>>GOP Congressional Delegation Sends Letter to Walz over Fraud
(Washington, DC) — Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation sent a letter to Governor Tim Walz demanding answers regarding alleged fraud within the Minnesota Department of Human Services Housing Stabilization Services program. Congressman Tom Emmer said in a statement, “As Minnesota is facing a projected $6 billion deficit, this continued pattern of fraud in Minnesota is completely unacceptable.” The G-O-P lawmakers are asking Walz for information on how this fraud has happened on his watch. Federal agents recently raided the H-S-S for suspected Medicaid fraud.
>>Governor Walz Plans to Announce Re-Election Decision after State Fair
(St. Paul, MN) — Governor Tim Walz says he won’t announce his plans for the 2026 election until after the Minnesota State Fair wraps up on Labor Day. Walz told reporters this week that the assassination of House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman led to personal reflection. The governor has hinted at a third term, saying in April he was raising resources to run again. If he does run, Walz says he won’t seek the presidency in 2028. Several Republican challengers have already entered the race.
>>DPS Launches Tip Program to Help Advance Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Cases
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office has launched a new tip reward program. Director Ana Negrete says the purpose of the fund’s tip program is to bring resolution and justice to impacted families by offering financial rewards up to $10,000 for tips in eligible long-term missing persons, suspicious death, and homicide investigations. Lawmakers established the state’s reward fund account during the 2022-2024 legislative session.
>>Prosecutor Won’t Charge Murder in Shooting of 11-Year-Old Minneapolis Boy
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is not filing a murder charge in the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy in north Minneapolis last month. Prosecutors are charging the 16-year-old suspect with one count of under age 18 possession of a firearm. A statement from County Attorney Mary Moriarty says murder was not a viable charge because of evidence of self-defense. She said, “everything about this case is a tragedy, especially that an 11-year-old boy, Amir Atkins, is dead.” The 16-year-old was arrested Tuesday in Apple Valley.
>>Ex-Minnesota Volleyball Coach Gets 400 Months for Production of Child Pornography
(Minneapolis, MN) — A former volleyball coach from Minnetonka will spend more than 33 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. The U-S Attorney’s Office says 33-year-old Dorian Barrs coerced and persuaded girls to engage in sexual activity with him and produce and send him sexually explicit material. Investigators have identified at least 19 minor victims and said 14 were being coached by Barrs. He was an assistant coach at Maple Grove High School from 2020 to 2024 and coached the Minnesota Select private volleyball club. U-S District Judge Nancy E. Brasel told the court at Barrs’ sentencing, “this case represents every parent’s nightmare.”
>>Bicyclist from Texas Dies on RAGBRAI Route near Jackson, Minnesota
(Jackson, MN) — Authorities in southwest Minnesota say a Texas man died during the RAGBRAI recreational bicycle tour near Jackson. Sheriff’s deputies say the rider – 54-year-old Kelly Paul – collapsed on a county road near Highway 86 Monday and doctors and nurses administered medical assistance. Paul was taken to a hospital in Spirit Lake, Iowa, where he died. This is the first time in its 52-year history that the “Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa” crossed into Minnesota. The ride began in 1973 as a challenge by employees of the Des Moines Register newspaper.
>>Body of Missing La Crosse Woman Found in Mississippi in Houston County
(Brownsville, MN) — Authorities in southeastern Minnesota say the body of a missing La Crosse, Wisconsin woman has been found in the Mississippi River. The Houston County Sheriff’s Office reports the body of 22-year-old Eliotte Heinz was recovered from the water Wednesday morning near Brownsville. Law enforcement had been looking for Heinz since she went missing early Sunday morning. Police are still investigating and are waiting on results of an autopsy for an official cause of death.
>>Officials ID 1 of 2 Victims in Deadly St. Louis County House Fire
(Beatty Township, MN) — The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is identifying one of the victims in a deadly house fire last Thursday night near Cook. Deputies say 69-year-old Raeann Pry was found dead in the burning home. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office is working to positively identify the second victim, who is believed to be 60-year-old Susan Hein of Cook. Investigators say they haven’t been able to locate any of Hein’s family members and are asking for the public’s help.
>>Lightning Strikes Great Lakes Aquarium, Captured on Camera
(Duluth, MN) — A dramatic moment at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth when lightning struck the building during a thunderstorm on Wednesday and it was all caught on camera. The aquarium shared the striking footage on its Facebook page, where it quickly gained traction across social media. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and all animals and staff remained safe. The bolt hit a rooftop camera, which absorbed the impact. Staff inside said they only heard a loud bang, but the power stayed on, and operations continued without interruption.
>>Air Quality Alert Expanded to Most of Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is expanding the current air quality alert into northern, central, south central, and southwest Minnesota. Canadian wildfire smoke prompted the initial alert for the northwest corner of the state through 11 pm on Friday. Officials say the smoke will reach southwest, northeast, and central Minnesota by Thursday morning and move into east central and south central Minnesota in the afternoon. Air quality is expected to improve on Friday.
>>Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed in Itasca County for First Time
(Grand Rapids, MN) — The state Department of Agriculture is confirming emerald ash borer in northern Minnesota’s Itasca County for the first time. The D-N-R confirmed the presence of E-A-B larvae in ash trees on Pokegama Lake near Grand Rapids. The first detection prompts an emergency quarantine in southeastern Itasca County, which limits the movement of firewood and ash material. There are now 59 Minnesota counties with the tree-killing pest.
>>PGA Tour’s 3M Open Tees Off at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine
(Blaine, MN) — The first round of the 3-M Open tees off today (Thurs) at the T-P-C Twin Cities in Blaine. Tournament director Mike Welch says Minnesota is becoming a popular stop on the P-G-A Tour. He says this is the strongest, deepest field ever with 61 of the top 125 players in World Golf Ranking. They are expecting 100 thousand spectators during the four-day tournament. The afternoon rounds of the 3-M Pro-Am were cancelled Wednesday due to about two inches of rain. Welch says the players like the area and the way their families are treated in Minnesota. Tickets are available for all four days of the 3-M Open.
>>Dodgers Walk Off Twins in Series Finale in LA
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Dodgers walked off the Twins 4-3 in the series finale Wednesday afternoon in L-A. Freddie Freeman hit the game-winning, two-run single off Griffin Jax in the ninth inning. Minnesota had taken a 3-2 lead in the eighth on a Willi Castro ground out and Harrison Bader infield single. Starter Chris Paddack allowed one run and struck out eight over six innings. The Twins are back at Target Field on Friday to face the Washington Nationals.
