Smith was in Australia supporting her sister, who was signing a developmental deal with the WNBL's Tasmania Jewels. The Lynx forward chatted with media at the event about the upcoming WNBA free agency period. A designated negotiation period opens on Wednesday, with signings allowed to become official starting on Saturday.

When asked about the upcoming shortened free agency window, Smith admitted it's going to be a "bit of a whirlwind," adding that she thinks the WNBA is going to be "looking very different" in 2026.

Now that the league and its players' union have agreed to a new CBA, over 100 WNBA players are hitting the free agent market this spring. Due to the time it took the sides to agree to a new deal, free agency and the offseason as a whole are happening in a much shorter window in order for the WNBA to start its 30th season on time.

Smith said she'll be "heavily" involved over the next week in deciding where she will play next season.

"Just talking to teams, negotiating, figuring out what's the best fit and where home will be for the foreseeable future," added Smith.

On if that "best fit" is a return to Minnesota or any of the other WNBA teams she's played for in her career, Smith said she's "open to any opportunity."

"I think, like I said, I think it's about best fit," continued Smith. "You know, I loved Minnesota, but a lot of teams are looking different this year. So, I think I'd be doing a disservice to myself if I wasn't exploring other opportunities."

Alanna Smith on resigning somewhere she has been before or looking for a new start (full video from Reddit)

“(Laughing) I mean I’m open to any opportunity, like I said I think it’s about best fit, and you know, I loved Minnesota, but a lot of teams are looking different this… pic.twitter.com/LV83HmsiiV

— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) April 7, 2026

Smith starred for two seasons in Minnesota, averaging 9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. She shot 47% from the field and 35% from three. Her rise in Minnesota culminated in being named co-defensive player of the year in 2025, alongside Aces star A'ja Wilson. Smith's 2.9 defensive win shares were second-best in the league in 2025, only behind Wilson's 3.3 DWS.

"I think I'm really lucky in that I'm at a certain point where I do have the luxury of choice, and it's a privileged position to be in because I have not always been in this position," Smith said when talking about the opportunity to pick her next team. "So, I'm just really trying to take it in because I know that I've put in a lot of hard work to get to this point in being able to choose and have a selection of teams. I think it's pretty cool, and I'm excited for this period of time."

The league's board of directors met on Tuesday to further discuss the three categories, and an official vote is expected to occur at a board meeting in June.

Girls' flag football has exploded in the past two years behind support from the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota High School Girls Flag Football Coaches Advisory. Fifty-one Minnesota schools had a girls' flag football team in 2025, and there are 106 teams registered ahead of the 2026 school year.

If accepted, girls' flag football would be labeled an "emerging" sport, possibly being fully sanctioned by the MSHSL in future years. The same goes for girls' dual wrestling. To date, girls wrestle with boys in league-sanctioned events, though schools are allowed to schedule up to eight girls-only events, while the MSHSL has a girls division in the individual state tournament.

The 2026 flag football seasons gets started later this month.

• Sunday, April 26 – Week 1
• Sunday, May 3 – Week 2
• Sunday, May 10 – Week 3
• Sunday, May 17 – Week 4
• Sunday, May 31 – Playoffs
• Monday, June 8 – State Championship at TCO Stadium in Eagan

There are already roughly 100 schools in Minnesota that participate in Esports over the course of a 10-week season, followed by a regional playoff and then a state championship. Esports is aiming to be accepted into a partnership model, similar to high school robotics and clay target shooting.

"If all three proposed emerging activities continue their current course, the Board of Directors could act toward approval at its final scheduled meeting of the school year on Tuesday,  June 2," the MSHSL said.

Meanwhile, the MSHSL and 45TV agreed to an exclusive broadcast and streaming extension through the 2030-31 school year. That means the state tournaments for football, hockey, and basketball will be streamed and televised on KSTC-TV, Channel 45, for the next five years.

St. Cloud Police Department provided an update Tuesday to the blaze at Westwood Elementary School just before 9 a.m. on March 31, confirming the fire "was started by a juvenile suspect who is a student of Westwood Elementary."

The fire, it continues, was "started and contained in a bathroom" at the school, but forced the evacuation of the building and the temporary closure of the school, with students still learning virtually as of this week.

In the wake of the fire, school district officials said the building required "extensive deep cleaning and air quality restoration."

Police have previously confirmed that the blaze was being investigated as an arson.

"There is no further information available at this time and the investigation is ongoing by the St. Cloud Police Department," the police statement concludes.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.

David Delong, 40, of Watkins is charged with murder in the Nov. 11, 2025 death of Amber Czech, who was brutally killed with a sledgehammer at Advanced Process Technologies in Cokato.

According to charges, Delong admitted to the killing, telling police that he did not like Czech and had been planning to kill her for some time.

A licensed psychologist recently determined that Delong lacks the capacity to stand trial due to mental illness, but Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes still intends to seek a life sentence without the possibility of parole for Delong, who remains in custody.

"Delong's finding of incompetence is not the end of this case. I fully intend to prosecute Delong for the murder of Amber Czech," Lutes said.

The Wright County Attorney’s Office has filed a petition to have Delong committed as mentally ill and dangerous so he can be treated, then reassessed and ideally put on trial.

Surveillance video from the facility shows Delong leave his workstation and going to Czech’s, where he appears to grab a sledgehammer and swing it at Czech, who is out of view of the camera.

A criminal complaint says Delong struck Czech five times with the hammer, one time while she was standing and four times as she lay on the ground.

As he was being arrested by deputies, Delong allegedly said he had been planning to kill Czech for some time, and admitted to not liking her.

Nearly $130,000 was raised for Czech's family through a GoFundMe following her death.

“Amber was a hardworking welder who took great pride in her craft and dreamed of building a bright future through her work,” organizers wrote in the GoFundMe. “Her witty personality, positive attitude, and beautiful smile touched everyone who knew her.”

Czech graduated from Hutchinson High School, where she played basketball, and completed a 10-month welding technology program at Alexandria Technical & Community College in 2024.

Trump posted on Truth Social early Tuesday that "a whole civilization will die tonight" unless Iran agrees to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the closure of which is causing energy prices to spike globally.

It follows earlier threats from the president to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages" by taking out civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, and came after an Easter Sunday post in which Trump said: "Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah."

International policy experts are describing the president's escalating threats as potentially "genocidal," saying it is indicative of his intent to commit war crimes.

Along with many other Democrats, Rep. Ilhan Omar is calling for Trump to be impeached and removed from office, slamming his comments as "sickeningly evil."

Sickeningly evil. Donald Trump must be impeached. 

When will it be enough for my Republican colleagues to grow spines and remove him from office? https://t.co/h0IGa39m0o

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 7, 2026

Sen. Amy Klobuchar described Trump's comments as "insane," claiming that he's "openly threatening massive escalation in Iran."

Gov Tim Walz agrees, saying "the president has lost his mind."

Trump said today that “a whole civilization will die tonight.”
This is insane. 
He is openly threatening massive escalation in Iran. Congress needs to immediately vote to put a stop to this. It is a constitutional duty to vote on war powers and both sides should demand this.

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) April 7, 2026

Meanwhile, Republican Reps. Tom Emmer, Pete Stauber, Michelle Fischbach and Brad Finstad have not publicly shared their thoughts, nor have they responded to requests for comment from Bring Me The News on Tuesday.

Emmer, the House's majority whip, hasn't posted on social media since he shared that his mother died on Sunday. A few days earlier, he praised Trump for "finally putting an END to the Iranian aggression of the past 47 years."

Fischbach's communications team issued a press release

The Minneapolis theater's just-announced 2026-27 season includes multiple world premieres, a Broadway hit, and the return of the Mean One. It also features the premiere of a musical that takes inspiration from the state fair, "Princess Kay of the Milky Way."

The season also features the launch of the CTC's new Discovery Series, a three-show run of limited engagement performances that ask "audiences to experience the world through fresh eyes."

“This season at Children’s Theatre Company is about becoming — about the moment when a young person realizes they have agency in shaping who they are and how they move through the world,” artistic director Rick Dildine says.

“Across beloved stories, bold new work, and music-driven theatrical events, we’re inviting audiences to experience joy, grapple with big emotions, and see themselves reflected onstage. As a company, we’re proud to be part of a national conversation about what theatre for young people can be, and this season reflects our ongoing commitment to developing new work while honoring the stories that have shaped generations.”

"Princess Kay of the Milky Way" will arrive mid-season, with a musical that revels in the Minnesota State Fair, butterheads, 4H contests, and space exploration. (Presumably because the "Milky Way" portion of the name will refer to milk and the Milky Way.)

“I am absolutely over-the-galaxy to have the 'Princess Kay' world premiere at Children's Theatre Company,” director Addie Gorlin-Han says in a statement. “As a theatre kid growing up in the Twin Cities, CTC undoubtedly shaped who I am today. I'm thrilled to channel my love for all things Minnesota and bring together audiences of all ages to celebrate what unifies us and makes this great state unique.”

Before that premiere arrives, the season will open with a unique retelling of "Pinocchio," featuring five painters staging a "spontaneous retelling" of the classic fairy tale using paint brushes, wallpaper rolls, and scaffolding to build a story in front of the audience.

It's followed by the world premiere musical "Twelve Kinds of Ice" on the theater's Cargill Stage, as well as the return of its annual production of "Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

Then, look, it's LMNOP. The new year will start with a puppet-centric adaptation of a familiar children's book in "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: The Musical."

 The season ends with "School of Rock The Musical," a Broadway hit based on the movie starring Jack Black as a struggling musician who poses as a substitute teacher and transforms his class into a rock band.

Meanwhile, the Discovery Series will feature limited-run presentations of "Havana Hop," where a young girl with stage fright wants to be a star; "Mr. Messado's School of Magic for the Young and Young at Heart," an interactive performance with comedy and magic; and "Joseph Kekuku and the Voice of the Steel Guitar," the true story of a young Hawaiian student who crafts the "Hawaiian sound" through the invention of the steel guitar.

Full season subscriptions are on sale now, as are ticket packages. Individual show tickets will be released at a later date. 

Here's the full calendar for the Children's Theatre Company's 2026-27 season. 

• Oct. 13–Nov. 22: "Twelve Kinds of Ice"
• Nov. 3–Jan. 3: "Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"
• Jan. 12–Feb. 7: "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: The Musical"
• Jan. 22–31: "Havana Hop"
• Feb. 23–April 4: "Princess Kay of the Milky Way"
• March 12–31: "Mr. Messado's School of Magic for the Young and Young at Heart"
• May 4–June 27: "School of Rock The Musical"
• May 14–23: "Joseph Kekuku and the Voice of the Steel Guitar"

Janel Kay Dierkhising, 53, is charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter and one count of running a childcare program without a license in connection with the infant's death on Nov. 11.

