Three people were killed when NBC4 Los Angeles's news helicopter crashed just before 7 p.m. Central on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles.

NBC4 and local authorities confirmed two of the dead were reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, and that a man on the ground also died. PBS News The Los Angeles Fire Department said the aircraft went down between two commercial buildings at 9151 N. Mason Ave., burning at least four vehicles and two storage containers as more than 50 firefighters responded; one person was taken to a hospital. Fox News The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened a formal investigation and sent personnel to the scene the following day.

Bailee Lynn Rios was charged Thursday with murder after prosecutors say her SUV broadsided a Los Angeles Metro bus on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, killing two passengers.

Rios is being held on $4.1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, September 18, 2026; online court records did not yet list an attorney. MS NOW Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman identified the two bus passengers killed as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31. MS NOW Prosecutors publicly allege Rios was under the influence of drugs, was speeding, was driving the wrong way and ran a red light before hitting another vehicle and then broadsiding the bus.

A Minneapolis attorney on Thursday, Sept. 17, asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to open an investigation of Xcel Energy's pole inspections after a Hopkins utility pole collapse killed 31-year-old Kenny Green on Aug. 23.

Joshua Newville filed an 18-page letter that alleges a possible "systemic failure" in how Xcel evaluates pole safety and criticizes the PUC for effectively letting the utility police itself. FOX 9 A structural engineer pointed to Google Street View images that showed the Hopkins pole leaning as far back as 2019. FOX 9 He said poles should not lean and that the images suggest an earlier impact or long-term instability that may have been missed.

The State Department on Thursday announced it will move forward with a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 jets and a spare engine to Saudi Arabia, despite intelligence warnings about potential Chinese access to the technology.

The department issued formal notification to Congress of the pending sale. New York Times Its public justification said the package "will improve Saudi Arabia's capability to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defense." New York Times

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, September 14, 2026 left in place lower-court injunctions that prevent the Postal Service from enforcing its Aug. 21 mail-ballot rule ahead of the midterm elections.

Postmaster General David Steiner said Thursday that USPS has stopped work on the online voter-verification portal tied to the rule. PBS News He said the agency will not enforce the new requirements for the 2026 federal election.

At a Senate HELP Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Chair Bill Cassidy pressed surgeon general nominee Nicole Saphier over the measles outbreak and vaccine misinformation, making the session a flashpoint.

Cassidy called the measles surge "a terrible legacy for this administration." MS NOW He also criticized President Trump's executive order to break the combined MMR vaccine into three separate injections. MS NOW Cassidy publicly repudiated HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s repeated efforts to link vaccines with autism and said vaccines do not cause autism. MS NOW Nicole Saphier testified at the hearing.

ICE agent Christian Castro appeared in Hennepin County District Court in Minneapolis Thursday on state assault and false-report charges in the shooting that wounded Julio Sosa-Celis.

Castro surrendered to authorities and was booked into the Hennepin County Jail Wednesday after traveling from Texas. FOX 9 His first state-court appearance was scheduled for 1:30 p.m., and he is also due in federal court Friday. FOX 9 He pleaded not guilty on Sept. 4 to a six-count federal indictment alleging he made false statements about the shooting.

CBS News aired a video segment Thursday, September 17, 2026, saying government roadside inspections of commercial trucks have declined in many states. CBS News The segment reports crashes involving licensed trucking companies with no prior roadside inspection on record have killed more than 2,000 people since 2019.

The broadcast reiterated findings from an earlier CBS News written investigation published the same day and did not present new figures, locations, or agency statements. CBS News That written investigation ran on CBS's website Thursday morning.

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, a Texas Air National Guard pilot ejected safely before an F-16 crashed in Grand Traverse County, Michigan.

The jet was on a routine training mission and went down near County Road 633 and Blair Townhall Road, authorities said. Foxnews Local officials issued shelter-in-place guidance and closed nearby roads after the crash, and there were no reported injuries on the ground.

St. Paul officials announced plans to reopen closed skyway sections near the Alliance Bank building within about two months, saying the work will be completed "absolutely before it gets cold." FOX 9

The St. Paul Downtown Development Corporation and the Downtown Alliance bought the condemned building and are stabilizing it so the adjacent skyways can reopen. FOX 9 City Council President Rebecca Noecker said the city has allocated funds for the work and expects the closed downtown core skyway sections to reopen within about two months.

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen sentenced 56-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak to 14 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for spraying Rep. Ilhan Omar at a Minneapolis town hall.

The sentence followed a plea deal with federal prosecutors, court records show. New York Times Prosecutors say Kazmierczak used a syringe to spray a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water on Omar; her security guards tackled him immediately and she was not physically injured.

President Donald Trump ordered the Justice Department not to appeal a federal judge's ruling that eased most National Firearms Act restrictions, a move that could broaden access to certain weapons nationwide.

Trump has told some Republican lawmakers he will ensure the Justice Department does not contest the decision, according to people briefed on the matter. CBS News Some Justice Department career and political lawyers opposed the directive, warning it undermines the department's duty to defend acts of Congress and is already affecting firearms prosecutions nationwide.

Iranian forces have shot down at least two American MQ-1 unmanned aircraft in recent days, U.S. officials said Thursday, adding fresh operational losses to the conflict with Iran.

Officials did not specify where the MQ-1s were downed or which MQ-1 variants were involved, and U.S. Central Command declined to comment on the incidents. CBS News If the aircraft were older Air Force Predators, the two losses would total roughly $8 million; Army Gray Eagles can cost tens of millions each depending on the variant. CBS News Reporting this week also cited a Congressional Budget Office tally that at least 24 MQ-9 Reapers have been lost, about $720 million in replacements, and that one MQ-4C Triton was destroyed, about $150 million.

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark federal funds rate 0.25 percentage point to a 3.75%-4.00% target range on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, marking its first increase in more than three years.

The Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously for the quarter-point increase and moved the rate to its highest level since December 2025. CBS News Fed Chair Kevin Warsh told reporters, "inflation is too high and has been for too long." Christian Science Monitor The Fed said the action will support a timelier return to its 2 percent inflation goal.

Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered the Department of Justice on Wednesday to submit handwritten FBI notes from July-October 2019 interviews with a Trump and Epstein accuser to the court.

Sullivan's 20-page order directs Attorney General Todd Blanche and the DOJ to deliver the notes for in-camera review by 10 a.m. Central on September 24, 2026. MS NOW The judge did not immediately order the notes' public release. MS NOW The order also requires the DOJ to begin reviewing foreign-language materials for responsiveness in the Epstein records litigation.

Iran-backed Houthi fighters seized the Red Sea port of Mokha on Thursday, Sept. 10, then moved to capture Perim (Mayun) and the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, tightening control of the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint.

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline after a drone attack blamed on Iran-backed militias, and officials say repairs could keep the 745-mile route mostly out of service for weeks. PBS News Markets reacted: Brent futures climbed above $107 a barrel as traders weighed the Red Sea disruptions.

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, the White House withdrew Lance Schroyer's nomination to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after Senate consideration stalled.

The administration offered only a brief statement and gave no further explanation for the move. CBS News Schroyer is a former Oklahoma state trooper with little immigration experience and is close to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. NPR Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Rand Paul said he refused to hold a confirmation hearing until the Department of Homeland Security provided updates on probes into civilian deaths during ICE operations. NPR Paul said he was "still waiting." NPR

Philadelphia police and the FBI are probing an Olney house as the center of a possible serial-murder investigation after authorities found evidence linking the property to at least five missing women.

Investigators said they are reviewing photographs and videos that appear to show missing women dead inside the home. CBS News They also discovered a basement lab and other digital material officials described as a "house of horrors" as the probe expanded.

Former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, 84, died Wednesday night, Sept. 16, 2026, from a neurological disorder, his longtime family friend Gordon James said.

Kyl had publicly announced a dementia diagnosis in December 2025. PBS CBS News also reported his death. CBS News Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs called Kyl a "dedicated statesman," and former Gov. Doug Ducey described him as a "workhorse" and a "giant" in the Senate.

ICE officer Christian Castro was released on $200,000 bail with electronic monitoring and strict no-contact and no-firearm conditions after appearing in Minneapolis state court on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

Castro appeared in handcuffs and an orange jail uniform before Hennepin County District Judge Paul R. Scoggin. New York Times Judge Scoggin ordered that Castro be barred from possessing guns, have no contact with victims or witnesses, and wear an electronic monitoring device if released. New York Times As part of his release Castro signed a pre-waiver of extradition, agreeing to waive the right to fight being returned from Texas. New York Times His lawyers said he plans to plead not guilty in both state and federal cases and that the defense is ready to fight the charges in court.

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said Trump-era ICE tactics in Minneapolis threatened the rule of law.

Schiltz made the remarks during a 90-minute, on-the-record interview. MS NOW He said agency defiance of court orders during a winter enforcement surge created a grave threat to judicial authority. MS NOW Schiltz previously ordered then-ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in court after the government defied dozens of Minnesota federal court orders. MS NOW Justice Department spokesperson Kiersten Pels called it remarkable that sitting judges were giving on-the-record interviews criticizing administration policies and suggested they consider recusal in related matters.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the Kennedy Center on Thursday to give 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to its main building, including demolition.

Cooper also reiterated a separate, earlier ruling that blocks the board from adding inscriptions such as "Renovated and Restored by Donald J. Trump" or renaming the campus "President Donald J. Trump Plaza." CBS News The judge denied Rep. Joyce Beatty's request for an immediate probing hearing but said he would schedule prompt court action if necessary.

A new Protect Democracy report finds 34.8 million Americans now live in different U.S. House districts than they did in the 2024 election, a change that could reshape House contests and fuel voter confusion.

The study finds about one-fifth of Americans now live in districts where more than 25% of voters are new, and Republicans are positioned to potentially gain about nine House seats from the round. PBS News The report says President Donald Trump urged the Republican-controlled Texas legislature to redraw its congressional map, a move that helped trigger a wave of mid-decade remapping. PBS News That wave included a 2025 California referendum that tilted the state's map toward Democrats. PBS News The U.S. Supreme Court blocked Trump-backed maps used in the Missouri primary and required the state to revert to its previous districts for the November general election, an example the report cites of voter confusion.

On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the House passed legislation 352-72 to make the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division permanent.

More than 140 Democrats joined all House Republicans in support, and all 72 no votes were cast by Democrats. The division was created by the Trump administration by executive action in January 2026 to target fraud against the federal government, federal programs and private citizens. Vice President JD Vance previously referred Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to the division for a potential criminal probe tied to alleged state social-program fraud.

Sen. Martin Heinrich blocked unanimous consent in the Senate on Thursday, September 17, 2026, preventing immediate passage of the House-approved Ratepayer Protection Act meant to shield consumers from data center energy costs.

Sen. Jon Husted had asked for unanimous-consent approval of the bill after the House passed it by a 417-3 vote. CBS News Heinrich then objected and sought unanimous consent for his own GRID Savings Act, which GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno blocked, leaving both measures stalled.

Federal Judge Paul Diamond on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and deputy Matthew Stiegler to the U.S. Department of Justice for a possible criminal investigation.

