of St. Paul Police Officer James Sackett and is seeking parole for at least the fourth time. FOX 9 Police groups and Sackett's family oppose Reed's release, saying under current law he would be serving life without parole even though his original sentence allows a clemency route. FOX 9 The panel is also reviewing Jason Williams' 1992 Brooklyn Park home-invasion murder and Meng Veng's conviction in a 2005 double murder at Jimmy's Pro Billiards in Columbia Heights. FOX 9 The commission's recommendations go to the Minnesota Board of Pardons, which has the final authority to grant or deny sentence reductions.

The Department of Homeland Security deported Tou Lue Vang from the United States on Friday, July 10, 2026, despite a full pardon granted by Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Board of Pardons.

DHS publicized the removal on Friday morning and released a photo showing Vang in custody in front of a plane. FOX 9 The pardon had been granted in June after the Minnesota Board of Pardons reviewed a victim's support letter, but federal immigration authorities said the state action did not block the removal order.

Facebook permanently disabled the account of AMPERS president and CEO Joel Glaser after it flagged two news posts as child sexual exploitation, a move tied to a June 25, 2026 suspension notice in Minnesota.

Glaser says the flagged posts included a missing child alert and a Holocaust survivor story. FOX 9 After he appealed by submitting facial scans, Facebook denied the appeal in about a minute and permanently disabled his account, and also removed pages he administered including the MN90 Minnesota History in 90 Seconds page.

Osseo residents blasted a proposed $4 million, 20-year tax abatement to help fund a city-owned cannabis dispensary and brewery at a Thursday night town hall, and the council chose to revisit the plan rather than approve it.

The dispensary would go into the former Osseo Press and News building, which the city owns, and be operated by Voyageur Cannabis Services alongside Heavy Rotation Brewing under a negotiated lease. FOX 9 City officials told residents cannabis revenues would be used to service the bond debt, but several people warned taxpayers could be left on the hook if the venture fails. FOX 9 One woman told the council her property taxes rose from $2,200 in 2011 to $6,300 a year and called the proposal "disgusting." FOX 9

Jillaine Mertens pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud after admitting she stole $426,382 from Minnesota's Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program.

Under a plea agreement, Mertens faces a federal guideline range of 21-27 months in prison, forfeiture of the stolen funds and supervised release pending sentencing. FOX 9 Prosecutors say she submitted false and inflated payroll claims tied to three day cares, including Tree of Life in Ramsey and Creative Stars Academy centers in Rochester and Kasson. FOX 9 Investigators found she listed at least 23 people she did not employ and inflated hours for real employees to boost reimbursements between November 2024 and May 2025.

CVS agreed to pay Minnesota more than $850,000 as part of a national $36.5 million settlement over alleged Medicaid insulin billing fraud.

Minnesota's share includes more than $400,000 in direct restitution to its Medical Assistance program. FOX 9 Investigators say CVS sought reimbursement for ineligible refills, dispensed more insulin pens than insurance limits allowed, and under-reported days of supply instead of seeking proper overrides.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency fined Xcel Energy $13,687 and McGough Construction $12,168 for stormwater violations at Xcel's St. Paul Service Center, the agency announced Thursday.

A whitish-gray discharge was reported Nov. 6, 2025, and about 4,000 gallons of polluted water entered a storm sewer draining to a nearby wetland on Nov. 20, 2025. FOX 9 Inspectors also found another release on Oct. 28, 2026.

Minnesota jumped to No. 5 in CNBC's 2026 Top States for Business ranking, a five-spot rise that state leaders say strengthens the case for jobs and investment.

The state rose from No. 10 in 2025 to No. 5 under CNBC's new methodology, which made Infrastructure the heaviest-weighted category at nearly 19% of a state's score. Business Journal Minnesota ranked No. 4 for quality of life, No. 7 for infrastructure, No. 8 for economy and No. 31 for cost of doing business.

Fahima Egeh Mahamud, the former CEO of Future Leaders Early Learning Center in Minneapolis, pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud and conspiracy for stealing more than $5.4 million.

Prosecutors say she stole more than $4.6 million from Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program and about $850,000 from the federal Feeding Our Future child nutrition program. FOX 9 Mahamud admitted submitting false paperwork for child care assistance and falsely claiming her center served thousands of meals through Feeding Our Future. FOX 9 She is free on a conditional bond while a pre-sentence report is prepared, and a sentencing date has not been set.

Juan Carlos Felix was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl out of Minneapolis.

Alphanews described him as a Sinaloa Cartel affiliate and said the network distributed meth and fentanyl across multiple states.

Eagan Capital sued the city over its one-year moratorium on new data centers, arguing Eagan cannot regulate electricity use; a hearing is set for Aug. 12.

The city adopted the one-year moratorium in February to study potential local impacts. FOX 9 Eagan Capital, which owns a data center in the city, says the suit seeks $50,000 in damages.

A Minneapolis firefighter was hospitalized after a fire around 7:30 p.m. at a vacant, boarded-up multiunit home in the 2600 block of 4th Street North in north Minneapolis, officials said.

A second firefighter was treated on scene for a minor burn, and no civilians were found inside. FOX 9 One firefighter was taken to a hospital for heat exhaustion, and officials said the blaze was contained in about 45 minutes. FOX 9 Crews forced entry, requested additional assistance and conducted primary and secondary searches after finding evidence people had been living in the boarded-up building.

A man was critically wounded in a shooting inside a north Minneapolis home just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, on the 1200 block of 36th Avenue North.