According to the criminal complaint, Stearns County deputies responded to a call about a three-month-old not breathing and arrived to find Dierkhising performing CPR on the child.

Dierkhising said she went to check on the infant, who was sleeping in a pack-and-play in another room, and found him on his side with his face in a blanket. The baby made a wheezing sound after she picked him up and his lips had turned blue, she allegedly told responders.

The infant was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His cause of death was determined to be suffocation due to an unsafe sleep environment.

Charges state the room where the pack-and-play was located was "extremely cluttered" and had no monitoring devices.

Dierkhising told investigators she'd propped the infant up on a pillow and covered him with the blanket inside the pack-and-play to go down for a nap. Both the pack-and-play and pillow had detailed suffocation hazard labels, warning against usage for sleep.

According to the complaint, investigators spoke to parents whom Dierkhising had provided daycare services for in the past and several expressed concern about unsafe sleep practices under Dierkhising's care.

One mother said she showed up one day and discovered her three-month-old sleeping on top of comforters on a regular bed.

According to charges, Dierkhising told investigators she'd been providing daycare for approximately ten years and did not have a license.

In 2019, Stearns County Human Services sent Dierkhising a letter outlining licensing requirements after Dierkhising made a Facebook post announcing she had an infant spot available for paid childcare.

"[Dierkhising] responded to the letter indicating she was disabled and not running an unlicensed day-care," the charges state.

House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) plans to strip Engen and Hudson of their assignments on the public safety, judiciary and education finance committees, as lawmakers return to the Capitol from spring break Tuesday, according to multiple outlets, including the Minnesota Reformer.

Engen (R-Lino Lakes) was pulled over for speeding and other infractions in White Bear Lake around 2 a.m. on March 27, then arrested and charged with a DWI.

Hudson (R-Albertville) was armed with a concealed handgun and allegedly appeared intoxicated, but officers did not screen him for alcohol consumption so he cannot be charged with carrying while impaired, which is a misdemeanor in Minnesota.

Both issued public apologies, saying they regret their decisions. Engen, who's running for Minnesota state auditor, pledged to "never allow a single sip of alcohol to touch my lips again" during an interview with the Star Tribune.

House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson claims that removing Engen and Hudson from committees "isn’t even a slap on the wrist" since there are only a handful of committee meetings before the end of this legislative session, which both of them voted to end early in late March, "effectively saying they don’t want anything to get done this year."

"Reps. Engen and Hudson didn’t want to be in committee in the first place; they wanted to go to the bar," Stephenson said in a statement.

"They wanted to pack it up and go home. They’re clearly not interested in doing their jobs. Removing them from committees effectively gives them what they want."

Democrats allege that Engen and Hudson skipped a committee hearing to drink at a bar about 12 hours before the DWI incident.

They were spotted eating and drinking beer at Burger Moe’s in St. Paul at 2:30 p.m. on March 26, roughly an hour before they returned to the House, where the floor session ran until 9:30 p.m.

Sometime after that, the pair went to White Bear Bar, about a mile from the intersection where Engen was arrested on suspicion on DWI, with Hudson and another passenger in his truck.

Two DFLers on the education finance committee filed ethics complaints against Engen and Hudson on Tuesday.

"They left committee halfway through to go drink, choosing to let down their colleagues and constituents by not doing the job they were hired for on an important committee overseeing funding for Minnesota schools," House DFL Floor Leader Jamie Long said in a statement.

Hudson called the ethics complaints a "dumb move" in a series of social media posts Monday.

“I've taken the lumps I'm due. I'm certainly not going to take what folks on the other side of the aisle have never faced,” he said.

Hearing the Democrats have filed an ethics compliant against me.

Dumb move.

You'd think they'd have learned by now.

Never give me a platform.

— Walter Hudson (@WalterHudson) April 7, 2026

The iconic songwriter hasn't brought tours to Minnesota in back-to-back years in more than a decade. He's doing more than that now, with a Mankato concert and Farm Aid appearance last year, and a show in Rochester just a few weeks back.

Now, he's announced a new slate of shows, which includes a date at the new Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee. Notably, it's not billed as the "Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour," which started in 2021 and continued into this spring.

Dylan will alight Live Nation's new outdoor concert space on July 6 with Lucinda Williams and the John Doe Folk Trio in the opening slots. Hopefully, the show will have fewer technical issues than his recent Rochester gig, which was somewhat marred by a finicky microphone. 

Williams is a big draw in her own right, and Doe is best known as the frontman of X. (He's playing a pair of acoustic shows in August at The Parkway Theater, accompanied by fellow X member Exene Cervenka.)

Tickets for Dylan's Mystic Lake Amphitheater gig will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 10.

While Live Nation has not yet announced when it'll host the opening night for its new 20,000-capacity venue, Dylan is currently among the first shows on the schedule. Only concerts with MGK (fka Machine Gun Kelly), the Dave Matthews Band, and The Guess Who are on the calendar for June at the moment. 

The church on Summit Avenue was the site of a demonstration in January after activists learned David Easterwood, a pastor at the church, led ICE’s field office in St. Paul. That incident led to federal charges against nearly 40 people, including journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort.

On Sunday morning, St. Paul police arrested 33-year-old Emily Heather Phillips during a protest outside the church. Phillips spent the night in jail and was released Monday after the case was dismissed.

Trisha Pohland, her defense attorney, told the Star Tribune that Ramsey County District Judge Maria Mitchel said "she couldn't find any probable cause" in the case filed by the city's attorney's office, which included four misdemeanor counts.

Pohland also told the newspaper that Phillips had put away her blow horn and speaker and "it was purely her unamplified voice that she was using" on public property across the street from the church when she was arrested.

A short video posted to Phillips' Instagram account appears to show the moment before she was arrested. In the clip, Phillips is one of roughly a dozen protestors standing on the grass and she's only shown speaking when a group of officers quickly approach.

View this post on Instagram

In an email Tuesday, St. Paul police spokesperson Alyssa Arcand said the case was dismissed "because of a procedural error that was made where the 'probable cause' notes were not included on the citation. A police report detailing the facts of the case was written."

"Our investigators are continuing to work on the case with the City Attorney’s Office," she wrote. "It is not uncommon for cases to be charged out of custody."

In a previous statement, the police department said protesters were "using a blow-horn and yelling loudly, disrupting the church services."

Protesters were given “numerous” announcements by officers to stop, or face a citation or arrest, the department claim. Police alleged Phillips "did not comply and was arrested by officers for interference with religious observance, and Saint Paul City Ordinances 293.02 and 293.07."

Jonathan Parnell, the church's lead pastor, wrote on X that protesters "held signs with obscenities and yelled harassing comments at families and individual worshippers. Among them was a speaker blasting music and amplified sound, and at least one protester who used a voice-amplifying device to harass people."

"After the St. Paul Police Department issued several warnings related to the noise, they arrested one individual," he wrote.

Parnell said Sunday's protest is the latest impacting Cities Church in recent weeks and he's "disheartened" that the charges against Phillips were dropped, writing: "State law protects the right of people of faith to worship in peace, and I call on state and local officials to enforce the law."

MPR News spoke with one of the protesters, Gaz Mulvaney, who said the group was peacefully protesting and followed police’s orders to keep the noise down by immediately shutting their speakers off.

“There was no need for this to happen,” Mulvaney told MPR.

Note: Some of the details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.

Walker Farms, located just outside of River Falls, Wisconsin, announced with "absolute gut-wrenching sorrow" that a fire had destroyed one of its barns, killing all-but-one of the animals that were inside.

This included their two great Pyrenees dogs and their corgi, as well as their children's pony, Cookie, and "countless chickens and ducks."

The lone survivor was a Pyrenees puppy, Winnie, who required treatment at an emergency vet clinic.

The 5th and 6th generation family farm has announced that its farm store, which sells a selection of meat and eggs, will be closed for the next several days "as we navigate this time and tragedy."

"We can’t begin to say thank you to our courageous neighbors who saved our one dog as well as River Falls Fire Department, Ellsworth Fire Department, Hudson Fire Department, and Allina EMS," the farm said.

Co-owner Steffanie Walker said that on the same night, the farmhouse also suffered from a small fire "caused by a package of scissors and a burner that somehow got turned on before we left the house."

"The house has smoke and soot damage and is currently not fit for our kids to be in… so we were at a relative's house with the kids last night when the barn tragedy occurred," Walker posted.

Here is what's in Sven's video forecast today:

• One last cooler day today
• Temps surge Wednesday to near 60-degrees with an incoming clipper system
• Few light rain showers tonight and perhaps midday Wednesday with cold front passage:
  More precipitation north where it will fall as rain and snow showers tonight / Wednesday
• Cooler behind the clipper for Thursday/Friday but brighter again
• Warmer, more humid air moves in for later in the weekend/early next week with upper low:
  Significant rainfall, thunderstorms likely Sunday and Monday

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BMTN Note: Weather events in isolation can't always be pinned on climate change, but the broader trend of increasingly severe weather and record-breaking extremes seen in Minnesota and across the globe can be attributed directly to the rapidly warming climate caused by human activity. The IPCC has warned that Earth is "firmly on track toward an unlivable world," and says greenhouse gas emissions must be halved by 2030 in order to limit warming to 1.5C, which would prevent the most catastrophic effects on humankind. You can read more here.

A hometown kid in a Wild sweater just feels right

We have signed forward Charlie Stramel to a three-year, entry-level contract starting the 2026-27 season

Full details » https://t.co/pyAN6L1nOE pic.twitter.com/wtYAclyNFA

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 7, 2026

Hailing from Rosemount, Minnesota, Stramel was an NCAA veteran with four years of college hockey under his belt. He began his career at Wisconsin for two seasons before transferring to Michigan State. He was an assistant captain for the Spartans in 2025-26, and he finished with 44 points (19 goals and 25 assists) in 37 games.

The Wild selected Stramel with the 21st overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft. At 21 years old, he's a right-handed winger who could contribute right away when he's healthy next season.

He suffered a broken ankle in Michigan State's regional final loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. Had he not suffered the injury, he might've already been in the Wild's lineup.

Stramel gives Minnesota a young offensive threat to throw into the mix next season, and he'll surely be a name to monitor if any Wild trade rumors over the summer.

Following the lead of United Airlines and JetBlue, Delta Air Lines will increase baggage fees by at least $10 per bag across the board, in what experts have characterized as a response to rapidly rising fuel prices driven by the U.S.'s war in Iran.

