Minnesota Today

An international student at the University of Minnesota has sued the Department of Homeland security.

And St. Paul-based Ecolab says it's imposing a 5 percent trade surcharge on its products and services sold in the U.S. The company says it's making the move to mitigate rising raw material costs as a result of Trump administration tariffs.

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

Keri Heintzeman easily defeated seven other Republican candidates to win a special primary election for a vacant state Senate seat in north-central Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Health is giving some laid-off employees a temporary reprieve. Earlier this month, the Minnesota Department of Health sent layoff and separation notices to around 170 employees due to terminated federal grants. Layoffs are now delayed due to a temporary restraining order issued by a federal district court in Rhode Island. The effective layoff date is now May 13.

Constituents raised concerns about due process and immigration during a Republican-led townhall in Fairmont Tuesday night. About 40 people gathered at the American Legion and asked representatives about the detainment of international students and the deportation of some immigrants without due process.

Gov. Tim Walz says Minnesota is still in a solid spot as he prepares for his State of the State speech next week. But, Walz says he will strike a serious tone in his address because of ongoing actions by President Donald Trump’s administration.

A man was arrested yesterday after allegedly threatening violence against the United Healthcare corporate campus in Minnetonka.

And an oil pipeline that ruptured a week ago in North Dakota is returning to service.

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

A Marshall man jailed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is speaking out, saying he’s being detained because he protested police killings four years ago. Aditya Harsono tells MPR News his student visa was revoked last month and he was arrested by plainclothes ICE agents. Court documents indicate Harsono’s visa was revoked over a misdemeanor conviction for criminal damage to property in 2022. He believes his 2021 protest against the police killing of Daunte Wright is the real reason for his arrest.

Republicans in north-central Minnesota are choosing a nominee for a vacant state Senate seat. Eight Republican candidates are running in a primary to replace Justin Eichorn of Grand Rapids. He resigned last month after he was charged with attempting to solicit a minor. Democrats have endorsed Denise Slipy of Breezy Point. She will face off against the winner of the Republican primary in an April 29 special election.

Sen. Tina Smith joined St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter to criticize President Donald Trump’s administration for delaying funding that had been approved to renovate an apartment building in St. Paul.

Minnetonka police say a person is in custody and there's no ongoing threat to the public, following a large police response to the United Healthcare corporate campus today.

Starting tonight, the Minneapolis Police Department is encrypting its radio communications, making them inaccessible to scanner listeners.

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

While President Donald Trump has paused import taxes on most countries, he did raise tariffs on China. China has denounced the policy as “economic bullying” and promised countermeasures. Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank president Neel Kashkari says Minnesota soybean farmers are nervous about a U.S. trade war with China.

Republicans in north-central Minnesota vote Tuesday to determine a nominee for a vacant state Senate seat.

Construction is set to begin this week on a major project to expand a stretch of Interstate 94 between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. The project will add a third lane in each direction between Albertville and Monticello.

Starting May 7, air travelers will need a Real ID to get through airport security or another approved document, like a passport or tribal ID. TSA is set to stop accepting standard driver’s licenses. The rule change has been 20 years in the making.

Minnesota soybean growers are closely watching the Trump administration's approach to trade policy.

Minnesota Senate Republicans have filed an ethics complaint against Senate President Bobby Joe Champion over a possible conflict of interest.

And crews working to clean up oil from a ruptured pipeline in North Dakota have recovered about a fifth of the estimated nearly 150,000 gallons that spilled.

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

Minnesota’s revenue for the prior two months beat expectations from the last economic forecast, but state finance officials are warning of choppier waters are ahead. A quarterly economic update shows tax revenue exceeding predictions by 7 percent, or $244 million. That was mostly on the strength of stronger income tax collections.

Members of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees rallied outside a state office building on the grounds of the state Capitol Thursday speaking out against Trump administration spending cuts.

A Hennepin County judge this week found a Twin Cities painting contractor guilty of underpaying five workers. It's believed to be the first felony wage theft conviction under a 2019 Minnesota law.

The Metropolitan Council has launched a survey for riders of the Northstar Commuter Rail line as it considers replacing trains with buses along that route. The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Met Council are exploring the change as a cost-saving measure. Commuter train ridership between the Twin Cities and Big Lake plummeted during the pandemic and has not recovered. An online survey for what bus service should look like is now open on the Northstar website.

Nearly 200 Minnesota Association of Professional Employees rallied outside a state office building on the grounds of the State Capitol to protest Trump administration cuts to public health. Most of the participants work for the Minnesota Department of Health, which is cutting 170 jobs due to federal budget cuts.

And Gov. Tim Walz visited Philips Image Guided Therapy today, a medical manufacturing facility in Plymouth. The company is planning an expansion, backed by $3.5 million in state funding.

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

Be ready for the annual statewide tornado drill today in Minnesota. There will be two drills Thursday — the first at 1:45 p.m. That’s aimed at people in schools, offices, stores and other businesses. The second drill is at 6:45 p.m. and aimed at people who are home, along with second-shift workers.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says a lack of federal funding is forcing it to cancel plans to spray for invasive moths in parts of Minnesota this year.

Minnesota veterans rallied at the state Capitol Wednesday, urging lawmakers to boost property tax relief for disabled veterans.

A Ramsey County judge has dismissed a defamation claim from a Minneapolis Police Department leader who sued a conservative news outlet. Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell alleged Alpha News and content creator Liz Collin defamed her in a book and a video. Blackwell argued the video uses “deceptive framing and editing” to lie about her testimony in the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin.