Andrea L. Sampson, 35, of Fridley, has been charged with 26 felony counts, including 13 counts of promoting prostitution and 13 counts of receiving profits from prostitution, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday in Hennepin County District Court. Each of the 26 felony charges is associated with 13 women prosecutors say were trafficked through the operation.

Sampson was arrested and booked into the Hennepin County Jail, where she’s being held on $1 million bail, according to jail records.

The Anoka County Attorney’s Office confirmed on Friday that Sampson was an assistant Anoka County attorney and was assigned to family law and civil divisions before the BCA informed the office of its investigation on Feb. 25, 2026. Sampson was immediately placed on administrative leave and subsequently fired on March 9.

Four others are named in the criminal complaint, including Frank D. Reeves, 57, of Champlin, who is also facing 26 felony counts. The others are a 30-year-old woman who was booked into the Hennepin County Jail on Friday afternoon, though criminal charges appear to be pending. The fourth person, a 36-year-old woman, does not appear to be in custody as of this writing.

According to the criminal complaint, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force began investigating the commercial sex trafficking operation in 2021.

Reeves and the 30-year-old woman allegedly recruited women and sold them for sex, with customers arranging to make payments at apartments in Minneapolis, Bloomington, Eden Prairie, and St. Louis Park.

The 36-year-old woman is accused of operating a website called Minnesota Erotica Personals that prosecutors say the group used to advertise the women.

Sampson allegedly provided locations for the commercial sex transactions and helped create and maintain LLCs that prosecutors believe were used as shell companies to move and hide money. Payments for sex acts, often made with cash, were transferred into bank accounts tied to the LLCs, according to the complaint.

Sampson owned two properties in Minneapolis, one on the 3000 block of Harriet Avenue and another on the 2300 block of University Avenue Northeast, where victims were allegedly photographed for advertisements. Sex acts also occurred at her properties, the charges state.

Some of the 13 victims told investigators that they were required to pay the operation a minimum of $100 per sex act. One victim told authorities that she began working for the operation as a 19-year-old in 2022. Another was 18 when she began in 2025.

Multiple victims also accused Reeves of sexually assaulting them, adding that other members of the group witnessed the assaults or blocked the door where the assaults occurred, the charges claim.

Some of the victims were also given alcohol and cocaine, according to the charges, while several victims also reported that a man “yielding a gun showed up at times” to help keep them “in line after management was displeased.”

One of the victims died of an apparent drug overdose at 21 in December 2020.

The charges also state that Reeves, Sampson, and the 30-year-old have been operating assisted-living and autism facilities to collect money.

Phone records obtained by investigators revealed that all three women named in the complaint, including Sampson, believed they were in a romantic relationship with Reeves.

Video shared on social media shows what appears to be hundreds of scooter riders rolling through downtown Minneapolis last weekend. It was part of a scooter takeover that resulted in the Minnesota State Patrol responding to reports of scooter riders on Interstate 35 for a brief period of time.

Law enforcement did not make contact with the riders and did not make any arrests.

In response to the event, which quickly went viral on social media, Lime has implemented new restrictions, while some riders have been banned. The company is also prepared ahead of rumors of another “takeover” event this weekend.

“We will be taking action before, during and after the upcoming event in order to remind riders of the need to ride safely and obey the rules of the road or risk being warned, fined, or banned from our platform,” a Lime spokesperson told Bring Me The News. 

The company has also banned every individual who rode a Lime scooter on a highway and has issued warnings to others who violated the terms of service. 

Lime has also implemented slow zones and no-ride zones in select areas of Minneapolis. 

“We are grateful to the tens of thousands of Minneapolis residents who ride Lime safely and responsibly on a regular basis and we want to remind those involved with these takeovers that breaking the rules negatively impacts everyone who relies on shared vehicles to get around.”

On Wednesday afternoon, a 911 caller reported to authorities that her 81-year-old husband had fallen down a cliff into the riverbank while he was out trimming trees.

The home is located just four miles south of Mankato, near County Road 33 and the Blue Earth River. 

The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office deployed two boats to get to the man, who was on the riverbank. The Mankato Fire Department also deployed its technical rescue team to navigate the terrain and cliffs.

Deputies were able to get to the man, who had bumps and scrapes from falling down the hill. He was treated for minor injuries by Mayo Clinic Ambulance medics at the scene.

The Mann Theatres movie hub in Plymouth is getting an IMAX with Laser screen, it announced on Friday. In a post on social media, the Minnesota-based theater chain, founded in 1935, calls it “one of the biggest upgrades we’ve ever made at Plymouth Mann.”

The change comes on the heels of the enormous IMAX success of “The Odyssey.” Less than a month after its July debut, the Christopher Nolan film has already become the highest-grossing IMAX release of all-time, surpassing 2009’s “Avatar.”

An opening date for the Plymouth screen has not been announced, but its website currently lists future IMAX screenings for “Dune: Part Three,” which will be released in theaters on Dec. 18. Though that does not mean “Dune” will be the first movie it presents in IMAX.

In preparation for the opening, it added a page to its website for alerts on when the screen will make its debut.

Mann Theatres’ announcement adds that its XDX screen isn’t going away, but will move to a new auditorium and get unspecified upgrades of its own.

The IMAX landscape in Minnesota has been up and down, with CMX’s bankruptcy closing a Burnsville screen last summer. That was followed in December by Emagine adding an IMAX screen at its Emagine Lakeville location.

Other IMAX screens can be found at AMC Eden Prairie, AMC Rosedale, AMC Southdale, and the Marcus Galaxy 14 in Rochester.

Mann Theatres currently operates eight theaters in Minnesota, including locations in Baxter, Champlin, Edina, Grand Rapids, Hibbing, Plymouth, and two in St. Paul.

Crema Coffee and Rick’s Coffee Bar, located in the city’s Nokomis East neighborhood, both reported break-ins on Friday morning. In each case, the thieves smashed windows to get into the shops and stole cash from the registers. 

“We are beyond disappointed and saddened that this happened,” a social media post from Rick’s details. “… Rick’s will be CARD ONLY for the foreseeable future since all of our cash was stolen.”

Crema Coffee was also vandalized, with store leadership sharing a photo of employees serving coffee and pastries from the sidewalk on Friday morning. 

Minneapolis City Council Ward 12 member Aurin Chowdhury shared news of the burglaries, adding that she visited the shops along with the Nokomis East Business Association president to check in and offer assistance. 

Chowdhury also encouraged residents to visit the shops in the coming days and weeks to help them recover. 

“Let’s show them we have their back!” Chowdhury said. 

At Allianz Field on Thursday, the mayor unveiled her inaugural city budget, which calls for $887.8 million in operating spending, including $438 million for general fund expenses.

Her’s proposal also would lead to layoffs of three city employees, the closure of the Dayton’s Bluff library, a reduction in recreation center hours, and a 6.8% property tax levy increase, slightly more than last year’s 5.3% increase.

The latter means the owner of a median-value St. Paul home would pay about $58 more a year in property taxes.

The city says a 12% property tax levy increase would have been needed to close the $26 million budget gap without the changes that Her is recommending.

“I have always been honest with residents that we would not be able to reduce property taxes in the near term,” the mayor says in a statement. “We can grow the tax base over the next few years so the cost of providing essential services is shared more broadly.”

Her says the 6.8% hike is “the most responsible outcome we could achieve while protecting the services residents depend on and laying the groundwork for a stronger financial future.”

Across the river, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey just proposed an 11.3% property tax levy increase, which would be the city’s biggest hike since at least 2000.

The two mayors diverge when it comes to police funding as well, with Her hoping to trim the St. Paul Police Department ranks by 11 vacant positions and Frey advocating for an $18 million increase to the Minneapolis Police Department budget.

This is Her’s first budget since taking office at the beginning of 2026 and comes as she’s under investigation for alleged sexual harassment of several city employees, including St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry.

“If this budget address bored you, good,” Her said Thursday. “Good government should be boring.”

“The Tuesday system is looking promising at the moment. But I preface this by saying, so did the system tonight — earlier in the week, it looked promising. So don’t get excited yet,” Sundgaard said Friday.

