The city of Ely — the gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area — has taken a creative approach to a statewide and national issue, by offering a $3,800 canoe package to help recruit and retain badly needed police officers.

The funding will go toward a planned move to a new location at 1000 East Lake St. 

The Midwest’s first bar dedicated to promoting and watching women’s sports plans to open in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis, led by a woman who got tired of pleading with bartenders to change the TV to women’s sports.

It’s a holiday line-up this week for Art Hounds. La Grande Bande presents a French Baroque Christmas in St Peter and St Paul this weekend, St Croix Valley Chamber Chorale performs its Christmas concert this weekend in Stillwater, and Trekkies unite for the play “It’s an Honorable Life,” a Klingon take of the George Bailey classic, at Mounds Theatre in St Paul. 

The Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza strip has surfaced a wide spectrum of emotions for Jews. Some know where they stand, others are changing their perspectives, and some are unsure where to even begin. But people are guarded. Amid the tension, Jews are seeking opportunities to come together and they’re looking for guidance.

Minnesota’s Department of Revenue couldn’t convince the IRS to spare state rebate tax recipients from federal taxation. Forms advising taxpayers going out this week.

Hal Sansone directs the Minneapolis Trans Voices Cabaret, a theater production featuring entirely transgender and nonbinary participants, highlighting diverse trans experiences and showcasing their talent in a politically supportive Minnesota.

More than two dozen public schools and nine Jewish institutions in Minnesota received fake shooting and bombing threats Wednesday in an apparent effort to draw large law enforcement responses.

Israeli officials have accused international groups, including the United Nations, of ignoring what it describes as evidence of rape and sexual violence by Hamas fighters during the Oct. 7 attacks.

A woman who is pregnant and seeking an abortion is asking a judge to allow it to be performed in Texas. She has health problems, and the fetus has a condition that is almost always fatal.

A 25-year-old Minneapolis man has been charged with second-degree murder after a fatal shooting near Lake Street last week. The victim is being remembered as “a beloved member of the transgender community.”

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Wednesday that he will remain the starter this week, after he threw four interceptions during a damaging 12-10 loss at home to Chicago on Nov. 27. O’Connell acknowledged after that game he considered benching Dobbs to give the offense a spark.

The Education Department said Wednesday that changes to a pair of previously troubled programs have recently led to $4.8 billion in loan relief for another 80,000 borrowers.

A grand jury has found probable cause for previous charges against Derrick John Thompson for possession of a firearm as a felon, possession of fentanyl, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Police officers were responding Wednesday to a “confirmed active shooter” in a building at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. There appeared to be multiple victims and that a suspect had been “contained.”

At a summit on mental health in aviation, pilots and safety experts urged regulators to reform rules that discourage people from seeking treatment because they're afraid of losing clearance to fly.

Last month was the second-driest November on record for the Twin Cities, with overall temperatures sitting at 3.7 degrees above average while precipitation for the month was 1.57 inches below average. 

The Minneapolis City Council Tuesday night passed a $1.8 billion budget for next year which includes a $595,000 funding package to help clear city sidewalks of snow. It’s intended to target high-traffic areas and residents who don’t shovel their walks.