For flights booked starting on April 8, standard baggage fees will be $45 each way for the first bag, $55 for the second bag, and $200 for a third bag, with the latter being an increase of $50. 

"These updates are part of Delta’s ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics," a representative tells Bring Me The News.

Delta is by far the largest carrier from MSP, operating more than 70% of the flights to and from the Twin Cities airport.

The new fee structure applies to domestic flights, as well as select short-haul international routes. Fees on longer flights to Europe, Asia, Australia, and some other international locations are staying the same. Typically, those longer flights include a free checked bag. 

However, baggage fees will continue to be waived for travelers with a SkyMiles credit card, Medallion status, or who are traveling in first class, Delta Premium Select, or Delta One.

As of April 7, a gallon of jet fuel is at $4.69, according to the Argus Jet Fuel Index. That's an increase from $2.10 on Jan. 7 and $2.42 on Feb. 26. 

Airfares have already risen, but increasing fees has tax advantages for airlines, which only pay an excise tax on fares and not fees.

Additionally, as noted by Thrifty Traveler, fee increases tend to stick around even when fuel prices come down, and it has the added allure of making co-branded credit cards more appealing to travelers, as they frequently have perks like free checked bags. 

When JetBlue first announced its baggage fee increase, industry experts projected that the move would give other airlines cover to follow suit. So, this might not be the last airline to announce fee increases in the face of skyrocketing fuel prices. 

Delta's fee increase is similar to that of United, which last week it was increasing fees by $10 on the first and second bags.

St. Thomas-Minnesota redshirt freshman Nick Janowski has entered the transfer portal, source told ESPN. Big name from the mid-major ranks. Averaged 16.1 points and 5.1 rebounds this season, named first-team All-Summit. Janowski redshirted at Nebraska as a freshman.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 7, 2026

Janowski transferred to St. Thomas last offseason after a redshirt year at Nebraska. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 2025-26 with the Tommies. He shot 49.5% from the field, 33.9% from three-point range and 64.1% from the free-throw line.

At 6-foot-4, Janowski is a native of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and he'll now look for his third college program in three years. After leading St. Thomas to a second-place finish in the Summit League and the conference tournament semifinals, there's a good chance he'll get an opportunity in a better conference.

Janowski joins forward Isaiah Johnson-Arigu as the second St. Thomas player to already enter the transfer portal, which means the Tommies will lose their second and third leading scorer from last season's team.

St. Thomas has experienced first-hand how challenging it is to retain a roster at the mid-major level in the modern era of college basketball. They brought in Janowski, Johnson-Arigu and Austin Hero last season. Longtime head coach Johnny Tauer will look to have another successful offseason of roster building.

St. Thomas finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-10 record, and its season ended in the first round of the NIT against Seattle. The Tommies will look for their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearence at the Division I level next season, but the roster will likely look a lot different than last season.

The district made the announcement on Monday evening, though no details have been provided regarding the nature of the threat.

"At this time, the school district and local law enforcement need more time to fully investigate and determine the credibility of the threat," Superintendent Bill Adams said.

All schools are closed, with no e-learning or after-school activities. Nobody is allowed to enter school sites, either.

"The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our highest priority," said Adams.

"We apologize for the inconvenience this sudden closure causes and deeply appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we prioritize the safety of our school community."

It's the third instance of a Minnesota school district being forced to close due to threats in the past month. In March, threats forced closures at South St. Paul Public Schools and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Schools.

The "Whiskey Lullaby" singer will perform on Thursday, Sept. 3 at the Grandstand, with special guest Avery Anna, one of a dozen concerts happening on the fair's biggest stage.

Tickets for Paisley's show go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 10, with prices ranging from $52 to $114.

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Other Grandstand concerts set to take place throughout the 12-day event include TLC and Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue, Bonnie Raitt, Sierra Farrell, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Rod Stewart. Several are yet to be announced.

The 2026 State Fair begins Thursday, Aug, 27 and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 7.

Discounted tickets to the fair are available for $17 until Aug. 26, then they increase to $20 apiece for people between the ages of 12 and 64. Seniors and children ages 5 to 12 pay $18.

Minneapolis Police Department has provided more details to Bring Me The News regarding the incident reported at 8:11 a.m., which culminated with a Chevy Silverado crashing through the window of Stanley's Northeast Bar Room at University Avenue Northeast and Lowry Avenue North.

MPD says that prior to hitting Stanley's, the man driving the pickup was headed westbound on Lowry Avenue when he entered the intersection with University "against a solid red light."

The driver then struck "multiple vehicles in or near the intersection," with four vehicles damaged in addition to the pickup truck. After hitting the vehicles, the driver "veered from the roadway" before hitting Stanley's.

The pickup driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. All others involved declined medical attention at the scene.

The incident remains under investigation.

The crash forced the temporary closure of Stanley's, which said it would shut down at least until mid-afternoon on Monday as it cleaned up the damage.

The University and Lowry intersection has been the subject of proposals for safety improvements to reduce the rate of crashes.

The initial proposal would have seen MnDOT acquire the Stanley’s building via eminent domain to complete the work, but that proposal was scrapped after an outpouring of public support.

The construction plans shifting the redesign for the intersection further south, to allow the Stanley’s building to remain where it is.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.

Rodriguez, 34, was listed as 'out' on the team's Matchday 6 status report due to illness. The Colombian Soccer Federation said that last Thursday, following Rodriguez's return to Minnesota from international play, he was hospitalized after suffering from severe dehydration.

Rodriguez had started and played 62 minutes in each of Colombia's losses to Croatia and France over the international break. Since signing with the Loons in February, Rodriguez has appeared in just two matches, playing a total of 41 minutes.

Over the weekend, rumors and speculation on social media started circulating that Rodriguez was suffering from rhabdomyolysis.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, rhabdomyolysis is a rare, potentially life-threatening muscle injury where the muscles break down after an injury or excessive exercise without rest.

Minnesota United released a statement on Monday "unequivocally" denying those rumors, saying that "there has been no clinical or laboratory evidence of rhabdomyolysis."

"On Sunday, March 29, James participated in Colombia's international friendly against France, during which and upon its conclusion, he began experiencing symptoms of dehydration that worsened in the hours that followed," the club said in its official statement.

"The following day, Monday, March 30, and after an additional medical evaluation, he was examined and diagnosed with severe dehydration. Given the severity of the clinical presentation, he was admitted to a hospital facility on the morning of Tuesday, March 31, for continued monitoring and IV fluid therapy. James was discharged and has since been recovering at home under continued medical supervision."

The Loons stated that Rodriguez reported to the team's training facilities in Blaine on Monday and participated in a "supervised return-to-activity session." The club says Rodriguez's reintegration will be guided by his clinical progress and follow protocols set up by the club's medical department.

An update regarding the health of James Rodríguez pic.twitter.com/A3RKWE21AN

— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) April 6, 2026

Rodriguez's contract goes through the end of June, with a club option to extend through the end of the season. Minnesota United have just nine league games, and at least one U.S. Open Cup match, left before MLS breaks for the World Cup.

The Loons have gotten off to a 2-2-2 start to the season, most recently beating the Galaxy in Los Angeles on Saturday 2-1. Minnesota United now sit in ninth place in the Western Conference on eight points. They are next in action on Saturday at San Diego FC, with kickoff slated for 9:30 p.m. CT.

"Our last day of service will be April 11, and we'd truly love to see you before then," Coastal Seafoods announced on Facebook. "Thank you for being part of this chapter with us."

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Founded in south Minneapolis 1985 and purchased by specialty food distributor Fortune Fish in 2016, Coastal Seafoods traded its original Minneapolis location for a much larger space across the street in 2020.

A similar expansion followed in St. Paul, where Coastal Seafoods moved a short distance down Snelling Avenue and reopened in late 2023.

The St. Paul shop's hidden gem restaurant, called The Dive, serves lobster rolls, oysters, fish tacos, soft shell crab sandwiches, heaps of Old Bay-seasoned fries and smash burgers named one of the best in the Twin Cities by Eater.

Coastal Seafood's Minneapolis location will remain open.

Gabryella Liebgott was charged Monday with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in the death of Hassen, 22, who died in the hospital after being struck along the1600 block of Marshall Avenue Northeast in the early hours of Sunday, March 22.

The criminal complaint against Liebgott says that Hassen was "struck with such force that remnants of her clothing were torn from her body and were scattered in the street."

Two women who were in the car with Liebgott allegedly told police that they had all been drinking at the Minneapolis VFW prior to the hit-and-run, while the Star Tribune reports that Liebgott also had a suspended license for failing to pay a traffic fine dating back to 2023.

Video footage from nearby businesses and a parked Tesla showed Hassen and two other women exiting a vehicle parked on Marshall shortly after 3 a.m., with the driver crossing the street while Hassen and another woman – both wearing white dresses – stood near the fog line on the street.

The other woman crossed Marshall "quickly," but Hassen "appeared to turn away from the road" as a vehicle entered the frame, "veering toward the shoulder where [Hassen] was standing."

The complaint says Hassen tried to get out of the way of the car "but didn't have time." The vehicle struck her and then "abruptly maneuvered back into the driving lane of the street.

The impact was "violent," throwing Hassen onto the windshield before she fell beneath the car. The driver then proceeded to speed away southbound on Marshall.

Efforts to identify the vehicle proved unsuccessful initially despite efforts to recreate the driver's route that night and despite a public appeal for information.

But on March 30, investigators were called by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, which said it believes it had found the suspect vehicle – an Infiniti G35 sedan – at an auto shop "that specializes in applying vinyl exterior wraps."

Pictures of the vehicle appeared consistent with the damage likely sustained in the collision with Hassen. Forensic examination of the vehicle turned up traces of blood and white fibers consistent with Hassen's dress.

The auto shop owner says he was contacted on March 23 by a potential customer who wanted to bring her vehicle in for a vinyl wrap but also wanted it to be stored for a period of time, saying the vehicle was damaged but she was ordering parts for repairs at a later date.

The vehicle was dropped off by a woman named "Gabby" sometime on March 24-25. She left the shop with a phone number but never called back to check its status.

Investigators were able to trace the vehicle to a relative of Liebgott's, while the phone number she provided the auto shop was found within cell tower data from the area where Hassen was struck on March 22.

From this information, they were able to trace Liebgott's whereabouts on the night of March 21-22, finding the vehicle parked near the Minneapolis VFW on Lyndale Avenue South between 1:23 a.m. and 2:25 a.m., with Liebgott found to have swiped her ID to enter the premises with two other women that evening.