Diamond said evidence in a murder conviction could amount to false statements, perjury, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Fox News He disqualified Krasner and Stiegler from the case but allowed the rest of the Philadelphia district attorney's office to remain on it. Fox News Krasner issued a statement saying he disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal. Fox News The Justice Department has not yet commented.

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, the National Park Service said a proposed 250-foot Trump arch at Memorial Circle would harm historic views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

The NPS planning document says those effects are "adverse" and could not be fully avoided without moving the project. MS NOW It proposes mitigation such as public information signs, limits on unnecessary lighting, and steps to reduce disruptions to Arlington National Cemetery ceremonies during construction.

Prime Minister Mark Carney embraced European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal to make Canada the EU's first associate member during a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

He said Canada is not seeking full EU membership but wants an "Alliance for the Future" to deepen cooperation on trade, defense, critical minerals, AI, energy, space, research and financial services.

Human remains found near Crystal Rapids on Monday, September 14 were identified as 53-year-old hiker Timothy Allen Smith, the last person missing after flash floods in Grand Canyon National Park.

Smith is the third confirmed fatality from the flash flooding that began August 29 in the Phantom Ranch area. CBS News More than 80 people were rescued during the two-day flooding, and the storm damaged the water pipeline that serves the park's South Rim.

A U.N.-mandated international fact-finding mission said Thursday it found "reasonable grounds" to believe the United States committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks in two February 28, 2026 strikes in Iran.

The mission concluded a Tomahawk missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab and said the school was the "intended point of impact." NPR Iranian state media reported about 168 people, mostly children, were killed in the Minab strike. CBS News The team said a second February 28 strike hit a sports complex and nearby homes in Lamerd, killing about 22 civilians and involving a Precision Strike Missile that dispersed tungsten pellets. CBS News U.S. Central Command has denied responsibility for the Lamerd strike.

A federal judge will sentence 56-year-old James Kazmierczak at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in Minneapolis federal court after he admitted spraying Rep. Ilhan Omar with apple cider vinegar at a January town hall.

Prosecutors are recommending a 14-month federal prison sentence, according to court records.

Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, he will introduce legislation next week to permanently ban "super intelligence" and pause advanced AI development.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei publicly called on Saturday, September 12, 2026, for the AI industry to slow frontier-model development and prioritize safety. CBS News Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, said she supports an immediate pause on advanced AI while lawmakers and regulators build safety systems.

Mohammad Sharifullah was sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the maximum for his one-count conviction for providing material support to ISIS-K.

Jurors in an April 2026 trial convicted him of aiding ISIS-K but deadlocked on whether deaths from the August 26, 2021 Abbey Gate bombing legally resulted from his conduct. CBS News Prosecutors said he scouted a route to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport and helped a suicide bomber reach the airport before the attacker detonated at Abbey Gate, and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said Sharifullah "spent nearly a decade" supporting attacks that "ultimately, contributed to the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers and dozens of others." CBS News Pakistani intelligence and the CIA detained him near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in early 2025 and extradited him to the United States.

Most of the Twin Cities metro recorded between 0.5 and just over 1 inch of rain Wednesday night as a follow-up storm moved into the region ahead of heavier rain expected Friday.

Site-by-site totals included Rockford at 1.58 inches, Minneapolis at 1.20 and St. Paul at 1.16, and some western Minnesota spots topped 1.5 inches. FOX 9 Meteorologist Cody Matz said the midweek rain has begun to re-moisten parched soils, which could help heavier Friday rain soak in and reduce flash-flooding risk.

The Senate advanced the Protect College Sports Act with a 74-24 cloture vote, pushing the measure closer to final passage.

The bill would codify House settlement terms allowing schools to share up to 22% of specified revenue with athletes, worth about $21.58 million per school this year. PBS News It would also create a $27.5 million per-school retention pool intended to keep current players and to reduce third-party name, image and likeness payments.

The DHS Office of Inspector General said in a report released August 20, 2026 that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent hours on fentanyl investigations fell 31% while immigration enforcement rose sharply.

The report found immigration-enforcement hours rose more than 800% while hours devoted to fentanyl criminal probes fell 31%. PBS News At one HSI office reviewed, agents spent 99% of their time on immigration work, leaving almost no capacity for fentanyl investigations. PBS News The OIG interviewed 100 HSI agents nationwide and flagged lack of funding, limited technology and inconsistent referrals as barriers to disrupting fentanyl trafficking. PBS News The report warns that failing to fix those problems could let more illicit fentanyl reach the public and cause additional overdose deaths.

House Speaker Mike Johnson cut the House's work week short on Thursday, sending lawmakers home and adjourning the chamber until after the November midterm elections.

Johnson framed the move as a way to avoid some controversial votes until after the midterms. CBS News The video report said the House will remain in recess and that no additional floor action is expected before the election.

On Sept. 16, OpenAI disclosed six new "unexpected or concerning" AI misalignment incidents as senators intensified scrutiny over the company's role in a July breach of AI startup Hugging Face.

Sen. Josh Hawley formally launched a GOP-led investigation on Sept. 10, sending a letter to CEO Sam Altman seeking detailed information about the Hugging Face episode and any similar "rogue" model behavior. PBS News Democrats pushed parallel demands, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen urging Altman to give federal cybersecurity agencies immediate access to material needed to assess model safety.

Minneapolis city council is weighing an ordinance that could bar Waymo's driverless robotaxis from operating in the city, a proposal its backers say would protect ride-hail drivers.

Council members, labor groups and driver organizations are publicly pressing the measure as economic protection for human ride-hail drivers rather than solely a technical safety change. Minnesota Reformer An earlier local report flagged the council's consideration of a ban on driverless rideshares and highlighted Waymo's potential local operations.

A Georgia judge stayed an execution pending a hearing under a new state law that could spare the inmate's life.

Alabama scheduled inmate Jeffery Lee to be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. Thursday at William C. Holman Correctional Facility after a federal judge blocked the state's planned nitrogen execution.

LeJames Norman was executed Wednesday evening, Sept. 16, 2026, at the Huntsville state penitentiary for a 2005 triple murder during a home invasion in Edna, Texas.

The prison warden asked Norman for final words before the lethal injection. Fox News The U.S. Supreme Court denied a same-day request to stay the execution.

Two adults and a child were found dead after flooding swept through an area near Newcomb on the Navajo Nation, following reports that people were washed away around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

Navajo Nation police said search crews later recovered the bodies of two adults and one child. CBS News Tribal authorities said the drownings are under investigation.

A Punjabi Sikh truck driver was stabbed multiple times in a Wyoming rest area bathroom early Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, and a suspect has been arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Singh says he was followed into the restroom, beaten and stabbed, then collapsed outside. NPR A Hispanic family at the rest stop helped him and sought medical aid. NPR As of Wednesday night, Singh remained hospitalized with injuries to his neck, chest and ribs. NPR Local authorities arrested 45-year-old Andrew Kris Bzdak and charged him with attempted first-degree murder, and charging documents do not specify a motive.

Speaker Mike Johnson recessed the House early on Wednesday, Sept. 16, sending members home and pushing required action on Rep. Thomas Massie's privileged impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth until after the midterm elections.

U.N.-backed human rights experts reported on Thursday that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe the United States committed war crimes in two Feb. 28 Iran strikes, including a strike on a school in Minab that the fact-finding team said likely caused dozens of civilian deaths. MS NOW Massie's impeachment articles specifically cite the Minab school strike and eight counts accusing Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution and weakening systems meant to limit civilian harm, and the Pentagon has publicly defended Hegseth's leadership.

The State Department announced September 16, 2026, that it will continue denying U.S. visas to Palestinian officials, barring Mahmoud Abbas from the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

The department said the measures respond to Palestinian efforts to bring cases to international tribunals and to what it described as a failure to repudiate and a continued glorification of terrorism. New York Times It also keeps in place a suspension, first imposed in August 2025, on issuing most visitor visas to people holding Palestinian passports.

The House passed a bipartisan bill on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, that aims to shield utility customers from electricity and water costs tied to data centers.

Lawmakers approved the Evans-Castor measure by a wide margin, framing it as a response to voter anger over AI and rising utility use. New York Times CBS News also reported the House passage of the bill.

CBS released video Wednesday showing U.S. Coast Guard and FBI personnel boarding the Texas-bound supertanker VL Prosperity in the Atlantic as part of a probe into a suspected cyber breach.

Federal authorities now say a foreign actor compromised the onboard networks of two Texas-bound oil tankers in August, officials told CBS. CBS News Rear Adm. Amy Grable said Coast Guard teams boarded VL Prosperity on August 21 for a four-day inspection and found malicious activity on the ship's IT systems.

A Government Accountability Office report released Sept. 15 says federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave in 2025, and the GAO attributes $6.7 billion of that to employees who opted into the Deferred Resignation Program.

The GAO estimates 144,312 federal employees accepted the DRP buyout, far fewer than the administration's projection of 200,000, and the program let participants stop working while continuing to receive pay through Sept. 30, 2025. CBS News Paid administrative leave tied to the program peaked in July 2025, when about 2.5 million of roughly 3 million reported leave workdays that month were linked to the DRP.

Gunman Carlton Johnson II opened fire inside Loring Towers in downtown Minneapolis around 4:36 p.m. on Sept. 2, killing two residents and prompting officers to shoot and kill him.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the dead as Dale Henry Spry, 63, and Muse A. Afrah, 61; both are believed to have lived on the ninth floor. FOX 9 Investigators say Johnson began shooting during a custody exchange; the child's mother was hospitalized and the child escaped unharmed, and two officers — Joseph Michnowski and Yahye Ahmed — plus a building employee were wounded.

The White House completed a voluntary frontier-model review framework by its Aug. 1 deadline and convened AI companies on Aug. 2, but the framework remains secret amid mounting safety warnings.

On Sept. 10 at the Republican National Convention, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met privately with President Trump to discuss artificial intelligence. MS NOW In the days after, Altman urged slowing frontier AI development, warned competitiveness should not justify recklessness, and said OpenAI will delay going public this year for safety reasons. MS NOW President Trump posted Sept. 14 on Truth Social that the only needed control is a "strong and smart president" and warned regulation would bring "oblivion and bankruptcy." Axios

The Edina First Responders Fund is offering a $5,000 reward for tips leading to the arrest and charging of those responsible for a shooting at Yancey Park in Edina on July 22.

Gunfire struck a nearby home during a large gathering at the park around 9 p.m., but no one was injured and the shooter had fled before officers arrived.

Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams presented three "school transformation" options to the Minneapolis Public Schools board at a Sept. 15 work session that could close or "unprogram" buildings.

District materials show the plans could force about 3,500 students — roughly 12% of the district — to change schools, a prospect that has sparked parent outrage and threats to withdraw students and funding. FOX 9 All three options call for unprogramming more than a dozen buildings, mergers and attendance-boundary changes that could shrink MPS from 59 schools to as few as 44 and close up to 16 sites. FOX 9 The district says its facilities were built for about 42,000 students but currently serve roughly 29,000, and it now projects an operating shortfall of $39.7 million. FOX 9 District leaders outlined a month of public input, possible revisions, a November board vote and potential implementation in the 2027-28 school year.

