Minnesota Today

Voters in St. Paul told MPR News they want the election results to send a message to Republican President Donald Trump. Many voters at polling sites are telling MPR News that dissatisfaction with the Trump administration's policies is motivating them to vote. But Melanie Carruth, a 66-year-old semi-retired registered nurse from Spring Valley, says the election is not about the president. Find more voter voices and election news here. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Kelly Bleyer. Music by Gary Meister.

Minnesotans heading to the polls on Election Day will find nearly all statewide races on the ballots, along with many local races. Starting at the top of the ticket, voters will see races for U.S. Senate, governor and other constitutional offices: attorney general, auditor and secretary of state. All eight congressional seats are on the ballot, along with every legislative seat — 134 in the state House and 67 in the state Senate — and judicial races. Another person faces charges in the killing of a transgender man from Minnesota in upstate New York last year. Shirley Morales faces kidnapping and conspiracy charges in connection with the death of Sam Nordquist. Morales pleaded not guilty during her arraignment.

The latest pre-election look at early voting in Minnesota has more than 886,000 ballots already in. The Secretary of State's Office published data that covers activity through Sunday. With one more day of in-person early voting and ballots coming in by mail; that tally will continue to rise. It's already a record for a Minnesota midterm election. Regular polling places around Minnesota open at 7 a.m. tomorrow, and any eligible voter in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot. Minnesota's ballot is brimming with key races from U.S. Senate and governor to Congress and the Legislature. More in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Republicans, Democrats and third-party candidates are making their final pitches to voters, doing last-minute door-knocking and trying to rally voters to cast their ballots. Olmsted County is launching a new mental health program that could supplement clinical treatment approaches in the Rochester area. A new report from the University of Minnesota warns generative artificial intelligence could have severe impacts on student learning.

Vice President J. D. Vance's office says he will be in St. Cloud on Friday to make an announcement about the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to stop fraud. Vance chairs the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. That story and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The Minneapolis City Council will vote this week on an ordinance that would allow supervised parking lots for unsheltered residents to sleep overnight in their cars. The city of Pine Island will conduct a more thorough environmental review of Google's controversial data center proposal in the town northwest of Rochester. Health officials say vaccine hesitancy is behind a cluster of 20 measles cases in one rural Minnesota county. Sanford Health announced Wednesday plans to stop inpatient labor and delivery services, as well as newborn care, at its Luverne, Minne., medical center and clinic in April 2027.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says two YouTubers from out-of-state violated Minnesota law when they recorded themselves allegedly attempting to vote in Minneapolis during the August primary. James O'Keefe and Cam Higby are now charged with unlawful voting and identity theft. And a judge today sentenced a former owner of a Minneapolis restaurant to 30 years in federal prison for his role in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Last year a jury convicted Salim Said on all 21 counts including wire fraud, bribery and money laundering. At the same trial, jurors also convicted Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock — the ringleader of a $300 million scheme to fleece taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs during COVID. Alex Pretti’s parents, Susan and Michael Pretti, are calling on federal officials to share evidence with state and local agencies. Federal officials have said in court filings that they’re not obligated to share evidence with state officials at this time. About 650 emergency medical technicians and paramedics at North Memorial Health in Minnesota and western Wisconsin are campaigning for union representation .

The parents of Alex Pretti spoke earlier today in Minneapolis . They sharply criticized federal officials’ handling of the investigation into their son’s killing. It’s the first time that Susan and Michael Pretti have held a news conference since their son was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis in January. And a meeting on a controversial data center proposal in the northeast Minnesota city of Hermantown has been put off again. Dan Kraker reports it was first postponed last night. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The Hermantown City Council is expected to vote Tuesday whether to approve or reject a proposed Google data center after dozens of protesters blocked the start of Monday night’s meeting. Left wing-streamer Hasan Piker and Minnesota Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar joined DFL state Sen. Omar Fateh on Monday for an event some Democrats criticized as divisive. Tensions were high Monday night as the Detroit Lakes school board wrestled again over the board’s attempts to ban rainbow stickers, which some teachers display in schools to signal support for LGBTQ+ students.