At 2:03 a.m., Liebgott was seen driving the Infiniti and parking in front of the VFW, at one point standing up through the open sunroof before sitting back down and parking. At 2:25 a.m. she allegedly got behind the wheel and pulled away, with cameras showing the vehicle "speeding recklessly down Lyndale Avenue and swerving into the oncoming lane of traffic."

Numerous cameras followed the car's path into north Minneapolis and then onto southbound Marshall Street Northeast, where it struck Hassen before fleeing onto Hennepin Avenue and Hwy. 280 into St. Paul, where it was lost from camera view.

The two women with Liebgott at the VFW reported that the three of them had been drinking alcohol, but Liebgott was the only one driving that night. Both reported that they were in the car with her when she struck Hassen.

One of the women claimed she was drunk and slipping in and out of sleep on the back seat when she was "startled awake by a powerful collision." She said she asked Liebgott if she had hit something, and she admitted she did and that her mirror was gone, but she continued to speed away.

Both women told police that Liebgott knew she had struck someone that night, and multiple people had urged her to turn herself in. She did not, and instead was arrested on Friday, Apr. 3.

The criminal complaint says she has prior convictions for speeding, driving without a driver's license, and driving with open intoxicants in her vehicle."

"The decision follows a federal court ruling that vacated a federal declaration attempting to restrict gender-affirming care," a hospital spokesperson said in a statement.

"Offering science- and research-based health care to transgender and gender diverse youth is part of Children’s Minnesota’s vision of being every family's essential partner in raising healthier children," the statement continued.

Children's Minnesota is now contacting patient families that were affected by the temporary pause, which began impacting some services Feb. 27.

The pause took effect amid threats from the Trump administration to withdraw federal funding from hospitals that offer certain gender health services to minors, such as puberty-suppressing medications.

A coalition of 21 states, including Minnesota, sued to block the administration from limiting certain health services after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. issued a "declaration" on Dec. 18 regarding the treatment of pediatric gender dysphoria.

In a statement last month, Attorney General Keith Ellison said states are responsible for licensing and regulating medical providers and professional associations used evidence-based research to establish care standards.

"The federal government should not be part of that equation, and there’s no room in Minnesota doctor’s offices for Donald Trump, RFK Jr., and other politicians that want to dictate what healthcare we can and cannot receive," Ellison said.

He continued: "I am pleased to have prevailed in my lawsuit to protect essential healthcare services that allows transgender individuals to be themselves and live with the same dignity that we all deserve."

The American Medical Association (AMA) says gender-affirming care "has been linked to dramatically reduced rates of suicide attempts, decreased rates of depression and anxiety, decreased substance use" and other key benefits.

The AMA has strongly opposed bans on certain types of gender-affirming care, writing in 2021 that it's "inappropriate and harmful for any state to legislatively dictate that certain transition-related services are never appropriate and limit the range of options physicians and families may consider when making decisions for pediatric patients.”

Dijon Jacquez Davis, 19, of Las Vegas, Nevada, is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the killing of Justin "Juice" Marshall in south Minneapolis on July 25.

Marshall, a well-known local DJ and longtime Kowalski's employee who was recognized nationally as one of the country's best grocery baggers, was killed on his 37th birthday when he was shot six times around 2:30 a.m. in front of a bus stop next to Mortimer's Bar.

According to the criminal complaint, Davis admitted that he'd had a verbal altercation with Marshall and "acted like he was driving away, then stopped, got out of the car, and chased [Marshall] around the bus shelter" before shooting him.

Under a pending plea deal, Davis will be sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison for Marshall's murder.

"My thoughts are with Justin's family as they finally have some answers from today's guilty plea," said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. "This came together over the last few days, but Mr. Davis has taken responsibility and will now be serving his time for Justin's murder. Numerous people were victimized by Mr. Davis during this period in 2025, but none more so than Justin, his family, and the community that loved him and we wanted to ensure they had their own day in court."

Davis is also charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder in connection with a June 10 shooting at a Minneapolis apartment building.

He's facing other felony charges for a series of robberies and carjackings he's accused of carrying out during a two-week crime spree that included Marshall's murder.

In one case, he's accused of carjacking a Domino's Pizza delivery driver at gunpoint behind the restaurant on Hiawatha Avenue.

According to CBS News, those cases are expected to be resolved after his May 7 sentencing in the murder case.

In a statement Monday, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara called Marshall's murder a "heartbreaking and senseless act of violence that took a beloved member of our community."

He continued: “Justin Marshall’s life mattered. While news of charges will not alleviate the pain of the loss his family and friends have endured, it does bring some soothing for the longing for justice they have demanded."

Brian Stewart Gay, 36, of Hastings, was charged last week with seven counts with soliciting a child through electronic communications, which followed an undercover operation last month by the Carver County Sheriff's Office.

A detective used social media platforms and online chats using photographs of a young female, and received a message on March 4 from Gay via Reddit, the charges allege.

Gay, a paraprofessional at Burnsville STEP Academy, sent a message to the "female" asking whether she was open to new friends.

The undercover officer responded, and identified as being 15-years-old. Gay continued to message her despite being told the age, and suggested taking a night drive together and "see if we wanna get close or explore some kink."

He then told the undercover officer when they met, he would "start teaching" the female about his sexual preferences, which include "fetishes that range from as simple as spanking to as intense as sexual slavery."

Further messages continued in later March, with Gay making further suggestions of sexual contact, as well as asking whether the "girl" was on birth control.

Gay allegedly arranged to meet the undercover officer in Chanhassen on April 2. He was met by police and arrested. After being read his rights, Gay allegedly admitted to "engaging in text and Reddit conversations" with the undercover officer.

Hudson's retirement in September was announced Monday by Gov. Tim Walz, who said she "stands among the giants of Minnesota history."

Walz appointed Hudson to the role of chief justice in October 2023, as she became the first person of color to ascend to the position. She joined the Supreme Court in 2015 via appointment by then-Gov. Mark Dayton, having previously served on the Court of Appeals since 2002.

Although her term expires in 2031, Hudson, 69, is approaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 for Minnesota judges.

"Chief Justice Hudson stands among the giants of Minnesota history. She will be remembered not only for the glass ceilings she shattered but for a lifetime of service to those seeking fairness and justice in our courts," Walz said.

"The rule of law is stronger than ever in Minnesota, and it is in no small part due to her steady leadership. We thank Chief Justice Hudson for upholding and advancing our democracy and celebrate a career marked by profound integrity, wisdom, and grace."

Hudson earned her B.A. from Arizona State University and her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, before starting her legal career with the Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Service in 1982.

"When Governor Walz appointed me to this position, I knew my time as Chief Justice would be relatively short, given Minnesota’s mandatory retirement age for judges," Chief Justice Hudson said on Monday.

"Even so, I have been deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead the Minnesota Judicial Branch during this chapter. To serve in this role has been a profound honor, and I am thankful for the trust that was placed in me."

Details on the selection of Hudson's successor will be "forthcoming," Walz's announcement says.

This year’s maximum extent narrowly beat last year’s record low, but was statistically a tie with last year. Either way, it’s bad news for the Arctic and the global climate system.

While sea ice expanded beyond its normal extent southwest of Alaska in the Bering Sea, thanks to a late winter and early spring cold snap, virtually everywhere else in the Arctic was behind normal lines of extent (orange line).

When you look at individual regions, it may not seem like a lot of space is missing ice. But let’s take a reference point like Lake Superior. That’s an area we Minnesotans know well and understand just how huge it is. Now consider how you can fit quite a few Lake Superiors into the regions between where ice formed this winter maximum and where it should be.

The amount of ice below normal this winter maximum in the Arctic was nearly the size of two Texases, 1.8 Texases to be precise. That’s a huge area. All of that area is open ocean, dark in color from space, rather than bright ice or snow. This means all that extra area is absorbing up to 90 percent of solar radiation instead of reflecting it. That gives a large portion of the ocean a head start on warming, which already makes it more difficult for ice to form again in the autumn.

All of this is consistent with trends over recent decades. If any of these record-low years were just anomalies or blips, then the trend would not be this clear:

Every single decade, at all points in the year, has seen less and less sea ice than the previous decades at the same time period.

For anyone still doubting the warming of our planet, and there are now very few, even fossil fuel interests acknowledge that the planet is warming. The debate now is about how severe it is and how much humans are to blame. This is clear evidence.

The planet’s central air conditioning unit needs major repair. The reason we focus so much on Arctic sea ice loss is because it acts as a major check and balance on the planet’s heat budget. Less ice means more sunlight is absorbed. Less ice also means warmer water, which makes it harder for ice to form again in the fall and winter. This is what we call a feedback loop.

2026 also appears to be transitioning into an El Niño year, potentially a very strong one. This likely means a new record-warm year for the planet, with consequences in the Arctic and beyond.

Mackenzie Tannhauser suffered the heart attack and a spinal stroke in early March, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. The news meant that Tannhauser could not get married to her now husband, Eric Pfaff, in the April 24 ceremony they had planned.

Instead, the couple was married in a hospital room ceremony attended by a small group of friends and family on March 13. 

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Pfaff has created a GoFundMe to help the couple pay for medical bills, rehab costs, relocation to accessible housing and transportation. 

According to a Friday update on the GoFundMe, a donor for Tannhauser’s heart transplant had been identified, with surgery taking place the same day. 

On Saturday, Pfaff wrote that the surgery was a success and that doctors were "cautiously optimistic" about Tannhauser’s condition. 

“She is in good spirits and feels wonderful about the surgery, and is resting, breathing on her own with no assistance,” Pfaff wrote.

Pfaff previously revealed that his wife received her first heart transplant at the age of 17, and for the past 15 years had “lived life to the fullest."

Trellis Hospitality announced the new kitchen and bar will open in May in the Viking Lakes development, bringing a focus on "elevated comfort food" and cocktails.

“We set out to build a place that’s comfortable, but done well. Somewhere you can meet for a drink, sit down for a great meal, and actually want to stay, whether you’re coming from work, a game, or the neighborhood," Ben Berry, operations and business development director with Trellis Hospitality, said in an news release.

The now-closed Lago Tacos opened this past July in the 6,000-square-foot restaurant space, which features a large bar and expansive outdoor patio.

According to the Copper & Rye team, guests can expect "familiar favorites" on the menu and a focus on high-quality ingredients.

In addition to Southern Social restaurants, Trellis Hospitality owns the Tamarack Tap Room in Woodbury, Barely + Vine in Lakeville, Woolley’s Kitchen & Bar in Bloomington, the Jordan Supper Club in Jordan, and Steele & Hops in St. Anthony.

