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Where Minnesotans want to spend their summer, according to our poll

As a staycation destination, one corner of Minnesota reigns … Superior.

Travel

As a staycation destination, one corner of Minnesota reigns — shall we say — Superior.

Major redevelopment of former South Minneapolis Wells Fargo campus planned

The $100M to $250M project could bring 1,000 housing units

News

A group of local investors and developers unveiled plans Monday to turn the massive former Wells Fargo Home Mortgage campus into a mixed-use community at a total cost of $100 million to $250 million. Why it matters: This is a highly ambitious plan to finally breathe life back into the 25-acre campus vacated by Wells Fargo three years ago, when it <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="exited the home mortgage business" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/10/investing/wells-fargo-mortgage-market" data-vars-content-id="20206e8e-9d1d-4a43-90b4-0ff178443b3e" data-vars-headline="Major redevelopment of former South Minneapolis Wells Fargo campus planned" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/10/investing/wells-fargo-mortgage-market" target="_blank">exited the home mortgage business</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="consolidated employees in" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/04/17/wells-fargo-office-consolidation-twin-cities-home-mortage-campus" data-vars-content-id="20206e8e-9d1d-4a43-90b4-0ff178443b3e" data-vars-headline="Major redevelopment of former South Minneapolis Wells Fargo campus planned" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/04/17/wells-fargo-office-consolidation-twin-cities-home-mortage-campus" target="_self">consolidated employees in</a><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" downtown Minneapolis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/04/17/wells-fargo-office-consolidation-twin-cities-home-mortage-campus" data-vars-content-id="20206e8e-9d1d-4a43-90b4-0ff178443b3e" data-vars-headline="Major redevelopment of former South Minneapolis Wells Fargo campus planned" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/04/17/wells-fargo-office-consolidation-twin-cities-home-mortage-campus" target="_self"> downtown Minneapolis</a>.

Twin Cities events guide: Juneteenth, Midsommar, Father's Day

It's time to celebrate the longest day of the year.

Things to Do

Friday is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Juneteenth" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/02/juneteenth-celebration-civil-rights-backlash" data-vars-content-id="a9d5abbd-4fa8-4f06-a00c-8a587de2a11f" data-vars-headline="Twin Cities events guide: Juneteenth, Midsommar, Father&#x27;s Day" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/02/juneteenth-celebration-civil-rights-backlash" target="_self">Juneteenth</a>, the federal holiday commemorating the day enslaved people in Texas learned of their emancipation.<ul><li>Here are five ways to celebrate the day this weekend.</li></ul>

Sea Salt cookbook celebrates 20 years at Minnehaha Falls

The new cookbook shares recipes, stories and history from the beloved Minneapolis seafood spot.

Fans of Sea Salt can soon savor some of the beloved summertime spot&#x27;s signature dishes year-round at home. What&#x27;s baking: A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new cookbook" data-vars-click-url="https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517920388/sea-salt-eatery/" data-vars-content-id="9a5727f4-8bd2-4588-bb89-0ce12f974d58" data-vars-headline="Sea Salt cookbook celebrates 20 years at Minnehaha Falls" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517920388/sea-salt-eatery/" target="_blank">new cookbook</a> celebrating the popular park restaurant&#x27;s two-decade history at Minnehaha Falls, by co-owner Kait Ziemer-Davis and retired Star Tribune journalist Gail Rosenblum.

Judge blocks Trump subpoenas targeting Minnesota Democrats

It's "extremely rare" for judges to intervene in grand jury probes, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said,

Politics & Policy

Minnesota&#x27;s top federal judge on Monday quashed several <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trump administration subpoenas" data-vars-click-url="https://www.npr.org/2026/01/20/nx-s1-5683321/minnesota-tim-walz-mayor-jacob-frey-subpoena" data-vars-content-id="fe5b05c2-72a7-4755-8e68-8e8a5ad69630" data-vars-headline="Judge blocks Trump subpoenas targeting Minnesota Democrats" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.npr.org/2026/01/20/nx-s1-5683321/minnesota-tim-walz-mayor-jacob-frey-subpoena" target="_blank">Trump administration subpoenas</a> for immigration-related records from Gov. Tim Walz (D) and a dozen other state and local officials.Why it matters: The grand jury subpoenas — issued when <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Operation Metro Surge" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/01/28/homan-meets-walz-frey-immigration" data-vars-content-id="fe5b05c2-72a7-4755-8e68-8e8a5ad69630" data-vars-headline="Judge blocks Trump subpoenas targeting Minnesota Democrats" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/01/28/homan-meets-walz-frey-immigration" target="_self">Operation Metro Surge</a> was at its height — were clearly meant to &quot;coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration laws,&quot; U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="concluded" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/docs/00043_Immigration-Enforcement-Subpoenas_Order.pdf" data-vars-content-id="fe5b05c2-72a7-4755-8e68-8e8a5ad69630" data-vars-headline="Judge blocks Trump subpoenas targeting Minnesota Democrats" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/docs/00043_Immigration-Enforcement-Subpoenas_Order.pdf" target="_blank">concluded</a>.