“But the European model is producing some significant rainfall in central and southern Minnesota, where we need it. But again, until it happens or consistently looks like it might happen, let’s not hold our breath just yet. We definitely need the moisture, though.”

Take a look below at how much rain the European model is dumping on the region early next week.

If this happens, it will help with worsening drought conditions in central and southern Minnesota. This past week has resulted in several close calls, with far southern Minnesota and Iowa getting drenched while the Twin Cities got nothing more than a few brief showers and sprinkles.

According to the National Weather Service, severe storms are not expected with next week’s system.

UNFI will sell Cub stores in Minneapolis, St. Anthony, and Monticello to Jerry’s. Terms of the sale, first reported by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, were not disclosed.

A representative for UNFI tells Bring Me The News that the sale is part of “ongoing efforts to strengthen the business” and provide a consistent shopping experiences across its stores.

Located in the Uptown neighborhood, the Minneapolis store that just sold was temporarily closed for more than two months last summer, worrying many nearby residents that it would never reopen.

Jerry’s currently operates four Cub locations throughout the Twin Cities, with locations in Eden Prairie, Edina, North Branch, Woodbury, and Hudson, Wisconsin.

“Jerry’s has a proven track record of operating high-performing Cub stores and delivering a great experience for shoppers, and this transition will allow for continued investment in these locations while supporting Cub’s efforts to build a strong, more competitive network across Minnesota,” the UNFI statement says.

Rhode Island-based UNFI purchased Cub as part of its 2018 acquisition of Supervalu and later unsuccessfully attempted to sell off the business.

Last year, former Coborn’s Inc. President and COO David Best was named CEO of Cub following consistently negative sales growth under the nearly two-year tenure of his predecessor, per the Star Tribune.

Around that same time, a Cub store shuttered in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood and the Uptown location closed for repairs and maintenance.

The Cub Foods stores purchased by Jerry’s are located at at 1104 Lagoon Ave. in Minneapolis, 3930 Silver Lake Road in St. Anthony, and 216 Seventh St. W. in Monticello.

Jacob Charles Boyd, 39, has been charged with one count of felony criminal vehicular operation resulting in substantial bodily harm, one count of gross misdemeanor criminal vehicular operation resulting in bodily harm, one count of misdemeanor DWI, and one count of misdemeanor open bottle possession in connection with the crash. 

The crash was reported at around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 10, at the intersection of Riverchase Court and Willow Street. A Subaru and a Cadillac had crashed head-on, blocking multiple lanes of traffic, according to the criminal complaint. 

Boyd, identified as the driver of the Subaru, and the two occupants of the Cadillac all received treatment from paramedics at the scene. 

Officers found multiple open containers of alcohol inside the Subaru. When asked what caused the crash, Boyd claimed to have “looked away for one second,” according to the complaint. 

Officers observed that Boyd had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol, and was making incoherent statements. A preliminary blood test on Boyd registered a 0.349 BAC, which is more than four times the legal limit.

Both victims in the Cadillac were hospitalized following the crash. One suffered bleeding from the forehead, a bloody finger, chest pains, and marks from their seatbelt. The other told officers her ribs and sternum had been broken in the crash.  

The criminal complaint notes that Boyd was subject to court supervision at the time of the crash, including a condition prohibiting alcohol consumption. The condition stems from a 2023 domestic assault conviction in Owatonna.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the bat found outside of Lanesboro Elementary School in Lanesboro on Aug. 5 has tested positive for rabies. The bat was discovered at around 5 p.m. at the intersection of Fillmore Avenue South and Kirkland Street East.

MDH urges anyone who may have touched the bat to contact its rabies team at 651-201-5414 for a risk assessment. 

Since bat bites are minuscule and can leave little or no evidence of a wound, officials recommend that people get tested for rabies if there is any chance they had physical contact with a bat. 

Bats, along with skunks, account for most cases of rabies in the state, according to MDH. Bats are most active in Minnesota in August, when young bats leave their maternal colonies.

A rabid bat was also found living among a colony inside a Golden Valley home earlier this month.

Before a federal judge, the 28-year-old said he pretended to be an investor and contacted the Minnetonka-based health insurance company to learn information about the conference that Thompson was attending in New York City, according to multiple national outlets.

Mangione told the court that he wanted to kill Thompson because of the way the health care system treated him as he was diagnosed with a severe and painful back injury, NBC News is reporting.

“I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan,” he reportedly told the judge. “I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.”

The New York Times says family members of Brian Thompson, who lived in Maple Grove, were in the courtroom but did not speak during the hearing.

The family later issued this statement: “While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable.”

“Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime,” the statement continued.

Following the hearing, Mangione’s legal team filed motions seeking to have his separate New York state murder case thrown out on double jeopardy grounds, the Associated Press reports.

Thompson’s killing sparked a widespread manhunt for Mangione, who was caught on surveillance camera waiting outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan for Thompson, who had been employed by UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and at the time of his death was the CEO of its health insurance subsidiary.

The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” an apparent reference to how insurer’s avoid paying claims, were discovered written on shell casings at the scene.

Mangione was eventually arrested at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, roughly 230 miles from Manhattan.

He will be sentenced Dec. 18 on the two federal stalking charges and potentially faces life in prison.

“Brian Thompson’s life was cut short by an act of violence that devastated everyone who knew and loved him,” UnitedHealthcare said in a statement. “We are grateful to law enforcement for bringing Brian’s murderer to justice, and our thoughts remain with Brian’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

On Wednesday, the Chaska Planning Commission gave unanimous approval to a concept plan for a new hotel and Nordic spa at the former Oak Ridge Hotel & Conference Center site. The proposed redevelopment will now go before the city council next week.

Scandvik Hotels, the Canadian-based development company behind the $40 million project, specializes in Scandinavian-style wellness hotels and outdoor Nordic spas.

Scandvik Hotels President Travis Batting told the planning commission that the project would be the first Nordic spa of its size in Minnesota.

The hotel is set to feature 130 rooms and suites, conference and event spaces, a restaurant and lounge, and a traditional spa.

It will also have large, outdoor Nordic spas with thermal bathing experiences, saunas, steam facilities, relaxation spaces, and wellness programming.

“We all want a place to pause in the stressful world that we are at, and that is what we are offering,” Batting said.

If all goes to plan, workers will break ground on the 22-acre development next summer, with doors opening in 2028.

Scandvik Hotels & Nordic Spa in Chaska is expected to create about 100 permanent jobs.

News of the development is welcome for many community members and public safety officials in the city. Closed in September 2020, the former Oak Ridge Hotel & Conference Center has been sitting vacant for years.

The site has since become a hot spot for urban explorers and illegal activity.  Just last week, the Chaska Police Department arrested two people who trespassed on the property.

“Over the past few years, we have responded to more than 100 calls at the property, and many of them include instances of burglary, trespassing, property damage, and other criminal activity,” a post from the department reads.

“Let us be direct: this building is private property. It is not abandoned, and it is not open to the public. The property is actively monitored by live surveillance cameras. If you enter this building, you will be identified, located and you will be charged. Depending on the circumstances, that can mean burglary, trespassing, or criminal damage to property. These are charges that have serious consequences.”

It’s no surprise that many of the highlighted eateries are in the south, but one Minnesota restaurant found its way onto the list: Oro By Nixta

The restaurant by Kate and Gustavo Romero opened in 2023 and has made it a mission to elevate heirloom corn to the star of the show and its consistently enticing Mexican dishes.

It’s not the first time that the Gray Lady has heaped praise onto the Minneapolis restaurant. In 2024, it made the paper’s “Restaurant List,” which highlights what its editors believe to be the country’s best restaurants. 

This new accolade lauds Oro By Nixta as “ambitious but unpretentious,” adding that it’s “one of the reasons Northeast Minneapolis is among the country’s most alluring neighborhoods for dining,” likely referencing some of the other restaurants that the New York Times has repeatedly commended, such as Vinai and Diane’s Place.

“The Romeros raised the bar for quality Mexican cuisine locally with the tortillería they opened during the pandemic, serving tacos off an ironing board on the sidewalk,” Brett Anderson writes in the story.  

