>>Boelter Sentenced in Federal Court
(Minneapolis, MN) — Vance Boelter is being sentenced today in federal court for the politically motivated shootings that killed former House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and seriously wounded State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Boelter pleaded guilty last month to six federal charges, admitting he planned the attacks and carried them out while posing as a police officer. Prosecutors are seeking two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years in prison. Separate state murder and attempted murder charges are still pending.
>>Minnesota Sees Sharp Decline in No-Knock Warrants Since 2023 Law
(St. Paul, MN) — The number of no-knock search warrants executed in Minnesota has dropped dramatically since a new state law took effect in 2023. According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, officers carried out 18 no-knock warrants last year, down from 158 in 2022. The law still allows no-knock entries, but only with a judge’s approval and when law enforcement can demonstrate they’re necessary. DFL Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten, who authored the legislation, says it was prompted by the 2022 police shooting death of Amir Locke during a no-knock warrant in Minneapolis. The BCA says no fatalities were reported during the execution of no-knock warrants last year.
>>Fire Crews Gain Ground on Some Northeast Minnesota Wildfires
(Undated) — Firefighters are making progress on several northeastern Minnesota wildfires, with crews transitioning into mop-up operations on the Chubb and Echo fires as containment lines continue to hold. Firefighters are extinguishing hot spots near fire lines, patrolling smaller fires, and protecting homes and other structures. Cooler temperatures and recent rainfall have also slowed activity on the Lower Knife Fire near the Canadian border, giving crews time to develop a longer-term suppression strategy. Meanwhile, officials are getting their first detailed ground assessment of the remote Thumb Fire after deploying a hotshot crew into the area.
>>Boundary Waters Fires Expected to Become More Active Through Week’s End
(Ely, MN) — Fire officials say wildfire activity in the Boundary Waters is expected to increase through the end of the week as hotter, drier, and windier weather returns to northeastern Minnesota. Crews have made steady progress containing several fires, but drying vegetation is creating more fuel, and smoldering hot spots could spread into larger surface fires. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness remains closed to permit holders through Friday.
>>Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Native American Mother
(Ball Club, MN) — The Itasca County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a Native American mother as suspicious. Thirty-seven-year-old Rikki Skog, a mother of three, disappeared for about a day before her body was discovered in a ditch, just a few blocks from the annual powwow in Ball Club. Family and friends gathered this week to honor Skog ahead of her traditional Ojibwe funeral service. Skog was a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and was raised in Ball Club on the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation.
>>Klobuchar-Backed Epilepsy Bill Advances in Senate
(Washington, D.C.) — A bipartisan bill aimed at improving epilepsy care is moving forward in the U.S. Senate. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt are celebrating committee approval of the National Plan for Epilepsy Act. The legislation would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to create a national strategy to improve epilepsy care, expand research, and coordinate federal programs. More than three million Americans—including an estimated 55,000 Minnesotans—are living with epilepsy. Supporters say the measure would also increase public awareness and strengthen efforts to prevent and eventually cure the condition.
>>Campaign Urges MSHSL to Change Girls’ Sports Eligibility Rules
(Undated) — A new statewide advocacy campaign is urging the Minnesota State High School League to adopt biology-based eligibility rules for girls’ sports. The “Make It Fair MN” campaign says the league—not the governor or Legislature—has the authority to change its bylaws. Organizers are asking the two voting representatives from each of the league’s 509 member schools to support an amendment requiring students in sex-separated sports to compete based on their biological sex at birth. The campaign says its goal is to preserve girls’ athletics and educate the public about how MSHSL bylaw changes are made.
