Stories from September 10, 2025

Former Minnesota teacher of the year found guilty of sexually abusing student
Abdul J. Wright, 39, was found guilty Wednesday of sexually abusing a child while she was his student in 2017 at Harvest Best Academy. He will likely face 12 to 14 years of prison for first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Gov. Tim Walz says when the regular legislative session starts next February, he'd like to revisit legislation that did NOT get passed in 2023. Walz says a tax credit for child care could help ease the high cost for families. And leaders of a Minnesota Senate working group on gun violence prevention are gearing up for meetings next week.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk assassinated at Utah university
Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, has been shot and killed at a Utah college event in an act that the state’s governor called a “political assassination.” 
Food and custodial services affected as hundreds of University of Minnesota workers continue strike
Picketing continued at University of Minnesota campuses across the state on Wednesday, as hundreds of custodians, maintenance staff and food service workers remain on strike.
Unrivaled women’s basketball league expands with new clubs and development pool
Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart’s 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, Unrivaled, is expanding for its second season. The league is adding two new clubs, Breeze Basketball Club and Hive Basketball Club. 
How turmoil at the CDC could threaten public health
Turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created confusion around who can get vaccines in Minnesota. MPR News guest host Chris Farrell talks with a pediatrician and a public health professor about how public health is changing under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
From slavery to pollution, National Park employees flagged material deemed ‘disparaging’ to U.S.
Does Florida’s Everglades National Park represent a slight to development in America? Does mentioning missionaries, who sought to destroy the language and culture of Alaska Natives, cast American history in a negative light?
Low Mississippi River water levels could add to soybean exporters’ headaches
More than half of American soybeans depend on the Mississippi River as an export channel. But no significant rainfall is forecast for the lower half of the Mississippi, which could hinder the transport of goods, like soybeans.
Body recovered in Wyoming lake is believed to be a Minnesota kayaker missing for over a year
A recovery team has found a body believed to be a Minnesota kayaker who disappeared at Jackson Lake in western Wyoming more than a year ago. Grand Teton National Park officials said Tuesday that 43-year-old Wesley Dopkins of St. Paul was last seen alive paddling on the lake on June 15, 2024. 
NTSB describes the turbulence that threw passengers around the cabin on a Delta flight
A new report states passengers who weren’t buckled aboard a Delta Air Lines flight to Europe were violently thrown into the ceiling and back down to the floor in July when the plane encountered severe turbulence. The National Transportation Safety Board says passengers endured 2.5 minutes of turbulence that caught the pilots by surprise even though they had already altered their route to try to avoid July 30 thunderstorms over Wyoming.
Trump’s control of the D.C. police is due to expire tonight. Then what?
Trump needs an extension from Congress to control D.C. police for more than 30 days. Some Republican lawmakers are focused on pursuing legislation that would exert power over D.C. in other ways.
Gov. Tim Walz says he will call a special session to force lawmakers to vote on an assault weapons ban and other gun safety proposals, while Republicans emphasize mental health and school safety measures. Meanwhile, Minnesota courts are set for high-profile rulings Wednesday, including the sentencing of a woman who bought guns later used to kill three first responders.
Kyle Hendricks throws 7 shutout innings and Angels score 12 two-out runs in 12-2 win over Twins
Kyle Hendricks threw seven shutout innings, Chris Taylor and Yoán Moncada hit three-run homers, and the Los Angeles Angels scored all of their runs with two outs in a 12-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. 
33 million voters have been run through a Trump administration citizenship check
Tens of millions of voters have had their information run through the tool — a striking portion of the U.S. public, considering little has been made public about the tool's accuracy or data security.
Gun buyer for man who killed Burnsville first responders sentenced to 45 months in federal prison
The woman who bought the guns that her romantic partner used to kill three first responders in Burnsville last year was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison. Ashley Dyrdahl pleaded guilty in January to federal charges of purchasing guns for Shannon Gooden, who was ineligible to have firearms because of an assault conviction.
The MAHA plan for healthier kids includes 128 ideas, but few details
The Make America Healthy Again commission is proposing more than 100 moves to address the root causes of childhood chronic disease. Critics say other Trump administration moves contradict the goals.