“Oro by Nixta, which opened in 2023, advances that project considerably. Mr. Romero channels his passion for nixtamalized heirloom corn into a masa-focused menu fleshed out with braised and roasted meats, in-season produce and an impressive array of moles and salsas.”

It’s fresh praise in a long line of plaudits for the restaurant, including a spot on Bon Appétit’s “20 Best New Restaurants” and being named a finalist for a James Beard in 2024. 

Roughly 25% of eligible voters in Minnesota cast ballots at the polls on Tuesday, including at least 700,000 registered Democrats, according to unofficial numbers from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.

The previous record was about 935,550 ballots cast in 2018’s primary.

However, there was much higher primary turnout by percentage in the 1950s and 1960s, with nearly 40% of eligible voters casting a ballot in the 1966 primary.

“Minnesotans value democracy and they’ve proved it once again by showing up to vote in record numbers,” Secretary of State Steve Simon said in a statement. “My call to Minnesotans now is to make their plan to vote on November 3 so we can once again lead the nation in voter turnout.”

Women from both major parties are advancing to the midterm election in the state’s top two races, with Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth on the gubernatorial ticket and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and political outsider Michele Tafoya on the U.S. Senate ticket.

That’s a first in a single election cycle for both Minnesota and the entire U.S., MPR News reported.

Competitive races for the GOP nomination for governor and the DFL nomination for U.S. Senate likely drove this year’s record-breaking turnout.

Nearly 250,000 absentee ballots for the 2026 primary had been accepted in Minnesota as of Tuesday afternoon, another new record for the state.

Election results will be certified next Tuesday by the Minnesota canvassing board.

The Red Lake Nation Public Safety Department did not disclose any additional information about the shooting, like whether anyone was injured.

The department says further details aren’t being released to “protect the integrity of the investigation,” which it’s working on in coordination with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

“We understand the concern an incident of this nature may cause within our community,” the Red Lake Nation Department of Public Safety said in a statement. “We ask our members and residents to remain patient and respectful while law enforcement conducts a thorough investigation and to refrain from speculation as the investigative process continues.”

The department says there is no immediate threat to the public, adding that it will provide more information “when it is appropriate and permissible to do so.”

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

The U.S. Department of the Interior says Leslie R. Washington, 41, of Noorvik, Alaska, died Tuesday following a medical emergency as he responded to the Bear Trap Fire near Ely.

Washington was a wildland firefighter with Scorched Earth Services who was assigned to the company’s K-River 2 contract crew, which was supporting federal wildfire response on the Bear Trap Fire, according to a news release. 

“We are heartbroken at the loss of a wildland firefighter who died while protecting others,” U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said in a statement.

“We mourn alongside his families, loved ones, friends and crewmates as they face this profound loss.”

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Wildland Fire Service says it’s “facilitating support for the families, coworkers and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy” in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.

There are roughly 750 personnel continuing to work the northern Minnesota wildfires, which were sparked by lightning strikes in mid-July.

The Bear Trap Fire is currently 44% contained and estimated to have scorched nearly 30,000 acres in the Superior National Forest near Ely.

The MSP Film Society will kick off five days of films, parties, and discussions on Oct. 7, with the majority of events taking place at its Main Cinema in Minneapolis.

Cine Latino 2026 will feature more than two dozen films, as well as food trucks, flamenco dancing, filmmaker talks, and other activities in celebration of Latin American, U.S. Latino, and Ibero cinema and culture.

The film lineup includes new features, Cannes winners, Oscar nominees, and director Carlos Saura’s visually entrancing “Blood Wedding” from 1981.

“Cine Latino 2026 is an extraordinary feast for the senses and a celebration of cinema at its highest expression,” says Hebe Tabachnik, the festival’s artistic director.

“From the buried desires and family secrets of ‘La Bola Negra’ to the vitality and bonds of ‘Old Bandits,’ these powerful films explore memory, legacy, love, and what connects us. Through poetry, beauty, and emotion, they give voice to what has been silenced, reconnect us with our roots, and remind us that cinema can transofrm, heal, and illuminate our collective way forward.”

The festival opens with “La Bola Negra,” which earned directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi a best director award at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie was also nominated for the Palme d’Or.

The story about three generations of men, seen in pivotal moments of Spanish history, stars Miguel Bernardeau, Lola Dueñas, Penelope Cruz, Glenn Close, and Julio Torres.

At the other end of the festival, Claudio Torres’ “Old Bandits” will screen on Oct. 11 for the closing night. The Prêmio Grande Otelo – Brazil’s Academy Award — winner for best comedy feature film stars Oscar nominee Fernanda Montenegro and Ary Fontoura as an elderly couple plotting a bank heist.

Other films in the Cine Latino announcement include “Daughters of the Forest,” winner of the audience award at SXSW Visions 2026; Joaquin del Paso’s “The Garden We Dreamed”; the North American premiere of Rodrigo Plá’s “The Newcomers”; and an autobiographical documentary from director William D. Caballero, who had shorts at Cine Latino in 2024, “TheyDream.”

All-access passes are available now to MSP Film Society members for $75 and $150 for the general public. Additionally, individual tickets are on sale for the opening and closing night films, while other screenings will become available to the public on Sept. 9.

Just before 10 p.m. on Monday, deputies with the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and other first responders were called to the Fish Lake Boat Landing in Fredenberg Township after an arrow-like object impaled a man’s foot.

Officers learned that a man was fishing from his kayak on the lake when several people began shooting off fireworks in his direction.

As the fireworks continued to go off, the group reportedly came closer to the kayaker, according to authorities.

The kayaker was hit in the foot by a piece of firework debris, which became lodged in the kayak.

He was taken to a hospital in Duluth to be treated for injuries that aren’t life-threatening.

The people who shot off the fireworks fled from the area before deputies got to the scene.

Authorities are still investigating the incident, and anyone with information about what happened is asked to call the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office at 218-336-4350.

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

Kinsley’s Smokehouse Deli, a concept from chef and owner James Adams that is known for its East Coast-style deli sandwiches and smoked meats, exited the food hall this past weekend.

The Market didn’t take long to unveil what comes next. On Thursday, it revealed that Twin Cities Pasta Club will take up the vacated space, with an opening set for Aug. 25.

The new counter is a concept from chef Beth Wells, who teaches pasta classes as Twin Cities Pasta Club and has worked in many area kitchens, including Spoon and Stable, Bellecour, and Alma.

Twin Cities Pasta Club will serve housemade pasta, with a menu that includes spinach pesto fusili, rigatoni vodka sauce, spagattini al limone, and homemade focaccia bread, salads, and tiramisu.

While Kinsley’s Smokehouse Deli has exited the food hall, it’s still serving up its sandwiches from the kitchen at Nova Bar in Hudson, Wis.

In late June, authorities were called to the intersection of First Street North and Fifth Avenue North in St. Cloud on a report that someone had sawed off a metal pole holding an automated license plate reader.

Surveillance video from a local store shows a man, later identified as Bradley Allen Smith, 18, buying saw blades and driving off. Receipts and vehicle registration helped investigators positively identify Smith, according to a criminal complaint.

A short time later, video captured at another location shows Smith walking towards the Flock camera and cutting it down with a saw before quickly driving off.

The complaint says Smith later admitted to investigators that he bought the saw blades and used them to cut down the camera, which will cost an estimated $3,525 to repair.

Law enforcement uses automated license plate readers, often known by the brand name Flock, to capture a vehicle’s information in criminal investigations or in the event of an AMBER or KOPS alert.

The cameras have become controversial in cities across the U.S., with opponents claiming they create a nationwide surveillance system.

At least seven Minnesota cities have seen similar cases of theft and destruction of the cameras, including Winona, where all of the city’s camera poles were cut down and stolen.

Several communities are now opting to pause or eliminate the technology, including West St. Paul, Isanti County, Sherburne County, North Branch and Columbia Heights.

The Winona Police Department doesn’t plan to replace several of its Flock cameras that have been stolen.

Flock CEO Garrett Langley announced Thursday that the company would be implementing several new guardrails, with default settings for data retention changed from 30 days to seven, according to Bloomberg.

The outlet also reports that customers will now be able to control which offenses caught on the cameras can be searched by others.

Jerry Jovan Harris, 37, has been charged with unintentional second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in the death of Isaiah J. Wilson, 61.