The House passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by a 262-159 vote and sent the package to President Trump's desk.

The bill would impose sanctions on Russian officials, banks and a shadow tanker fleet that moves Russian energy and would direct the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas. PBS News It also extends sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors at President Trump's request. CBS News Fifty-eight House Democrats joined most Republicans to pass the measure, while seven Republicans voted with most Democrats in opposition.

The House voted to hold investor Leon Black in criminal contempt of Congress and referred the matter to the Justice Department by unanimous consent on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

Black was accused of defying subpoenas from the House Oversight Committee by refusing to produce nondisclosure agreements and by not appearing for a September 3 deposition. MS NOW He has sued the committee and its chair, James Comer, in federal court, saying the subpoenas seek private information beyond any legitimate legislative purpose.

Two former sailors pleaded guilty on Monday, September 14, 2026, in federal court in San Diego to selling fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone to active-duty crew aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.

The defendants are Bailey A. Szramowski and Johnnese H. Poomaihealani. New York Times Prosecutors say Szramowski provided 10 such pills in December 2022 to a sailor identified as A.N.; A.N. died in January 2023 on leave in San Leandro from acute fentanyl intoxication.

NASA announced Wednesday that a spacecraft has discovered a rare new crater on the Moon's near side, refining impact-risk estimates for a planned lunar base.

The feature, named for former Lunar and Planetary Institute director Thomas McGetchin, measures about 728 feet across and is as deep as 141 feet. CBS News Scientists say the crater formed between April 11 and May 22, 2024, when a fragment roughly the size of a three- to six-story building struck the surface.

The family of 37-year-old Tierra Walker sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and multiple medical providers Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in Bexar County District Court, alleging the state's abortion ban led to her death.

The 65-page complaint lists Paxton both individually and in his official capacity and names Texas Medical Board executive director Stephen Brint Carlton and three individual physicians. MS NOW It also names the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, University Health and Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales. MS NOW The suit alleges violations of the Texas Constitution, the Americans With Disabilities Act and the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act for failing to provide stabilizing treatment, including an abortion. MS NOW A University Health spokesperson said clinicians base decisions on patient condition, medical standards and legal requirements and would not comment on pending litigation. MS NOW A Texas Medical Board spokesperson likewise declined comment.

The Trump administration plans to place about a dozen ideological warning signs on National Park Service land near Smithsonian museums, federal officials said in a Sept. 3 letter.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum sent the letter to Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Jeff Merkley outlining the plan. NPR The letter says roughly 12 temporary signs would be placed near Smithsonian sites, including the National Museum of American History. NPR Interior estimated each sign will cost about $7,000, roughly $84,000 total, and said the final text remains in draft.

On Friday, September 11, 2026, researchers said a Kremlin-linked disinformation campaign used AI-cloned audio to doctor celebrity videos and attack Democratic targets ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections.

The clips repurpose existing selfie and Cameo videos from actors including Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, Emma Caulfield, Christopher Lloyd and Ed Begley Jr., with fabricated political audio. MS NOW Many carry unauthorized CNN logos, push the hashtag #AllDemocratsAreCriminals, and have appeared on X, Bluesky and TikTok, though engagement has remained low.

Sen. Bill Cassidy on Wednesday blamed the Trump administration's vaccine policies for fueling a deadly measles surge after Pennsylvania reported four measles-associated deaths in 2026.

Cassidy used a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions confirmation hearing to call the outbreak "a terrible legacy" for the administration. MS NOW He singled out Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for repeatedly linking vaccines to autism and warned that President Trump's August order to split the combined MMR shot into three doses will fuel hesitancy and endanger children. MS NOW Cassidy cited federal data showing more than 3,200 confirmed U.S. measles cases in 2026 during the hearing.

Virginia's environmental regulator issued a nearly $2.5 million civil penalty to Microsoft's Leesburg data center, and on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Loudoun County paused approvals for new data-center projects for one year.

The civil penalty totaled nearly $2.5 million. CBS News DEQ said the penalty stemmed from emissions that exceeded state limits during a June 2025 substation failure that forced 62 emergency engines to run for seven days. CBS News Microsoft agreed to invest $2.4 million in an environmental project to expand air-quality monitoring in Loudoun County, and the state plans to deploy dozens of air-quality sensors in its most data-center-heavy areas. CBS News The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 7-1 with one abstention to pause approval of new data-center applications for one year, effective September 15, while it reviews tighter standards and locations.

A study published Wednesday in Scientific Data found Greenland and Antarctica lost about 12.5 trillion tons of ice from 1979 to 2023, raising global sea levels by roughly one inch.

Researchers say that melt produced nearly 3 quadrillion gallons of water. PBS News About five-sixths of the ice loss came from warmer ocean water that sped glaciers into the sea, and melt rates accelerated markedly during the 2010s.

States United Democracy Center and Grant Witness released a tracker on September 16, 2026, saying the Trump administration cut or froze $177 billion in federal grants across all 50 states and D.C.

They said the disrupted funds affect health, nutrition, environmental and disaster-relief programs and total nearly 10% of federal discretionary spending. PBS News The tracker cites examples such as maternal health grants in Michigan, education research in Mississippi and minority-farmer assistance in Iowa. PBS News California, Texas, New York, Illinois and North Carolina face the largest dollar impacts.

The United States publicly confirmed on Monday, September 14, 2026, that it has deployed weapons in orbit, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said, calling them "on-orbit space control weapons" to defend the Joint Force.

CBS News aired a segment Wednesday reporting the U.S. had deployed its first space-based weapon, citing the U.S. Air Force and featuring Washington Post correspondent Tara Copp. CBS News China and Russia responded to the U.S. confirmation, raising diplomatic and security concerns.

Forgent Power Solutions plans a new manufacturing facility in Dayton, Minnesota, with about $50 million in investment.

The project is expected to create roughly 300 jobs in the northwest Twin Cities metro.

Brooklyn Center police say early-morning raids on Sept. 9 at several area hotels rescued 17 women and underage girls identified as human trafficking victims. FOX 9 Officers executing the operation made 28 arrests and seized seven firearms and about $43,494 in cash.

Officers executed 31 search warrants: 17 at the Travelodge, 12 at the Super 8, one at the Baymont and one at Suburban Studios. FOX 9 More than 250 personnel and seven SWAT teams took part in the raids, which police say ended without injuries. FOX 9 FOX 9 reported it could identify only about a dozen people booked into Hennepin County Jail after the raids; nearly all have since been released and none were formally charged as of the Sept. 16 update.

The Justice Department charged five alleged Russian intelligence agents in a plot to murder a prominent Russian dissident living in the United States, according to an unsealed Manhattan indictment.

Prosecutors say Venezuelan defendant Angel Eduardo Castro and Cuban defendant Yaidel Delgado Suarez used encrypted messages to direct a Venezuelan U.S. resident in Brooklyn to surveil two addresses tied to the dissident. NPR Suarez allegedly told the recruit the person at those addresses was someone they "want to eliminate they want to disappear" and offered $40,000 "for whoever does the work." NPR When the recruit refused, Suarez allegedly asked if he knew "someone who wants to do construction," which prosecutors said was coded language. NPR Prosecutors say Suarez also told the recruit he faced pressure from his boss and had a team in Mexico that could carry out the operation. NPR All five defendants are alleged members of a broader "RIS Network" that has carried out hybrid operations since at least 2024 and remains at large, the filings say.

Texas' law-enforcement regulator has moved to revoke the Trinidad Police Department's authority to appoint or employ licensed officers, with the suspension set to take effect Friday, Sept. 18.

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement found the department failed to meet minimum standards, could not show it provided a public benefit, lacked 18 mandated policies and had deficiencies in bullet-resistant vests and secure evidence storage. Fox News Interim Police Chief Cameron Beckham told the city council on Tuesday, Sept. 15, that prior management caused many of the problems and that several issues have since been addressed.

Late Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the House unanimously passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, a bill that would require AM radios as standard equipment in all new vehicles sold in the United States.

The measure directs the U.S. transportation secretary to issue a rule mandating AM radios within one year of enactment. PBS That rule would take effect two years after it is issued. PBS Supporters say the requirement is needed to ensure continued access to emergency broadcasts and other local programming.

Belarus released 25 political prisoners on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, following talks in Minsk with U.S. special envoy John Coale tied to U.S. easing of sanctions.

The Trump administration had sought the immediate release of about 200 prisoners but accepted 25 and said it would keep pressing for more releases. New York Times Coale publicly thanked President Aleksandr Lukashenko on social media and said the United States would continue to improve relations with Belarus.

Amazon announced on September 16, 2026 it will raise starting pay for full-time U.S. operations workers to $20 an hour, up from $19, and add grocery discounts for employees.

The company said the raise will lift average pay for its workers to $24 an hour. CBS News Starting Oct. 1, all U.S. employees get 10% off eligible fresh groceries online and 20% off in-store at Whole Foods. CBS News Amazon will offer employee access to First Tech Federal Credit Union memberships beginning in late 2026, and those memberships can be extended to spouses and children even after employment ends. CBS News The company employs about 1.5 million workers in total.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport topped J.D. Power's mega-airport rankings for a third straight year in the 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, scoring 684 out of 1,000.

MSP handled 36 million passengers in 2025, qualifying it as a "mega airport" and placing it as the 17th-busiest airport in North America. FOX 9 The ranking put MSP ahead of Detroit, Phoenix, LaGuardia and Las Vegas' Harry Reid International. FOX 9 J.D. Power based its results on 24,710 surveys of U.S. and Canadian residents who traveled between July 2025 and July 2026. FOX 9 Metropolitan Airports Commission CEO Brian Ryks called the three-peat an "unprecedented achievement," tying it to MSP's service, hospitality and amenities. FOX 9 MSP is Delta's second-largest hub and is the home base of Sun Country, which was recently acquired by Allegiant Travel Co.

On Friday, September 11, 2026, the nation marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with memorial ceremonies in New York City, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

All living former presidents, along with Vice President JD Vance, attended the Ground Zero ceremony that began at 8:40 a.m. Eastern. CBS News President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump led a separate commemoration at the Pentagon.

BMO Bank sued to appoint a court receiver to seize control of Summit Brewing's St. Paul brewery and assets, saying the brewer is insolvent or imminently at risk of insolvency.

The loan package at the center of the suit included a $1.25 million revolving line and a $6.875 million term loan issued Dec. 31, 2024, both secured by a mortgage and substantially all personal property. FOX 9 Summit missed the Dec. 31, 2025 payoff on the revolving line and entered a Jan. 1-July 31, 2026 forbearance agreement. FOX 9 Summit sent a June 15, 2026 written notice admitting it would miss minimum earnings, and BMO sent an Aug. 13, 2026 default notice terminating forbearance and demanding immediate repayment. FOX 9 BMO is asking a court to appoint a receiver to take control of the property and broad categories of personal property, including equipment, inventory, trademarks and goodwill.

New York City on Tuesday launched a public online portal of more than 170,000 pages of post-9/11 air-quality and health-risk records and said it had settled lawsuits over access.

