Stories from July 22, 2025

Minneapolis officer who killed Amir Locke will finish leading use of force training next month
Sgt. Mark Hanneman — the officer who was promoted months after fatally shooting 22-year-old Amir Locke in 2022 and now leads use-of-force training — will see that training through to its completion, said Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
2 Highs members convicted of racketeering, fentanyl sales
A jury in Minneapolis Tuesday convicted two members of the Highs gang of racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Robert Lesure, 23, and Cortez Blakemore, 35, are among 13 Highs members convicted in four back-to-back trials that were part of a federal anti-gang effort.
State Sen. Bruce Anderson will be interred at Fort Snelling National Cemetery next week. Anderson died unexpectedly Monday at age 75. Hundreds of Essentia clinic workers in northern and central Minnesota will go back to work Wednesday after a two-week strike.
President Trump indicates he'll let Fed Chair Jerome Powell serve out his term
President Donald Trump seemed willing to allow Jerome Powell to complete his term as chair of the Federal Reserve — at least for now. His comment comes as he and his administration continue to attack Powell.
Q&A: With ‘Chunkadelic,’ Nur-D doubles down on joy and resistance
Minnesota rapper Nur-D discusses his new album “Chunkadelic,” a genre-blending, deeply personal project born from a Reddit insult, exploring joy, resistance and staying true to himself in a conformist industry.
Hundreds of clinic workers at Essentia Health locations across northern and central Minnesota will return to work Wednesday, after two weeks on strike. Essentia and the striking workers added more bargaining dates to the calendar, but did not reach contracts for nurses.
Expert explains how federal officials will decide whether Vance Boelter will receive the death penalty
It’s been more than 100 years since Minnesota’s last state execution. The state abolished capital punishment in 1911. Federal prosecutors have not sought the death penalty in a Minnesota-based case since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.
Closure of Midway Cub Foods puts damper on neighborhood revitalization efforts
Cub Foods in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood announced it will close on August 2. City and neighborhood leaders hope it creates an opportunity to redevelop the block which has several vacant buildings.
UN says booming solar, wind and other green energy hits global tipping point for ever lower costs
The United Nations reports a global shift toward renewable energy, calling it a "positive tipping point." Tuesday's U.N. reports reveal that 92.5 percent of new electricity capacity in 2022 came from renewables, with wind and solar leading the way.
Lawsuit challenges restrictions on Head Start for kids in the U.S. illegally
A coalition of 21 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administration’s restrictions on social services for immigrants in the country illegally, including the federal preschool program Head Start, health clinics and adult education.
They came to the U.S. to attend middle school. Then the immigration crackdown began.
One dreams of becoming a lawyer. The other imagines a career as an FBI agent. Over a year at Andersen Middle School in Minneapolis, two students from Mexico and Ecuador reached milestones and faced new barriers to their future in the U.S.
Uncertainty continues for Fever and Caitlin Clark as her healthy teammates carry their playoff hopes
The Indiana Fever thought Caitlin Clark’s return might solve their wild first-half ride. They were getting healthy, beating good teams and starting to meet expectations. Then the two-time All-Star got hurt again in the final minute of last Tuesday’s game at Connecticut.
Ohtani’s big homer and Smith’s 2 blasts help Dodgers end home woes with 5-2 win over Twins
Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run homer in the first inning after giving up a leadoff homer to Byron Buxton. This helped the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Monday night.
35 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act - celebrating the success and concern
It was 35 years ago this month that the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. Across the U.S., it’s being marked with festivals and parades — and concern due to recent Medicaid cuts.
Efforts to shrink Social Security’s phone wait times are putting a strain elsewhere
The Social Security Administration reassigned some field office employees in an effort to bring down lengthy phone wait times. But workers say these reassignments have been disruptive for staff.
Flagbearer: Minnesota Iranian artist wins national visual arts prize
Minnesota-based Iranian artist Ziba Rajabi has won the inaugural $20,000 DAG Prize for Visual Arts to create “Kotál,” a large-scale fabric installation rooted in Persian mourning rituals that honors women who died pursuing freedom and continues her exploration of grief, memory and cultural displacement.
Environmental, conservation groups apply pressure on nitrate contamination in southeast Minnesota
Environmental groups and concerned well owners in southeast Minnesota hope a lawsuit against the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Agriculture will open up the rulemaking process for manure and commercial fertilizer.
Riot guns and revolution: How a bloody 1934 workers strike in Minneapolis catalyzed the nation
A landmark 1934 Minneapolis strike made the city a union town and influenced national labor law. It was an outcome that seemed all but impossible in the first part of the decade.
Trump administration releases trove of files on Martin Luther King Jr. assassination
The release came in response to an executive order issued by President Trump. King’s family warned they would object to any use of the records “to spread falsehoods” about King's life and legacy.