Officers responded on Aug. 3 around 6:30 p.m. to the Catholic Charities-operated Higher Ground shelter at 435 Dorothy Day Place, where an assault victim had been struck in the head and sustained life-threatening injuries.

Staff were performing CPR on Wilson, who was unconscious and not breathing, as officers arrived. Those efforts continued until paramedics recovered a pulse.

Wilson was then transported to Regions Hospital and arrived there in cardiac arrest. He died on Aug. 7, when he was determined to be brain dead and removed from life support.

During the investigation, officers spoke with a Higher Ground security guard who initially thought Wilson had overdosed, so he administered Narcan to Wilson, who was lying on the ground. The security guard said it wasn’t until he reviewed surveillance footage that he realized Wilson had fallen after he had been assaulted.

An officer reviewed the footage and saw a Black man in a white tank top, white shorts, and a black backpack lift his leg, rear back, and punch Wilson, then walk away.

Another Higher Ground employee who watched the video identified the man as Harris, saying he has previously assaulted people on the Catholic Charities campus, according to a criminal complaint.

Police believe there wasn’t any kind of altercation before Harris punched Wilson.

The employee said the video shows Harris “pretty much sucker punching” Wilson, who didn’t seem to know what happened.

Wilson fell, and the back of his head hit the ground, with a CT scan later revealing that he suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed.

The complaint says it was determined that Wilson “could not survive his injuries from a neurological standpoint.”

Harris was charged with third-degree riot and fifth-degree assault in an incident last August, where he and three others were accused of kicking and stomping another person near Higher Ground.

He’s also recently been convicted of felony check forgery in Hennepin County and domestic assault in Ramsey County, according to the complaint.

Harris is scheduled to make his first court appearance in the latest case on Friday morning.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says the warning comes after law enforcement has responded to reports of bears entering three separate homes, all of which were occupied by people at the time. 

Specific details about where these home invasions occurred are unknown, and the sheriff’s office has yet to respond to Bring Me The News’ request for more information. No injuries have been reported.

Other recent reports include a bear entering a tent at a campground, vehicle crashes involving bears, bears getting into and attempting to get into garages, bears damaging vehicles while attempting to get into truck beds, and bears lingering around properties looking for food, the sheriff’s office added. 

In response to the increased activity, the sheriff’s office is urging residents to keep food and garbage securely indoors or in a bear-resistant container. People should also avoid using bird feeders during periods of increased activity and keep pet food inside. 

Cleaning outdoor grills, keeping windows and doors closed when not occupied, and securing food when camping can also deter bears. 

“These incidents are a reminder that bears are opportunistic animals and will quickly take advantage of easily accessible food,” the sheriff’s office said. “Once a bear finds a reliable food source, it may return to the same location and become increasingly comfortable around people.”

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates the state is home to roughly 13,000 to 18,000 black bears. Find more on bear safety here.

Troy Cavanah was last seen on June 12 leaving his home near the 8500 block of Park Knoll Circle in Bloomington. He was riding a bicycle at the time, according to police.

Cavanah is described as 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information on Cavanah’s location is encouraged to call the Bloomington Police Department at (952) 563-4900 or call 911.

The cafe at 725 E. 7th St. in St. Paul made the announcement Thursday on social media, saying that the physical location will close, but ownership plans to continue hosting pop-ups, offering catering, and appearing at community events.

During its long history, the cafe built a reputation for its quiche and rolls, as well as its peaceful garden patio.

Details about why it’s closing were not shared and representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We want to say a massive, heartfelt THANK YOU to our amazing customers, friends, family, staff, and the entire East Side community,” reads the cafe’s announcement.

“You have filled our space with so much love and support for nearly three decades, and we are incredibly grateful for every memory shared here. As for the last few years specifically, the adversities we’ve all faced has shown true grit, strength, survival, and resilience and we are eternally honored to have been able to share in your light during this time.”

The cafe will host a farewell event during its final weekend of service on Saturday, Aug. 29 and Sunday, Aug. 30.

According to a search warrant filed by a Hopkins Police detective, a father arrived at about 9:06 a.m. Wednesday to the daycare on the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North to drop off his two children. When he arrived, he could hear children screaming from the basement, where the daycare’s entrance is.

When the man entered the residence, he saw 41-year-old Nathan Matthew Brown on top of his 41-year-old wife, Kristen Ann Brown, stabbing her with a screwdriver. At one point, he also saw Nathan Brown stabbing the couple’s 7-year-old daughter.

The father immediately ran off with his kids and two other children from the daycare and called 911. In an interview with police, the man told authorities that Kristen Brown, who owned and operated the daycare, had sent a newsletter to parents two weeks prior, explaining that she would be closing the daycare “due to relationship issues” with her husband.

When officers arrived at the home, they found Kristen Brown and her daughter dead on the kitchen floor. A bloody screwdriver was nearby.

In a closet on the home’s top level, officers discovered Nathan Brown dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shotgun he apparently used was still in his hands, according to the search warrant.

Six other children were inside the home at the time of the incident. The children were unharmed physically and were removed from the home by police before being reunited with their parents.

Nathan Brown is also suspected of stabbing a woman to death in Burnsville, where a family member discovered the 78-year-old dead in her home on Maple Island Road on Wednesday afternoon. According to police, the woman is believed to be a close relative of Nathan Brown, who had recently been living at the Burnsville home.

Police have not yet shared a timeline of the events in the Burnsville and Hopkins incidents, but they believe that the woman in Burnsville was killed before the double murder-suicide in Hopkins.

The victims have not publicly been identified by law enforcement and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office as of early Thursday afternoon.

If you know anyone who is affected by domestic violence, you can find more information on services available here, via the Minnesota DPS. You can also call the Day One Crisis Hotline at 1-866-223-1111.

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

Here is what’s in Sven’s video forecast:

• Some spotty showers, lingering clouds Thursday
• Next disturbance delivers some more showers Friday night- Saturday: rainfall looks sad
• Slightly cooler with a drop in dew points for Sunday & Monday
• Next chance of ‘some rain’ by Tuesday
• Overall close to normal temps into next week

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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 centerpiece of the $750 million downtown project along 105th Avenue is a 5,000-seat baseball stadium, and, on Wednesday, the city and developers announced that an American Association of Professional Baseball team will take up residence there.

The stadium is expected to be complete in early 2028.

Commissioner Joshua Schaub was on hand Wednesday for the announcement, which sees the minor league returning to Minnesota for the first time since 2020, when the St. Paul Saints became the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

While the new team will anchor the stadium, officials say other events and concerts will also take place there.

The announcement came with the city’s most detailed plan yet for the 70-acre development, which will now be called The Farm. Along with the stadium, the area will include restaurants, retail, apartments, a hotel, parks, and other attractions.

“The Farm represents one of the most significant private investments in Blaine’s history and reflects the confidence developers have in our community’s future,” says Mayor Tim Sanders.

“This transformative project will create jobs, attract new businesses and visitors, expand entertainment and dining options, and build on Blaine’s reputation as a premier destination for sports and recreation.”

The development includes a second Twin Cities location for Scheels, which is building a 250,000-square-foot retail space that includes an indoor Ferris wheel and an aquarium. The city approved an $84 million tax incentive package for the retailer to come to Blaine last year.

“We see The Farm as more than a development, it’s an opportunity to create a landmark destination that attracts visitors, drives investment, supports local businesses, and contributes to Blaine’s continued growth and vitality for years to come,” reads a statement from co-developers Bader Companies and Elevage.

The Farm sits near the National Sports Center, which opened in 1990 and draws more than 4 million visitors each year.

Tiana Lashay Aliza Hughes, 21, is facing charges of violating a no-contact order, felony assault, and assaulting a peace officer.

As of Thursday morning, she was still being held at the Hennepin County Jail. 

Prosecutors allege Hughes was involved in an altercation at the Edina Aquatic Center on Saturday, Aug. 8, around 7 p.m., prompting a large police response. That night, a 19-year-old man was arrested on outstanding felony warrants in connection to the incident.

At the scene, Edina Police learned Hughes was with a man at the pool for whom she had been issued a domestic abuse no-contact order in May. Hughes was arrested and taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center by an Edina officer.

