>>Governor Walz and First Lady Get Flu Shots and COVID Vaccine
(St. Paul, MN) — Governor Tim Walz and First Lady Gwen rolled up their sleeves Wednesday for their COVID and flu vaccinations. The governor says Minnesotans need to know the Trump administration continues to release false and confusing information about vaccines. Walz promised, “We’re not going to deny you access to life saving vaccines. We’re going to coordinate through the Commerce Department with your insurance companies that these vaccines are affordable to you and covered by your insurance company.” The governor and health leaders urged Minnesotans to listen to their personal doctors and make their own decisions about vaccines.
>>Walz Won’t Call Special Session if Gun Safety is Not on Agenda
(St. Paul, MN) — Governor Tim Walz says there’s no point in calling a special session at this point if the discussion does not include a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Walz told reporters, “If we’re going to hold a special session on the safety of our children and safety of our streets and safety of gun violence, we need to talk about guns.” Republican leaders have proposed a special session looking at school safety and increasing mental health services, but do not want to vote on an assault weapons ban. Walz added, “if they say that’s not going to happen, calling a special session is going to be a waste of money and a waste of time.”
>>700 Minnesota Faith Leaders Call for Ban on Assault Weapons
(St. Paul, MN) — A delegation of 50 faith leaders delivered a letter to Governor Tim Walz’s office calling on lawmakers to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The letter is signed by more than 700 faith leaders representing 60 of Minnesota’s 87 counties. It asks the governor and state legislators to act with “moral courage” in the wake of the Annunciation Catholic School shooting. Clergy from different denominations will hold daily prayer sessions for victims, survivors and communities every day for the next week on the upper mall steps of the State Capitol.
>>Police Investigate Antisemitic Vandalism at Temple Israel
(Minneapolis, MN) — Police are investigating antisemitic messages and vandalism at Temple Israel in Uptown Minneapolis. Officers say someone spray-painted “watch out Zionists” in red on an outside wall and symbols referencing the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the vandalism was “clearly a hate crime.” Mayor Jacob Frey attends the synagogue and said Minneapolis stands with its Jewish neighbors. The incident is being investigated as a bias crime. Temple Israel is the largest synagogue in Minnesota.
>>Advocate Appointed to Lead Minnesota’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office
(Undated) — Guadalupe Lopez, a dedicated advocate for Indigenous communities, has been named director of Minnesota’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office. Her appointment marks a continued commitment to addressing and ending violence against Indigenous people across the state. Lopez’s journey as an advocate began in childhood, inspired by her late mother, a survivor of an American Indian boarding school. An enrolled member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Lopez grew up in St. Paul and says leading the M-M-I-R office feels like “coming home.” She is the third woman to head the St. Paul-based office since its establishment in 2021.
>>Firefighters Responding to Crosby Wildfire on North Shore
(Tofte, MN) — Firefighters are battling a wildfire near the Crosby Manitou State Park along the North Shore southwest of Tofte. The Minnesota Interagency Fire Center says the fire has grown to 50 acres, smoldering and creeping in mixed hardwoods and leaf litter. No structures are immediately threatened by the flames. Fire crews with the Minnesota D-N-R and Superior National Forest, along with multiple aircraft are responding to the fire.
>>The Wildcat Sanctuary Rescues Jaguar from Oregon Roadside Zoo
(Sandstone, MN) — A jaguar rescued from a roadside zoo in Oregon is now living at the Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone. Officials say Louie was the last cat rescued after federal investigators seized more than 300 animals, guns, and drugs at Oregon’s West Coast Game Park Safari. Louie is now gaining weight, playing with watermelons, and rolling the grass at his forever home in eastern Minnesota. Three other cats from the same facility were also rescued by the Wildcat Sanctuary.
>>Minnesota Wild Open the 2025-26 Season in St. Louis
(St. Louis, MO) — The Minnesota Wild open the regular season tonight (Thurs 7pm) against the Blues in St. Louis. Minnesota went 3-2-and-1 in preseason play. The Wild lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Golden Knights last spring. Nico Sturm and Matz Zuccarello start the season on the injured list. Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson says he’s ready for a new season after signing a five-year contract extension. The home opener is Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the newly named Grand Casino Arena.
