Minnesota Today

A federal immigration agent who shot and wounded a man in north Minneapolis this winter pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges of lying to the FBI. Prosecutors say ICE agent Christian Castro shot through the door of a Minneapolis home, injuring Julio Sosa-Celis, and later lied to investigators about what happened. A federal judge set Castro’s bond at $75,000 with conditions. Castro also faces state assault charges in connection with the shooting. An outside investigation into St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her found she engaged in “offensive and inappropriate behavior” with city employees , but did not substantiate allegations that she sexually harassed or retaliated against employees. The findings were released Friday and outline steps for Her to take, including workplace conduct training. Her says she will comply. The investigation followed a complaint filed by Police Chief Axel Henry. Early voting for the midterm elections begins Friday in Minnesota. Community leaders are encouraging people to make a plan to vote and are organizing efforts to help people get to the polls and understand their voting rights. Mail-in voting procedures in Minnesota have not changed from past years. Residents can vote in person starting Friday, and voting information and locations are available through the Secretary of State’s office.

A Hennepin County judge set bail at $200,000 for an ICE agent accused of shooting and wounding a Venezuelan man in January. Early and absentee voting for November's midterm election starts Friday in Minnesota, just days after the Supreme Court blocked efforts by the Trump administration to curtail mail-in voting. A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for spraying vinegar on DFL Congresswoman Ilhan Omar earlier this year. After two seasons of much anticipation, Minnesota fans will get a visit from the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league Unrivaled in 2027. The league will make a tour stop in Minneapolis next year.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot and wounded a man in north Minneapolis this winter was arrested Wednesday in downtown Minneapolis. Christian Castro faces federal charges for allegedly lying to the FBI about the January shooting, in which he fired through the closed door of a home and wounded a man from Venezuela. Castro also faces state assault charges. He appeared in state court Thursday and is scheduled to appear in federal court Friday. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows the extent of drought in Minnesota largely unchanged over the past week, although conditions have improved in some areas. Much of northeastern Minnesota moved from severe to moderate drought after recent rainfall. About 71 percent of the state remains in some level of drought, with especially dry conditions in the Twin Cities, Red River Valley and east-central Minnesota. Minneapolis police have released body camera footage showing officers’ encounter with the gunman during a mass shooting at an apartment complex earlier this month. The September 2 shooting left two residents dead and several people wounded, including two officers. The gunman, Carlton Johnson II, was fatally shot by police. The footage shows four officers’ perspectives on an exchange of gunfire in a ninth-floor hallway. Several first-time candidates are running for local office in Pine Island and other Minnesota communities this fall, driven by concerns about new hyperscale data centers. Pine Island’s City Council approved Google’s plan for an 88-acre facility that could eventually expand to more than 400 acres. City Council candidate Tosca Wohl says she was prompted to run by concerns about transparency. Data centers have become an issue in races around the state, with some candidates supporting moratoriums or additional regulations.

Minnesota regulators will take up a nearly two-year dispute Tuesday between a tribal nation and its electric cooperative. The Upper Sioux Community built a large solar array next to its casino near Granite Falls a couple of years ago. Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association threatened to cut power to the casino, saying the solar project was far bigger than its policy allows. St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker said in an interview this week that more permanent supportive housing is what's needed to solve the unhoused issue in the city. U.S. Senator Tina Smith says she's working to help free a Somali man arrested in Minnesota and sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Federal agents arrested Adam Abdullah in December. The 31-year-old asylum seeker told MPR News last week that he's one of eight Somalis there and is limited to one 10-minute phone call a day. Summit Brewing Company could lose its St. Paul brewery to foreclosure after its lender sued over more than $8 million in unpaid debt. A first court hearing on that lawsuit is set for Friday.

Minneapolis Public Schools is considering three restructuring plans that would leave 15 or 16 buildings without K-12 programming. Depending on the proposal, 12 percent to 14 percent of students would be affected by school mergers or boundary changes. Two judges at the Fort Snelling immigration court have stepped down. Their departures last month mean there are just four full-time judges to handle tens of thousands of cases. The immigration court — part of the Executive Branch — decides deportation and asylum cases. The city of Fargo and a police detective are being sued by a woman who says she was falsely arrested after police relied on artificial intelligence. Angela Lipps was arrested in Tennessee last year and held in jail for six months in connection with a case of bank fraud in Fargo.

