Minnesota Today

Rising grocery, rent and tuition costs are making it harder for many college students to afford food and a growing number are turning to food pantries. More than 10,000 University of Minnesota students visited the U's food pantry last fall.

Minnesota Senate Democrats passed their catch-all elections bill for the year on a party-line vote Thursday. The bill includes measures to shield home addresses of politicians for safety. It also makes voter intimidation and harassment of election officials a felony.

Minneapolis will add a commemorative street name on the city's north side to honor Birdell Beeks. The City Council voted Thursday to add her name to a street sign near the site of her death. Nearly 10 years ago Beeks was killed by a stray bullet while she sat in her minivan with her granddaughter.

A bill introduced at the Capitol Thursday would change how suspicious deaths tied to domestic violence are investigated. The bill is named for Allison Lussier, a 47-year-old Indigenous woman found dead in her Minneapolis apartment in February 2024. Her death was initially ruled suspicious; police later investigated it as a homicide. Lussier's family has accused Minneapolis police of ignoring signs of domestic violence.

The Minneapolis city auditor says procedural errors by MPD may have impeded police investigations leading up to two incidents -- the death of Allison Lussier and the non-fatal shooting of Davis Moturi.

And the Minneapolis City Council is expected to vote on whether to extend the city's eviction notice period from 30 days to 45.

Those stories and more in today’s evening update. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The Minneapolis City Auditor will share its findings Wednesday over how the police department handled two high-profile incidents, which led to public accusations that police failed to protect people of color.

Those include the case of Allison Lussier, an Indigenous woman who was found dead in her apartment in 2024 after reporting domestic violence to the police. Lussier's death remains unsolved. As well as the case of Davis Moturi, a Black man who was shot by his white neighbor after Moturi reported escalating harassment for more than a year.

Fargo’s five mayoral candidates sparred over homelessness and the city’s budget problems at their first debate Tuesday. Fargo’s mayoral election is in June.

Minnesota lawmakers are still sorting through requests to reimburse cities for unplanned expenses during a surge of immigration agent activity earlier this year.

And the Nobles County Board voted this morning to deny a zoning change that would've allowed data centers to be built on farmland in the southwestern Minnesota County.

Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Cleanup continues this week after Friday’s tornadoes that damaged dozens of homes in the Rochester area. The worst of that damage was in the Stewartville and Marion areas. The National Weather Service says it was caused by an E-F-2 tornado with peak winds of 130 miles per hour.

Businesses are beginning to file refund requests for tariffs that were struck down by the Supreme Court.

This is an MPR News Evening update, hosted by Emily Reese. Theme music is by Gary Meister.

At the Minnesota Legislature, there is less than one month until the final day. Legislative leaders have started meeting with Gov. Tim Walz to hammer out deals. Among the remaining issues is school safety — from added counseling and security features to possible restrictions on guns.

Experts who study child abuse say Minnesota’s attempts to outlaw grooming are a step in the right direction, but more changes are needed. Minnesota lawmakers are considering a bill to make grooming a felony, ban teachers from being alone with students on field trips and require grooming prevention training.

Severe thunderstorms have produced tornadoes Friday afternoon in southeast Minnesota. The National Weather Service reported multiple sightings of tornadoes south and east of Rochester between 2 and 3 p.m. including a report from the Rochester Airport tower.

Federal prosecutors are inching closer to a decision on whether to seek the death penalty for the man accused of killing former DFL Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

This is an MPR News Evening update, hosted by Emily Reese. Theme music is by Gary Meister.