The nine-minute video was released with no further comment from the city on Monday morning, which comes after major pushback and criticism of ICE over the conduct of its agents, and the Trump administration for its highly dubious explanation for the shooting.

The incident on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 14, resulted in Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis being shot in the leg by an ICE agent who had tackled his cousin, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, in the front yard of their home on the 600 block of 24th Avenue North.

The video shows an individual believed to be Sosa-Celis standing outside the home on the phone, and at one point holding what appears to be a shovel in his hand, before Aljorna's vehicle is seen crashing at the end of the block with an ICE SUV positioned immediately behind it.

Sosa-Celis then runs back towards the entrance, throwing the shovel away towards the side of the house before running back to grab a small item from the ground. Moments later, Aljorna is seen sprinting towards the property. He trips into the snowy front yard, with the ICE agent jumping on top of him.

The man believed to be Sosa-Celis then appears to return as he, Aljorna and the ICE agent have a brief struggle near the entrance to the home, with Sosa-Celis picking up Aljorna as they escape into the house.

The ICE agent is then shown standing up and pointing something towards the house. The video does not clearly show when the gun is fired, but Minnesota BCA investigators subsequently found a bullet hole in the front door and a casing from inside the home, which contained multiple family members including children.

The ICE officer is joined by colleagues at the scene. Video taken by other witnesses in the aftermath of the shooting show federal agents firing flash bangs into the property, which they then entered.

The response from the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the shooting was among the more prominent examples of the federal government giving questionable and in some cases outright false accounts of ICE actions during Operation Metro Surge.

In the immediate aftermath, the DHS claimed that three men "violently assaulted" agents with a shovel and broom during a “targeted” pursuit, prompting an unnamed agent to fire his gun in self-defense, striking Sosa-Celis.

Different accounts were provided by defense attorneys and witnesses, who argued that the agent shot through the front door of the apartment rather than outside of the building, and that Sosa-Celis was not the intended target of the ICE operation.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/om3uf5XgMr8

The DHS website still proclaims to this day that the ICE agent was assaulted by three men, despite witness testimony and today's footage showing that only two were involved.

In mid-February, Minnesota U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen filed a motion Thursday to dismiss the charges Sosa-Celis and Aljorna without prejudice, saying that "newly discovered evidence … is materially inconsistent with the allegations" in a criminal complaint related to the Jan. 14 incident.

ICE chief Todd Lyons then told Politico that two agents involved may have lied in their sworn testimony, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In the hours that followed Sosa-Celis' shooting, there were clashes between local police and protesters, which came after federal agents deployed tear gas and flash bangs towards protesters who had gathered around the scene of the shooting before leaving the scene to local authorities.

Sosa-Celis' shooting was one of three carried out by federal immigration agents during Operation Metro Surge. It came a week after Renee Good was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, and 10 days before Alex Pretti was killed by border patrol agents in south Minneapolis.

It's still a week out, but the National Weather Service says the models are in "remarkable agreement for a forecast 7-10 days away." If the models are accurate, it could mean a multi-day soaking is in the works Sunday-Wednesday next week.

Will it be Minnesota? Iowa? Wisconsin? All of them?

"Precipitation looks to persist into the start of the week and perhaps last as long as the entirety of Monday through early Wednesday," the National Weather Service says, noting the "remarkable consistency" in the models showing a surface low stalling over the region.

Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard says there could be a broad area that sees 1-3 inches of rain, along with potential for severe weather.

"Potentially a stormy setup for the weekend as we see dew points really increase for the first time this season, in the 50s to near 60, which could create some thunderstorms," Sundgaard says.

"The weekend system is looking more impressive as far as the actual amount of water we could see out of this system," Sundgaard continued. "Dew points in the 50s here by Sunday-Monday, and that is enough. It doesn't have to be super humid, just 50s or higher, to create enough instability that we could see thunderstorms, maybe even our first chance of severe weather."

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center hasn't put Minnesota, Iowa, or Wisconsin in a zone for severe storms just yet, but it does mention that "scattered severe storms will be possible from Monday into Monday night from the southern Plains northward into [the] Upper Midwest."

Sundgaard says thunderstorms, at least for now, are most likely on Monday.

"We've certainly been seeing severe weather just to our south, in Iowa and Illinois, already a couple of times this season. It may be our turn here," Sundgaard said.

Here is what's in Sven's video forecast today:

• COLD START to the week with temps 10 to 25 degrees below normal
• Clipper-system brings some showers Tuesday night into Wednesday
• Warmer by Wednesday also: near 60-degrees
• A slow-moving upper low could create storms later in the weekend/early next week:
• Temps will be near 70 with dew points climbing into the 50s creating some instability

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BMTN Note: Weather events in isolation can't always be pinned on climate change, but the broader trend of increasingly severe weather and record-breaking extremes seen in Minnesota and across the globe can be attributed directly to the rapidly warming climate caused by human activity. The IPCC has warned that Earth is "firmly on track toward an unlivable world," and says greenhouse gas emissions must be halved by 2030 in order to limit warming to 1.5C, which would prevent the most catastrophic effects on humankind. You can read more here.

Kingdom Embassy Worship Center, the church based at 6 Interlachen Rd. in Hopkins, announced a giveaway of up to $30-worth of gas to the first 600 drivers between gas stations in Brooklyn Park and Hopkins on Saturday.

"Gas prices have been astronomical! So we decided to give FREE GAS to the first 600 cars between 2 locations," it said as it announced the promotion. "As we celebrate our Risen Savior Jesus Christ, let’s show love to one another."

Per KSTP, the offer drew "heavy traffic" to the Amoco Gas Station on Brooklyn Boulevard in Brooklyn Park and to the Shell Gas Station at 5 6th Ave. S. in Hopkins.

It comes at a time that household budgets are being pressured by rising gas prices that have followed the military attacks launched against Iran by the United States and Israel towards the end of February.

This has resulted in Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil supplies are trafficked, sending oil prices spiking.

In Minnesota, the average price of regular unleaded as of Monday was $3.57 per gallon, almost $1 more than the average price of $2.65 on Feb. 9.

Diesel has been even harder hit, with the average price this morning standing at $5.08, almost $1.60 per gallon more expensive than a year ago.

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The church on Summit Avenue was the site of an anti-ICE demonstration in January after activists learned David Easterwood, a pastor at the church, led ICE's field office in St. Paul. That incident led to federal charges against nearly 40 people, including journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort.

On Sunday, April 5, protesters were outside the church around 8:35 a.m. "using a blow-horn and yelling loudly, disrupting the church services," St. Paul police spokesperson Alyssa Arcand said in a statement.

St. Paul officers were working contracted overtime at the church and protesters were given "numerous" announcements by officers to stop, or face a citation or arrest, according to Arcand.

Police allege the majority of the protesters complied, but one woman allegedly "did not comply and was arrested by officers for interference with religious observance, and Saint Paul City Ordinances 293.02 and 293.07."

MPR News spoke with one of the protesters, Gaz Mulvaney, who said the group was peacefully protesting and followed police's orders to keep the noise down by immediately shutting their speakers off.

"There was no need for this to happen," Mulvaney told MPR.

The Star Tribune spoke to the woman's defense attorney, who said Ramsey County District Judge Maria Mitchel cited a lack of probable cause in dismissing the charges.

Stanley's Northeast Bar Room shared pictures of the wreckage at the restaurant/bar at 2500 University Ave. NE. Monday morning, showing a red Chevy Silverado struck the window to the right of one of the entrances.

The impact left debris strewn at one end of the business' bar room, including smashed glass and remnants of the wall.

Despite this, Stanley's says its closure will only be temporary, and it should be ready to reopen by 3 p.m. Monday.

"Well ... that's one way to get a table," it posted. "Car vs. building: car wins."

There's no information at this time on the cause of the crash and whether any injuries were sustained by the driver.

Bring Me The News has reached out to Minneapolis PD for more details.

Stanley's was facing potential closure just last year due to planned Minnesota Department of Transportation construction on the University Avenue and Lowry Avenue Northeast intersection, which was intended to to reduce the rate of crashes.

The initial proposal would have seen MnDOT acquire the Stanley's building via eminent domain to complete the work, but that proposal was scrapped after an outpouring of public support.

The construction plans shifting the redesign for the intersection further south, to allow the Stanley's building to remain where it is.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.

Friday marked 44 years since Ted Dengerud was last seen leaving a bar near Sunburg. 

According to the Swift County Sheriff’s Office, Dengerud and a friend had traveled to the Twin Cities to inquire about a construction job on April 3, 1982. 

When the two returned to the area later that day, they arrived at a bar near Sunburg on the Swift-Kandiyohi County lines. 

Dengerud’s friend sat at the bar while he purchased a six-pack of beer. Dengerud had brief conversations inside the bar before leaving alone, according to the sheriff’s office. 

On the way back from the bar, Dengerud stopped at a nearby home to ask for directions, which included one turn before his destination. The interaction marked the last time Dengerud was seen. 

Dengerud’s car was later found at an intersection south of Camp Lake smashed against a tree. The car was seven miles northwest of Dengerud’s destination. 

Officials estimate the car crashed at around midnight. 

The sheriff’s office says it continues to investigate the case. Anyone who may have been in the area and remembers seeing Dengerud at the bar or his crashed car is encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office. 

“Ted’s family has been waiting 44 years for answers, and we are determined to find out what happened,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a social media post.

Why do the Lynx have the No. 2 overall pick?

The Lynx traded their original first-round pick to the Sun, which would've been 15th overall. They acquired the No. 2 overall pick in a trade with the Sky last year. The deal sent the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 draft, which became Hailey Van Lith, to Chicago, and the Sky's 2026 pick to Minnesota. The Sky had the second-worst record in the league last season, which is why Minnesota is now picking No. 2 after the lottery.

Why Betts should be their target

Numerous prospects have received buzz as the potential No. 1 overall pick this year. Spanish forward Awa Fam, UConn guard Azzi Fudd, TCU guard Olivia Miles and Betts are at the top of that list.

Betts just averaged 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.8 blocks in six NCAA Tournament games. She led UCLA to its first-ever championship in the NCAA era, and she was awarded Most Outstanding Player.

Lauren Betts is so freaking good at basketball.

Admittedly, I’ve never seen Awa Fam play, but I don’t really understand how/why Betts is not the overwhelming favorite to go No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft. Such a talented player.

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) April 5, 2026

Fudd's Huskies were upset in the national semifinals against South Carolina, and TCU lost in the Elite Eight round against the Gamecocks. Both guards are dynamic talents with bright professional futures, but players like Betts don't come around often.