Hughes asked to call her mother, which she was allowed to do, but the officer told her she had to stay in handcuffs during the call. She then asked to use the bathroom, and the cuffs were removed, according to the charges.

Hughes then allegedly walked towards the waiting room where her mother was after leaving the bathroom. Per the criminal complaint, the officer told Hughes she needed to go back to her room and that police would escort her mother to the room.

Hughes allegedly ignored commands and ran towards the waiting room. The officer restrained Hughes, who began fighting, hitting the female officer in the face with her arms. During the altercation, Hughes allegedly bit the arm of a second officer. 

The Edina officer sustained a broken jawbone in the incident that will require surgery, 

These latest criminal charges come after Hughes was the subject of a controversial juvenile plea agreement after two teenagers died when the carjacked SUV she was driving crashed into a tree during a high-speed chase in 2021. 

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Hughes reached a juvenile court plea agreement for manslaughter, avoiding adult prosecution and jail time, and instead was ordered to complete programming in Dakota County. The Star Tribune reports that former Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman wanted Hughes certified as an adult, but plans changed when current Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty took office. 

Hughes initially faced charges of causing death while fleeing police, second-degree manslaughter, and criminal vehicular homicide in the case.

The victim, identified as Henning resident Paulette Venzke, was unaccounted for after the home exploded around 9:38 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Her body was later discovered, with the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office formally identifying her as the victim on Thursday morning.

A family dog remains missing and is presumed to be dead, the sheriff’s office added.

The explosion prompted a significant response from local law enforcement and firefighters, with crews arriving at the scene Tuesday morning to find the home, located northwest of Parkers Prairie near Almora Township, fully engulfed in flames.

A firefighter from Henning was injured during the response, but has since been treated and released from the hospital.

“Thank you to everyone that assisted at this scene, Parkers Prairie Fire and Ambulance, Vining Fire, Deer Creek Fire, and Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this tragic event,” Henning Fire & Rescue announced in a Facebook post.

“Our fireman is resting and recovering at home and will be back out and about soon! Thank you to everyone who has checked in on him over the past few days. We have an amazing community and appreciate you all!”

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, though foul play is not suspected.

This week, the theater unveiled the four plays that make up its 2026–27 season, including the return of last season’s popular production of “The Happiest Man on Earth,” a solo show based on a best-selling memoir of the same name.

“There’s nothing like the magic of stunning, live theater. Artists and audiences coming together to share a story that helps us better understand our world,” says Barbara Brooks, founder and producing artistic director of Six Points Theater, formerly known as the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company.

The season opens with the rolling world premiere of “One-Shot” by Andrew Rosendorf, in which two video store employees, one Jewish and one an undocumented immigrant, await news about a film scholarship in what the theater describes as an exploration of “privilege, identity, fragility, and who gets the space to tell what stories.”

In January, actor JC Cutler returns for an encore engagement of “The Happiest Man on Earth,” a performance that garnered positive reviews earlier this year. The play, an adaptation of a Holocaust survivor’s memoir, will tour to other stages around Minnesota as well.

In the spring, James Sherman’s “The First Lady of Television” tells the true story of Gertrude Berg, a radio and TV pioneer who wrote and starred in one of the earliest American sitcoms. She’s faced a difficult decision, one that feels timely, after her costar is accused of being a communist.

The season wraps up in May with “The Reservoir” by Jack Brasch, a play in which a college student returns home to get sober and discovers unexpected connections with the struggles of his four aging grandparents.

All performances will be held at the Highland Park Community Center, and season subscriptions are on sale now. Three-show packages range from $81–$108.

Six Points Theater’s 2026–27 season:

• “One-Shot” – Oct. 24–Nov. 8
• “The Happiest Man on Earth” – Jan. 23–27
• “The First Lady of Television” – March 27–April 11
• “The Reservoir” – May 1–16

Speaking to reporters after the Twins defeated the Orioles on Wednesday, Lewis was asked about Minnesota’s “Field of Dreams” game against the Philadelphia Phillies scheduled for Thursday night in Dyersville, Iowa.

Where the conversation went was completely unexpected. Here’s his back-and-forth with reporters Mike Max and Darren Wolfson.

Max: Is there anything in particular you want to see while you’re there?

Lewis: Uh, Kevin Costner.

Max: Have you seen the movie?

Lewis: We’re going to watch it again tonight, but I’ve seen bits and pieces. I think I’ve fallen asleep, so I gotta watch it all the way through.

Max: It’s worth watching the ending.

Lewis: Yeah, well just the whole thing. It’s on MLB Network all the time so I just casually leave MLB Network on and I’ll watch it. But yeah, I’m excited to meet him in person. I have a funny story about him in the bathroom that I actually met him before.

Max: We’ll leave it at that, but tell us tomorrow after you talk to him.

Lewis: It was crazy.

Wolfson: I’ll ask you about the story. You met Kevin Costner in a bathroom?

Lewis: So I was going in the Staples Center, Laker game. Went to the bathroom, and obviously I’m just minding my own business. I’m looking in the stall, and all of a sudden this kid turns to me and he’s peeing on my leg. I’m like, ‘Whoa whoa whoa.’ And I look over and Kevin Costner goes, ‘Sorry about that, bud.’ Hits me on the shoulder. I never officially met him, but that’s how I first saw him in person.

Wolfson: So it was Kevin’s son who peed on your leg?

Lewis: I can’t confirm or deny who it was, but he said sorry for the kid, so I would assume it’s someone that he’s related to, yes.

Wolfson: That might be the most random story ever.

Lewis: Random, and he probably has no idea who I am or even remembers that story. But I thought that was pretty funny, man.

#MNTwins 1B/2B Royce Lewis had me in tears postgame this afternoon. Watch him tell us why he hopes to meet Kevin Costner tomorrow at Field of Dreams: pic.twitter.com/6QXGe1MD4b

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) August 12, 2026

Costner has seven children through three different relationships, according to People, and they range in age from 16 to 42. Lewis didn’t say how many years ago it was when the little boy peed on his leg.

Lewis and the Twins take on the Phillies at the Field of Dreams at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday. The game will be streamed on Netflix, and maybe we’ll get a reaction from Costner, who is expected to be involved in some capacity, although it’s unclear if he’ll be on site or remote.

Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast for Dyersville, which is located about 30 miles west of Dubuque. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, the Field of Dreams game will be played on Friday night.

It was a short series that highlighted rich food cultures and raised money for communities impacted by the travel ban.

In January, Roads & Kingdoms launched the series’ spiritual successor, the Anti-ICE Supper Club, an ongoing series of ticketed meals that raise funds for local organizations supporting immigrant communities.

“A lot of years have passed [since that series] and Tony had died, but we were looking at this new series of outrages that are just on such a vastly larger scale and realized that everything we did with Bourdain was just a test run for this moment,” Thornburgh tells Bring Me The News.

“The stakes are so much higher.”

Thornburgh and his lean team launched the Anti-ICE Supper Club on Jan. 31 in Los Angeles. The intention was to do only a few dinners, but they soon heard from chefs and restaurateurs in Philadelphia, Denver, Chicago, Mexico City, and elsewhere who wanted to host a night.

After 17 meals and more than $100,000 in funds raised, the Anti-ICE Supper Club is making its way to Minneapolis, with events planned at Indígena by Owamni, Wrecktangle Pizza, and Hai Hai, all benefiting the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

“We have gone with this series all around the country, and in each place, we have a local partner who’s engaged in frontline stuff. From Chicago to L.A. to Key West, everybody talks about Minneapolis,” Thornburgh says.

“I hope that people in Minneapolis know what they mean to the spirits of everybody else who feels this way.”

Beyond raising funds, the events are intended to celebrate people and places in the hospitality world that have taken a stand for their communities.

Thornburgh points to Wrecktangle Pizza co-owners Breanna Evans and Jeffrey Rogers, who raised thousands for people in need during Operation Metro Surge and made their opinion clear with an enormous “ICE OUT OF MN FOR GOOD” banner draped over the restaurant’s facade at the intersection of Lyndale Avenue and Lake Street.

