Minnesota Today

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.

Three people, including the suspected shooter, are dead and six other people were injured, including three police officers, following a shooting Wednesday afternoon at a downtown Minneapolis apartment complex. Minnesota’s first congressional district race is gaining national attention as a political newcomer attempts to unseat GOP incumbent Rep. Brad Finstad. Minnesota senators successfully pushed to postpone a ban on hemp products. A Hennepin County judge set a Nov. 2 trial date for the man who killed DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. Vance Boelter is serving two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years after pleading guilty in June to federal charges. But at a hearing Wednesday he pleaded not guilty to similar state charges.

Students in the Fridley school district are returning to classes Wednesday morning. The Fridley school district was among those most affected in the Twin Cities by Operation Metro Surge. The first imports of discounted, foreign beef are expected to enter the U.S. this month. President Donald Trump announced the imports last week, requiring this new beef to be sold at 25 percent below the market price. A judge in Minneapolis Tuesday handed lengthy prison sentences to the two men convicted in a mass shooting last year. Hennepin County Judge Juan Hoyos sentenced Arlonzo Williams Jr. Members of Minnesota's Nepali community and supporters gathered outside the state Capitol Tuesday to honor the victims of flash floods and landslides in Nepal and Tibet.

Photos reportedly showing federal Homeland Security agents stationed at or near the Minnesota State Fair have spread on social media. That’s caused heightened concern, in the wake of last winter’s federal immigration surge. But fair officials say they are not immigration agents. And Minnesota's Supreme Court heard arguments today in a discrimination case weighing whether a Catholic school illegally fired a transgender employee.

The 38 people charged in connection with an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church say they have been singled out for selective or vindictive prosecution. A motion to dismiss filed Monday in federal court says the defendants, including journalists who covered the protest, are being prosecuted for protected speech. The motion says protesters who disrupted a service at an LGBTQ-friendly church in Orlando, Florida, last year did not face charges. It alleges the Florida protesters were not prosecuted because their political views aligned with President Donald Trump and his administration. The Democratic candidate running against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer says Congress has been weakened under President Donald Trump. Election policy expert Doug Chapin is running against Emmer in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District. Emmer is part of Republican House leadership and has won his six previous races easily. Chapin says Emmer has allowed executive power to grow on his watch, but says the changing district and an anti-incumbent mood could work in his favor. A months-long strike in Chisago County is officially over after the county board approved contract agreements for striking workers. About 125 county workers had been on strike since May. That was about a third of the county’s staff, including health and human services workers and other government center employees. The union says the three-year deal includes pay raises and better health care plans. Thousands of dead fish have washed up on the shores of Lake Mille Lacs in recent weeks. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it is common for some fish to die every summer, but hotter-than-normal weather has increased lake temperatures. That can be hard on cold-water fish such as tullibee, also known as cisco. Cisco populations are under pressure in some Minnesota lakes that are warming due to climate change.

A state representative has pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated stemming from a traffic stop earlier this year. And the planned merger of North Memorial Health and Sanford Health is moving forward. Those stories and more from today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Todd Melby. Music by Gary Meister.

An ICE agent charged with felony assault in Minnesota walked out of a Texas jail Thursday after Gov. Greg Abbott let a 90-day holding period expire without signing an extradition warrant. Christian Castro is accused of shooting Julio Sosa-Celis of Venezuela through the closed door of his Minneapolis home, then falsely claiming Sosa-Celis attacked him. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty had asked Abbott to extradite Castro to Minnesota after his arrest in Texas in May. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued after Abbott did not sign an extradition order. Bells tolled across the Twin Cities Thursday morning to mark one year since the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. The bells rang at 8:26 a.m. in tribute to Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, the children who died in the shooting. The Annunciation community says it is focused on remembrance and is asking people to place two candles or lights in their windows in memory of Harper and Fletcher. Minnesota’s Secretary of State’s Office says it is too late to start a recount of the Republican governor’s primary and complete it before ballots need to be prepared for the general election. A filing with the state Supreme Court seeks dismissal of Mike Lindell’s bid for a hand recount. Lindell failed to formally request and pay for a recount by a Monday deadline. He lost the GOP primary to Lisa Demuth by 45,000 votes. The Minnesota State Fair opened Thursday morning, with crowds already filling the streets. Some fairgoers lined up as early as 24 hours before the gates opened for a chance to be first inside. Visitors are enjoying a warm, sunny day at the fair, with long lines already forming for donuts, coffee and crop art. The union representing Chisago County workers who have been on strike for nearly four months says it has reached a tentative contract agreement. Teamsters Local 320 says the three-year deal is slated for a ratification vote Friday. The union says the agreement addresses two main sticking points, including a wage increase of more than 20 percent over three years and health insurance through the Teamsters. About 125 union members have been on strike since May 1.

A federal judge in Minneapolis will consider whether to order the government to turn over more investigative documents tied to the Minnesota 15 conspiracy case. 15 Minnesota residents are charged by the federal government with conspiracy for their anti-ICE activism. A federal judge in Texas refused to order Gov. Greg Abbott to extradite an ICE agent charged with shooting and wounding a man in Minneapolis. The shooting happened during the Trump Administration's Minnesota immigration operation. On Thursday, Minneapolis marks one year since the shooting at Annunciation Church and School, with a day of service and remembrance in Pearl Park. One year ago, a shooter injured 29 people with gunfire, killing two children. Get ready for Sweet Martha’s Cookies, crop art, Grandstand shows and all the rest — the Minnesota State Fair kicks off its 12-day run Thursday.

A federal judge today denied the state of Minnesota's attempt to keep an ICE agent in custody before the Texas governor can sign an extradition order. And Minneapolis is holding listening sessions to get residents' input on what they want in a new police chief. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Elena See. Music by Gary Meister.

Hennepin County prosecutors said today that they will not file felony charges against a far-right provocateur in connection with an incident Saturday in downtown Minneapolis. And fans around the world and here in Minnesota are mourning the loss of music icon, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist Dolly Parton . She died today in Nashville at the age of 80. Dolly Parton was no stranger to Minnesota over the years -- including a concert at Grand Casino Hinckley in 2016.

A federal judge in Texas is expected to hear arguments Tuesday over whether Gov. Greg Abbott should be forced to extradite an ICE agent charged with assaulting a man in Minneapolis. A statewide coalition is working to reverse the trend of declining vaccination rates across Minnesota. A federal judge has set a hearing for next week to hear why the government believes it shouldn’t be held in contempt of court for violating an injunction barring immigration actions at a Minneapolis church. The U.S. imposed high tariffs on Canadian goods over the weekend after trade talks between the two countries broke down. Canada is Minnesota’s largest foreign trading partner, and the two economies are closely connected through cross-border trade and travel.