>>MDH Confirms 10 New Measles Cases, Urges Vaccination
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)confirms 10 new measles cases this week, bringing the 2025 total to 18. All recent cases have been in unvaccinated individuals and are linked to travel. Measles is surging nationwide, with over 1,500 cases confirmed—the highest since 1992. M-D-H officials urge families to check their immunization records, especially amid recent changes to vaccine policy under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as the Secretary opposes mandates and has delayed key recommendations.
>>SNAP Food Cuts Affecting Minnesotans
(St. Paul, MN) — A state Senate subcommittee is looking at how the federal shutdown is affecting food assistance in Minnesota. During a hearing today, Senator Alice Mann of Edina criticized Republican leadership, stating that the shutdown is hurting programs like SNAP and food banks, which are already strained by federal cuts. “It is a shame that a Congress controlled by Republicans… could not govern and keep the government open… because we didn’t want 100,000 Minnesotans to lose their health care,” Republicans say some of the cuts are coming to these programs to keep illegal immigrants from collecting benefits.
>>Health Insurance Rates to Jump in 2026
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesotans who buy health insurance on the individual market will see a sharp increase in premiums next year. The Minnesota Department of Commerce announced today that rates for 2026 will rise an average of 21.5% for individual plans and 14.2% for small group plans. Officials say the hikes would have been even steeper without the state’s reinsurance program. Without that financial backstop, insurers estimated individual market rates would have surged by 69%. The reinsurance program helps cover high-cost claims, keeping premiums more stable for everyone. Lawmakers extended the program earlier this year. The finalized rates apply to plans sold on MNsure and directly through insurers.
>>Father Fatally Shot Son in Freeborn County for Metal Pipe Attack
(Alden, MN) — Freeborn County investigators are releasing more information about a shooting incident in Alden that left one man dead and three people injured. The sheriff’s office says 45-year-old Joshua Petersen was illegally at his parents’ home last Tuesday and was attacking his family with a metal pipe when his father fatally shot him. The report says Josh struck his mother, father, and 47-year-old brother Jason with the pipe before being taken to the ground. That’s when 71-year-old Dave Petersen shot him and stopped the attack. All three were treated for injuries and cooperated with the investigation.
>>Man Arrested After Posing as Minor at White Bear Lake High School
(White Bear Lake, MN) — An adult man who was attending White Bear Lake High School as a 17-year-old is in custody. Principal Russell Reetz told families the 22-year-old man used false documentation to enroll, even joining the high school football team. The man is charged with suspicion of theft and indecent exposure, as he was in the locker room as a member of the team.
>>Authorities ID Pickup Driver Killed in Anoka County School Bus Crash
(Andover, MN) — Anoka County authorities are identifying the pickup driver killed in a collision with a school bus Tuesday morning in Andover. Deputies say 43-year-old Dustin King of Andover was pulling a trailer when his truck crossed the centerline and collided head-on with the bus. King was treated by paramedics but died at the scene. One Anoka High School student and the bus driver were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The crash is still being investigated.