To that end, Roads & Kingdoms wanted its series’ stance to be as clear as the people it chooses to celebrate, exercising First Amendment rights with a direct title.

“We could have easily named it the ‘Immigrants Are Stronger Together Club.’ But we still exist in a country where we want to believe we can call out ICE,” Thornburgh says.

“We want to be out there and do the things that many people are maybe afraid to do,” he continues. “The real heroes in all of that are the restaurateurs. They have so much to lose. You saw it with Wrecktangle Pizza. Them standing up with their community the way that they did put them in the crosshairs.”

Thornburgh has similar praise for the chefs and staff behind other host restaurants, including Hai Hai chef and restaurateur Christina Nguyen and the founder and chef behind NATIFS and Indígena by Owamni, Sean Sherman, both of whom were outspoken about ICE’s presence in Minnesota.

However, he adds that it’s not a knock on restaurants who support their community in quieter ways or had good reason to avoid the potential risks of speaking out.

Roads & Kingdoms’ Anti-ICE Supper Club will take place on Sept. 14 at Indígena by Owamni, Sept. 15 at Wrecktangle Pizza, and Sept. 16 at Hai Hai. Each event will include a talk from the chefs, Thornburgh discussing the organization’s history with Bourdain, food, and community.

The Minnesota State Patrol says Mason Traill Drummond, 18, was killed after the Honda Odyssey minivan that he was driving southbound on Highway 100 lost control and struck a bridge at I-494.

Drummond was not wearing a seatbelt at the time, according to a crash report. It’s still unclear if alcohol was a factor.

The crash occurred shortly after 5:30 a.m. Wednesday and temporarily blocked all southbound lanes of traffic on Highway 100 at I-494 as law enforcement investigated the crash.

Bloomington Police, Bloomington Fire, and Edina Police all responded to the scene.

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

On Thursday, Combs announced a 12-date extension of his “My Kinda Saturday Night Tour,” which will bring him to Minneapolis on Saturday, April 10.

It’ll be the first time the “Beer Never Broke My Heart” singer plays in the Twin Cities since a spring 2023 gig, which also took place at the home of the Vikings.

Combs recently wrapped up the first leg of the same tour, which ran for 23 dates across the U.S., U.K., and Europe. The trek concluded earlier this month with a three-night stand at London’s Wembley Stadium, where he became the first solo country artist to headline the famous stadium.

For this new tour, he’ll bring some big names along for the ride. Among the openers is Treaty Oak Revival, one of the headliners at the inaugural Country Club Music Festival in St. Paul this summer.

Avery Anna, Shenandoah, and Wyatt McCubbin will also open.

A presale will take place next week, and fans can sign up for details on that at LukeCombs.com. Tickets will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 21.

Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday unveiled his $2.3 billion budget for 2027, featuring an 11.3% hike on property taxes, which equates to an additional $409 per year for the owner of a median-value home in Minneapolis.

Frey says the hike would have exceeded 19% without other changes that he’s proposing to reduce spending by more than $20 million, including 100 full-time job cuts, program and contract reductions, and the consolidation of several departments.

Still, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports that an 11.3% hike would be the biggest levy increase since at least 2000, with the levy going up an average of 7.7% a year since 2018.

The city’s more than $30 million deficit reflects the growing cost of daily operations, according to Frey, who attributes the increasing financial pressure to inflation, higher labor and operating costs, and declining downtown commercial property values.

“The circumstances that required us to respond in crisis are not the same circumstances that should define how we govern this city long-term,” he said. “For the long term, we need responsible stewardship. That means making difficult decisions, painful choices, and telling the truth about what it actually costs to run a city.”

In an email to constituents Wednesday after the mayor’s budget address, Council Member Robin Wonsley said an 11.3% property tax hike “would cause a significant increase to the cost of living for both homeowners and renters,” and that residents feel the amount they’re already paying in property taxes is disproportionate to the city services they receive in return.

She also highlighted five concerns that immediately stood out to her upon first glance at Frey’s budget. Among them are increasing the Minneapolis Police Department budget by more than $18 million, including $13.1 million for overtime, and cutting services that working people rely on, like the municipal sidewalk plowing program.

“As local officials, we must be extremely targeted in budgeting public resources to provide residents the services that they rely on and pay for,” Wonsley said. “We cannot afford to fund initiatives that provide no measurable results for residents. Difficult cuts must be made, but those cuts need to be grounded in data and equity.”

The Minneapolis City Council is expected to begin reviewing and amending Frey’s recommended budget on Thursday.

About three public hearings will be held throughout the budgeting process, the first of which takes place on Sept. 9 at 5:05 p.m. during the Board of Estimate and Taxation meeting.

A final budget plan must be adopted by the end of December, with support from at least seven of the 13 council members and the mayor.

Frey’s entire budget proposal can be found here.

Well, now the numbers are crunched for the country. The contiguous United States (the lower 48 states, excluding Alaska and Hawaii for obvious climatological reasons) had its hottest month on record in 131 years. This beats out July 1936 and July 2012.

That is based on the average temperature across the 48 states, which is how we rank these things. The average temperature was 76.9 degrees F. That’s 3.3 degrees F above the modern normal (1991-2020 average).

You might ask yourself, why is it that we can talk about the Twin Cities (or a specific climatological site) rankings as soon as a month ends, but it takes nearly two weeks for the country? It’s the way it’s done, which is an article unto itself, really.

For individual sites, like MSP, we simply average each day’s high and low temperatures for a monthly average and subsequent rank. For large areas, a more complex procedure occurs. Temperatures are averaged over the entire 24-hour period and done by regions, spatially. Because our surface observations are not evenly distributed (i.e. most observations and the density of observations are at airports and population centers), a different approach is utilized. Quality-controlled observations help create gridded data sets to create even distributions across large regions. This is obviously a more time-consuming process.

For many areas of the country, it was the hottest July on record. Those areas are painted in deep red on the gridded map below:

Note that much of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado had their hottest July, and even a pocket of north-central Minnesota, including Mille Lacs Lake.

There were several notable July weather events. One was a record-warm overnight low in Laughlin, Nevada, of just 99 degrees! Several Mid-Atlantic states saw their hottest July 4 on record, including Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.

What’s driving the higher summer average temperature? WARM NIGHTS

A big driver of the highest average July temperature for the country was warm overnight lows. While the average high temperature across the lower 48 was a staggering 89.5 degrees F (+2.9 degrees F above normal), the average low temperature was 64.2 degrees F (+3.7 degrees F above normal).

This is a clear climate change signal. Our warming climate is a result of the greenhouse effect. We’re not receiving more heat, but rather we’re trapping more heat in the atmosphere through gases that absorb and emit it more efficiently (i.e. carbon dioxide, methane, etc.). So when we see warmer nights outpace warmer days, that’s a good indicator of what’s driving the hotter conditions.

In the Twin Cities, we’re seeing 29 more nights above normal now compared to 50 years ago. That’s a staggering amount, nearly one-third of summer nights!

We can parse out attribution of those warm nights using Climate Central’s Climate Shift Index, a rapid attribution analysis. When we look at the number of summer nights where climate change made those warm low temps twice as likely, we see a staggering increase.

The Twin Cities sees 18 warmer nights ON AVERAGE in the summer that are the result of climate change. That’s nearly a fifth of summer nights. Compare that to the 2000s or 1990s, when it was under 5.

So folks, we just made it through the hottest July as a country, but it’s likely only a matter of time before we break that record too.

The Cloquet Police Department says it received a report “of a male lying on the lawn” in the area of 8th Street and Cloquet Avenue, “and there was a lot of blood.”

Police arrived to find a 60-year-old man who was dead. His cause of death and the circumstances leading to his death are unknown.

“We want to reassure the community that there does not appear to be any threat to the public,” Cloquet PD said. “This incident continues to be thoroughly investigated.”

No further information has been provided.

Court records out of Monroe Circuit Court in Bloomington, Indiana, show Ryan Edward Donohue, 20, of Eden Prairie, was charged with hazing resulting in serious bodily injury on July 31 of this year.

According to the Indiana Daily Student, Donohue is among seven members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity who are facing criminal charges in connection with the event. The organization has been ordered to suspend all activities at the university until further notice.