At 6-foot-7, Betts would immediately be one of the tallest players in the WNBA, but she's much more than that. She's a really impressive passer for her size, with 3.2 assists per game this season. She obviously uses her height to be an elite rebounder, shot-blocker and physically imposing offensive presence, but she's a fluid athlete on both ends of the floor.

Betts didn't have many peers at the college level in terms of players who can match her size, which has raised questions about how her skills might translate. Cheryl Reeve helped Sylvia Fowles and Rebekah Brunson have tremendous careers in Minnesota as elite post players, so it's going to be hard to find a system more qualified to develop Betts at the professional level.

The Dallas Wings hold the No. 1 overall pick in the April 13th draft, so Betts obviously has to still be on the board in order for the Lynx to bring her to Minnesota. There are plenty of reasons to think why Fam or Fudd could be the first selection. If that happens, Minnesota should run the card in to take Betts.

Betts' fit on Minnesota's roster

The Lynx are coming off a 2025 season where they had the best regular-season record in the league, but lost in the semifinals of the playoffs. Star forward Naphessa Collier is expected to re-sign with the franchise as a free agent this spring, and Betts would be the perfect young star to put next to her in the frontcourt.

The brand new CBA will give the Lynx a ton of questions in free agency this offseason, but Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Natisha Hiedeman and DiJonai Carrington made a talented backcourt last season. They need help in the frontcourt.

Bringing in a dominant post presence like Betts to put alongside Collier would be an intriguing duo to lead Minnesota into the new era of the WNBA.

According to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, deputies and fire crews responded to a house fire on the 5700 Block of Marble Avenue in Mt. Iron just after 10 p.m. 

While initial reports stated that some of the home's occupants were unaccounted for, first responders were able to find everyone once at the scene.

The sheriff’s office, citing conversations with family members, determined that the fire was caused by a 10-year-old playing with a lighter and an aerosol can. 

One of the homeowners was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene. 

The home is considered a total loss, according to the sheriff’s office. The Red Cross was called in to help the family. 

🧢🧢🧢 pic.twitter.com/BQTFgbvrY0

— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 5, 2026

Minnesota (44-21-12) is up 100 points, only two behind the Dallas Stars (45-20-12) for second place in the Central Division with five games to go. It's a critical battle, as the team that finishes in second place will undoubtedly have home-ice advantage in a best-of-seven playoff series against the other.

Kaprizov's winning shot came after Patrick Kane, one of the best players in American hockey history, blatantly tripped Quinn Hughes away from the play with 3:37 left in the third period, and not long after, the Red Wings rallied to tie the game after falling behind by three goals.

Minnesota trailed 1-0 after one period, only to send the Red Wings into the second intermission to the sound of home fans booing them off the ice after the Wild scored four times in the middle frame.

Matt Boldy's 41st goal of the season came just 18 seconds into the second period, and Kaprizov followed 67 seconds later with his 41st goal of the season. Vladimir Tarasenko made it 3-1 with his 22nd goal at 7:03 of the period, and Kaprizov's second goal came at 12:32 of the second.

Detroit came back with three goals in the span of 7 minutes, 18 seconds in the third period, only to have Kane's penalty, which came three minutes after his goal tied the game, proving deadly against Minnesota's fourth-ranked power play.

All eyes are on Minnesota and Dallas as the NHL regular season wraps up between now and April 15, and the biggest game of them all could very well be on Thursday in Dallas when the Stars host the Wild.

At the same time, the Wild need to keep piling up points, starting Tuesday night at home against the Seattle Kraken. Dallas is also in action Tuesday at home against the Calgary Flames.

The Winona County Sheriff’s Office and several other agencies conducted an operation on the river on Saturday as part of an ongoing search for 72-year-old Patricia Sweningson. 

Crews searched the area between the Winona Levee and Lock and Dam 6 using sonar equipment, underwater remote-operated vehicles, and K-9s, but did not locate anything of significance, according to the sheriff’s office. 

Sweningson was last seen in downtown Winona in mid-March. She is described as 5’6” and weighing 110 pounds. 

"This was a comprehensive, multi-agency search effort utilizing specialized resources to thoroughly examine the river area," Winona County Emergency Management Director Ben Klinger said in a statement. 

"While we did not locate any new evidence today, we remain committed to continuing the investigation and supporting the ongoing efforts led by the Winona Police Department."

Anyone with information on Sweningson’s location is encouraged to call the Winona Police at 507-457-6302.

On March 31, the United States Department of Agriculture announced changes to the National Forest Service, including moving the agency’s headquarters from Washington D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Minnesota is home to the Superior and Chippewa National Forests. 

As part of the reorganization, the USDA says 57 research facilities across the country will be shut down. The announcement lists stations in Grand Rapids and Ely among those set to close. 

The Forest Service’s St. Paul facility is not affected by the closures, according to the announcement. 

Ely is home to the Kawishiwi Research Station in the Kawishiwi Experimental Forest and has not housed Forest Service employees for several years, according to MPR. It is unclear how or if the announcement will affect that research station, which is being leased by the Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps to conduct training. 

A USDA spokesperson told MPR that the changes will take place over the next one or two years and that Forest Service employees affected by the reorganization will be relocated. 

The reorganization also means the USDA will shift to a “state-based organizational model” in which a designated Forest Service office will oversee select states. 

An office in Madison, Wisconsin, will oversee Minnesota as well as Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Missouri.

After highs on Sunday approach 50 degrees in the Twin Cities, Monday will be colder as air temps struggle to get out of the 30s. That will set the stage for a cold Tuesday morning, which the weather service says could possibly be "our last time in the teens until next winter."

Wednesday will be warmer with a chance for showers and thunder, although snow or a wintry mix can't be ruled out for far northern Minnesota.

Big precipitation-maker next weekend?

If you're sick of snow and freezing rain, the storm system set to move through the area in the next weekend window looks to be warm enough to avoid frozen precipitation.

"There is increasing confidence for a potential corridor of heavy precipitation to set up from Texas to the Great Lakes April 12-13," says the National Weather Service in Duluth.

"Periodic rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms are possible, but uncertainty is high on whether or not it would make it as far north as the Northland. If heavy rain occurs, it could enhance snowmelt and runoff, increasing area streamflow and river levels. It could also help alleviate ongoing drought."

As the weather service notes in Sunday's forecast discussion, most of the models are showing widespread precipitation late Friday through the weekend, though the exact storm track is yet to be determined.

"For now, expect to see some wet weather towards the latter part of the week and next weekend, with some warmer temperatures as well," the weather service said.

When looking at the ensembles, which represent an average of dozens of possible outcomes, the European, American, and Canadian models are all putting down some significant precipitation (all rain) over the region.

Since it's April, severe weather becomes a possibility this far north. Iowa and southern Wisconsin have already had a taste of severe storms this spring, and it won't be too much longer before Minnesota gets in on the act.

We're still a week away, but the European model is hinting at dew points around 60 as far north as the Twin Cities next Sunday.

Could severe storms happen next weekend? It's too early to say, but it can't be ruled out.

But there are more intimate-feeling shows out there too, like Califone, Evicshen, and an album release show from alone-a.

Here are shows worth catching around the Twin Cities this week.

Califone

Wednesday, April 8, at Turf Club

For many fans, there's almost something mythic about Tim Rutilli and his band. Califone is simultaneously alt-country, rock, bluegrass, and psychedelic. Almost anything can happen on one of their LPs, from odd experiments, broad concepts, and living room-close warmth. The latter is present in their recent companion albums, "Villagers" and last year's "The Villager's Companion." Zak Sally (of Low) will open with a set of The Bee Gees covers.

A night earlier, GWAR will bring its grotesque costumes and blood buckets to First Avenue. After more than 40 years and dozens of lineup shifts, they're still reveling in chaotic, funny, heavy live shows and have managed to stay relevant. Max Cavalera's Soulfly opens, along with King Parrot.

Florence and the Machine

Wednesday, April 8, at Target Center

Florence Welch is bringing her gilded pop anthems to the Target Center for the first date of the band’s North American tour in support of last fall's “Everybody Scream.”

Welch’s art pop project has always orbited around her powerful voice, and the new album is no different, even if there’s a touch more navel gazing about pop stardom. But retains the thoughtful edge that has made her stand out, including immersive flourishes and driving guitars. It's not surprising that parts of the album were written in collaboration with Idles’ Mark Bowen, The National’s Aaron Dessner, and Mitski.

Lady Gaga

Thursday, April 9, and Friday, April 10, at Grand Casino Arena

Little monsters rejoice. Lady Gaga is bringing a second leg of the Mayhem Ball tour to the Twin Cities. The Grammy, Oscar, and Emmy-winner will close out the long, long trek over two nights at Grand Casino Arena.

While "Mayhem" has been out for more than a year, she's still celebrating the record, which landed on a lot of year-end lists and earned her a Grammy and a VMA nomination.

alone-a album release

Thursday, April 9, at The Cedar Cultural Center

Sound artist and musician Alana Horton is celebrating the release of her debut album, "a veil, a prism." It's a warm, atmospheric record that centers on her rich vocals, which are processed, sampled, and looped throughout the record's nine tracks with great delicacy and emotion. She'll be joined by sound artist Kenan Serenbetz and the Duluth-based percussionist and composer Zack Baltich.

Arturo Sandoval

Friday, April 10, at The Dakota

There aren't many musicians who are as decorated as Arturo Sandoval. The 76-year-old trumpeter has played alongside mentor Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Stan Getz, John Williams, and Alicia Keys, on top of nearly a dozen Grammys and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Sandoval is a tireless legend who will release a new album, "Sangú," in May. The funky Afro-Cuban track "Scat" was shared last month as a tease for the album and upcoming residencies in Los Angeles and New York.

On Thursday and Friday, the Minnesota Orchestra is joined by violinist Leila Josefowicz and conductor John Storgårds for a program that features Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, as well as John Adams' Violin Concerto.

Twice

Sunday, April 12, at Grand Casino Arena

It’s going to be a massive night for Twin Cities K-pop fans. Twice is considered to be the biggest K-pop group to bring a tour to the Twin Cities.

Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu’s 2026 trek has them performing on a 360-degree stage, bringing an up-close-and-personal feel to shows that have a heavy dose of songs from their most recent record, "This Is For." And, yes, they have been playing "Strategy" and "Takedown" from "Kpop Demon Hunters" on their tour.

Less choreography and glitz will accompany Victoria Shen, aka Evicshen, when the San Francisco-based noise artist arrives at Cloudland Theater on Sunday.

