Important reporting from MPR News on an increase in group homes, especially in Brooklyn Park, where law enforcement officials are getting more calls. “The state paid out more than half a billion dollars last fiscal year to group home companies licensed to operate in Brooklyn Park, according to Minnesota Open Checkbook, a state website that provides transparency in government spending. Payments to those companies increased from more than $300 million in the state’s 2020 fiscal year to more than $500 million in 2025.” (read more)
Can Uptown United save Uptown Minneapolis? The Minnesota Star Tribune reports volunteer walking groups are getting started after reports like this one: “In January 2025, [Seven Points, formerly known as Calhoun Square] mall security evicted people 46 times from the [parking] garage; this January, that number exploded to more than 1,200, a spokesman for mall owner Northpond Partners confirmed.” (read more)
The family of a teen who suffered lifelong injuries after a St. Paul rec center worker shot him has reached a $9.5 million settlement with the city, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
The documentation of what happened during Operation Metro Surge will continue with a new state commission that will put together a report this fall. KARE 11 reports Gov. Tim Walz signed the executive order to establish the Council on Recording the Truth of Operation Metro Surge and Operation PARRIS (Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening). (read more)
Local activists hope a hunger strike will put pressure on Hennepin County to commit to a date to close its garbage burner, the Hennepin County Energy Recovery Center, reports Sahan Journal.
And ICYMI from MinnPost…
Is this omnibus going to crash? Appeals panel entertains notion that entire 2024 omnibus bill is unconstitutional
Community Voices: Google just bought your Minnesota vacationland for a data center
Emergency rental assistance is coming to Minneapolis, but from where?
Opponents hope clock runs out on bill to lift sulfide mining ban in Boundary Waters watershed
Art lessons: What happens when the state exerts control over culture?
