>>Governor Walz Delivers 7th State of the State Address
(St. Paul, MN) — Governor Tim Walz delivered his seventh State of the State Address Wednesday night from the Minnesota House Chamber. Walz said, “Our legislature is narrowly divided but I believe we can unify around those ideas: Security, opportunity, freedom. I believe we can continue to make Minnesota the best place to live, work and raise a family.” Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson says, ” we need to be listening to school boards, superintendents and small businesses, not doing these red herrings with the federal government and what the administration might be doing or what not. Let’s focus on Minnesota.” The governor proposed budget cuts but said, ” We are not walking away from the commitments we’ve made. To our schools, to our health care, to green energy, to public safety, to feeding our kids, and to taking care of seniors.” House Speaker Lisa Demuth says Republicans will not agree to any tax increases.
>>MN Senate Passes Vets and Military Affairs Omnibus Budget Bill
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Senate is sending the Veterans and Military Affairs omnibus budget bill to the House. D-F-L Senator Aric Putnam of St. Cloud says the bill was built from meaningful conversations with veterans, their families, and people from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The omnibus bill includes legislation that helps support veterans’ home across Minnesota, allow veterans spouses and children to continue to have access to education benefits, and recognizing veterans of the Secret War in Laos. The bill passed unanimously Wednesday and now heads to the Minnesota House.
>>Commerce & Consumer Protection Budget Passes Minnesota Senate
(St. Paul, MN) — The Commerce and Consumer Protection budget cleared the Minnesota Senate on Wednesday. Senator Matt Klein of Mendota Heights says it will defend Minnesotans from financial scams, fraudsters, and unfair business practices. Provisions in the budget include setting up an ombudsman to oversee transparency between homeowner associations and homeowners, concert venues will have to provide free water for consumers for their health, it prohibits the sale of nitrous oxide to young people, and ensures the Office of Cannabis Management has a successful launch. The proposal did face some strong opposition but passed 35 to 29. It now moves to the House.
>>Minnesota Joins 12-State Lawsuit Challenging Trump Tariffs
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota is joining 12 other states in a federal lawsuit that would block President Trump’s tariffs. Attorney General Keith Ellison says in a statement, “Donald Trump’s tariffs are unlawful and will cause severe harm to families across Minnesota, so I’m filing a lawsuit to block them.” The suit claims only Congress has the power to increase tariffs and the U-S is not in an economic emergency. Trump’s executive orders impose a 145-percent tariff on Chinese products, 25 percent tariff on most products from Canada and Mexico, and ten percent of most imported products. The U-S Senate passed a bill blocking tariffs on Canada.
>>Omar Tells Seniors She Won’t Stop Fighting to Protect Social Security
(St. Anthony, MN) — Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is speaking out against proposed cuts to Social Security benefits. Omar told residents of a Saint Anthony senior living facility that she won’t stop fighting to protect and strengthen Social Security. She said, “Because it is not an entitlement. It is an earned benefit, a promise made to every American who has contributed to the system. People paid into this system every single paycheck, year after year, decade after decade. That money belongs to you.” Omar says more than 96 thousand Minnesotans in the 5th District rely on 184 million dollars in monthly Social Security benefits.
>>Suspect Charged with Murder and Arson in Death of Duluth Man
(Duluth, MN) — A Duluth man is now charged with second-degree murder and first-degree arson in the death of 25-year-old Maxton Gudowski last summer. The complaint alleges 25-year-old Tyler Edwards stabbed Gudowski more than 30 times before dousing his body with accelerant and setting him on fire. Gudowski’s burned remains were discovered at his home on July 25th, 2024. Edwards has been in custody since his arrest in September.
>>Chaska Man Charged with Distributing Child Pornography in Federal Court
(Minneapolis, MN) — A convicted Chaska sex offender is being charged in federal court with distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Court documents say 25-year-old Nicholas Lugo distributed multiple CSAM videos online on July 3rd, 2024. He has a 2021 conviction in Hennepin County for first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor. Lugo will remain in federal custody pending further court hearings.
>>2 Moorhead Residents Convicted in Meth Trafficking Conspiracy
(Fergus Falls, MN) — Two Moorhead residents face federal prison time after being convicted in a methamphetamine trafficking case. Authorities intercepted a package with more than nine pounds of meth in North Dakota last February. Agents removed most of the drugs, added a tracking device and sent the package to a Fargo-Moorhead rental unit where it was received by 58-year-old Alberto Lopez, Junior and two others. Law enforcement recovered another three pounds of meth from Lopez’s property. Prosecutors say 46-year-old Terri Weidman provided the vacant rental units and facilitated the meth shipments from California.
>>Minnesota’s Largest Credit Union to Combine with Colorado’s
(Apple Valley, MN)– Minnesota and Colorado’s largest credit unions plan to merge next year. Apple Valley-based Wings Credit Union announced it will join forces with Colorado Springs-based Ent Credit Union. The two businesses plan to operate under the Wings brand. No layoffs or branch closures are expected.
>>Vikings Pick 24th in First Round of NFL Draft in Green Bay
(Green Bay, WI) — The Minnesota Vikings have the 24th selection in the first round of the N-F-L Draft tonight (Thurs 7pm) in Green Bay. Analysts think the Purple will likely use that pick on a defensive back or an offensive or defensive lineman. The Vikings own the 97th overall pick in the third round on Friday, and number 139 in the fifth round and the 187th selection in the sixth round on Saturday. The team is hosting a “Vikings Draft Party” this evening at U-S Bank Stadium.
>>NHL Playoffs Move to Xcel Energy Center for Game 3 Thursday Night
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights play Game 3 of the N-H-L playoffs tonight (Thurs 8pm) at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild won 5-2 Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena to even the first-round series 1-1. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy combined for five points and Filip Gustavsson made 30 saves. Limited tickets are available for tonight’s postseason game in St. Paul.
