Law enforcement calling for regional task force to address gang violence

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia said her office is investigating Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s financial disclosures.The Wall Street Journal reported last month that a nonpartisan congressional office had cleared Omar of any wrongdoing stemming from amendments she made to her financial disclosures. But Jeanine Pirro told Fox News her office is looking into it.Some progressive members of the Minneapolis City Council want to eliminate the Office of Community Safety. That office oversees the city's emergency services like police and fire. It was created after George Floyd's murder.Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Leaders with Minneapolis Public Schools say they are no longer recommending school closures for the 2027-28 school year. Last month the district presented board members with three different plans that would have closed up to 16 different schools. But after widespread public opposition and concerns from board members, district leaders announced Tuesday that they no longer support closing schools on that timeline.An ICE agent charged in an alleged road rage incident in the Twin Cities says he feared for his safety during an encounter with another driver. Defense attorneys argue that the case belongs in federal court because Agent Gregory D. Morgan Jr. was acting in his capacity as an ICE agent. Judge Nancy Brasel has yet to rule on Morgan's bid to move the case to federal court.Officials with the system of colleges and universities known as “Minnesota State” will vote Wednesday on a controversial funding proposal. The proposal aims to help two institutions that are struggling financially, St. Cloud State University and Bemidji State University. It would do so by transferring money away from other institutions in the Minnesota State system — mostly from two-year colleges.

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Michele Tafoya isn't saying much about an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Instead, she's pitching herself as an independent voice. Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster, has been trying to create space between herself and the president, saying in a recent ad that she'd stand up to Trump if she disagrees with him. At least five men in immigration detention in Minnesota have been immediately re-arrested by ICE after they were freed by federal judges.In these cases, judges ruled the original arrests were done illegally. ICE had the men sign release paperwork, handed them their belongings, and then immediately re-arrested them.Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

An ICE agent charged with assault in an alleged road rage incident may testify Tuesday in his effort to get the case moved from state to federal court. Hennepin County prosecutors say agent Greg Morgan Jr. pointed a gun at a couple in a vehicle that cut him off in traffic. No one was injured.President Donald Trump came off the sidelines in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race Monday. The president told an Ohio rally that voters in Minnesota should cast ballots for Republican nominee Michele Tafoya. It came as he accused Minnesota’s Somali community of being looters and perpetrators of violence.Supporters of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar gathered at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis on Monday, hours after federal agents searched her Washington, D.C., home. Elected officials and community organizers who spoke to the crowd called the search an extension of the federal government’s attacks on Minnesota’s immigrant community, and specifically an attack on Somali Americans.

Agents with the Department of Homeland Security raided the Washington, D.C.-area home of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Monday morning. The U.S. Department of Justice said the raid is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.Trump administration officials previously have accused Omar of immigration fraud, which she has denied. Omar posted a statement online saying the search of her home is part of a campaign of intimidation.Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension isn't planning to create a metro gang task force right now. BCA Superintendent Drew Evans says more than 40 local law enforcement agencies are working together to address violence among Somali youth. Evans says agencies instead need to coordinate and utilize resources across those entities. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Over 40 law enforcement agencies met to discuss recent shootings happening across the Twin Cities metro area, which they say are linked to gang violence. Police are calling for a regional task force to put an end to gang violence.The two candidates for Congress in Minnesota's 2nd District debated on MPR News on Friday. They sharply disagreed on a number of issues, including the war in Iran. Google's proposed data center in Pine Island, about an hour south of the Twin Cities, is opposed by many, including local residents, political candidates, and environmentalists. But the local business community says the massive data center is just what the region needs. The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce endorsed the big project.

The two candidates for Congress in Minnesota's 2nd District held a contentious debate on MPR News Friday.Republican Eric Pratt and Democrat Matt Little disagreed on Social Security, healthcare, data center construction and oversight of the Trump administration. The 2nd District seat is the only open Minnesota congressional seat on the ballot this year. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is nominating a 30-year-veteran to take over the city’s police department. Bill Peterson, interim chief since June, is the former inspector of the city’s 1st Precinct, covering downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, and has led the city’s response to disasters like the Interstate 35W bridge collapse. Several City Council members, including the council president, issued a statement urging Mayor Frey to "ensure that the next police chief is an external candidate."Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Todd Melby. Music by Gary Meister.

Community leaders and families in the Somali community are worried a recent string of shootings involving Somali youth in Eden Prairie will add more negative focus to their community — and stereotype their children.The St. Paul City Council has OK’d spending more money on outside law firms stemming from the lawsuit that Police Chief Axel Henry filed against the city and Mayor Kaohly Her. Last week the city council grudgingly approved hiring the law firm Fisher Phillips at a rate of up to $500 per hour to defend the city and the mayor in the lawsuit.Republican Congressman Brad Finstad faced off against DFLer Jake Johnson in a debate Thursday night over who will represent southern Minnesota in Congress. The candidates found some common ground during the North Mankato debate, but differed sharply on President Donald Trump's trade policy.

Prosecutors say a mass shooting outside the Reign Event Center in Minneapolis in July may have been retaliation for an assault at another club the previous evening. The shooting left nine people injured, including one person who may be permanently paralyzed. Veronica Brown, 21, now faces felony charges of drive-by shooting and second-degree assault. Prosecutors say video and DNA evidence link her to gunfire directed at a crowd of more than 100 people.A Twin Cities teenager suspected of planning a mass shooting at Mall of America made his first appearance in federal court Wednesday. Sheckdoon Mohamud told a judge he understood the terrorism charge against him and was assigned a public defender. Federal authorities allege Mohamud pledged allegiance to ISIS and planned a domestic attack. The FBI arrested him Tuesday in Richfield when he allegedly tried to buy a rifle from an undercover agent.This week’s U.S. Drought Monitor shows little change in Minnesota’s long-running dry conditions. About 63 percent of the state is classified in some level of drought, down from 64 percent last week. The deepest drought is in parts of the Red River Valley and in Pine and Carlton counties. Little if any rain is expected until next week.Hundreds of students walked out of Roseville High School Thursday morning to protest the way education and government officials have handled a sexual assault case at Cornell University. Students gave speeches and carried signs during the protest. District leaders say about 700 students, nearly a third of the school, took part.

The FBI says it foiled a planned mass shooting at the Mall of America. Investigators say 18-year-old Sheikhdoon Mohamud told an informant that he wanted to go to Somalia to fight for the Islamic State, but couldn’t afford to travel — so he instead plotted to attack the Mall of America.Students at Roseville High School are planning a walkout on Thursday morning to protest the way education and government officials have handled the sexual assault case of a student at Cornell University.A Hennepin County judge has lifted a temporary gag order on all parties involved in the state's murder case against Vance Boelter — including Boelter himself. An 11-year-old boy was reported in critical condition late Wednesday after a vehicle struck him while he was riding an electric scooter in Washington County on Wednesday morning.