The Hermantown City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on whether to approve a controversial Google data center in a rural area just outside Duluth. Google has made a few changes to the proposal in advance of the vote. The tech giant is dropping a plan for up to $80 million in property tax breaks. It also scaled down the size of the development. And former President Barack Obama endorsed Democratic Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan's campaign this morning. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The Detroit Lakes School Board is meeting Monday. Some community members have signed up to give public comment about the board's recent efforts to ban rainbow stickers from school grounds. They'll now each only be allowed to speak for one minute. The University of Minnesota and CentraCare are launching a new medical school fellowship aimed at getting more doctors into rural areas who can deliver babies and handle complicated births. The Delta Air Lines CEO says he doesn’t want employees to fear artificial intelligence will take their jobs. The airline says more than 7,000 employees are based in Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking the public for input on state wildlife and aquatic management areas.

Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar cast her ballot today in her first public appearance since federal agents raided her home last week. And Minnesota officials say the federal government has stopped sharing evidence related to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Several competing and collaborating groups are releasing lists of school board candidate endorsements. The conservative Minnesota Parents Alliance has endorsed 75 candidates in 52 Minnesota districts, and teacher unions have endorsed 89 candidates in 27 districts. After pressuring authorities for more than two and a half years, the family of a Minneapolis Indigenous woman finally feel justice was served. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Thursday that 36-year old Charles Foss is charged with two counts, including second-degree murder, in the death of Allison Lussier in February of 2024. The Department of Justice has notified the state of Minnesota that it plans to send federal election observers to polls around the state. The Justice Department routinely monitors elections. But the presence of federal election observers at polling places during the primaries, including at 40 sites in Minnesota, sparked concern earlier this year.

The Minnesota Secretary of State's office says Hennepin and Ramsey counties have been notified that the Justice Department will send election monitors there on Election Day. And it's another week with no change reported in long-standing drought conditions across most of Minnesota. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor update continues to list about 63 percent of the state in some level of drought. Just over a quarter of Minnesota is in severe or extreme drought. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Candidates for governor Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Demuth held their first — and likely final — televised debate in Rochester on Wednesday. Questions covered fraud, taxes, healthcare, cancer treatment, gang violence and mining. Abortion came up, too. The Justice Department is seeking to disqualify two Minnesota federal judges from a pair of immigration-related cases after they made public comments about the Trump administration’s wintertime immigration enforcement operation. The St. Paul City Council presented a plan Wednesday for how it wants the city and county to respond to the needs of unsheltered residents. It comes two and a half months after the city shut down a large encampment, causing a wave of residents to relocate to another camp in the woods. Nearly four years after a man was fatally shot in the Nordstrom store at the Mall of America, the victim’s mother is suing the mall and the retailer.

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan provided evidence Wednesday of her membership in an academic honor society , undermining a national publication’s report that she inflated her credentials. The jarring turn followed a story in the Wall Street Journal earlier in the day that said Flanagan did not qualify to be a member of Phi Beta Kappa when she graduated from college. The society contacted Flanagan’s campaign to provide proof of her membership since 2002, the year she graduated from the University of Minnesota. A Minneapolis police officer was fired in April after the department determined she warned her brother that police were looking for him in connection to a recent shooting. The MPD found Chanica Hall had committed violations of department policy including disclosing confidential information, neglecting duty and intentionally omitting information about her brother during a background check when she was hired. Stellis Health, a healthcare organization based in Wright County, plans to merge with CentraCare , the central Minnesota region’s largest healthcare provider. Stellis is an independent, doctor-owned medical group that has provided care for patients in Buffalo, Monticello and surrounding communities for 75 years. It has more than 60 primary and specialty physicians, physician associates and nurse practitioners at clinics in Buffalo and Monticello.

Republican Lisa Demuth says the first thing she would do as governor is sign an executive order adding more protections for state government whistleblowers. Democratic nominee Amy Klobuchar has said she would immediately order an audit of all departments of state government. And the race to replace Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty pits a Democratic state lawmaker against a veteran former federal prosecutor. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.