Minnesota Today

The cost of health insurance is soaring for Minnesota school districts and teachers.

And the massive budget bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump over the holiday weekend makes some tax cuts permanent, and cuts spending on Medicaid.

The National Weather Service has confirmed the severe storm that struck Beltrami County in late June was a so-called microburst. Surveys show the “microburst” created a ten-mile swath of destructive straight-line winds — reaching as high as a hundred-and-twenty-miles-per-hour.

St. Louis County on Monday opens a temporary collection site for debris from properties affected by wildfires earlier this year. That collection site at the old county garage along Highway 44 in Brimson. It’ll stay open Mondays through Saturdays through the end of July. The Camp House, Jenkins Creek and Munger Shaw fires burned thousands of acres in May and destroyed dozens of buildings, including homes and cabins.

A 13-year-old boy died after being struck by a firework on Friday in Mahnomen County.

Minnesota is warning people to be on the lookout for door-to-door pest-control scams.

Drivers traveling Interstate 35 between Duluth and the Twin Cities will encounter lane closures in Carlton County, starting Monday. MnDOT crews will be wrapping up work that started last year on the Atkinson Bridge. That’ll mean single-lane traffic for both southbound and northbound traffic on weekdays through July 18.

Prosecutors are moving forward with their case against the man accused of killing former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. Vance Boelter, 57, is charged in a six-count criminal complaint with the murder of the Hortmans early on June 14 and with shooting and wounding DFL State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette earlier the same night. Boelter is also charged with stalking the lawmakers.

A Minnesota Department of Education employee no longer works there after a conservative news site reported on a prior conviction of criminal sexual conduct.

And boaters can expect to see extra law enforcement officers on Minnesota waterways Friday and through the holiday weekend.

Go deeper with the latest edition of the Minnesota Today newsletter.

Prosecution moves forward after alleged Hortman assassin waives hearings

Minnesota education agency employee out after sex-crime conviction surfaces

Law enforcement warns boaters to drive sober this holiday weekend

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Minnesota's U.S. House members split along party lines on a tax and budget bill that President Donald Trump plans to quickly sign.

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

Communities across Minnesota will be celebrating the Fourth of July with parades, picnics and fireworks displays. While most fireworks are Friday night, a few cities will get an early jump on the holiday with shows Thursday. That includes the Stars and Stripes Days fireworks in Pequot Lakes beginning at dusk. On the Iron Range, the Aurora Patriotic Days fireworks begin at 10 p.m. and the Thunder Over Eveleth fireworks are at 10:15 p.m. In the Twin Cities, Bloomington’s annual Summer Fete is Friday evening.

Minneapolis police are hoping to avoid a repeat of the mayhem that plagued the last three July Fourth holidays. While gun-related crime in Minneapolis has spiked around July 4 for the past five years, crime statistics overall are trending downward.

Law enforcement is warning boaters it will be aggressively enforcing laws prohibiting impaired boating over the Independence Day weekend. The Department of Natural Resources is calling the campaign Operation Dry Water. It runs tomorrow through Monday.

The White Earth Nation opened its second, off-reservation recreational cannabis dispensary Thursday, this time in St. Cloud.

If you have plans to watch fireworks or take part in other outdoor activities on the Fourth of July, keep an eye on the forecast over the next couple of days. MPR meteorologist Sven Sundgaard says a cool front may touch off thunderstorms.

Also, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday he is joining a multistate coalition suing the Trump Administration, accusing it of sharing personal health data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This is the afternoon MPR News update, hosted by Emily Reese. Theme music is by Gary Meister.

Law enforcement officials are continuing their investigation into the death of 16-year-old Jordan Collins who was known as “Manny.” Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise says searchers found the boy’s body in a landfill in Elk River over the weekend. Wise says law enforcement still wants any help it can get from the public to solve the crime.

A 14-year-old boy was killed and a 13-year-old boy suffered life-threatening injuries when a pickup truck struck the motorized scooter they were riding Tuesday in St. Paul. Police say that older teen was driving the scooter and ran a stop sign on the city's west side just before 9 a.m. The driver of the pickup is cooperating with investigators.

A judge has sent a St. Paul man to federal prison for 10 years for hiding fentanyl pills inside stuffed animals and mailing them to the Twin Cities.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has closed the beach at Lake Hiawatha temporarily because of high E. coli bacteria levels. The agency says it hasn’t received any reports of illness, but closed the beach as a precaution after routine water quality testing. All of the city’s other beaches remain open.

The Lynx lost to Indiana last night in the WNBA's Commissioner’s Cup game 74-59. The Lynx surrendered a 13-point lead and made only 35 percent of their shots.

The U.S. Senate passed a major tax and budget package today after after days of floor debate over the bill's contents. Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote.

Law enforcement is asking the public for any information about Jordan Collins Jr. -- known as "Manny." Searchers found the teen's body in a landfill in Elk River over the weekend.

Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News.