Officers found the man in the living room with at least one potentially life-threatening gunshot wound, and he was transported to a hospital. FOX 9 Police are investigating the circumstances, including whether the shooting was accidental, and no arrests or suspect details have been released.

A 16-year-old boy was shot in the head and killed at Hartkopf Park in Brooklyn Park about 10:45 p.m. Central on Sunday, July 5, police said.

Detectives quickly identified a suspect and arrested a 17-year-old boy on probable-cause second-degree murder, police said. FOX 9 Police say they recovered the weapon believed to have been used in the shooting. FOX 9 The 17-year-old was booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center, and officials have not released the names of either teen.

Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park began offering Workforce Pell Grant-eligible short-term programs on July 1, 2026, making it one of only two Minnesota colleges to do so.

Hennepin Tech's initial offerings include nursing assistant and emergency medical technician courses, while Lake Superior College is offering EMT and phlebotomy programs. Federal rules limit eligible programs to 8-15 weeks and 150-599 instructional hours and require 70% completion and 70% job-placement rates. They also require documented earnings gains at least equal to tuition and fees. Students who qualify could start receiving Workforce Pell funds later in 2026, and federal spending is projected at $1.5 to $2 billion over 10 years.

About 75,000 Minnesotans have been approved for payments from the statewide paid family and medical leave program during its first six months of operation.

The program has disbursed nearly $600 million in benefits, showing it is actively paying residents rather than only taking applications. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal State paid-leave officials told the Minnesota Reformer the early volume of claims reflects pent-up demand and that they expect application levels to taper off. Minnesota Reformer Officials outlined plans to adjust staffing, processing and financial projections in response to the early surge and the anticipated slowdown.

An Inver Grove Heights police officer accidentally fired a single shot during a vehicle pursuit around 3:40 a.m. Wednesday near South Street and 6th Avenue South, striking the tire of the suspect's car.

Police said the officer "accidently fired" the shot and that no one was inside or nearby when the bullet struck the tire.

Workers at the Starbucks at 50th Street and France Avenue in Edina voted 9-6 to unionize with Starbucks Workers United.

The tally makes the store the 17th Starbucks in Minnesota to join the labor group and part of more than 700 U.S. locations with over 12,000 unionized baristas. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Starbucks Workers United alleges more than 400 labor-law violations by the company, including retaliatory firings and unlawful policy enforcement. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Starbucks disputed those claims, saying average pay and benefits at the company exceed $30 per hour and announcing plans for performance-based bonuses up to $1,200, weekly pay, and expanded tipping options for non-union stores.

A state audit found Minnesota counties missed deadlines and made errors while processing voter registration applications, though most registrations were processed within legal time frames, the report shows.

It found 96% of 2024 voter registration applications were processed within required legal time frames, excluding applications received within 20 days of an election. Identity verification was correct in 99.9% of cases; voter status assignments were accurate in 98% of manually reviewed cases, and 99% of residency checks used the correct process. More than one-third of manually reviewed residency cases had documentation gaps, and only 84% of voters who had their rights restored received required notices within 10 days.

Mustafa Jama, 48, is set to be sentenced Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis for his role in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.

Jama pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. FOX 9 Federal prosecutors are seeking a 16-month prison term, while his lawyers ask for a noncustodial sentence and note he has forfeited nearly $240,000 and real estate in Lakeville and Ohio. FOX 9 Prosecutors say Brava Restaurant in Rochester received about $4.3 million through the child nutrition program using fraudulent meal claims. FOX 9 They also allege Jama helped route funds through shell companies and used the money to buy homes in Lakeville and Columbus, Ohio, and property on Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

Minneapolis closed multiple city beaches on July 7, 2026, after tests detected elevated E. coli levels, city officials said.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board posted no-swimming advisories at its swimming beaches. FOX 9 The board said each site will reopen only after follow-up testing shows E. coli levels meet state health standards.

A Twin Cities mother has been formally charged with murder in the deaths of her infant twins after she allegedly told others they died from vaccinations, prosecutors said.

The case was filed in a metro-area district court, and authorities say the charges were brought within the past two weeks. FOX 9 A first court appearance is expected soon.

A man in his 20s died after a firework exploded in his hand at the abandoned Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant site in Shoreview, Minnesota, around the July 4 holiday period.

Ramsey County authorities are investigating the circumstances of the blast. FOX 9 Officials have not released additional details about the victim.

A man drowned while kayaking at Lake Ann Park in Chanhassen Saturday night; he was not wearing a life jacket.

Authorities recovered the man's body after he went under, and emergency crews responded to the popular Carver County park. FOX 9 The City of Chanhassen expressed deep sadness and thanked the Carver County Dive Team, the sheriff's office and the fire department for their response.

Nurses at Allina Health staged a one-day strike at Twin Cities hospitals and clinics, pressing stalled contract talks and prompting the system to activate contingency staffing plans.

The walkout targeted bargaining over wages, staffing ratios and safety and working-conditions, union leaders said. FOX 9 Allina said its contract offer is competitive, while the union said the proposal fails to address burnout and retention.

An adult man was fatally shot on Wilson Street in Minneapolis and was pronounced dead after officers responded, police said.

Minneapolis police say a homicide investigation is underway and no arrests or the victim's identity have been released.

A teen was pulled from the water at Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis and taken to a hospital in critical condition. FOX 9 Social posts and local outlets said the swimmer was a 16-year-old boy and that the incident happened on July 4.

Emergency crews pulled the teen from the water and performed life-saving measures before transporting him to the hospital. FOX 9 Witnesses posted that crews carried out a swift-water rescue and CPR near the base of the falls as holiday visitors looked on.