The news outlet reports the charges stem from an alleged hazing incident in October 2025 in which two people had to be hospitalized.

At an initiation event, 36 fraternity pledges were allegedly forced to work out for three hours. A number of them were then ordered to take ice baths.

The student newspaper reports that two pledges had to be treated at the hospital and were subsequently diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. According to the Cleveland Clinic, rhabdomyolysis is a rare, life-threatening condition that can occur after an injury or excessive exercise and causes muscles to break down.

The other students charged include:

• Casey Clarke, 20, of Hagaman, New York.
• Logan Conforti, 20, of South Elgin, Illinois.
• Noah Kucera, 20, of San Clemente, California.
• Joseph Moon, 20, of Elkhart, Indiana.
• Kaptur Nowacyzk, 20, of Crown Point, Indiana.
• Arjun Patel, 20, of Westfield, Indiana.

IU Bloomington Vice Chancellor for Student Life Lamar Hylton sent the following statement to Bring Me The News regarding the incident:

“The Office of Student Life holds all fraternities and sororities to high standards of safety, accountability and respectful experiences for every member. The allegations made in the charges announced by the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office are inconsistent with Indiana University’s values and expectations of student conduct. On October 21, 2025, Phi Kappa Psi was placed on a cease and desist directive for hazing. All organizational activities remain suspended until further notice.”

Around 9 a.m., authorities were called to a home in the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North in Hopkins, where they found a 41-year-old man dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, along with a 41-year-old woman and a 7-year-old girl, both of whom had been fatally stabbed.

Authorities say the man and woman were the parents of the 7-year-old child, although the status of their marriage is under investigation.

Six other children were present at the time of the murders. The children were unharmed physically and were evacuated by authorities before quickly reuniting with their parents.

It’s still unclear if the children witnessed the violence, though a parent dropping their children off for care was the person who called 911.

“It was an individual who was actually dropping off their children at the location to receive day care services who encountered the situation,” Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said, adding that the individual “may have witnessed some of the altercation inside the residence at the time.”

The suspect was found dead in the upper level of the home, while the woman and child were found in the basement. The six physically unarmed children were also in the basement, which is where they entered the home for day care. It’s also where the individual who called 911 encountered some of the incident, according to police.

“I just don’t know the specific locations of every child inside the residence of what they actually saw or not. We can make assumptions on that, but again, this is a tragic scene and a horrific scene for little children to witness, if they did witness this,” Johnson said.

Just hours later, a large police presence unfolded at a home on Maple Island Road in Burnsville, where a 78-year-old woman was discovered dead by a family member. She, like the victims in Hopkins, had been fatally stabbed, according to Burnsville Police Chief Mike Smith.

“We believe it is a close family relative of the suspect in Hopkins,” said Smith, adding the suspect had been recently living at the Burnsville home.

Police do not have a timeline of the events in both Burnsville and Hopkins, although they believe the woman in Burnsville was killed before the apparent double-murder-suicide occurred in Hopkins.

The suspect did not leave a note, and a motive behind the killings is unknown.

The identities of the victims and the suspect have not been released.

If you know anyone who is affected by domestic violence, you can find more information on services available here, via the Minnesota DPS. You can also call the Day One Crisis Hotline at 1-866-223-1111.

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

The Burnsville Police Department says its officers were dispatched just before 12:30 p.m. to a home in the area of Maple Island Road and Joplin Avenue, where someone had reportedly been stabbed.

A woman was found dead when officers arrived. Her identity has not yet been released.

“There is no indication of any threat to the public at this time,” the department said in a social media post around 2 p.m.

“Please avoid the area and use alternate routes. This remains an active investigation.”

Additional information was not immediately available, though it’s expected to come from a 4 p.m. news conference.

The homicide investigation in Burnsville comes hours after multiple law enforcement agencies responded to an apparent murder-suicide at an in-home daycare in Hopkins.

Authorities are now saying the two incidents might be related.

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

The show, called “The Sticks,” is about a small-town Minnesota hockey team, the South Dorothy Grizzlies, that has to overcome tragedy. What kind of tragedy? Based on what Netflix allegedly told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2025, it features a bus crash that shatters the local hockey community.

The show is set in the town of South Dorothy, Minnesota, “where the high school hockey team has been churning out state championships and NHL stars for decades with their legendary Coach ‘Sully’ Sullivan at the helm,” the logline reads. “When a bus crash claims the lives of several players and Sully himself, the town looks to Harper Sullivan (Monaghan) — Coach Sully’s widow — to coach a new team of battered and broken young men. What unfolds is the hopeful and unforgettable story of an underdog team who comes together to galvanize their town, reclaim their way of life, and turn their shared grief into an unstoppable superpower.”

The plot has drawn connections to the 2018 horror crash involving a semi-truck and a bus carrying the Saskatchewan-based Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. Sixteen people died — 10 players, two coaches, a trainer, a broadcaster, and the bus driver — and 13 other players were seriously injured in the crash, which happened about 400 miles northwest of Minnesota.

After receiving backlash from parents of the Humboldt victims, a Netflix official told The Canadian Press in January that “the show is fictional and not inspired by any real-life event.”

Netflix posted behind-the-scenes photos from the show on Aug. 10, and the streaming giant’s Instagram post is littered with comments criticizing the plot.

View this post on Instagram

The Canadian Press added in its January 2026 story that none of the Humboldt families were approached by Netflix about the show.

The creator and executive producer of the series is Nick Naveda, along with showrunner and executive producer Bridget Bedard. It features a cast including Scott Bakula (Coach Brody Hansen), Logan Marshall-Green (Coach Sully), Michelle Monaghan (Harper Sullivan), Emilie Bierre (Riley Sullivan), Shai Chase (Henry Sullivan), and Josh MacQueen (Rhett Nelson).

“Honored to be hitting the rink in one of the most exciting and emotional projects I’ve ever been asked to be a part of,” Monaghan said on Instagram after accepting the role last November. “Hockey, hope and a helluva lotta heart set in…well, you guessed it…The Heartland!”

The eight-episode series is from 21 Laps, the production company owned by Shawn Levy, who helped produce hits like “Stranger Things,” “The Adam Project,” and “All the Light We Cannot See.”

Officers responded to the single-vehicle crash just before 8 a.m. on northbound I-35 near Milepost 11 in Albert Lea.

The Minnesota State Patrol has determined that a GMC pickup traveling north on the highway left the roadway and went into a median ditch.

The driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene. He has been identified as Joshua David Scott, of Lake Mills, Iowa.

Police are still investigating whether alcohol was a factor.

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

The eyewear retailer will open an outpost at the Apache Mall in Rochester on Saturday, Aug. 15.

The company first added a Minnesota showroom back in 2018, and it has rapidly expanded its presence in the state over the last year and a half.

The Rochester store will be the fourth to open in Minnesota since Warby Parker added a store at the Woodbury Lakes shopping center last February. That is in addition to it launching a shop-in-shops partnership with Target in the same month as its Woodbury opening.

The Rochester location, which is offering a free tote bag with any purchase during its opening week, will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Sundays, when it’s open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

MeatEater will open a 3,200-square-foot retail space, its third in the nation, at 3924 W 50th St. on Saturday, Aug. 15.

The outdoor lifestyle brand is an offshoot of Steven Rinella’s TV series and podcast of the same name, which focuses on outdoor adventures, conservation, and, well, meat.

In 2024, the company launched a flagship store in Bozeman, Mont., where its headquarters is located. The following year, it opened an outpost outside of Milwaukee.

The company caters to hunters, anglers, and other “conservation-minded outdoor adventurers,” with goods that include clothing, books, food, First Lite hunting apparel, FHF gear, game calls, and decoys.

“Minnesota’s outdoor heritage isn’t an accident,” Rinella said in a statement. “It was built by hunters and anglers who supported conservation, did the habitat work, and showed up for wildlife when it mattered. We want this store to be part of that — a place where people come to gear up, sure, but also to talk about the land and water and how we can preserve our lifestyles for future generations.”

The Edina location is further set up to host in-store events from educational talks to gear demonstrations.

To celebrate the opening, the brand will be hosting giveaways and have appearances from people associated with its TV show and podcast.