The release includes 68 boxes of documents located last year, records about World Trade Center 7 and the so-called Harding Memo written weeks after the attacks. CBS News Rep. Jerry Nadler said the Harding Memo warned officials they might face thousands of people with devastating health effects and grounds for lawsuits.

Google, Nvidia and Emerald AI launched the AI Energy Management Alliance on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, to treat AI data centers as flexible grid resources.

About 20 members, including Anthropic and utilities National Grid and AES, joined to coordinate standards and negotiate grid deals. Axios Google says it has already committed 1 gigawatt of load it can reduce on demand through utility agreements across the United States. Organizers said the alliance will push technical and commercial practices so data centers can be treated like dispatchable power assets by utilities.

Hashim Thaci, Kosovo's former president, was convicted and sentenced to 25 years by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, for war crimes tied to the 1990s conflict in Kosovo.

The court said Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders "contributed significantly" to targeting perceived opponents. New York Times Judges said victims included fellow Kosovo Albanians labeled collaborators and ethnic minorities, and that the vast majority were innocent civilians.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. imposed targeted visa bans on South African officials over alleged discrimination against White and other minority groups on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026.

The policy bars foreign nationals found responsible for uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination or incitement of violence from entering the United States. CBS News Rubio said the restrictions apply to officials who are "responsible for or complicit" in those acts.

Charlie Kirk's family announced on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, that they served a wrongful-death notice dated September 9 alleging Utah Valley University (UVU) and the State of Utah failed to protect him at a campus event.

The filing says a series of "reckless decisions" by UVU officials left Kirk exposed to a rooftop sniper who fired from more than 400 feet away, and it names then-UVU President Astrid Tuminez, UVU Police Chief Jeffrey Long, the campus police department, Utah Valley University and the State of Utah as parties. CBS News The notice says about 3,000 people attended the outdoor courtyard event, which was surrounded by tall buildings, and alleges UVU did not use drones to monitor rooftops, coordinate with local law enforcement, or employ bag checks or metal detectors. CBS News Attorneys additionally allege officials failed to conduct an adequate risk assessment, did not establish a secure perimeter, and had no first responders immediately available, resulting in Kirk being transported to a hospital in a private vehicle instead of by ambulance.

On Wednesday morning, September 16, 2026, a heavily damaged multistory apartment building collapsed in Gaza City's Al-Sinaa neighborhood, killing at least 14 people and wounding others.

Zaher al-Wahidi of the Gaza Health Ministry said the dead included 12 women and children and at least 15 people were injured. CBS News Officials said the building had been partially destroyed by an earlier Israeli strike and was sheltering about six displaced families when it gave way.

On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the Census Bureau reported that 2025 median household income reached a record $87,460, a modest real-terms gain over the 2019 peak.

The official poverty rate fell to 10.2% in 2025, a 0.5-percentage-point drop. CBS News By the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which counts medical and other out-of-pocket costs, poverty was 13.1% and medical bills pushed about 7.7 million more people below that line.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed a drone before it entered the airspace over Mecca overnight before Wednesday, September 16, 2026, and accused Yemen's Houthi rebels of launching it.

The Houthis denied firing drones toward Mecca, which is roughly 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) from Yemen's border. NPR Officials in Turkey and Pakistan said they had not received a Saudi request to activate a new defense pact, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Pakistan publicly condemned the alleged attempt.

The CIA declassified and released 71 intelligence reports on Friday, September 11, 2026, in what the agency called its largest-ever set of 9/11-related presidential daily briefs.

The trove contains 70 reports produced before the attacks and one from the day after, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe called the move "an act of exceptional transparency" while many items remain partially redacted.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday, September 13, 2026, that President Trump's proposed $5,000 "Trump Dividend" would require congressional approval.

Trump told reporters later that day in Ireland he still expected the payments to happen and said "the 5,000's going to happen, 100%." PBS News

The U.S. military on Wednesday released video of a major April rescue in Iran that recovered an injured airman after his F-15E was shot down, officials said.

The footage shows U.S. bombers and drones striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps positions near the downed airman as helicopters and pararescue operators closed in to extract him.

Five countries have announced plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court after a U.S. pressure campaign pressed members to quit, a move that could weaken the court's authority.

The countries include Venezuela, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. PBS News Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a campaign in July 2026 to "dismantle the threat" posed by the ICC and to urge its 125 member states to withdraw. PBS News The administration has also sanctioned a dozen ICC staff, barred ICC employees from traveling to the United States, and threatened penalties for groups that cooperate with the court.

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, granted a preliminary injunction blocking DHS and ICE from acting on a warning notice sent to David Streever over a critical email.

The order also bars DHS and ICE from issuing substantially similar threats to Streever while his First Amendment suit proceeds. NPR ICE agents tracked Streever in multiple locations and left a form at his home saying he "may be in violation of federal law." NPR Streever had sent an email that compared former acting ICE director Todd Lyons to a Nazi.

Mike Katz won Delaware's Republican U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, securing the GOP nomination to challenge three-term Democratic Sen. Chris Coons in the November 3 general election.

Katz defeated retired Army colonel John Shulli in the two-way GOP contest. Fox News A pediatric anesthesiologist and business owner, Katz previously served as a Democratic state senator from 2008 to 2012.

Eastbound I-394 between Highway 100 and downtown Minneapolis will be closed from 10 a.m. Sept. 18 to 5 a.m. Sept. 21 for bridge and roadway repairs, officials said.

The work includes replacing bridge joints on the eastbound I-394 to eastbound I-94 ramp and painting Penn Avenue bridge beams over I-394, along with other repairs, officials said. FOX 9 Detour routes will send traffic to northbound Highway 169 and eastbound I-94, and westbound I-394 will remain fully open.

Investigators in Washington state say illegal fireworks likely sparked a deadly wildfire that burned nearly 10,000 acres after fireworks were shot from the back of a pickup truck.

Officials described the blaze as deadly but the report did not provide casualty numbers. CBS News Investigators said the fireworks were allegedly launched from the bed of a pickup before the blaze began.

A NATO fighter jet shot down a drone inside Lithuanian airspace, European and NATO officials said.

Officials said the drone's precise launch point remains unknown. PBS European officials and analysts framed the incident as part of a broader pattern of incursions and sabotage across Europe tied to Russia's war in Ukraine. PBS Former U.S. ambassador to NATO Doug Lute said on-air that the shootdown showed Russia is increasingly testing NATO defenses and European resilience.

Hennepin County said it has withheld most payouts from the $2 million Operation Metro Surge small-business recovery fund after flagging more than 200 applications for suspected fraud.

The program drew about 300 applications; after a "rigorous review" conducted with a community-based lender, roughly 80 were approved and only about $500,000 was distributed. FOX 9 County officials say no funds were lost and that the program has been ended as they pivot to longer-term business-support strategies. FOX 9 Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde said thwarting the fraud attempts required tighter oversight, in-person inspections and increased scrutiny, calling such efforts the "new normal" for all levels of Minnesota government.

On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the Trump administration approved a $2.8 billion arms sale of heavy bombs to Israel, a U.S. official said.

The package would include 40,000 one-ton munitions: 20,000 MK-84 and BLU-117 2,000-pound bombs and 20,000 I-2000 bunker-busting penetrator warheads. New York Times The State Department has sent the proposed deal to two congressional committees for informal review, a step that precedes formal notification.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal pressed FBI Director Kash Patel at a Senate oversight hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, about Patel's February firing of roughly a dozen agents and staff from an Iran-focused counterintelligence unit.

Senators also pressed Patel about reported changes to FBI hiring rules that could ease disqualifications tied to past prostitution or bestiality allegations.

The Inver Grove Heights City Council voted 3-1 to exempt QLevr LLC's planned data center at the former Travel Tags property from a one-year moratorium on data centers.

Council member Tony Scales said fighting QLevr's lawsuit could cost the city at least $20 million and still likely end with the data center being built. FOX 9 QLevr sued the city in July, saying its application was submitted before the moratorium and that the project should be exempt, the company warned through its attorney.

The House voted 232-147 on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 to table Rep. Al Green's resolution to impeach former President Donald Trump, while 46 lawmakers voted present.

Eighteen House Democrats joined Republicans in voting to table the articles. New York Times Forty-six Democrats, including party leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, registered a present vote. New York Times Republican Rep. Thomas Massie also voted present and on Tuesday separately moved to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, rejected President Donald Trump's claim that they had agreed to an "energy truce," leaving questions about fuel attacks and shortages unresolved.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure would be "a very good idea," but he made clear no deal had been reached. PBS News Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Mr. Trump's proposal "strong" but said Ukraine would only stop strikes if partners could guarantee Russia would genuinely stop the war. New York Times Despite Mr. Trump's post, Russian forces continued drone attacks that hit gas stations in Kyiv overnight, while Ukraine said it struck a central Russian oil refinery and a drone factory in Taganrog.

The FBI arrested a 21-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of planning an ISIS-inspired mass casualty attack, and federal agents say they disrupted the plot before it could be carried out.

CBS aired a video update on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, that described the case as an ISIS-inspired planned "mass casualty attack" and reiterated that the suspect is 21 years old.

Minnesota's legal cannabis industry generated more than $250 million in combined adult-use and medical sales in its first year of retail, state regulators reported.

About $150 million came from adult-use sales and roughly $100 million from medical products. FOX 9 Including lower-potency hemp edibles and beverages, the industry produced $45.6 million in state tax revenue from September 2025 through July 2026. FOX 9 More than 300 new cannabis businesses have launched, and about 1,100 have received preliminary state approval.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Tuesday that prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against 33-year-old Nick Reiner, who is charged with killing his parents in Los Angeles.

Hochman said his office conducted a "rigorous" review of aggravating and mitigating factors and consulted law enforcement and Reiner's siblings, Jake and Romi, before reaching the decision. NPR The grand jury indicted Reiner in July 2026 on two counts of first-degree murder with special allegations he lay in wait; he pleaded not guilty and faces a maximum of life without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Kaamil Omar Sallah, 27, charged with federal wire fraud over alleged Medicaid housing claims, was released from federal custody. FOX 9 U.S. Magistrate Judge Jon Huseby ordered GPS monitoring, strict home confinement and surrender of Sallah's passport.

Prosecutors did not push to keep him jailed. FOX 9 Federal prosecutors say Sallah and coconspirators billed roughly $1.4 million to Minnesota's Housing Stabilization Services program and received nearly $1.3 million from 2023 through 2025. FOX 9 The indictment says Sallah's company, SafeLodgings Inc., billed more than 3,600 hours of services in 2024 alone. FOX 9 Sallah flew to Amsterdam weeks before the indictment, returned to the U.S., and was arrested at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after arranging a self-surrender.

Absentee and early in-person voting begin in Minnesota Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, opening options for voters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Absentee ballots must be returned by 5 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, and must be delivered to the issuing election office during office hours. FOX 9 Ballots cannot be submitted at polling places, though some counties provide 24-hour drop boxes for returns. FOX 9 Early in-person voting, with ballots processed through tabulators, runs Oct. 16 through Nov. 2 across the state.