Concerts on Monday, April 6

• Skullcrusher at Turf Club
• Niko Moon at The Fillmore
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo at The Dakota
• Krooked Kingz at 7th St. Entry
• Making Music: Mark Wheat interviews JG Everest at Berlin
• Erik Koskinen and the Helsinki Club with The Go Rounds at Icehouse’s Starlight Room
• Roe Family Singers at 331 Club (free)

Concerts on Tuesday, April 7

• Gwar with Soulfly and King Parrot at First Avenue
• Marissa Nadler at 7th St. Entry
• An Evening with Yagody at The Cedar Cultural Center
• Tierney Sutton and Tamir Hendelman Duo at The Dakota
• Lala Lala with Mother Soki at Zhora Darling
• The Knife Kickers with Issy, Zola, and Jackson Atkins at Pilllar Forum
• Tierney Sutton & Tamir Hendelman Duo at The Dakota
• Paranoid Jazz Androids at Indeed Brewing
• The Infernos at 331 Club (free)
• The New Halvoline Supremes at The White Squirrel Bar (free)

Concerts on Wednesday, April 8

• Florence and the Machine with Rachel Chinouriri at Target Center
• Califone at Turf Club
• On Cinema: The Certified “Five Bags of Popcorn” Tour at The Fitzgerald Theater
• An Evening with Loudon Wainwright III and Chris Smither at The Cedar Cultural Center
• An Evening with Jimmy Webb with Pete Mancini at The Parkway Theater
• Carly Cosgrove with Leisure Hour and Summerbruise at 7th St. Entry
• Slosylove & Slack / Peterson / Haneman / Gumm at Berlin
• The Silos 40th anniversary tour at Icehouse
• Based Negative Squad with Christ Dillinger, Acid Souljah, ZATOKAI, and theDEA at Zhora Darling
• Sewage of Youth, Quarter Moon, and Velvet Ghoul at Underground Music Venue
• Judith Owen at The Dakota
• Molly Maher & Her Disbelievers at The White Squirrel Bar (free)
• Mary Cutrufello at 331 Club (free)

Concerts on Thursday, April 9

• Lady Gaga at Grand Casino Arena
• alone-a album release with Zack Baltick and Kenan Serenbretz at The Cedar Cultural Center
• The Maine at First Avenue
• Minnesota Orchestra: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 at Orchestra Hall
• Third Day with Zach Williams at Target Center
• Robyn Hitchcock “Live and Electric - Full Band Shows” at Turf Club
• Worry Club with Edgehill and Bugsy at Zhora Darling
• Together Pangea and The Red Pears at Fine Line
• Colby Acuff at 7th St. Entry
• Takuya Kuroda at The Dakota
• Gifted Handz - live album recording at Berlin
• The Way Back Yard at Aster Cafe
• Sunken Planes with Dashed and Field Hospitals at Pilllar Forum
• IV and the Strange Band with Clownvis Presley and King Sickabilly at The Hook and Ladder
• Dean Magraw and Davu Seru at Jazz on LaFond
• Damn Tall Buildings at The Parkway Theater
• Georgia Jacobson, mezzo soprano, and Ryan Wolfe, baritone at Landmark Center’s Courtroom 317 (free)
• Thomas Sticha at The White Squirrel Bar (free)
• Joe Hysell at 331 Club (free

Concerts on Friday, April 10

• Lady Gaga at Grand Casino Arena
• Arturo Sandoval at The Dakota
• Minnesota Orchestra: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 at Orchestra Hall
• John Mulaney at The Armory
• Morgan Wallen at U.S. Bank Stadium
• Matt McCusker at The Fitzgerald Theater
• Health and Carpenter Brut at First Avenue
• KxllSwxtch with Warlord Colossus and Druidess at Fine Line
• Andrew Brady and Sang Yoon Kim Play Strauss’ Duet-Concertino at Ordway Concert Hall
• Fantastic Negrito at The Cedar Cultural Center
• Two Harbors, Madrean Sky, and Tender Comrade at Cloudland Theater
• Stage Fright: A Tribute to Bob Dylan and the Band at The Hook and Ladder
• The Back Alley and Easy Honey at Zhora Darling
• Favourite Girl album release with Sarah Morris & Sallyforth at The Parkway Theater
• Emily Haavik and The International Treasures at Icehouse
• Getdown Services at 7th St. Entry
• Alex Hitchcock Quartet at Berlin
• The Koffin Kats with Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy and The Rumours at Turf Club
• GoldFord at Varsity Theater
• Lisa Curtis with anni xo and IAMJOY at Pilllar Forum
• Mill City Hot Club at Berlin (free)
• Brunch with Bright Young Things at The White Squirrel Bar (free)
• Lost Evidence with Pencil Neck and Surrounded by Water at The White Squirrel Bar (free)
• OVRFWRD at 331 Club (free)

Concerts on Saturday, April 11

• Devotchka: Tribute to the Music of “Little Miss Sunshine” at First Avenue
• John Mulaney at The Armory
• Madison Cunningham at The Fitzgerald Theater
• Gary Owen at State Theatre
• Morgan Wallen at U.S. Bank Stadium
• Bloodywood at Varsity Theater
• Cat Clyde at Turf Club
• Andrew Brady and Sang Yoon Kim Play Strauss’ Duet-Concertino at Saint Paul’s United Church of Christ
• Oda Voltersvik at American Swedish Institute
• Afromatic feat. Brandyn Lee Tulloch and Poetic Roots, OsaDerae, DJ Faaji, Le Ru, and YG SOLO at The Cedar Cultural Center
• Letdown with Blame My Youth, Youth Year, and Luchiano at The Hook and Ladder
• Austin Mackay at The Underground Music Venue
• Ryan Caraveo at Fine Line
• Johnnyrook with Rad Owl, Drown the Lifeguard, and Exactlyno at Pilllar Forum
• Take 6 at The Dakota
• Via with Sunshine Behavior and Dead Amsterdam at Zhora Darling
• Rusko at The Loft at Skyway Theatre
• Katy Tessman, Samantha Grimes, and Mother Banjo at Dusty’s Bar
• New Jazz Underground at Berlin
• Malamanya at Uptown VFW
• Jennifer Grimm and Joe Cruz at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Plymouth
• Skizzy Mars at Green Room
• New Jazz Underground at Berlin
• The Brook and the Bluff at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
• Logan Michael at 7th St. Entry
• Jambalaya at Widespot Performing Arts Center
• Rebecca Lake Fritz with Deep Pool at The White Squirrel Bar (free)
• Battery Eyes, Spit Takes, Busey, and Selfish Teammate at 331 Club (free)

Concerts on Sunday, April 12

• Twice at Grand Casino Arena
• Throwing Muses with Transmission’s DJ Jake Rudh at The Parkway Theater
• John Mulaney at The Armory
• Evicshen and Lee Noble at Cloudland Theater
• Minnesota Jazz Legends Concert with Arne Fogel, Gary Raynor, and Gary Gauger at Minnesota History Center
• Hunter Hayes with Franklin Jonas and the Byzantines at Fine Line
• Thoughts on Bowling and Adjust the Sails with halftimeshow and MooseCreek Park at Pilllar Forum
• Dobet Gnahoré at The Dakota
• Al Olender - The Worrier with Ahna Ell at Icehouse
• Virginia’s Basement, Station Zero, Sonic Sea Turtles, and Weeklong Weekend at Zhora Darling
• Washington Express residency with Kevin Washington and Ra Spirit at Berlin
• Products Band, Sophie Hiroko, Anything You Want, and Stonewalker at Underground Music Venue
• Jammy Buffet at 7th St. Entry
• Southside Student Mutual Aid Matinee Fundraiser feat. Sweet Rhubarb, Papa John Kolstad and the Poppettes, Sunsets Over Flowers, and Green at The Hook and Ladder
• Obi Original and the Black Atlantics at Icehouse
• Emmy Woods at 331 Club (free)
• Lodge at The White Squirrel Bar (free)

The Minnesota Zoo's Farm Babies event is returning to the Wells Fargo Family Farm from April 25 through May 17, with a little more tiny animal fun than most years.

The weeks-long attraction offers the chance to hang out with baby goats, sheep, pigs, llamas, and chicks. New this year, there will also be miniature Highland and White Park cows and miniature donkeys.

In addition to the standard exhibit, there will be special weekend activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Those events include education activities, games, story times, and photo opportunities. 

There will also be an adults-only night, dubbed Cowchella, with the fresh farm critters. The 18+ version of Farm Babies will take place on Saturday, April 25, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It includes live music, cocktails, free carousel rides, goat feeding, a costume contest, and the option to add on a farm-to-table BBQ meal for $40. 

When Farm Babies opens on April 25, it'll be open during regular zoo hours, and admission is included with a standard Minnesota Zoo ticket.

This game meant more to the Senators than it did to the Wild. Ottawa is in the middle of a heated race for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, so this home loss dealt a blow to that pursuit. Minnesota officially clinched a playoff spot on Thursday, and the only thing on the line for the Wild — other than trying to take some momentum into the postseason — is potentially catching the Stars for home-ice advantage in their first-round series.

This was an intense, physical game between two good teams, but the Senators could never put together much sustained pressure on the Wild's net. Although Ottawa had a 34-23 advantage in shots on goal, Minnesota was clearly the more dangerous team in the offensive zone.

Wallstedt came a few minutes from what would've been his fifth shutout of the season. He'll settle for stopping 33 of 34 shots in his 16th victory of the year. The .971 save percentage is his best mark in a start since he recorded shutout No. 4 all the way back on December 12.

The Wild struck first midway through the game's opening period with a Jonas Brodin goal that took a couple fortunate bounces and got past Ottawa's Linus Ullmark. It was Brodin's fourth goal of the year, with assists from Vladimir Tarasenko and Jared Spurgeon.

Later in the period, Hartman's 21st goal of the season made it 2-0, as Mats Zuccarello found him on the back door to cap off an odd-man rush right after the conclusion of a Senators power play. That marked the fourth straight game with a goal for Hartman. And he wasn't done.

Late in the second period, Zuccarello set up Hartman again to make it 3-0. That's two straight games with two goals for the Wild's top-line center, who previously hadn't had a multi-goal game since the season opener. He's scored six times in the last four games and is up to 22 goals on the year.

Hartman and Zuccarello connect for a beauty and it's a 3-0 Wild game. pic.twitter.com/Cq8Yfy0iMN

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 4, 2026

With seven minutes left, Quinn Hughes' 68th assist of the season set up Jake Middleton's second goal of the season. The Senators spoiled the shutout with a Drake Batherson goal with a little over three minutes left, but they didn't have nearly enough time to mount a comeback.

The Wild have another weekend matinee game on Sunday, as they'll take on the Red Wings in Detroit at 12 p.m. CT. Then they'll be back in St. Paul for their penultimate home game of the regular season against the Kraken on Tuesday night.

