With the 10th pick in the NFL draft the Minnesota Vikings selected Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. This is the first time the Vikings have drafted a quarterback in the top 10 ever, per Kare’s Reggie Wilson. Kim Hyatt and Christopher Magan at the Star Tribune report the lead prosecutor on the Ryan Londregan case has stepped down and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is seeking outside legal counsel. Kare11’s Lou Raguse has the transcript of the 911 call made by the stepmother of Sen. Nicole Mitchell saying she “tripped over” the intruder. KSTP’s Krystal Frasier writes ei ..read more

WASHINGTON — Recent polls and other indicators are prompting rising speculation that President Joe Biden may not win Minnesota a second time and the state will become a battleground as the race for the White House heats up this summer. But is Minnesota, with its history of voting for Democratic presidential candidates, really up for grabs? To many political observers, Minnesota has become a “second tier” battleground state, not as competitive as the seven states that will most likely determine the outcome of the presidential election — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Penns ..read more

The tie-breaking vote in the Minnesota Senate, the vote that seals the DFL’s trifecta in state government, appeared in court on first-degree burglary charges this week. During the early morning hours on April 22, state Sen. Nicole Mitchell was arrested in her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. The criminal complaint says she wore dark clothes, put a sock on a flashlight and entered the home through a basement window. Mitchell told officers she was trying to take some of the ashes of her deceased father as well as some items of sentimental value. The felony case against Mitchell, a ..read more

I want to see an America where everyone can access the tools they need to reach financial freedom, regardless of where they come from or how wealthy they are.  In line with that vision, I am always happy to see proposals that will bring more Black and brown Minnesotans into our nation’s financial system, like the proposed Capital One and Discover merger. This merger, which the federal government has to review, would be a win for communities that have been cast aside by too many other financial institutions and heighten competition in the payment network market — a win for small and minor ..read more

The eclipse of the Suns is halfway through its progression. It takes four losses to eliminate a team from the NBA playoffs and the Minnesota Timberwolves have now administered two defeats in as many games against the Phoenix Suns, a fair-weather team steadily parched of nourishment during their four-day sojourn to the northern tundra. Suns versus Wolves is a marquee matchup of contrasting styles. If the whispered coo of a swished jump shot is your preferred mood music, the Suns are your soundtrack, with a trio of majestic marksmen who can each hang in the air, blot out distractions, and flick ..read more

The Associated Press reports Italy has banned loans of work to the Minneapolis Institute of Art “following a dispute with the U.S. museum over an ancient marble statue believed to have been looted from Italy almost a half-century ago.” Becky Z. Dernbach with Sahan Journal reports Minneapolis teachers will vote Thursday to authorize a strike after months of negotiations. Pioneer Press’ Jess Myers reports Al Shaver, voice of the North Stars has died at age 96. Jordan Sansom with KAAL-TV writes the Rochester Education Association Vince Wagner defended a policy that has caused controversy amo ..read more

Kyle Stokes at Axios reports St. Paul is proposing a massive expansion of the city’s current network of bikeways, especially by adding “off-street” or “separated lanes” on high-traffic streets. Update: The St. Paul City Council has approved the plan. JUST NOW: The St. Paul City Council has voted 5-0 to adopt an update to the city's bike plan. Read all about it below ?️?️?️⤵️⤵️⤵️ https://t.co/QZhTjhw8yj — Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) April 24, 2024 Louis Krauss at the Star Tribune is reporting a development proposal for Lino Lakes that includes a new mosque brought residents out by the hundreds ..read more

With less than 24 hours notice, hundreds came out to Shiloh Temple International Ministries to honor the memory of Sammy McDowell with a community barbeque and a balloon release.  The gathering was a testament to McDowell’s spirit, which touched the lives of so many in Minneapolis and beyond. The balloon release was timed for 6:30 p.m. CST so communities in Chicago, Dallas, Arizona, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, North Carolina and Arizona, could release balloons at the same time. McDowell, the beloved owner of Sammy’s Avenue Eatery at 101 West Broadway Ave. in Minneapolis died unexpectedly Sun ..read more

Octavia Treadway’s middle son was a drummer before he was born. “He actually started drumming in the womb,” said Treadway, the co-executive director of You’re Carrying Someone Great, a nonprofit that, once launched this summer, will focus on the prenatal and postnatal health of Black and brown parents and children.  “We would be at church and the choir would start to sing and play, and he would just be going crazy. It was just his thing … he was born, he came out and as soon as he could pick something up, he literally just started banging it.” Treadway is a mother of three sons, but she ..read more

A group of researchers at the University of Minnesota is working with the White Earth Nation on ways to provide resources and other help for people who work as caregivers for those who are suffering from dementia.  The idea behind the project is to create a more supportive structure for caregivers — many of them unpaid family members who work with few resources and often without a complete understanding of the disease. It’s a timely venture as Minnesota’s caregiving infrastructure is bound to change along with the state’s demographics.  Minnesota’s population above 65 years of age i ..read more