FBI Director Kash Patel says his agency continues to work with utilities across the country to strengthen their cyber defenses. That's in the wake of cyberattacks on U.S. water systems earlier this year, including in Minnesota. And Carleton College has announced it will eliminate loans from its financial aid packages beginning next fall. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

About 150 doctors at Allina Health’s Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and its Unity campus in Fridley began a four-day strike Monday. Physicians have been negotiating their first union contract for three years but haven’t been able to reach a deal. The Olmsted County Board will consider competing plans Tuesday for the long-vacant Seneca Foods site. Fire officials in Duluth say a worker was injured when a large fuel tank exploded at a fuel transfer facility. Local officials and cycling advocates are celebrating the completion of the state's longest paved biking trail Tuesday in Tower, Minn.

The average price of diesel in Minnesota has crossed the $6 mark for the first time — another record high. And those high diesel prices are throttling the benefits of the highest corn prices in three years . Part of the rally in corn prices is due to U.S. expectations of a tighter crop supply, making it more valuable. Jordan Goblish farms corn, soybeans and black beans in Redwood County. He says the price bump is nice, but it's not enough to fully offset increasing costs.

Minnesotans can start casting their ballots in the midterm election this Friday. Absentee ballots will start to be mailed out and voters will also be able to vote absentee in person at certain early voting locations. Two office buildings in downtown St. Paul have a new owner. 375 Jackson Street and 135 5th Street were recently purchased by Florida real estate investor Jamie Rand through his Downtown Revival Trust. The average tenures of Minnesota school board members are shrinking. School board members are serving about half as long as they once did.

Diesel prices continue to set records amid the ongoing war in the Middle East — with the average price in Minnesota jumping more than 10 cents overnight. And hundreds of people in St. Paul gathered to pack meals for food shelves today to commemorate 25 years since 9/11 . Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Mesiter.

Events around Minnesota Friday are marking twenty-five years since the September 11 attacks with music, ceremonies and community service. A man convicted in the 1970 ambush killing of a St. Paul police officer is expected back before the state parole board Friday. The Republican nominee for Minnesota governor doesn’t support President Donald Trump’s plan to issue five thousand dollar dividends to all adult citizens if Republicans keep congressional control. The city of Crystal is the latest municipality in Minnesota to stop using Flock cameras. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs executed a search warrant at a tribal building on the Red Lake Reservation Thursday.

Some good news and some bad news for Minnesota in the latest U.S. Drought Monitor update, issued earlier today. And a Hennepin County judge today found a Minneapolis man not guilty by reason of mental illness in the 2023 killing of a Loring Park grocery store clerk. All that and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The chief of the Brooklyn Center police department says nearly two dozen people have been arrested in a human trafficking investigation that targeted four area hotels. And a congressional watchdog has cleared U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of allegations of 'false reporting of her assets.’ Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

A Somali man arrested in St. Paul is being held at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Adam Abdullah has no criminal record and was living legally in St. Paul after seeking asylum in the U.S. in 2023. Two of the defendants charged in the brutal killing of a transgender man from Minnesota in upstate New York last year were sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without parole. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said police should have filed an extreme risk protection order against the suspect in last week’s mass shooting in downtown Minneapolis.

Last week's mass shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building is raising questions about what landlords can do when they're concerned about a tenant with a gun. And classes are back in session today for many Minnesota school children. Some districts got state approval to start the school year before Labor Day, but now that the holiday is behind us, most schools are now open.

Most Minnesota schools are having their first day of classes Tuesday, but a few dozen got permission to start early this year. For 40 years, Minnesota law has required schools to start classes after Labor Day. Back-to-school season means back to riding the big yellow bus. But as Minnesota sees record high diesel prices, school bus operations are juggling more costs to get students to the classroom. North Dakota is banning some forms of kratom and is regulating others. People use the drug recreationally and to help with pain. GoFundMe pages have been created to support at least two people who were critically injured last week in a mass shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building. Investigators say three were killed in the shooting, including the shooter. Several people were injured, including Minneapolis police officers.

The mass shooting in Minneapolis at an apartment building earlier this week started as a custody handoff between the suspected shooter and a former partner. And Minnesota officials can fine technology companies that enable creation of AI-generated nude images of real people, after a federal judge declined to put a new state law on hold as a lawsuit proceeds.

The ICE agent who allegedly shot and wounded a man in Minneapolis will be charged with lying to federal investigators. And authorities continue to investigate yesterday’s mass shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building that left three people dead, including the suspected gunman. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.