Walz hires auditor to combat fraud; TSA agents work without pay

Some Minnesota disability service providers are concerned about the state's plan to pause payments during an audit of Medicaid program billings.And a closely watched case involving a Minnesota gun law won't get sped up to the state's top court.Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

The federal government shutdown could mean more than 440,000 Minnesotans will lose their SNAP food assistance benefits in a matter of days. That loss also will hurt the more than 3,600 retailers across the state that accept SNAP, including grocery stores, convenience marts and farmers markets. Officials say every dollar in SNAP benefits generates up to $1.50 in local economic activity.Minnesota is preparing to lay off around 100 state health workers amid the government shutdown. The Minnesota Association of Professional employees union says notices are going out Thursday at the health department with layoffs of workers in the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program.Eleven people were arrested in a sit-in at Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's office on Tuesday. They stayed in the building several hours after closing and were arrested around midnight for trespassing. Protesters are asking Frey to enact several policies strengthening the city's separation ordinance which bars local police from collaborating with federal immigration enforcement. They want a citywide ban on law enforcement officers wearing face coverings and arrests of federal officers who break that rule.

Gov. Tim Walz says his administration has hired a third-party entity to audit Medicaid programs to make sure money is being spent as intended. And TSA workers are continuing to work without pay during the government shutdown. Oct. 24 marked TSA's first pay period without a check.Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Air traffic controllers spoke to travelers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Tuesday about going unpaid while working during the federal government shutdown. A St. Paul man is charged with threatening to kill U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Notices filed with the state show Minneapolis-based Target is laying off at least 815 of its corporate employees in the Twin Cities. That includes more than 500 workers at Target’s downtown headquarters and nearly 300 workers at its northern campus in Brooklyn Park. Target says the layoffs are set to take effect Jan. 3.Eden Prairie-based UnitedHealth Group reported better-than-expected earnings in its third quarter as it seeks to regain its footing. Last spring, the company suspended its financial outlook for the year amid higher-than-expected medical costs from its customers. UnitedHealth is dropping some of its Medicare Advantage programs next year resulting in about one million fewer customers.Minnesota members of the Caribbean Disaster Relief Fund say they’ve been working nonstop since before Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday as a Category 5 storm. The hurricane brought destructive winds and flooding rain. A community altar honoring the Mexican Day of the Dead opens this evening at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis. It’s part of a larger project connecting art, ancestry and ancient traditions.

Hundreds of Target corporate employees in the Twin Cities received layoff notices today, part of previously announced plans by the retailer to streamline its operations.And Minneapolis Public Schools educators announced overnight that they've voted to authorize a strike, as contract negotiations stall.More from today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Kelly Bleyer. Music by Gary Meister.

Employees at Target’s Minneapolis headquarters are learning more Tuesday about expected layoffs. The company is cutting about 1,800 corporate jobs in an effort to streamline operations. That includes about 1,000 layoffs and closing hundreds of open positions.Next week, voters in two Senate districts will fill two vacancies and possibly flip control of the chamber. State Capitol security leaders are assigning an investigator to exclusively probe threats against elected officials. Threats against lawmakers, state executives and their offices have more than doubled compared to last year.Four Minnesota Head Start programs may not get their federal funding to operate if the government shutdown continues into November. Four Minneapolis mayoral candidates outlined their visions for the city during an MPR News/Star Tribune debate Monday.

Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday $4 million in emergency state funding for Minnesota's food shelves as the federal shutdown continues. Funding comes as the federal government shutdown threatens to halt grocery benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. An old government center in downtown Buffalo could soon make way for new development.This is an MPR News Evening update, hosted by Elena See. Theme music is by Gary Meister.  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or RSS. 

A state lawmaker is pushing for laws to protect students from inappropriate relationships in K-12 schools. Two Minnesota women pleaded guilty Tuesday in a scheme to defraud taxpayers by overbilling Medicaid for substance abuse treatment.Minneapolis police have arrested a person suspected of throwing two Molotov cocktails into an ice cream shop. It happened at Fletcher’s Ice Cream and Cafe on East Hennepin Avenue. No one was hurt.Advocates pressuring the state Board of Investment to cut financial ties to Israel staged a sit-in Tuesday at the Retirement Systems Building in St. Paul. The protest was planned for the same day as the board’s quarterly meeting. The protesters refused to leave the building when it closed for the day, and several were arrested.An asphalt and aggregate products business with many locations across Minnesota says it will be closing some of those facilities by the end of the year with nearly 300 employees losing their jobs. Minnesota Paving and Materials sent a notice to the state announcing the permanent closure of 14 of its operations in the state, including quarries in Owatonna and New Ulm and an asphalt plant in Kasota. The company’s notice did not offer any details on why it’s closing those locations.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to Minnesota Friday to deliver remarks on the ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Noem’s visit comes at a time of growing tension over immigration enforcement across the country. In Minnesota, immigrant rights groups have urged state and local leaders to push back against expanded federal enforcement. Minneapolis-based Target plans to lay off about a thousand corporate employees as part of an effort to streamline its operations.This is an MPR News Evening update, hosted by Kelly Bleyer. Theme music is by Gary Meister.  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or RSS. 

A state lawmaker is pushing for laws to protect students from inappropriate relationships in K-12 schools. Two Minnesota women pleaded guilty Tuesday in a scheme to defraud taxpayers by overbilling Medicaid for substance abuse treatment.Minneapolis police have arrested a person suspected of throwing two Molotov cocktails into an ice cream shop. It happened at Fletcher’s Ice Cream and Cafe on East Hennepin Avenue. No one was hurt.Advocates pressuring the state Board of Investment to cut financial ties to Israel staged a sit-in Tuesday at the Retirement Systems Building in St. Paul. The protest was planned for the same day as the board’s quarterly meeting. The protesters refused to leave the building when it closed for the day, and several were arrested.An asphalt and aggregate products business with many locations across Minnesota says it will be closing some of those facilities by the end of the year with nearly 300 employees losing their jobs. Minnesota Paving and Materials sent a notice to the state announcing the permanent closure of 14 of its operations in the state, including quarries in Owatonna and New Ulm and an asphalt plant in Kasota. The company’s notice did not offer any details on why it’s closing those locations.