Minnesota schools reporting sharp increase in number of guns confiscated from students:

Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families told counties and Native American tribes not to approve new SNAP applications after Wednesday. And the state was preparing to tell recipients on Oct. 21 that benefits would not be issued for November, barring any changes.

“The contortions they appear to be prepared to go through to circumvent the spirit of the (law’s) presumption of openness are astounding,” Jane Kirtley, professor of law and media ethics at the University of Minnesota, said.

Public records show that the state’s red flag gun law has helped law enforcement confiscate guns from people with violent plans. Some counties, though, have rarely or never used it, raising worry about gaps in its effectiveness:

I interviewed Minneapolis City Council Member Katie Cashman @ward7.minneapolismn.gov, who is asking MPD to add clearance rates -- which indicate whether cases have been solved -- to the city's crime dashboard

Moriarty provided a report from 2017 which showed that of 20,170 Minneapolis Police Department traffic stops for moving and equipment violations, less than 0.5% led to a gun charge and 2.71% led to a drug charge.

Here's a gift link to a story I worked on for about two months. I profiled a Honduran family in Willmar whose father has no violent criminal history, yet is facing deportation. w/ photos from the great Elizabeth Flores, via @startribune.com

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. Mass shootings occur daily in this country.

But the funding that supports this work is increasingly at risk. Pandemic money is gone, and a lot of the federal resources that back housing stability programs are in question as the Trump administration slashes federal spending:

As Minnesota's cannabis market opens up, you might be wondering, what’s safer: smoking, vaping or edibles? How long should you wait to drive a car? What does dependency look like?

Mary Moriarty will not seek a second term as Hennepin County Attorney:

My story on going to the Boundary Waters for the first time is up!! This is one where you won’t be afraid of looking at the comment section!! #outdoors #minnesota www.startribune.com/what-not-to-...

Nobody can agree on where Uptown starts and ends. Is there a true definition?

Tough day in the newsroom, and for our colleagues at The Current and YourClassical. 5-8% layoffs for our company coming down the pike. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...

I will say that last night I saw “Eddington” and there were audible groans in the audience when footage of Jacob Frey made a surprise cameo

The suspense is whether state Sen. Omar Fateh, a democratic socialist, will win the endorsement, or whether two-term Mayor Jacob Frey will succeed in blocking Fateh, resulting in the party issuing no endorsement:

The full length of Minneapolis’ Stone Arch Bridge is set to reopen to the public Aug. 9 following more than a year of repairs:

walking great distances wahoo!!!!!

The safety record of Amazon's Fulfillment Center in Shakopee has drawn scrutiny for years. More than a year after new statewide safety regulations have taken hold, workers still say the company is not doing enough to keep them safe:

SexWorld, Minneapolis’ adult entertainment store that was once three stories tall, featured a live peepshow and became a rite of passage in the Twin Cities, will close its doors permanently June 29:

From last week -- Social media, text chains helped anti-ICE protesters get the word out during Minneapolis raid:

Two years after a study found gaps in police response, experts told the City Council MPD still isn’t doing enough to protect victims of domestic violence:

A great breakdown of how the narrative of George Floyd's murder has changed five years later, by Andy Mannix and Liz Sawyer:

The daughter was supposed to arrive in Minnesota in January, but her flight was canceled after President Donald Trump halted all refugee resettlements.

Rachel Hardeman was named to Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people last year

“A lot of people find parking ramps, any door that’s unlocked in Minnesota. They get in apartments and then stay in laundry rooms, or they stay in the hallways, or they find vandalized abandoned houses. There’s sheds all around here, too.” By Susan Du:

“This isn’t the way you remove people from the United States or force them to leave.”

How many of Minnesota's essential music venues have you been to? Tally it up and read our ratings 🎤 🎶

Opinion: "It’s not just police but people driving positive change in north Minneapolis" -- by Sheletta Brundidge

A Minnesota State University Mankato student was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday “for reasons that are unknown" to the school:

A University of Minnesota graduate student was detained Thursday by ICE on the Twin Cities campus, a situation the U described as “deeply concerning.”

Daria Shyroka is working toward becoming a doctor like her grandparents. She does not know if her stay in the US will abruptly end as President Donald Trump weighs revoking the legal status of fellow displaced Ukrainians. By Reid Forgrave:

Anxious about a potential recession? How to prepare and stay calm by @zoemjack.bsky.social

The past two months have amounted to a whiplash for Minnesota’s refugee resettlement agencies. After enjoying decades of bipartisan support and seeing many refugees succeed here, their programs face an uncertain future: www.startribune.com/minnesotas-r...

Happy Pi Day! Here is a story about pie: (more specifically -- about how an MMA fighter turned into a pie-only professional baker) www.startribune.com/pie-day-baki...

Five healthy and mature bur oak and basswood trees were “illegally” cut down last week in Cedar Lake Park, and the Minneapolis park board is asking for help identifying those responsible.

In rural Minnesota, immigrants prepare for the day they’ve long feared: www.startribune.com/in-rural-min...

Homicides slightly increased in Minneapolis and slightly fell in St. Paul, leaving police officials in both cities frustrated, even as shootings continue to decline: www.startribune.com/5-takeaways-...

It's Monday and 15 below zero. What else is there to do but stay in and watch movies? Me and @ederc.bsky.social watched 23 movies filmed in Minnesota during the 90s and ranked the 10 best. What do you think of our list? www.startribune.com/the-10-most-...

Most have said it is a step backward, was demoralizing to staff and suppliers, and that it shows corporations are more interested in making sure they are in the good graces of President Donald Trump’s administration than standing up for what’s right: www.startribune.com/target-diver...

Dozens lived in the encampment near Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, which was torn down Thursday due to growing safety concerns: www.startribune.com/st-paul-tear...

An early look at what’s in the tentative agreement with the U.S. DOJ mandating police reforms in Minneapolis: www.startribune.com/an-early-loo...

In our new podcast “Ghost of a Chance,” reporter Eric Roper traces the lives of a Black couple who owned his house in 1917, revealing a history of race in Minneapolis. Episodes 1 and 2 are available Jan. 13 wherever you get your podcasts.

A really nice 2024 recap of Minneapolis' City Council-Mayoral productivity: www.startribune.com/the-minneapo...

there’s a member of the minneapolis city council who i have now seen at showings for the substance (who brought someone who used their phone during the climax!) and nosferatu (on christmas night) 👀👀

“I go to the grocery store and run into someone I know: ‘What the hell is going on with the mail?’ I’m sitting in the dentist chair getting my teeth cleaned: ‘Why the hell can’t I get my mail?’ ” www.startribune.com/theres-littl...

Some great beat reporting here: www.startribune.com/walz-flanaga...

Holiday decorations at the Minnesota State Capitol this year include a Christmas tree, nativity scene, a menorah... and a Satanic display: www.startribune.com/satan-satani...

Swastikas spray-painted outside entrance to Temple Israel in Minneapolis: www.startribune.com/swastikas-sp...

In 2024 there were 119 Minnesotans who died while homeless, 124 who died while previously homeless and 23 advocates who passed: www.startribune.com/40th-annual-...