The company has requested approximately 20,000 square feet above Concourse G in Terminal 1 for the construction of a Delta One Lounge, according to documents from the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which owns and operates the airport. 

Next week, a MAC subcommittee will decide whether to approve $1 million for a feasibility study as part of its capital improvement plan, which will identify structural changes and the estimated cost of the project.

Delta Air Lines did not respond to a request for comment, but has previously confirmed plans to eventually construct a Delta One Lounge at MSP Airport.

The first Delta One Lounge, a step up from the Atlanta-based carrier's Delta Sky Club, was opened at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2024 and has subsequently been rolled out to airports in Boston, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

It was introduced, in part, to help ease crowding in its Delta Sky Clubs and to offer top spenders a luxury experience. The lounges are larger and offer fine dining, wellness areas, a bar, and a market, as well as places to shower and design intended to appeal to travelers paying premium prices.

Those luxury areas are only made available to travelers with a Delta One ticket. Delta Sky Club membership and American Express cardholder credentials have not been given access at the current locations.

Meanwhile, as fuel prices continue to soar as a consequence of the U.S.'s war in Iran, airlines have begun raising baggage fees, even as fares have already been on the rise.

This week, both JetBlue and United Airlines announced steeper baggage fees across the board. Industry experts expect that other airlines will follow suit. 

Both Lowertown Sounds and the rooftop concert series at the Hewing Hotel unveiled their schedule, with lineups that include Dessa, Martin Zellar, Kiss the Tiger, Tina Schlieske, Poliça, Salsa del Soul, and others.

Additionally, Allianz Field has announced plans for its first-ever summer concert series, which includes six tribute band shows outside the stadium.

Here's a look at the shows announced this week, including the return of Sturgill Simpson's Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds project.

Concerts announced in the Twin Cities this week:

• May 14: Joe Pulice Big Band feat. Ricky Peterson at The Dakota
• May 15: Riot Ten at The Loft at Skyway Theatre
• May 17: The Dan Israel Band at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• May 19: Southside Aces: A Night in New Orleans at The Dakota
• May 23: The Kickoff with Papa Mbye, D. Santos, Nectar, and DJ Miguel Vargas at The Cedar Cultural Center’s Cedar Plaza (free)
• May 25: Glen David Andrews at The Dakota
• May 27: Weird Nightmare at Turf Club
• May 29: Obadiah Gamble with Bakkwooddrift at Icehouse
• May 29: Brit Floyd: The Moon, The Wall and Beyond at Allianz Field’s Great Lawn
• May 30: Ms. Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton at The Dakota
• May 30: Machaki with Austeria at The Loft at Skyway Theatre
• May 31: Jon Cleary at The Dakota
• May 31: Gozu and Restless Spirit at 7th St. Entry
• May 31: Al Church at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• June 2: Vincen García at The Dakota
• June 4–5: Taj Mahal and The Phantom Blues Band at The Dakota
• June 4: The Menagerie with Toadstool, Agony in the Living Room, and Milk at 7th St. Entry
• June 4: Leo Middea at Icehouse
• June 4: Dr. Mambo’s Combo, Purple Funk Metropolis, Lips Speak Louder at Mears Park (free)
• June 7: SWAG at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• June 11: Poliça, Sophie Hiroko at Mears Park (free)
• June 13: Artikal Sound System at Turf Club
• June 13: Louiejayxx and Lev3l at The Loft at Skyway Theatre
• June 13: Blank Space: The Unofficial Taylor Swift Tribute Band at Allianz Field’s Great Lawn
• June 14: del Amitri at First Avenue
• June 14: Dessa at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• June 18: An Evening with Van Orman and Helwin with Marc Anderson at The Cedar Cultural Center
• June 18: The New Standards, Black Market Brass at Mears Park (free)
• June 21: Tina Schlieske at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• June 22: John Pizzarelli Trio at The Dakota
• June 25: L.A. Buckner and BiG HOMiE EP release at The Dakota
• June 25: Flamin’ Oh’s, Christy Costello & the CC Club at Mears Park (free)
• June 28: Leanne Morgan at Orpheum Theatre (second show added)
• July 7: Novulent with Babyteeth at 7th St. Entry
• July 8: Corto.Alto with Cool Nel D at Berlin
• July 9: Ashley DuBose, Mae Simpson at Mears Park (free)
• July 12: Going to the Sun at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• July 16: Wax and DJ Hoppa at 7th St. Entry
• July 16: The Scarlet Goodbye, High on Stress at Mears Park (free)
• July 17: Yeah at The Armory
• July 17: Man Man with Death Valley Girls at Turf Club
• July 17: Johnny Dynamite and the Bloodsuckers at Cloudland Theater
• July 17: ford. (live) at 7th St. Entry
• July 23: Salsa del Soul, Tropical Zone Orchestra at Mears Park (free)
• July 24: Mr. Brightside: The Ultimate Killers Experience at Allianz Field’s Great Lawn
• July 26: Rogue Valley at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• July 28: Jukebox the Ghost’s Variety Show Spectacular at Fine Line
• July 30: Pert Near Sandstone, Cole Diamond, Jack Klatt at Mears Park (free)
• July 31: Bohemian Queen: A Tribute to Queen Worldwide and Separate Journeys: A Tribute to Journey at Allianz Field’s Great Lawn
• Aug. 2: Nur-D at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• Aug. 6: Noeline Hoffman at 7th St. Entry
• Aug. 9: Martin Zellar at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• Aug. 12: Riff Wood with Willowake at 7th St. Entry
• Aug. 14: AM Gold Yacht Rock: Featuring Hit Songs from the Late 70s through the Mid-80s at Allianz Field’s Great Lawn
• Aug. 16: The Scarlet Goodbye at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• Aug. 23: Umphrey’s McGee at First Avenue
• Aug. 23: Leslie Vincent and Sarah Morris at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• Aug. 29: Grey Day feat. Suicide Boys, Destroy Lonely, Shakewell, Drain, and more at Mystic Lake Amphitheater
• Aug. 30: ABBAsolutely Fab at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• Sept. 1: Ugly Kid Joe with Platinum Moon at Fine Line
• Sept. 13: Jeremy Messersmith at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• Sept. 18: SuperSonic: North America's Tribute to Oasis at Allianz Field’s Great Lawn
• Sept. 20: Kiss the Tiger at Hewing Hotel rooftop
• Sept. 27: Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds at Grand Casino Arena
• Sept. 29: Artemas at The Fillmore
• Oct. 4: Davina and the Vagabonds at Hewing Hotel Rooftop
• Oct. 15: Friko at 7th St. Entry
• Oct. 21: Baby Bugs with Elliot Lee at 7th St. Entry
• Oct. 29: Akeem Ali at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
• Dec. 4–5: Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet at Orpheum Theatre
• Dec. 11: Dusty Slay at The Fitzgerald Theater

The North Dakota Highway Patrol has announced that Interstate 94 is closed westbound near Medina, where the lanes are "blocked by commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles."

"Plows and wreckers are unable to reach the area due to stranded traffic," the patrol adds, with troopers "pushing through heavy snow to reach stranded motorists."

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"Those currently stranded may not be able to be reached by emergency responders for an undetermined amount of time," it adds, with nearby residents urged to avoid travel.

No travel is advised on I-94 between Fargo and Jamestown, with a wide swath of eastern North Dakota in and around Fargo also under a "no travel" advisory.

In Minnesota, the roads in the northern half of the state – particularly in northwestern Minnesota – are covered or partially covered with snow, which comes after 12 inches of snow had fallen as of noon Saturday, with more still to come.

Minnesota State Patrol spokesperson Jesse Grabow says troopers have been "responding to a number of crashes/spin outs/jackknifed semis" in west-central Minnesota on Saturday morning.

"Roads are snow covered and slippery," he says.

The NWS in Grand Forks suggests snow totals could ultimately reach 16 inches in its forecast region, saying it is "significantly impacting the area."

"The heavy nature of large snow accumulations are resulting in impossible travel, sporadic power outages, and poses a health risk to those removing snow," it warns.

Members of the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force pulled over a vehicle on the 2700 block of Highway 53 in Unincorporated Township 56-17 just after 7 p.m. on March 31, as part of an investigation into meth sales.

Two suspects, identified as Jason Nordin and Nathan Starkey, were arrested during the stop, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office says.

Around 450 grams of methamphetamine was allegedly found during a search of the vehicle, along with a digital scale and drug packaging materials. 

During a search of Nordin’s Duluth’s home, officers allegedly found nine firearms , four of which were stolen.

Additional methamphetamine was also seized along with psilocybin mushrooms, drug packaging and digital scales.

Nordin and Starkey were arraigned in St. Louis County District Court on Friday for first-degree sale of methamphetamine, with bail set at $100,000.

The jeweler's arrival at the Edina mall marks the completion of Southdale Center's long-gestating luxury wing, part of a multi-million-dollar overhaul intended to revitalize the shopping complex. 

The wing officially opened last summer, with a slow roll-out of tenants that started with David Yurman, which relocated from the nearby Galleria. That's the same move Tiffany & Co. has made.

In addition to the luxury wing, the mall's transformation includes revamped public spaces and artwork, more than 50 new stores, and an expansion of its dining options. 

“The opening of Tiffany & Co. and the completion of the luxury wing represent a defining moment for Southdale Center,” says Jonathan Murphy, Co-President, North American Real Estate at Simon Properties, which owns Southdale Center. 

“This milestone reflects both the strength of the Twin Cities market and our continued investment in thoughtfully reimagining the center as a place where luxury, design, and community intersect.”

The opening means that all eight storefronts in the luxury wing are occupied and open. In addition to the jeweler and David Yurman, the wing features Burberry, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Max Mara, Moncler, and Watches of Switzerland. 

Authorities say Irene Lentz went missing Saturday morning. She was located by the Nebraska State Patrol on Saturday afternoon, with 44-year-old Joseph Nicpon being arrested in connection to her suspected abduction.

Wautoma Police Department did not provide information about Lentz other than saying she was found by the Nebraska State Patrol and that Nicpon was taken into custody.

Wautoma PD says Lentz was taken from a different county but is from Watuoma. They were believed to be traveling in a blue Buick Terreza minivan with license plate BCU 3028.

State authorities say they were last seen traveling westbound on I-90 near Sparta in Monroe County, Wisconsin, at 12:55 p.m. on Friday. Sparta is about 30 miles east of the southeastern Minnesota border.

"There is concern for Irene's safety," the alert said.

The FBI was assisting with the investigation into the girl's abduction.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.