China's State Council entry-exit rules to block suspected technology-export violators from leaving the country took effect Tuesday, September 15, 2026, tightening exit controls to curb overseas transfers of advanced technology.

The regulations authorize authorities to prohibit citizens from departing if they are suspected of violating export controls or otherwise endangering industrial or technological security. Christian Science Monitor Premier Li Qiang signed the decree in July as part of President Xi Jinping's broader national security push, officials said. Christian Science Monitor The rules also impose new duties on intermediary agencies to report clients seeking foreign residence documents through unlawful means.

The Senate failed to invoke cloture on the Trump-backed Clarity Act on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, losing 49-50 and falling 11 votes short of the 60 needed to advance.

All Senate Democrats opposed the motion and four Republicans joined them, leaving the bill stalled. CBS News Republican defectors included Sens. Susan Collins, Josh Hawley and Jerry Moran, and Sen. Cynthia Lummis said, "I think we're done. It's over," with backers saying the measure is unlikely to return this Congress. FOX News Sen. Elizabeth Warren warned the bill "poses a massive risk" and called newly added ethics language a "tiny little fig leaf," citing disclosures that Mr. Trump made about $1.4 billion in crypto-related income last year.

President Trump on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, announced bans on many Canadian alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles and expanded 50% tariffs to dozens more items.

He also ordered the General Services Administration to bar Canadian goods from large, long-term U.S. federal contracts unless Canada grants "full and fair reciprocity." PBS News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia targeted his presidential plane twice in recent weeks while it transited Moldovan airspace, he told CBS News on Tuesday.

He said the first incident occurred in Chisinau while his presidential jet was on the ground before his September 9 flight to Oslo. CBS News Zelenskyy added that one or two drones again entered Moldovan airspace on his return "a couple days later," a second attempt he said had not been previously reported, and he framed both episodes as part of an intimidation strategy.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar pressed FBI Director Kash Patel about multiple Minnesota-related investigations at a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing Tuesday, centering on a large fraud probe and fatal Operation Metro Surge shootings.

Patel said the Feeding Our Future fraud probe involves roughly a half-billion dollars and about 100 indicted individuals. FOX 9 He told the committee the investigation is ongoing and will continue to receive FBI resources in Minnesota.

On Monday, September 14, 2026, a whistleblower alleged Department of Homeland Security agents may have broken state laws while accessing state voter-registration systems during a voter-fraud initiative.

Sen. Alex Padilla urged Americans to "seize back our democracy" and to verify their voter registrations after reviewing the whistleblower report. MS NOW He called the reported tactics "clearly unlawful" and a "violation of state privacy laws." MS NOW

The U.S. State Department told Congress on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, it will reprogram $52 million in foreign military financing from Europe and the Middle East to partners in the Americas.

The reprogramming shifts funds away from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq and toward Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. PBS News The administration framed the move as a priority to bolster Western Hemisphere partners against narcoterrorism, reduce illegal immigration and protect the Panama Canal. PBS News The State Department said the changes reduce but do not eliminate foreign military financing for the four countries losing funds.

Elk River High School was evacuated and students were dismissed at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday after school officials received a threat directed at the school.

Elk River Police Department is working with ISD 728 to investigate the threat and assess its credibility. FOX 9 Officials have not released details about the nature of the threat.

Eswatini soldiers accidentally shot two U.S. government personnel at a rural roadblock during a Friday night anti-smuggling operation, Eswatini's government reported late Monday, Sept. 14.

Both Americans suffered minor injuries and were reported safe, and the U.S. State Department said it was cooperating with Eswatini on an investigation. CBS News The shooting occurred in a rural area of northeastern Eswatini near a military roadblock, the government said.

Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate at the Capitol on Monday and cast his first vote since a June hospitalization, supporting Matthew Byrne's nomination for a federal judgeship.

He entered the chamber in a wheelchair and briefly spoke to reporters, saying he was "really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor." CBS News In a written statement he called his recovery "long and often frustrating," said he was "still not quite back to 100%," and tied some difficulty to lingering effects of childhood polio while assuring GOP leaders he would try to attend tough votes as he continues physical therapy.

On August 20, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flew migrants from Latin America and Africa to Monrovia, Liberia, an action deportees say left people with legal protections stranded far from home.

Multiple deportees said U.S. immigration judges had previously barred their removal to home countries because return would expose them to persecution or torture. CBS News They said they received no prior notice and only learned their destination after landing, when officials told them "Welcome to Liberia." CBS News

On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Jimmy Kimmel told viewers his interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico would not air on ABC and would run only on YouTube, citing regulatory pressure.

Kimmel said the Federal Communications Commission under President Trump had "threatened" his show, ABC and its affiliates over editorial guest-booking decisions.

On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, Britain announced a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and new sanctions targeting settlement activity. PBS News Canada and France said they would take similar steps, and other European governments signaled support. NPR President Trump declined to say whether the United States opposed the measures.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the House of Commons that the measures aim to bar imports and services to settlements, and he described settler actions as "ethnic cleansing." PBS News Miliband said the rules will target companies and individuals who provide construction, infrastructure, financing or real-estate services to settlements and that the bans should take effect within six to nine months. CBS News Israel responded by announcing it would close the British consulate in Jerusalem, remove U.K. staff from a Gaza monitoring center, end British training of Palestinian security forces and bar entry to a dozen British nationals.

The Department of Justice asked the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday to reinstate criminal indictments against James Comey and Letitia James, seeking to overturn a lower court's dismissal in a Richmond appeals hearing.

DOJ attorneys told the court the appeals panel should reverse U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie's November 2025 rulings that voided the indictments and allow the prosecutions to proceed. MS NOW Defense lawyers for Comey and James countered that the indictments are constitutionally invalid because no properly appointed executive official presented the cases.

Joseph diGenova abruptly resigned as lead prosecutor of the Justice Department's so-called "grand conspiracy" investigation on Thursday, September 10, 2026, leaving the probe without its top overseer.

Court records and Brennan's lawyers say DOJ served former CIA director John Brennan with a grand jury subpoena that requires him to appear in Fort Pierce, Florida, on October 15, 2026. CBS News Brennan's lawyer Kenneth Wainstein told a federal judge the subpoena is part of a "far-reaching" criminal probe into whether law-enforcement and intelligence officials conspired to deprive Donald Trump of his civil rights. PBS News Brennan was also told prosecutors consider him a "subject" in the Fort Pierce grand jury investigation and a "target" in a separate Washington false-statements probe, his lawyers say.

McKenna West asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, for an administrative stay by 12 p.m. Central Tuesday to block moving a newborn from Texas to California for hospice.

West filed an updated brief saying the case is moving faster than expected and that she now fears the baby could be moved out of Texas sooner than previously thought. Fox News Justice Elena Kagan on Sept. 11 ordered the commissioning parents to respond to West's emergency application by 3 p.m. Central on Sept. 18. MS NOW A Dallas County judge on Sept. 2 upheld a sealed California parentage ruling that granted custody and medical decision-making to Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed. MS NOW After the baby was born in Texas on Aug. 12, a Texas court recognized that California ruling, named Gilkar and Ahmed the child's legal parents, and dismissed West with prejudice.

Minnesota Unplugged convened parents, educators and politicians at the Iron Ranger on Grand Avenue to push a statewide K-12 bell-to-bell cellphone ban.

Organizers said State Rep. Erin Maye Quade plans to introduce a statewide bell-to-bell ban bill in the next legislative session. FOX 9 Attendees included parents, educators and local politicians who gathered to build support.

On Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, Vice President JD Vance said people suspected of defrauding COVID-era relief programs will be barred from future federal loans in a CBS News appearance at 8:07 PM Central.

Vance said the suspension applies broadly to "those suspected of defrauding COVID-era programs," not only to people already convicted, and CBS posted the clip under that headline.

On Monday, September 14, 2026, Rep. Jamie Raskin said House Democrats will open an investigation into a market for paid "pardon brokers" if the party regains the House majority.

Raskin made the pledge as CBS released hidden-camera footage of lobbyists Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl offering to lobby for a presidential pardon for $300,000 and claiming insider access. CBS News A separate CBS data analysis found roughly 70% of clemency actions in President Trump's second term bypassed the Justice Department review process.

About 150 doctors at Allina Health's Mercy and Unity hospitals walked off Monday, starting a four-day strike that overlaps a separate seven-day hospice nurses' walkout and raised immediate concerns about patient care.

The bargaining unit includes more than 150 physicians — OB-GYNs, psychiatrists and critical care doctors — and 91% of members authorized the strike. FOX 9 Doctors say their top demands include paid sick days and more input on patient care, while hospice nurses are seeking raises, holiday pay and what they call reasonable schedules. FOX 9 Dr. Alia Sharif said the group bargained for three years without progress on basic protections and felt it had "no choice but to strike." FOX 9 Allina Health said contingency plans are in place to prevent disruptions and framed negotiations within broader health-care economic pressures.

On Monday, September 14, 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule repealing federal limits on greenhouse-gas emissions from existing coal and new natural-gas power plants at the G20 Energy Summit in Houston.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the action "the largest deregulatory action of the U.S. power sector in history." NPR The final rule is written to scrap the Biden-era standards and to block future administrations from using the same authority to limit power-plant greenhouse gases. CBS News The agency said the repeal will remove more than $300 billion in costs for the power industry. MS NOW Environmental groups including the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Environmental Defense Fund vowed to sue to try to block the change.

Two people were wounded after possible gunshots in the early morning of Sept. 14 in the 4100 block of Madison Street NE in Columbia Heights, police said.

Officers responded to reports of possible gunshots about 6 a.m. in the 4100 block of Madison Street NE, Columbia Heights. FOX 9 No victims were found at the scene, but two people later arrived at a local hospital with gunshot wounds and may be connected to the incident.

Concordia University-St. Paul will cut in-person undergraduate tuition by $5,500, lowering the price to $21,700 beginning in the 2027-28 academic year.

The cut applies to both new and current students, lowering tuition to $21,700. FOX 9 University leaders described the move as a "reset" to roughly 2006 price levels and said the change would not require cutting courses or staff.

Turkish police carried out simultaneous raids at about 1 a.m. Sunday, September 13, 2026, on LGBTQ+ and HIV support groups in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin, detaining dozens and blocking organizations' websites.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said investigations were opened into 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses, and cited protection of children, families and public order. PBS News Authorities broke into association offices, raided popular hangouts, blocked targeted organizations' websites and detained dozens, a move the Human Rights Association called a political purge using broad criminal-organization and morality charges.

An analysis finds more than 1.2 million children lost SNAP benefits since July 2025, and experts say new federal rules are the main cause.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates those losses occurred in 25 states and says the national total is likely above 1.5 million. PBS News Children made up about 43 percent of the recent decline in the reported states, and by state they accounted for between 28 percent and 77 percent of disenrollments.

Mahmoud Khalil filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit in New York City on Monday, September 14, 2026, accusing Columbia University of failing to address harassment of pro-Palestinian students and of retaliating when they reported it.