Clay County prosecutors have charged Robert Joseph Andert, 74, of Staples, with multiple counts of theft and damage to property in connection with the incident.

Authorities were first alerted to the theft on Aug. 4, when they learned that someone had stolen an enclosed trailer belonging to Veterans Honor Flight of North Dakota and Minnesota, according to the Moorhead Police Department.

The trailer reportedly contained $30,000 worth of apparel and equipment.

Video of the theft showed a red Chevrolet pickup pulling up alongside the trailer outside the American Legion in Moorhead around 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 3, and then driving off with the trailer attached.

Police then used Flock license plate reader technology “to generate investigative leads on the trailer’s locations and identify the suspect vehicle,” according to Moorhead PD.

Detectives later executed a search warrant at Andert’s home, where they found a burn pile of Honor Flight merchandise.

Andert eventually admitted to having the trailer, and agreed to return it, per criminal charges. He also told police that he burned and destroyed the merchandise.

Andert was arrested and released from custody. He is due in court next on Aug. 18.

“As Flock cameras remain part of public dialogue, this incident shows how technology, when used in accordance with Minnesota state statutes, can deliver investigative leads and support positive outcomes for the community,” reads a release from the department.

Flock cameras are a controversial tool used by law enforcement, with critics arguing that they threaten privacy rights and constitutional protections through a nationwide surveillance network.

A growing number of Minnesota cities are choosing to abandon their Flock programs due to those concerns. Others are having their Flock cameras stolen, like Winona, where all eight of the city’s cameras were cut down and stolen.

Here is what’s in Sven’s video forecast:

• Very warm, muggy again today
• Showers/storms possible western/southern Minnesota tonight (low/marginal severe risk southwest MN)
• A slight drop in dew points for Thursday and Friday
• Next disturbance, that looked promising, models are back-tracking on rainfall Friday night/ Saturday
• Sunshine, pleasant conditions return for Sunday & 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.

An all-woman group was victorious in the primary elections for governor and U.S. Senate, marking the first time that all of the candidates for Minnesota’s top offices are women.

Less than 30 minutes after polls closed, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar was declared the winner of the DFL primary for governor by a landslide, as expected.

In the crowded nine-candidate GOP field, it took a bit longer for House Speaker Lisa Demuth to emerge as the opponent who will go head-to-head with Klobuchar this fall.

Demuth beat out MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, and former health care executive Kendall Qualls, who won the GOP endorsement.

Whoever of the two wins will become Minnesota’s first female governor.

In the race for Smith’s open seat, DFL-endorsed candidate Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan trounced U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, a centrist whose vote for the Lake Riley Act likely cost her following Operation Metro Surge. Flanagan, a progressive, won despite being outspent by Craig more than four to one.

Former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya will face the lieutenant governor in the midterm election on Nov. 3 after she handily defeated her GOP-backed opponent, Adam Schwarze, and Royce White, the 2024 nominee for the U.S. Senate.

Here are the unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State as of Wednesday morning:

Governor

DFL Primary

• Amy Klobuchar: 89.68%
• Kobey J. Layne: 5.77%
• Mohammad Wazwaz: 1.41%
• Po Vang: 1.29%
• Thomas Evenstad: 0.56%
• Ole “Viking” Savior: 0.80%
• Bill E. Gates Jr.: 0.49%

GOP Primary

• Lisa Demuth: 43.44%
• Mike Lindell: 32.47%
• Kendall Qualls: 21.37%
• John Krhin: 1.13%
• Ross Nova: 0.67%
• Raul J. Estrada: 0.58%
• Loner Blue: 0.34%

U.S. Senate

DFL Primary

• Peggy Flanagan: 59.02%
• Angie Craig: 39.38%
• Kurt Anderson: 0.65%
• Billy Nord: 0.42%
• George Kalberer: 0.30%
• Peter Murgic: 0.24%

GOP Primary

• Michele Tafoya: 52.06%
• Adam Schwarze: 23.96%
• Royce White: 11.16%
• Tom Weiler: 5.96%
• Joyce Lacey: 1.84%
• Patrick Munro: 1.74%
• Cynthia Gail: 1.46%
• Ahmad R. (Raafat) Hassan: 0.43%
• Bob “Again” Carney Jr.: 1.40%

U.S. House

District 2

DFL Primary

• Matt Little: 47.23%
• Matt Klein: 30.40%
• Kaela Berg: 16.66%
• Abdi Abdulle: 2.63%
• Hugh McTavish: 2.59%
• Christopher Mosel: 0.50%

GOP Primary

• Eric Pratt: 100%

Secretary of State

DFL Primary

• Steve Simon: 100%

GOP Primary

• Tad Jude: 60.25%
• Wendy Phillips: 39.75%

State Auditor

DFL Primary

• Zack Filipovich: 100%

GOP Primary

• Scott Jensen: 66.74%
• Nate George: 26.18%
• Will Finn: 7.08%

Attorney General

DFL Primary

• Keith Ellison: 84.67%
• David J.S. Madgett: 15.33%

GOP Primary

• Ronald J. Schutz: 100%

Hennepin County Attorney

• Cedrick Frazier: 35.95%
• Anders Folk: 22.86%
• Diane M. Krenz: 18.97%
• Hao Nguyen: 14.97%
• Matt Pelikan: 7.25%

Authorities were called Wednesday morning to the home on the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North, where they found a woman, man, and child dead.

Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson says seven children were at the in-home daycare at the time of the incident, including the child who was found dead.

The six other children were uninjured and reunited with their parents.

“This is a horrific, tragic situation for any community,” Johnson said during a news conference. “The impact is felt not only here, but elsewhere for every parent who has had a child in day care.”

All of the victims are part of the same family, according to police.

At this point, investigators think the perpetrator is the deceased male, who is believed to have taken his own life.

Johnson also added that a parent whose child attends the daycare arrived for their daily drop-off and witnessed part of the apparent murder-suicide.

Police are expected to give another update on the situation at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Hopkins City Hall.

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

The annual event, one of three hosted this summer, will bring about 50 food trucks to downtown Anoka, showcasing a wide array of local culinary wares, from Juicy Lucys to paella, egg rolls to tacos.

In addition to the food on offer, the festival includes craft beer and cocktails, games for all ages, and live music from Bigly, Stone Daisy, and Maiden Dixie.

The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Here are all the food trucks that have been announced for this year’s event:

• Amazing Momo
• Amish Annie Donuts
• Anchor Fish and Chips
• Asian Invasion
• Bad Rooster
• Ben & Jerry’s
• Betty’s Shrimp Bucket and Grill
• Burger Daddies
• Butcher and Bartender
• Cafe Cairo
• Chopstix
• La Cochinita
• Dearest Baker Macarons
• DelSur Empanadas
• Gray Duck Concessions
• HaDa Foodie
• HomeTown Creamery
• Inferno Wood Fired Pizza
• iPierogi
• KCM Eggrolls
• Kenny’s Meatball Wagon
• Kona Ice
• Mansetti’s Italian Cuisine
• Matt’s Bar
• Northeast Pretzels
• Ol’ Smoky BBQ
• Original Hockey Mom Brownies
• Paella Depot
• Pizza Karma
• The Pork Chop Guys
• Pretty Great Cake Shakes
• Pretty Great Cheesecake
• Pronto Pups
• Que Tal Street Eats
• Rebel Lobster
• Samurai Teppanyaki
• Taco’n Madre
• Taste the Real Nawlins
• Thai Thai Street Food
• Tot Boss
• Unbakeable
• Waddup Dough
• Waffle Bar
• Whiskey Creek BBQ

Earlier this year, the Minnesota Food Truck Festival was named the 10th best city food festival in the country by USA Today’s 10Best readers’ choice awards. In the list, editors wrote the fest showcases “the delicious depth of the area’s street food and food truck scene.”

Preliminary information indicates that the driver of a Honda Odyssey was headed southbound on Highway 100 when they lost control, causing the vehicle to roll and strike the bridge at Interstate 494 around 5:30 a.m.

The State Patrol says the crash temporarily blocked all southbound lanes of traffic on Hwy. 100 at I-494, although crews had everything reopened by about 8:30 a.m.

No information about who was killed or injured in the crash has been released.