>>Walz Announces $4 Million in Emergency Funding for Minnesota Food Shelves
(Eagan, MN) — Governor Tim Walz is announcing four million dollars in emergency funding today (Mon) for Minnesota food shelves. The federal government shutdown threatens SNAP and other grocery benefits for 440-thousand Minnesotans in November. The governor announced the one-time funding while volunteering at a food shelf this morning in Eagan.
>>Minnesota GOP Chair Calls Gun Safety Town Halls ‘More Political Theater’
(Edina, MN) — The chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota is calling Governor Walz’s statewide ‘Gun Safety Town Hall’ tour “more political theater.” The first one in Waconia on Saturday featured former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head during a constituent event in 2011. In his weekly chairman’s update, Alex Plechash said, “Walz uses a tragedy at a Catholic school as a prop for political posturing – after he refused to help private and faith-based schools when he had the chance.” Parents of the Annunciation School victims have been urging the governor and legislators to ban assault weapons in response to the mass shooting.
>>House Majority Whip Emmer Rallies Republican Voters in Iowa
(Coralville, IA) — Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer is rallying G-O-P voters in Iowa more than a year before the mid-term elections. The U-S House majority whip spoke at a weekend fundraiser for Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Emmer says you’ve got to keep remining Republicans, “yeah, we hold it all right now, but we could lose it all tomorrow. ” He urged everyone to show up next November. Emmer told the group that Iowa’s four G-O-P congressional seats were half Republicans and half Democrats five years ago.
>>Minneapolis Clears Police Misconduct Backlog
(Minneapolis, MN) — The City of Minneapolis has completed investigations into all 234 backlogged M-P-D (Minneapolis Police Department) misconduct complaints. The Office of Police Conduct Review (OPCR) says the cases, dating before May 2024, were cleared after multiple staffing and structural changes. O-P-C-R added 12 new roles, including intake and investigations supervisors, and hired Director Russell Fujisawa to lead reforms. Mayor Jacob Frey says the milestone reflects the city’s commitment to transparency. Officials say the office can now focus on newer complaints and faster investigations.
>>MPCA Grants Available for Climate Change Projects in Smaller Communities
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has grant funding available to help smaller communities with projects that address the impacts of climate change. M-P-C-A State Climate Director Kate Knuth says they have a total of $1.1 million to award during this round of funding. Knuth says having money set aside for smaller communities is helpful because they can have a harder time competing for grants against bigger cities. More info can be found on the M-P-C-A website.
>>$1 Million Powerball Ticket Sold in Sherburn, Minnesota
(Roseville, MN) — A Powerball ticket sold in the south central Minnesota town of Sherburn is a one-million-dollar winner. The Minnesota Lottery reports a ticket worth a million dollars was purchased at Casey’s General Store in Sherburn for Saturday’s drawing. The winner will have to claim the big prize at lottery headquarters in Roseville. Nobody won the Powerball jackpot, so it grows to an estimated 358 million dollars for tonight’s drawing.
>>Love Your Melon Opens Mall of America Location
(Bloomington, MN) — Love Your Melon (LYM)—where every beanie sold means another is donated to a child in need—has opened its first retail store at the Mall of America. Owner Zachary Quinn says it all began at the University of St. Thomas, where a professor pushed a class project to start a business. He says they started with 200 hats to sell and 200 hats to give away. Quinn says through the relaunch of L-Y-M as an interactive store, they hope to give away 50 to 100,000 beanies a year to kids in need. Love Your Melon has raised more than 10 million dollars for pediatric cancer research and donated 285,000 beanies since 2012.
>>Timberwolves and Nuggets Meet at Target Center
(Minneapolis, MN) – The Minnesota Timberwolves are back on the court at Target Center tonight (Mon 8:30pm) to face the Denver Nuggets. The Wolves beat the Indiana Pacers 114-110 in the home opener last night to improve to 2-and-1. All-Star guard Anthony Edwards left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring tightness and is listed as day-to-day. The 1-and-1 Nuggets are coming off a 133-111 win at Phoenix on Saturday night.
