Minnesota Today

Gov. Tim Walz has set a date for a special election to fill an open Senate seat in northern Minnesota, and candidates can start filing for office tomorrow. The 6th District Senate seat came open last week after Justin Eichorn resigned. Eichorn is charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

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

A man who pleaded guilty to murder and assault in a 2023 mass shooting at a Minneapolis punk show was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Monday.

The American Civil Liberties Union is suing St. Francis Public Schools for using a third-party website called Book Looks to ban books. The suit argues that banning books violates Minnesota constitutional and state law.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has announced the state has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the closure of the Department of Education. The filing is part of a lawsuit with 20 other attorneys general that was filed after President Donald Trump announced plans to reduce the department’s workforce by 50 percent. 

And state animal health officials have confirmed bird flu in a central Minnesota dairy herd.

Federal prosecutors have accused former Minnesota State Senator Justin Eichorn of trying to obstruct their investigation related to charges of soliciting a minor.

And the Democratic-controlled Minnesota Senate is staged to vote on a resolution condemning President Donald Trump's pardons of those found guilty of crimes on January 6, 2021.

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

A man who admitted killing one person and wounding six others in a mass shooting at a Minneapolis punk show in 2023 faces sentencing this afternoon. 

Around 200 people gathered at the Minnesota Capitol on Sunday to protest privatizing the U.S. Postal Service. The rally came after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced he had struck a deal with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to reform the agency. Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith called the move a “hostile takeover.”

State agriculture officials say the invasive emerald ash borer has spread to another Minnesota county. The insects were confirmed over the winter for the first time in Aitkin County near Mille Lacs Lake. The ash borer has now been confirmed in 54 of Minnesota’s 87 counties.

State regulators will get public input this week on Xcel Energy’s request to store more radioactive waste at its Prairie Island nuclear plant.

Bloomington police officials today announced they arrested 14 men during the sting operation that nabbed a state senator earlier this week. The men are accused of trying to solicit sex from minors.

And DFL Governor Tim Walz released his revised state budget proposal today. It includes more cuts in spending.

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

Former Red Lake High School students will honor the people who lost their lives during a school shooting 20 years ago. They will lead a ceremony at the high school followed by a remembrance walk.

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar hosted a town hall meeting Thursday night in Minneapolis. She spent much of the discussion criticizing the policies of President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order aimed at closing the Department of Education and returning authority over education to the states. Omar, a Democrat, says dismantling the Department of Education could bring back school segregation.

Cleveland Cliffs says it plans to lay off 630 workers at two taconite mines on the Iron Range. 

Minnesota Sen. Justin Eichorn was in federal court yesterday — the same day he resigned his Republican seat in the chamber — on a charge of attempting to solicit a minor for prostitution.

Former State Senator Justin Eichorn made his first appearance in court since being arrested Monday for attempting to solicit a minor. And Cleveland-Cliffs says it plans to lay off about 600 workers at two taconite mines on the Iron Range.

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

Republicans in the Minnesota Senate plan to seek the expulsion of fellow GOP Sen. Justin Eichorn as he faces charges of soliciting a minor. Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson said Republicans met privately on Wednesday and decided they will move to expel Eichorn.

Two key people involved in the Feeding Our Future fraud case were convicted Wednesday by a federal jury. Leader Aimee Bock and restaurant owner Salim Said defrauded federal programs meant to feed needy children during the pandemic.

St. Paul wants to revitalize the Xcel Energy Center. Mayor Melvin Carter is telling state lawmakers the city-owned arena and its adjoining facilities need a facelift. 

A federal jury today convicted Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock and former restaurant owner Salim Said of wire fraud and bribery, and a Minnesota senator faces federal felony charges for attempting to solicit a minor.

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

All Minnesota GOP lawmakers in Congress joined their fellow Republicans in voting for a budget framework that includes $2 trillion in spending cuts. While it doesn’t specify the programs, Republicans have targeted Medicaid and food aid programs.

Tribal leaders are asking members of Congress to address funding concerns and uphold federal government’s treaty obligations to tribes. Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Secretary-Treasurer Leonard Fineday testified to a House Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday afternoon.

A new report released Wednesday by the Minnesota Chamber Foundation found that nearly 60 percent of the state’s total labor force and employment growth came from foreign-born workers from 2019 to 2023.

Those stories and more in today’s morning update. Hosted by Gracie Stockton.