The complaint alleges Columbia's "deliberate indifference" led to the doxing of multiple group members and to Khalil's March 2025 detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at his on-campus apartment. PBS The suit says Columbia refused to correct "disinformation" about Khalil while he was detained, which the complaint says further fueled peer harassment of Palestinian and perceived Arab or Muslim students. PBS The lawsuit seeks a court order restoring Khalil's campus access, ending the Palestinian group's suspension, and monetary damages, and it lists the group and its president, Mohammad Zubairi, as co-plaintiffs. PBS At a news conference announcing the case, Khalil accused Columbia of "discrimination aimed at intimidating Palestinian students" and said no student should "go through the hell that Columbia put us through over all these years." PBS Columbia declined to comment on the merits of the suit but emailed that it is committed to ensuring all community members feel "welcome, supported, and safe." PBS

The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General released a 33-page report on Sept. 14, 2026, finding cramped soft-sided tents and small metal enclosures at Alligator Alcatraz, a state-run immigration detention site in the Florida Everglades.

Inspectors found soft-sided tent units provided about 28 square feet per detainee at capacity, compared with a 75-square-foot minimum under Florida state jail standards, and the tents lacked common areas. CBS News The report said detainees were allowed one hour of recreation three days per week and were given showers only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, falling short of ICE and Florida requirements.

Ramsey County Attorney's Office ruled Sept. 11, 2026 that two St. Paul officers were legally justified in an I-94 on-ramp shooting and will face no criminal charges.

Officers Matthew Foy and Byron Treangen III shot Elliot Samuels Vaughn in the thigh after he fled a remotely stopped stolen Buick and allegedly pointed a handgun at their squad, authorities said. FOX 9 A loaded Smith & Wesson with a round in the chamber was found near Vaughn, who now faces four felony assault counts and a theft-of-motor-vehicle charge.

On Monday, September 14, 2026, New York City ordered emergency cleaning of 10 rooftop cooling towers in the South Bronx after tests detected Legionella DNA.

City health officials said the action follows an active Legionnaires cluster in the South Bronx that has sickened nine people and caused one death. Fox News PCR testing detected Legionella DNA in 10 of 24 sampled cooling towers, prompting immediate remediation orders while slower culture tests run. Fox News Remediation orders cover towers atop sites including Yankee Stadium and Lincoln Hospital, health officials said. Fox News Officials urged anyone who has been in ZIP codes 10451 and 10456 since late August to watch for pneumonia-like symptoms and seek prompt medical care.

A drilling rig collapsed near SE 12th Street and Brickell Bay Drive in Miami's Brickell area around 8 a.m. Monday, September 14, 2026, injuring four people and igniting a BMW that caught fire.

Two construction workers who were trapped under the rig, the 47-year-old rig operator and the driver of the BMW were taken to hospitals in stable condition. Fox News The collapse crushed three vehicles and a construction container and sparked a BMW fire that firefighters quickly extinguished.

A 51-year-old man pleaded not guilty Monday, September 14, 2026, to a murder charge in Jackson Municipal Court in the hanging death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune, and a judge denied bond.

Prosecutors told the court that Fortune had been hanged with a black cable cord. PBS News Prosecutors also said the suspect, Jarques Ratliff, attempted to hide from officers in a vehicle on the day of his arrest.

Stearns Bank filed a foreclosure and receivership lawsuit Sept. 10 in Ramsey County seeking to seize Hmongtown Marketplace at 217 Como Ave. in St. Paul and to install a court-appointed receiver.

The bank says about $6.59 million was owed as of Sept. 2, including $5.564 million in principal, $215,078 in interest, $297,319 in late charges and $513,915 in other fees. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Stearns named owner The Pillars Investment Group LLC and six related entities, all managed by Toua Xiong or his wife, alleging they defaulted by failing to repay the loan at maturity and by not paying all property taxes. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal The bank is seeking foreclosure, a receiver to collect rental income and a monetary judgment against the companies and against Xiong and Vang as personal guarantors.

Abbott Laboratories agreed Monday, September 14, 2026, to pay nearly $385 million to settle a civil False Claims Act case over bacterial contamination at its Sturgis, Michigan, baby formula plant.

The settlement resolves a suit brought by the Department of Justice and several states that accused the plant of operating in unsanitary conditions, including unrepaired roof leaks and inadequate bacterial testing. CBS News DOJ said Abbott in some instances failed to disclose positive micro-contamination test results to FDA inspectors in 2019 and 2022. CBS News Earlier in 2026, the Justice Department ordered prosecutors to close a parallel criminal probe and declined to pursue felony charges, opting for a civil resolution.

The University of Minnesota Police Department agreed on Sept. 14, 2026 to remove a Flock automated license-plate reader at Cedar Avenue and Riverside Avenue in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.

Rep. Mohamud Noor and Minneapolis Council Member Jamal Osman announced the move on social media after meetings with university officials, and university police said the single unit would be removed to support community trust while keeping campus safety coverage.

On Monday, September 14, 2026, former law professor John Eastman filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review his California disbarment.

Eastman's petition frames the case as a First Amendment and attorney-advocacy issue, arguing that disbarment for unpopular legal arguments threatens the ability of all lawyers to represent clients. MS NOW The Supreme Court must first decide whether at least four justices will vote to hear the case after California is given a chance to oppose review.

The Minnesota Supreme Court granted Oak Grove authority to use paper voter rosters in the 2026 general election, the decision was reported Monday, Sept. 14, 2026.

FOX 9 first reported the court's decision earlier, saying Oak Grove could use paper voter rosters in the 2026 election. FOX 9 Reporters framed the outcome as a win for local election control and emphasized municipal authority over voter-roll procedures.

Conserve Big Bend and dozens of Texas landowners filed a federal lawsuit Monday, September 14, 2026, seeking to block the Trump administration's planned border wall and related infrastructure in the Big Bend region.

The suit asks courts to stop new roads, vehicle barriers, steel bollard walls and surveillance systems proposed for the region and seeks an injunction against construction on private and public lands. PBS News The plaintiffs argue the Department of Homeland Security is improperly using a waiver to override environmental and archaeological protections by labeling Big Bend an area of "high illegal entry." PBS News

A man was critically wounded in a shooting shortly before 8:30 p.m. Sunday near James Avenue North and 11th Avenue North in Minneapolis' Near North neighborhood.

Responding officers found the man with multiple gunshot wounds and he was transported to a hospital in critical condition. FOX 9 Witnesses said the suspect fled in a vehicle before police arrived. FOX 9 The Minneapolis Police Department's Firearm Assault Shoot Team is now leading the investigation.

Nearly two dozen mostly Democratic states, led by New York, sued in federal court in Manhattan on Monday, September 14, 2026, seeking to block the Department of Homeland Security's new public charge rule.

The rule is set to take effect Friday, September 18, 2026. MS NOW It allows immigration officers to consider use of means-tested benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP and housing aid by applicants and their family members when deciding green card cases. MS NOW The states say the rule overturns a Biden-era standard that had mainly limited public charge findings to primary reliance on cash assistance and that the rule is unlawful and contrary to congressional intent. MS NOW New York City and other municipalities filed a separate lawsuit the same day, saying the rule will chill immigrant families from using legally available benefits and harm public health and local services.

Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial in the trial of Lindsay Clancy on Friday, September 4, 2026, after jurors reported they could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Court records and reporting now show the lone holdout juror faced a 2021 domestic-violence arrest that led to a charge later dismissed.

Amazon Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767 operated by 21 Air, overran Runway 30 at Miami International Airport on Sunday, September 6, 2026, killing five people and injuring five others.

The jet traveled about 1,300 feet beyond the paved surface and struck a cleaning-service van and then an SUV, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said. CBS News All five people who died were occupants of the cleaning van, and five other people were hurt, authorities said. CBS News Investigators recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder and sent them to NTSB headquarters as officials began interviewing the two surviving pilots. CBS News Amazon said it has paused operations with 21 Air while it supports the investigation and reviews surrounding circumstances.

A 15-year-old boy was rescued alive Monday, September 7, after clinging to a capsized fishing skiff about 4 miles east of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea; two relatives were found dead.

The survivor was identified as 15-year-old Derek Parker Aghnaanga; his 35-year-old brother was named Sidney Kulowiyi, and a cousin has not been publicly identified. Fox News All three were taken to Nome, Alaska, after a Coast Guard aircraft dropped a raft with survival equipment and a good Samaritan vessel pulled the teen from the overturned 18-foot skiff.

On Monday, September 14, 2026 China's Foreign Ministry rebuked Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for urging the U.S. to curb China's AI progress, saying such moves risk disrupting global AI governance.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said countries should work together on AI and warned that "fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition" would undermine global AI governance. NPR Amodei had called for continued restrictions on sales of cutting-edge AI chips and chipmaking equipment to China, citing the risk of a Chinese lead in advanced systems. NPR The exchange comes ahead of a planned September 24 meeting where President Trump and Xi Jinping are expected to discuss AI governance.

Democratic senators led by Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff on Sunday night sent a letter to Freedom 250 CEO Keith Krach demanding disclosure of the group's corporate donors.

The lawmakers asked whether companies that donated to Freedom 250 later received multimillion- or multibillion-dollar federal contracts, raising questions about possible pay-to-play or bribery. MS NOW They cited reporting that Freedom 250 has raised more than $50 million from at least 21 corporate sponsors, with TikTok reportedly donating $2 million despite not being listed as a sponsor.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported that murders fell to 132 in 2025 and the statewide violent crime rate dropped to 225.3 per 100,000 residents.

The 132 homicides were down from 172 in 2024, the fewest since 2019, and the report showed a 78% clearance rate. FOX 9 Carjackings fell to 294 from 426, with 215 in Minneapolis and 24 in St. Paul, and robberies declined more than 25%.

A man was critically wounded in a shooting around 11:28 a.m. Sunday at 7th Street S. and Nicollet Mall near the Mary Tyler Moore statue in downtown Minneapolis.

Responding officers found the man with multiple gunshot wounds and transported him to a hospital in critical condition. FOX 9 Police, with help from Metro Transit Police, arrested a suspect nearby and booked the person on second-degree assault and for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. FOX 9 Investigators have not released a motive or detailed circumstances that led to the shooting.

Rep. Tom Tiffany and the pilot made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau just before 9 p.m. Central on Saturday after their single-engine plane lost power while approaching Wausau Downtown Airport.

The pilot, Leonard Boltz, and Tiffany exited the Beechcraft as it began to submerge and swam to a shallow area before emergency responders rescued them by airboat shortly after 9 p.m. PBS News Lt. Cory Gladden said they were in the water about 20 minutes and that initial information points to a mechanical failure as the plane approached the airport. NPR Both men were taken to a nearby hospital, treated for minor injuries and released, and Tiffany received stitches for a cut above his right eye, his campaign said. MS NOW One of the plane's occupants placed a 911 call while they stood on the partially submerged aircraft, officials said.

The Department of Justice sued Gold Star Distribution Inc. and its owner on Sept. 11, 2026, asking a federal court to bar the Minneapolis warehouse from operating until it meets health and safety rules.

An FDA inspection from Nov. 17-Dec. 18, 2025 found live and dead rodents, live and dead birds, worms, extensive droppings and leaking trash inside the warehouse. FOX 9 FDA lab tests later detected rodent urine, droppings, hair and gnaw holes in product packaging, and regulators say the contamination justifies a court-ordered shutdown until the company complies.

Exit polls from Swedish broadcaster SVT projected the center-left bloc led by Magdalena Andersson would win a parliamentary majority in Sweden on Sunday, September 13, 2026. PBS News If confirmed, the result would unseat Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's three-party center-right coalition and deny the Sweden Democrats an expanded role in government.

SVT's exit poll projection showed Kristersson's coalition, which has relied on outside support from the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, trailing the left-of-center alliance. PBS News Sweden's election authority was expected to release the first official preliminary results around 1900 GMT on Sunday.

Georgia's secretary of state's office has ordered counties to forward some open-records requests to the state so it can redact records that could reveal ballot order, escalating secrecy concerns before the 2026 elections. PBS The office is also working with the voting-system vendor to scramble ballot images and cast-vote records before public release.

In August 2026, State Election Board member Salleigh Grubbs proposed a rule to require the secretary of state's office to apply a Dominion/Liberty Vote software update that would fix a ballot-order flaw, but the board rejected the proposal. PBS A lawyer for the secretary of state's office told the board the vendor update has not been certified, would take months to implement, and lacks legislative funding.

The U.S. Supreme Court on September 10 blocked Missouri from using a new Republican-drawn congressional map, leaving the 2022 districts in place for the November general election.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh first denied Missouri's emergency request on September 8, leaving the state court's order intact, and the full Court followed with an unexplained order on September 10. PBS News U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark had issued a 14-day federal order directing use of the Republican-drawn map, producing conflicting federal and state instructions that confused election officials. PBS News Secretary of State Denny Hoskins initially rejected the citizen referendum on primary day but later certified Proposition A for the ballot; the Missouri Supreme Court found the December 2025 petition froze the new map.

Federal Judge Susan Illston blocked the Department of Homeland Security's plan to cut FEMA's workforce by 50% in a late Friday, Sept. 11 ruling, finding the plan unlawful.

Illston wrote that laws passed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 reserve staffing decisions to FEMA and prohibit DHS from substantially curtailing the agency's functions. PBS News She said the 50 percent reduction plan grew out of directives issued in late 2025 by DHS leaders under Secretary Kristi Noem that asked FEMA to propose the cuts. PBS News The decision arrives after the planned cuts were never fully carried out and FEMA has begun rehiring some staff who were terminated following leadership changes.

The University of Minnesota Police are increasing patrols on campus and in Dinkytown after a shooting and a stabbing, the department said.

Students reported officers on "every single corner" on weekend nights and patrol vehicles were driving alleys near student housing. FOX 9 Chief Michael Davis emailed students that a large crowd "not associated with the university" was present during the Dinkytown shooting and that UMPD is committed to campus safety amid fall move-in. FOX 9 The university highlighted campus kiosks that connect directly to 911 and said it is rolling out electronic lockdown buttons on classroom doors. FOX 9 Officials reminded students they can request campus security escorts or call for a ride around campus at any time.

On Sept. 10, a MACP narcotics detective and K9 Goldy flagged two UPS packages that contained about 23.13 pounds of cocaine, prompting arrests and a weapons seizure in Columbia Heights.

Both parcels were shipped from La Mesa, California, and one was addressed to 909 Gould Ave. NE, Apartment 557, where detectives staged a controlled delivery. FOX 9 Detectives arrested Hamza Ali Salah as he retrieved the package and then searched Apartment 557, arresting Nabil Ali Salah during the search. FOX 9 Police seized two Glock handguns fitted with machine-gun conversion devices, an AK-47-style rifle, extended magazines and a large amount of cash.

A Minnesota state study found cancer patients in the state medical cannabis program reported relief from nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, anxiety, depression and pain after starting cannabis.

Within four months of their first purchase, 47.2% of patients with moderate to severe vomiting reported improvement. FOX 9 About 40% of patients with nausea and 38.2% with lack of appetite also reported improvement. FOX 9 Around 40% of patients with moderate to severe anxiety, 44% with depression and roughly 30% with pain said their symptoms eased in the same window.

A Hennepin County judge sentenced 66-year-old Raymond Jones to 128 months in prison for the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Desirae Argueta-Joj inside his north Minneapolis apartment.

Jones was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder for the Nov. 5, 2025 killing. FOX 9 Prosecutors had asked for a 180-month, top-of-guidelines term, but the judge imposed the lowest presumptive sentence.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources canceled a state mineral lease held by Twin Metals for land south of the Boundary Waters, effective November 10, 2026.

Twin Metals said the canceled lease sits on School Trust Lands meant to generate revenue for every K-12 district in Minnesota. FOX 9 The company said it has invested more than 16 years in exploration and still retains other state, private and mineral rights while pursuing a "sustainable" underground mining project.

Legacy Investing has formally abandoned plans to buy the Star Tribune's North Loop printing facility in Minneapolis and to build a 20-megawatt data center with mixed uses.

The Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal reported that Legacy will not proceed with the purchase and described the project as a 20-megawatt data center paired with other mixed uses at the former Heritage printing plant. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Local television reported the developer had already scrapped the plans in earlier coverage.

Six Chicago residents were indicted Friday in a check-fraud conspiracy that targeted Twin Cities banks and credit unions and involved about $5.1 million in business checks.

Investigators say the defendants deposited or attempted to deposit roughly $5.1 million in business checks, and that more than $1.5 million was actually stolen in the scheme. Alphanews Prosecutors say the ring used stolen business mail in the Chicago area to obtain company checks and then funneled them into Minnesota banks and credit unions.

Austin Brown, the field director and one of two paid staffers on Eric Pratt's MN-2 congressional campaign, resigned after social posts praising Hitler and using antisemitic, racist and homophobic language were exposed.

One post read, "You hate Trump because you think he's Hitler. I hate Trump because he's not Hitler," and other posts embraced white Christian nationalism and antisemitic conspiracy theories. FOX 9 Pratt issued a statement condemning antisemitism and saying he accepted Brown's resignation, but the campaign has not said when it learned of the posts or whether it runs background checks on staff.

Four people were charged after guns were drawn during a confrontation on the third floor of Macy's at the Mall of America, Bloomington police said.

Hennepin County charged Abdifatah Mohamed Douled, 20; Sanatar Omar Abdisalam, 21; Abdihakim Hassan Mohamoud, 21; and Khalid Hussein Abdi, 22, with second-degree riot. FOX 9 Loss-prevention agents said both groups were taunting each other and reported hearing sounds consistent with guns being racked. FOX 9 Surveillance footage showed members of the four-man group holding pistols, and officers recovered multiple firearms, including one with a round in the chamber.

A Hugo woman was sentenced in Washington County to three years of supervised probation and other penalties after pleading guilty to threatening Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.

A Washington County judge ordered three years of supervised probation and 180 hours of community service. FOX 9 The judge also imposed a no-contact order with Demuth and her staff, firearm restrictions and required mental-health programming.

Erick Emilio Diaz-Aguilar, 34, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for leading a cartel-linked meth-trafficking ring that operated across Minnesota and Chicago.

Prosecutors said Diaz-Aguilar, known as "Homie," led a network prosecutors called the "Diaz-Aguilar Drug Trafficking Organization" and was tied to the Sureños gang. FOX 9 A federal judge imposed the 240-month term.

Bloomington police announced a new regional multi-agency investigative unit to fight human trafficking and will detail it at a 1 p.m. Thursday press conference in Bloomington.

Chief Booker Hodges, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko are scheduled to speak at the news conference. FOX 9 Bloomington officials say the unit follows a two-day late-August operation that recovered trafficking victims and involved the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the Hennepin and Dakota county sheriffs, and several south-metro police departments.

Allina Health hospice nurses set a seven-day strike to begin Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, after contract talks collapsed, threatening hospice staffing across metro-area facilities.

A final bargaining session ended without a deal and no further talks are scheduled, union and hospital negotiators said. FOX 9 Union leaders said they made concessions but that Allina would not move on issues beyond base wages, including extra pay for extra hours, holiday pay and scheduling. FOX 9 Nurses say the dispute is about workload, holiday pay and "reasonable" scheduling, and that they feel "frustrated, dismissed and disrespected." FOX 9

Downtown Revival Trust acquired 375 Jackson Square and 135 Fifth St. E. in downtown St. Paul through a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure that closed Sept. 4, 2026.

Jamie Rand bought the loan on the property — which carried about $15 million in unpaid principal — from an undisclosed bank at a discount before taking ownership. Business Journal The two-building complex totals about 270,000 square feet, is roughly 40% occupied, has an assessed value of $4.8 million and needs about $1.5 million in combined maintenance and cosmetic work.

Judge Michael Burns ruled Taylor Schulz not guilty by reason of mental illness for the Dec. 8, 2023 killing of 66-year-old Robert Skafte at Oak Grove Grocery in Loring Park.

The court found the state had proved Schulz committed the murder but concluded he was legally mentally ill and did not know his actions were wrong. FOX 9 Burns ordered Schulz to remain under civil commitment as "mentally ill and dangerous" and to stay under court supervision rather than serve a prison sentence.

Jury selection is set for 9 a.m. Thursday in Anoka County for the murder trial of Jordan Collins Sr., who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 16-year-old son.

Collins has elected to represent himself, and the trial is expected to last about four weeks with more than 90 potential witnesses.

On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, the St. Paul City Council refused to authorize the police department's grant application to expand its Skydio docked drone program. FOX 9 Council President Rebecca Noecker said, "We will not be authorizing this grant application," citing the need for more information and community concerns.

Protesters packed the council meeting, raising surveillance concerns and calling out Skydio's federal military contracts. FOX 9 Police repeatedly defended the program, saying docked drones typically arrive five to seven minutes faster than officers. FOX 9 The department pointed to Monday's rescue of an autistic child from a pond as evidence of the technology's value. FOX 9 Opponent Cedar Larson told the council the same public safety work could be done without "dangerous technology." FOX 9

Mayor Jacob Frey has proposed an 11.3% property tax increase to close a Minneapolis budget gap of more than $60 million, a move that would raise the average homeowner's bill by over $400 a year.

At a Board of Estimate and Taxation hearing, homeowners told officials "We can't basically afford it" and urged more park funding, sometimes by cutting police as a tradeoff.

A driver was killed and another injured in a multi-vehicle crash about 9:45 a.m. Wednesday at East Lake Street and 4th Avenue South in Minneapolis, police said.

Police said one vehicle hit a second and then crashed into a building, and the second vehicle struck a third. FOX 9 The driver who caused the crash died at the scene. FOX 9 The second driver was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and no bystanders were hurt.

The Minnesota Department of Health says a Twin Cities bat-removal firm may have misled customers about rabies testing, and the agency has opened an investigation announced Wednesday.

