Minnesota Today

Prosecutors are moving forward with their case against the man accused of killing former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. Vance Boelter, 57, is charged in a six-count criminal complaint with the murder of the Hortmans early on June 14 and with shooting and wounding DFL State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette earlier the same night. Boelter is also charged with stalking the lawmakers. A Minnesota Department of Education employee no longer works there after a conservative news site reported on a prior conviction of criminal sexual conduct. And boaters can expect to see extra law enforcement officers on Minnesota waterways Friday and through the holiday weekend. Go deeper with the latest edition of the Minnesota Today newsletter. Prosecution moves forward after alleged Hortman assassin waives hearings Minnesota education agency employee out after sex-crime conviction surfaces Law enforcement warns boaters to drive sober this holiday weekend Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or RSS.

Minnesota's U.S. House members split along party lines on a tax and budget bill that President Donald Trump plans to quickly sign. That story and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Communities across Minnesota will be celebrating the Fourth of July with parades, picnics and fireworks displays. While most fireworks are Friday night, a few cities will get an early jump on the holiday with shows Thursday. That includes the Stars and Stripes Days fireworks in Pequot Lakes beginning at dusk. On the Iron Range, the Aurora Patriotic Days fireworks begin at 10 p.m. and the Thunder Over Eveleth fireworks are at 10:15 p.m. In the Twin Cities, Bloomington’s annual Summer Fete is Friday evening. Minneapolis police are hoping to avoid a repeat of the mayhem that plagued the last three July Fourth holidays. While gun-related crime in Minneapolis has spiked around July 4 for the past five years, crime statistics overall are trending downward. Law enforcement is warning boaters it will be aggressively enforcing laws prohibiting impaired boating over the Independence Day weekend. The Department of Natural Resources is calling the campaign Operation Dry Water. It runs tomorrow through Monday. The White Earth Nation opened its second, off-reservation recreational cannabis dispensary Thursday, this time in St. Cloud.

If you have plans to watch fireworks or take part in other outdoor activities on the Fourth of July, keep an eye on the forecast over the next couple of days. MPR meteorologist Sven Sundgaard says a cool front may touch off thunderstorms. Also, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday he is joining a multistate coalition suing the Trump Administration, accusing it of sharing personal health data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This is the afternoon MPR News update, hosted by Emily Reese. Theme music is by Gary Meister.

Law enforcement officials are continuing their investigation into the death of 16-year-old Jordan Collins who was known as “Manny.” Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise says searchers found the boy’s body in a landfill in Elk River over the weekend. Wise says law enforcement still wants any help it can get from the public to solve the crime. A 14-year-old boy was killed and a 13-year-old boy suffered life-threatening injuries when a pickup truck struck the motorized scooter they were riding Tuesday in St. Paul. Police say that older teen was driving the scooter and ran a stop sign on the city's west side just before 9 a.m. The driver of the pickup is cooperating with investigators. A judge has sent a St. Paul man to federal prison for 10 years for hiding fentanyl pills inside stuffed animals and mailing them to the Twin Cities. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has closed the beach at Lake Hiawatha temporarily because of high E. coli bacteria levels. The agency says it hasn’t received any reports of illness, but closed the beach as a precaution after routine water quality testing. All of the city’s other beaches remain open. The Lynx lost to Indiana last night in the WNBA's Commissioner’s Cup game 74-59. The Lynx surrendered a 13-point lead and made only 35 percent of their shots.

The U.S. Senate passed a major tax and budget package today after after days of floor debate over the bill's contents. Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote. Law enforcement is asking the public for any information about Jordan Collins Jr. -- known as "Manny." Searchers found the teen's body in a landfill in Elk River over the weekend. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News.

Starting tomorrow motorcyclists in Minnesota will be allowed to maneuver between lanes of traffic in certain conditions -- but only when traffic is stopped or moving slower than 25 miles per hour. And a new state law meant to protect minor children from appearing on the internet goes into effect tomorrow. Those stories and more in today’s evening update. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

It was a weekend of severe weather for much of Minnesota. The National Weather Service says four tornadoes swept through Carver County alone. The the storms knocked down trees and power lines, but no storm-related injuries have been reported. Storms spawned a large twister on the Minnesota-South Dakota border. Heavy rains from the storms caused localized flooding as well. It was also a weekend of mourning in the Twin Cities with funeral services for Melissa and Mark Hortman. After a viewing at the Minnesota Capitol on Saturday, friends, family members and dignitaries gathered Saturday for a funeral at the Basilica of St. Mary. The former DFL House Speaker and her husband were remembered for their service to the state, their sense of humor and their love of community. Gov. Tim Walz gave one of the remembrances of the Hortmans, calling Melissa Hortman the most consequential speaker of the House in Minnesota history. A man is in custody following a standoff with police in Rochester. Police say the incident started as a domestic disturbance late Saturday. The man allegedly had a knife and fled the scene before police arrived. Early Sunday, during a traffic stop, police say the suspect emerged from a vehicle with a rifle and a police officer fired a gun. The man was not injured, but fled into a residence and — he finally surrendered more than four hours later. Stillwater-native Denis McDonough, a former White House insider, will teach at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict next school year.