Why Star Tribune layoffs matter beyond the newsroom

The cut threatens a key engine of local journalism in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Star Tribune is expected Monday to carry out layoffs and announce buyouts that will shrink its newsroom staff by 15%.Why it matters: The cut raises questions about the coverage readers can expect after the newspaper that drives the entire Twin Cities media market — as a competitor, talent magnet and incubator of prize-winning journalism — scales back.

Minnesota marijuana sales grow, but hurdles remain

The loss of a major testing facility could hurt industry growth

Minnesota&#x27;s burgeoning legal marijuana industry <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reported" data-vars-click-url="https://mn.gov/ocm/data-reports/dashboards/cannabis-market-monitor.jsp" data-vars-content-id="6c88eacc-de6f-400a-9748-c11109c65a53" data-vars-headline="Minnesota marijuana sales grow, but hurdles remain" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://mn.gov/ocm/data-reports/dashboards/cannabis-market-monitor.jsp" target="_blank">reported</a> $17.6 million in retail sales in May, a near doubling since the first non-tribal shops began <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="opening last fall" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/01/20/minnesota-marijuana-growers-increase-plantings" data-vars-content-id="6c88eacc-de6f-400a-9748-c11109c65a53" data-vars-headline="Minnesota marijuana sales grow, but hurdles remain" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/01/20/minnesota-marijuana-growers-increase-plantings" target="_self">opening last fall</a>.Yes, but: That pace is still well behind one cannabis law firm&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="prediction" data-vars-click-url="https://www.startribune.com/minnesotas-legal-marijuana-market-projected-to-reach-1-5-billion-in-sales-by-2029-mn-cannabis/600283838" data-vars-content-id="6c88eacc-de6f-400a-9748-c11109c65a53" data-vars-headline="Minnesota marijuana sales grow, but hurdles remain" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.startribune.com/minnesotas-legal-marijuana-market-projected-to-reach-1-5-billion-in-sales-by-2029-mn-cannabis/600283838" target="_blank">prediction</a> of $550 million in Minnesota&#x27;s first full year.

Federal prosectors charge 15 anti-ICE demonstrators in Minnesota

Critics note that federal charges against protestors have often been dismissed.

Federal prosecutors have charged 15 Minnesotans with what they described as a conspiracy to violently oppose immigration enforcement during last winter&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Operation Metro Surge" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/02/12/trump-ice-metro-surge-ends-minneapolis" data-vars-content-id="67d8935e-cdb9-4cf4-bb52-8253179d855e" data-vars-headline="Federal prosectors charge 15 anti-ICE demonstrators in Minnesota" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/02/12/trump-ice-metro-surge-ends-minneapolis" target="_self">Operation Metro Surge</a>. What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;The conspiracy was not to interfere by their voice, but to do it by force. That&#x27;s a crime, and it will not be tolerated in the United States,&quot; U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen said at a press conference.

Dog park users mobilize to save Minnehaha off-leash area

They say the park will deteriorate without them taking care of it.

Many of the people who walk the wooded trails and beaches of the Minnehaha dog park are rallying in hopes of halting a scheduled vote Wednesday at a Minneapolis Park &amp; Recreation Board meeting to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="close the popular off-leash area" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/06/02/park-board-proposal-close-minnehaha-dog-park" data-vars-content-id="bd15ca34-5088-4bbb-bb42-3228da7f0b10" data-vars-headline="Dog park users mobilize to save Minnehaha off-leash area" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/06/02/park-board-proposal-close-minnehaha-dog-park" target="_self">close the popular off-leash area</a>. Why it matters: The vote could determine the future of one of Minneapolis&#x27; most popular dog parks while testing how much public input should shape decisions about culturally significant land.

Minneapolis considers legalizing bathhouses

The 1988 ban shut down places many LGBTQ+ people considered safe havens.