ASAP Wildlife Services is owned by Louis Monette, who told FOX 9 that "the customers that have asked me to test bats I have done so or if a bat shows signs of rabies or contamination," but he provided no documentation. FOX 9 When pressed about telling a customer they received a negative result from a lab that does not test for animal rabies, Monette called it a "misunderstanding" and then shut down his Facebook page.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an $18,939 civil penalty to Schwing Bioset for operating without required air and stormwater permits at its North Branch facility.

Inspectors discovered an unpermitted paint booth at the plant during an October 30, 2024 inspection. FOX 9 The MPCA said the facility had lacked an air emissions permit and an industrial stormwater permit since August 2021.

Federal judges this week in Minnesota sentenced several more defendants in the Feeding Our Future pandemic meal-fraud case and ordered them to repay millions in losses to child nutrition programs.

Husband and wife defendants Mekfira Hussein and Abduljabar Hussein received 57 months and 40 months in prison, respectively, and were ordered to pay $8,886,380 in joint restitution. FOX 9 Abdihakim Ali Ahmed was sentenced to 54 months, must report to prison on Oct. 6 at noon, and prosecutors say ASA Limited LLC received about $5 million in fraudulent child nutrition payments with more than $2 million paid to Ahmed. FOX 9 Minneapolis man Ahmed Abdullahi Ghedi was sentenced to 65 months after prosecutors say his ASA Limited site billed for more than 1.6 million meals and caused about $7.2 million in losses. FOX 9 Court records say Ghedi funneled more than $2 million into a shell company, spent large sums on vehicles and credit cards, and will forfeit a Park Avenue mansion and a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. FOX 9 Hussein Mohamed Farah was sentenced to 20 months and ordered to pay $471,000, and Ahmed Sharif Omar-Hashim received 36 months for related fraud tied to claimed meal services.

One person was wounded and multiple people were detained after a shooting shortly before 2 p.m. at an apartment building near American Boulevard and 30th Avenue South in Bloomington.

The victim suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the lower body and was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. FOX 9 Bloomington police said officers had multiple people detained at the scene, that the area was contained, and that there was no ongoing danger to the public. FOX 9 Police said the motive remains under investigation.

Honda Motor Co.'s Honda Xcelerator Ventures has invested in Minneapolis-based Niron Magnetics, the companies said, signaling a strategic bet on Niron's rare-earth-free magnet technology.

Terms of the investment were not disclosed. Business Journal Niron is headquartered in Minneapolis.

Rogers City Council approved a preliminary 19.28% property tax levy increase for 2027 at its Sept. 8 meeting, a move that would sharply raise bills for local homeowners if finalized.

The preliminary levy must be certified in September and will appear on truth-in-taxation notices in November, with a final levy scheduled for Dec. 8, 2026. FOX 9 City leaders described the increase as necessary to balance the budget amid rising costs and delayed capital work.

Officials will close the eastbound I-394 ramp to eastbound I-94 from 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14, disrupting traffic during the Vikings home opener.

The closure is for bridge work tied to improvements on more than 30 bridges along the I-394 corridor. FOX 9 Drivers will be detoured via Highway 169 and I-694, and additional weekend closures on I-394 are expected later in the season.

Lakeville hangar owner Terry Zeien says Xcel Energy charged him more than $61,000 after unexplained meter spikes at his Airlake Airport hangar, leaving a $61,445.21 balance as of Sept. 2.

Some monthly bills topped $10,000 and one month showed 36,754 kilowatt-hours. FOX 9 Xcel says the meter is properly connected, untampered and serves three hangars while it continues investigating.

St. Paul has paused plans to clear remaining homeless encampments, City Council President Rebecca Noecker said Tuesday.

The move follows the Aug. 5 closure of the Pig's Eye Park encampment. After the closure, police calls near Randolph rose from an average of 11 per month to 145, a more than 1,200% increase.

A federal judge in Minneapolis has sentenced repeat offender Esau Chucky Sago to 240 months in prison in a case tied to a ghost gun and a high-speed chase.

The 240-month federal term equals 20 years and marks Sago's ninth felony conviction, the reporting said. FOX 9 The case is linked to a high-speed chase that ran through New Hope, Crystal and Robbinsdale into Minneapolis on October 10, 2024.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has leased about 125,000 rentable square feet at 10 River Park Plaza in downtown St. Paul for a new headquarters, with a move targeted for June 2027.

The 10-year lease will bring the building's occupancy to roughly 94% and will relocate roughly 650 DNR employees from 500 Lafayette Road, the department's home since 1985. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Officials called the deal one of the Twin Cities' largest office leases in recent years and said it boosts downtown demand amid high vacancy.

Former Minnesota state trooper Jeremy Plonski was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison and 15 years of supervised release for producing and distributing videos of infant sexual abuse.

He pleaded guilty in October to producing and distributing child sexual abuse material that included videos he made while wearing his state trooper uniform. FOX 9 FBI agents connected Plonski during a Houston child sexual abuse material probe after he shared multiple abuse videos on the Kik messaging app; he was arrested at his Shakopee home in April 2025.

Lanes on Hiawatha Avenue (Highway 55) will be reduced to one lane each way between Minnehaha Parkway and East 44th Street starting Sept. 8 as crews begin safety upgrades that will run into mid-December.

The project will add new pedestrian signals, marked crosswalks, refuge areas and rebuilt turn lanes, plus a median fence between East 45th and East 46th to curb unsafe crossings. FOX 9 Mid-September through November, East 46th Street between Hiawatha and 36th Avenue South and the northbound right-turn lane from Hiawatha to 46th will be closed. FOX 9 Starting in October, access between Hiawatha and East 45th Street east of the highway will be closed into December. FOX 9 The Metro Blue Line and bus routes will still serve 46th Street Station, but pedestrian detours will route people around the construction zone.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections says the number of people leaving prison and becoming homeless has fallen 57% since 2021.

The agency credited a homelessness-prevention program with the decline. FOX 9 The Legislature has provided $500,000 per year for the work, and the program housed about 800 formerly incarcerated people in 2025. FOX 9 Placements include halfway houses, sober homes and apartments. FOX 9 One example is the No Luck Club in St. Paul, which houses about 15 men who must meet sobriety and employment requirements.

A Bloomington SUV driver was arrested after a collision that killed a 60-year-old man riding a three-wheeled motorcycle shortly after 1:30 p.m. Sunday on Portland Avenue near Bischoff Lane.

Police say the 35-year-old driver of a Nissan Murano was hospitalized after the crash and later arrested on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide. FOX 9 Officers say investigators believe he was driving at a high rate of speed.

Jerry D'John Anthony Sanders, 18, was charged Monday with three felony counts for a Sept. 1 ambush shooting that wounded two 13-year-olds near Marion Street and Sherburne Avenue in St. Paul.

A boy was shot in the lower left leg and a girl was grazed in the left calf; a third juvenile who was with them was not hurt. FOX 9 Police said a juvenile witness identified the shooter as "Fat J" and gave officers his grandmother's address at 175 Charles Ave., a phone number and an Instagram handle that led to Sanders. FOX 9 Investigators arrested Sanders on Sept. 3 at a Rice Street apartment and recovered two firearms, including a ghost gun with a 31-round magazine. FOX 9 Shell casings from the scene matched a gun tied to multiple Minneapolis shootings. FOX 9 A caller on a group phone call told investigators Sanders bragged he "came out with 31 came back in with 21" and that he chased the juveniles for about a block before firing.

A man was fatally shot Sunday about 6:30 p.m. at a home on the 16200 block of Flagstaff Avenue near County Road 46 in Lakeville, police said.

Officers who responded found an adult man with a gunshot wound; he was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and later died, the report said. FOX 9 No arrests have been made, and police said there is no ongoing threat to the public but did not explain what led to the shooting.

On Sept. 1, Dakota County residents and church leaders pressed commissioners to sign a pledge refusing to comply with any federal order or data request that would restrict mail voting ahead of the November election.

Only two of the seven commissioners had responded to the request, organizers said. FOX 9 Speakers at the county board meeting warned that sudden enforcement of the administration's mail rules could disrupt local election operations and voter access.

A FOX 9 video published Sunday shows a white SUV crossing the median from I-94 onto the I-35W left shoulder after a shooting just south of downtown Minneapolis.

The footage shows a person stepping out of the SUV and standing beside a car idling in the far-left lane on I-35W until officers arrived. FOX 9 FOX 9 reports several state troopers and Minneapolis police reached the scene within about five minutes after the cars stopped.

Charles Ray Workman, 41, the owner of MN Crete Pools in Scott County, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison on a wire fraud conviction by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis on Sept. 3.

Prosecutors said Workman stole at least $820,000 from 21 customers, taking more than $750,000 in down payments between 2021 and 2022. FOX 9 The court ordered $1.15 million in restitution, but records did not make clear when victims will be repaid or when Workman must report to prison.

A driver was killed after his car left the roadway and struck the foundation of the I-694 4th Street North overpass in Oakdale on Saturday.

The Minnesota State Patrol said the vehicle was a Honda Accord and the crash happened on I-694 northbound near the 4th Street North overpass. FOX 9 Officials identified the driver as 61-year-old Roger Swanson of Woodbury. FOX 9 The patrol said the car left the roadway to the right and struck the bridge foundation, and that the cause remains under investigation.

A Hennepin County sheriff's deputy was injured around 2 a.m. when a fleeing stolen vehicle ran a red light and crashed into his squad car in Minneapolis.

The deputy was treated at the scene and is expected to be OK, and his squad car was towed. FOX 9 Minneapolis Police originally pursued the stolen vehicle and will handle the crash investigation. FOX 9 Deputies recovered a firearm, a replica gun and narcotics from the vehicle. FOX 9 The car had been flagged in connection with multiple smash-and-grab thefts and for earlier reckless fleeing. FOX 9 Four people, including juveniles, were arrested and smash-and-grab tools were recovered.

Three adult male bystanders were wounded when two men exchanged gunfire about 12:52 a.m. Friday in a parking lot on the 3800 block of Central Avenue NE in Columbia Heights.

One suspected shooter is in custody, and investigators are working to identify and locate a second shooter who remains at large.

A woman was critically wounded in a north Minneapolis parking-lot shooting about 3:12 a.m. Saturday near 41st Avenue North and Lyndale Avenue North, police said.

Responding officers found the woman with suspected gunshot wounds, and she remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Four juvenile males were detained after a shooting reported about 5:30 p.m. Friday on the 5600 block of Xerxes Avenue in Brooklyn Center; one person self-transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Two out-of-agency officers nearby witnessed the shooting, chased the suspects on foot and detained the four juvenile males. FOX 9 Police recovered a handgun with an extended magazine and at least six spent shell casings at the scene. FOX 9 One person self-transported to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.

U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank on Friday, September 4, 2026, denied xAI's follow-up motion for a preliminary injunction, keeping Minnesota's ban on AI "nudification" in effect while the lawsuit proceeds.

The ruling reiterated that xAI had not met the legal standard required to block enforcement, the same conclusion the court reached when it denied a temporary restraining order on July 31. FOX 9 The statute is written to target website operators and software developers who enable AI "nudification," and it bans advertising or promotion of such products. FOX 9 The law also allows private lawsuits with damages of at least $500,000 for each alleged unlawful access.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.