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Minnesota Today
MPR News

Minnesota Today from MPR News brings you the most important stories from around the state. All on your schedule. Get updated on the latest news in about five minutes, every weekday morning and evening.

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A federal judge sentenced Vance Boelter Thursday to two life sentences plus 40 years for the killings of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attacks on state Sen. John Hoffman, his wife, Yvette, and their daughter, Hope.
In court filings, prosecutors asked the judge to impose two life sentences, plus 40 years. They said Boelter caused, “astonishing damage to his victims and the state of Minnesota,” and said he should spend the rest of his life in prison. Meanwhile, Boundary Waters permit cancellations will remain in effect through Friday, but officials say they're working on how to reopen spaces of the wilderness.
Wildfires burning across Minnesota’s Arrowhead have not been very active in recent days. Tom Hall with the U.S. Forest Service says cooler, wetter weather has allowed fire containment to improve.
Hundreds of firefighters continue to battle wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres in the Boundary Waters. Those fire crews saw cooler temperatures and higher humidity Tuesday, which helped efforts to contain the fires — but there were also winds that gusted to near 30 miles per hour.
Federal officials are withholding more than $200 million in federal Medicaid payments to Minnesota due to suspected fraud in the state’s public health insurance programs. And a leader of the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme could have even more time added to his prison term for trying to bribe a juror two years ago. He faces sentencing this week.
Rain and shifting winds have largely cleared wildfire smoke out of the Upper Midwest — but officials say Minnesotans should be ready for a possible return of poor air quality. Meanwhile, St. Paul police say three people were found fatally shot inside an apartment complex leasing office Monday afternoon. Authorities reported a person of interest was taken into custody late Monday night.
More than 700 firefighters from across the country are working to contain wildfires burning in and near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Storms Monday brought rain to the fire zone, but also lightning and gusty winds.
Nine people were hospitalized — two with life-threatening injuries — after a Sunday morning shooting outside a nightclub in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood. Meanwhile, jury selection begins in Rochester Monday in the trial of a woman accused of hurling racial slur at a young Black child on a Rochester playground.
The wildfires burning in the northern regions of the state are incredibly destructive, but experts say they're a natural and important part of Minnesota's ecosystem. They say the focus shouldn't be on eliminating wildfires but instead on preventing them from turning catastrophic. And air quality readings are breaking state record after state record, due to the wildfire smoke.
Wildfire smoke contains microscopic fine particles known as PM 2.5. These tiny droplets are small enough to wiggle into lungs and enter the bloodstream. Meanwhile, permits for entry into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area are canceled through Sunday as fires in the area continue to grow.