Minnesotans get an opportunity to pay their final respects to former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman Friday. The Hortmans, along with their golden retriever Gilbert, will lie in state at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul Friday from noon to 5 p.m. State investigators say one of the Brooklyn Park police officers sent to check on Melissa Hortman the night of her slaying fired shots at the man suspected in the killings. A Michigan news outlet is reporting the deaths of two people at Isle Royale National Park earlier this month are being investigated as a murder-suicide. A woman who was shot while driving on Interstate 394 in Minneapolis last weekend has died. The victim and another woman told police that someone shot into their car on the interstate on Sunday night. She drove to Hennepin County Medical Center with the wound, but died this week. No arrests have been made. For a second day in a row Thursday, there were reports of tornadoes as severe storms moved across southern Minnesota. The National Weather Service says spotters reported a tornado just east of Albert Lea — near Myre Big Island State Park. Emergency management also reported downed trees and power lines south of Albert Lea. The DNR says Lake Bemidji State Park reopens to the public Friday afternoon — nearly a week after a line of severe storms caused major damage in the park and the surrounding region. While the state park will be open for both day-use and camping, officials say most trails are still closed due to downed trees. The fishing pier and boat launch are also still closed.

The wife of Vance Boelter — the man charged in the killing of State Rep. Melissa Hortman — has released her first public statement since the shootings. More rain is expected across central and southern Minnesota today, following storms that caused flash flooding yesterday. Those stories and more in today’s evening update. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The U.S. Justice Department is suing Minnesota over a state law that gives undocumented college students access to in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. A bipartisan resolution honoring Melissa and Mark Hortman was passed by the U.S. House Wednesday. It was introduced by Minnesota’s congressional delegation, alongside leaders from both parties. Community leaders in Minneapolis are speaking out against violence in the wake of the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy Monday in a north side park. Inmates at a Minnesota prison say they are not receiving basic hygiene products.

A tentative truce between Israel and Iran is faltering. Israel is vowing to retaliate after saying Iran launched missiles into its airspace more than two hours after a ceasefire was supposed to take effect. And as that conflict, and the U.S. part in it, soaks up interest around the globe, Iranians in Minnesota are voicing their concerns. A year ago this week, many of us will remember the images of a house plunging into the raging Blue Earth River as it carved a path around the Rapidan Dam in southern Minnesota. Aging infrastructure upgrades — including flood and stormwater projects — are needed across the U.S. as severe weather events become more frequent. Since the 1990s, conservationists say there’s been a sharp drop in the number of monarch butterflies around the world. One Minnesota nonprofit is trying to reverse that trend. The Monarch Joint Venture is hosting a North American summit this week to discuss ways to protect the monarch butterfly and its migration. The event begins Tuesday at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus.

The late Minnesota House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark will lie in state at the Capitol on Friday. And a Hennepin County judge today sentenced the woman who pleaded guilty to unintentional murder and assault for driving her automobile into a group last fall. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

A tentative truce between Israel and Iran is faltering. Israel is vowing to retaliate after saying Iran launched missiles into its airspace more than two hours after a ceasefire was supposed to take effect. And as that conflict, and the U.S. part in it, soaks up interest around the globe, Iranians in Minnesota are voicing their concerns. A year ago this week, many of us will remember the images of a house plunging into the raging Blue Earth River as it carved a path around the Rapidan Dam in southern Minnesota. Aging infrastructure upgrades — including flood and stormwater projects — are needed across the U.S. as severe weather events become more frequent. Since the 1990s, conservationists say there’s been a sharp drop in the number of monarch butterflies around the world. One Minnesota nonprofit is trying to reverse that trend. The Monarch Joint Venture is hosting a North American summit this week to discuss ways to protect the monarch butterfly and its migration. The event begins Tuesday at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus.

Beltrami County and the city of Bemidji have declared a state of emergency due to severe storm damage over the weekend. The storms early Saturday had winds of more than 100 miles per hour. And another defendant in the Feeding Our Future case admitted that he tried to bribe one of the jurors at his trial last year. That story and more in today’s evening news update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Gov. Tim Walz says the Minnesota Legislature should consider prohibiting people from carrying firearms in the state Capitol. Current law says Minnesotans with a permit to carry are able to bring a gun inside the statehouse. Walz comments come after authorities charged a registered lobbyist who allegedly sent a text message threatening violence at the Minnesota Capitol. Also, heat advisories and warnings are in place for parts of southern and western Minnesota as a sweltering heat wave is expected across the state. This is the afternoon MPR News update hosted by Emily Reese. Theme music by Gary Meister.

Extreme heat and humidity will roll into Minnesota this weekend. The sauna-like weather will be the first major heat wave of the summer. Temperatures will start to rise on Friday. The tropical air mass will push heat indexes to around 90 to 105 degrees. Also, more than 23,000 runners are registered for events connected to Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, including a half and full marathon on Saturday. That number tops last year's record-breaking participation. This is the afternoon MPR News update, hosted by Emily Reese. Theme music by Gary Meister.