Minnesota Today

Starting tomorrow motorcyclists in Minnesota will be allowed to maneuver between lanes of traffic in certain conditions -- but only when traffic is stopped or moving slower than 25 miles per hour.

And a new state law meant to protect minor children from appearing on the internet goes into effect tomorrow.

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

It was a weekend of severe weather for much of Minnesota. The National Weather Service says four tornadoes swept through Carver County alone. The the storms knocked down trees and power lines, but no storm-related injuries have been reported.

Storms spawned a large twister on the Minnesota-South Dakota border. Heavy rains from the storms caused localized flooding as well.

It was also a weekend of mourning in the Twin Cities with funeral services for Melissa and Mark Hortman. After a viewing at the Minnesota Capitol on Saturday, friends, family members and dignitaries gathered Saturday for a funeral at the Basilica of St. Mary. The former DFL House Speaker and her husband were remembered for their service to the state, their sense of humor and their love of community. Gov. Tim Walz gave one of the remembrances of the Hortmans, calling Melissa Hortman the most consequential speaker of the House in Minnesota history.

A man is in custody following a standoff with police in Rochester. Police say the incident started as a domestic disturbance late Saturday. The man allegedly had a knife and fled the scene before police arrived. Early Sunday, during a traffic stop, police say the suspect emerged from a vehicle with a rifle and a police officer fired a gun. The man was not injured, but fled into a residence and — he finally surrendered more than four hours later.

Stillwater-native Denis McDonough, a former White House insider, will teach at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict next school year.

Minnesotans get an opportunity to pay their final respects to former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman Friday. The Hortmans, along with their golden retriever Gilbert, will lie in state at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul Friday from noon to 5 p.m.

State investigators say one of the Brooklyn Park police officers sent to check on Melissa Hortman the night of her slaying fired shots at the man suspected in the killings. 

A Michigan news outlet is reporting the deaths of two people at Isle Royale National Park earlier this month are being investigated as a murder-suicide. 

A woman who was shot while driving on Interstate 394 in Minneapolis last weekend has died.  The victim and another woman told police that someone shot into their car on the interstate on Sunday night. She drove to Hennepin County Medical Center with the wound, but died this week. No arrests have been made.

For a second day in a row Thursday, there were reports of tornadoes as severe storms moved across southern Minnesota. The National Weather Service says spotters reported a tornado just east of Albert Lea — near Myre Big Island State Park. Emergency management also reported downed trees and power lines south of Albert Lea.

The DNR says Lake Bemidji State Park reopens to the public Friday afternoon — nearly a week after a line of severe storms caused major damage in the park and the surrounding region. While the state park will be open for both day-use and camping, officials say most trails are still closed due to downed trees. The fishing pier and boat launch are also still closed.

The wife of Vance Boelter — the man charged in the killing of State Rep. Melissa Hortman — has released her first public statement since the shootings.

More rain is expected across central and southern Minnesota today, following storms that caused flash flooding yesterday.

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

The U.S. Justice Department is suing Minnesota over a state law that gives undocumented college students access to in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities.

A bipartisan resolution honoring Melissa and Mark Hortman was passed by the U.S. House Wednesday. It was introduced by Minnesota’s congressional delegation, alongside leaders from both parties.

Community leaders in Minneapolis are speaking out against violence in the wake of the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy Monday in a north side park.

Inmates at a Minnesota prison say they are not receiving basic hygiene products.

The late Minnesota House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark will lie in state at the Capitol on Friday.

And a Hennepin County judge today sentenced the woman who pleaded guilty to unintentional murder and assault for driving her automobile into a group last fall.

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

A tentative truce between Israel and Iran is faltering. Israel is vowing to retaliate after saying Iran launched missiles into its airspace more than two hours after a ceasefire was supposed to take effect. And as that conflict, and the U.S. part in it, soaks up interest around the globe, Iranians in Minnesota are voicing their concerns.

A year ago this week, many of us will remember the images of a house plunging into the raging Blue Earth River as it carved a path around the Rapidan Dam in southern Minnesota. Aging infrastructure upgrades — including flood and stormwater projects — are needed across the U.S. as severe weather events become more frequent.

Since the 1990s, conservationists say there’s been a sharp drop in the number of monarch butterflies around the world. One Minnesota nonprofit is trying to reverse that trend. The Monarch Joint Venture is hosting a North American summit this week to discuss ways to protect the monarch butterfly and its migration. The event begins Tuesday at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus.

Beltrami County and the city of Bemidji have declared a state of emergency due to severe storm damage over the weekend. The storms early Saturday had winds of more than 100 miles per hour.

And another defendant in the Feeding Our Future case admitted that he tried to bribe one of the jurors at his trial last year.

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