The Minneapolis City Council this week will begin debating proposals to unwind the city&#x27;s nearly 40-year prohibition on bathhouses: venues where consenting adults can legally have sex.The big picture: The 1988 ban was enacted amid the AIDS crisis, but also shut down places many LGBTQ+ people considered safe havens.<ul><li>Since HIV is no longer a death sentence, council members must grapple with whether the ban still serves a purpose — or is simply a holdover from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a more homophobic era" data-vars-click-url="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/15/how-minneapolis-banned-adult-bathhouses" data-vars-content-id="3fe4ad5d-0269-4e74-af9e-bed32bbf1f7e" data-vars-headline="Minneapolis considers legalizing bathhouses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/15/how-minneapolis-banned-adult-bathhouses" target="_blank">a more homophobic era</a>.</li></ul>What they&#x27;re saying: Proponents say the ban has driven sex gatherings underground, as Council President Elliott Payne <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="said" data-vars-click-url="https://www.youtube.com/live/rwMHeiUUoDs?si=FBn1bV_MvVd1jG1R&amp;t=10066" data-vars-content-id="3fe4ad5d-0269-4e74-af9e-bed32bbf1f7e" data-vars-headline="Minneapolis considers legalizing bathhouses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.youtube.com/live/rwMHeiUUoDs?si=FBn1bV_MvVd1jG1R&amp;t=10066" target="_blank">said</a> in April.<ul><li>They believe regulated bathhouses would encourage safer sex, with access to hygiene stations, condoms and public health professionals.</li></ul>The other side: At the same April meeting, Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer said the ordinances were &quot;disconnected&quot; from the core business of the city.<ul><li>Other critics raised concerns about unintended consequences like sex trafficking and crime.</li></ul>Between the lines: A 2024 Minneapolis City Auditor <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/RCAV2/46892/PAR%20Report_Regulations%20of%20Adult%20Bathhouses%20and%20Adult%20Sex%20Venues.pdf" data-vars-content-id="3fe4ad5d-0269-4e74-af9e-bed32bbf1f7e" data-vars-headline="Minneapolis considers legalizing bathhouses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/RCAV2/46892/PAR%20Report_Regulations%20of%20Adult%20Bathhouses%20and%20Adult%20Sex%20Venues.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> found other cities that allowed bathhouses haven&#x27;t had major problems with them.What&#x27;s happening: The council is considering three separate ordinances, the first of which will be heard in committee on Tuesday.

St. Paul rental repair ordinance headed for November ballot

Tenants would be able to order their own housing repairs, then bill their landlords.

Organizers of a St. Paul campaign to empower tenants to make repairs to their rental housing, then bill their landlords for the work, announced they&#x27;ve gathered the signatures to put their measure on the November ballot. Why it matters: If enacted, the &quot;right-to-repair&quot; ordinance would join St. Paul&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="first-in-the-Midwest rent control policy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/05/06/st-paul-rent-control-vote-new-construction" data-vars-content-id="7d6ea9f6-c6de-4cd7-adbe-ecf597ec7e9b" data-vars-headline="St. Paul rental repair ordinance headed for November ballot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/05/06/st-paul-rent-control-vote-new-construction" target="_self">first-in-the-Midwest rent control policy</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sweeping tenant protections" data-vars-click-url="https://nlihc.org/tenant-protections" data-vars-content-id="7d6ea9f6-c6de-4cd7-adbe-ecf597ec7e9b" data-vars-headline="St. Paul rental repair ordinance headed for November ballot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://nlihc.org/tenant-protections" target="_blank">sweeping tenant protections</a> as another local law giving renters more leverage.Driving the news: The Safe Homes Saint Paul campaign last week submitted more than 7,500 petition signatures from registered voters — at least 2,200 more than needed to trigger an election.<ul><li>The city clerk must still confirm their validity.</li></ul>How it works: The proposed ordinance would require a landlord to address a maintenance issue within 14 days of a tenant&#x27;s notice.<ul><li>If they didn&#x27;t act, the tenant could pay for repairs and then bill the landlord for the cost up to half a month&#x27;s rent or $500, whichever is greater.</li></ul>What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;This seems like common sense,&quot; the campaign&#x27;s political coordinator, Cole Hanson, told Axios.<ul><li>He said many petition signatories&#x27; first reaction to the ordinance is: &quot;I didn&#x27;t know [renters] couldn&#x27;t already do this.&quot;</li></ul>The other side: &quot;This feels like one more thing that could make future investors more hesitant to put money into the city,&quot; Nate Hood, a small-time landlord and member of the St. Paul Planning Commission, told Axios.<ul><li>Hood would rather the city strengthen enforcement against bad landlords.</li></ul>Zoom in: If enacted, renters would be empowered to order repairs for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a lengthy list of problems" data-vars-click-url="https://archive.ph/3CqLj" data-vars-content-id="7d6ea9f6-c6de-4cd7-adbe-ecf597ec7e9b" data-vars-headline="St. Paul rental repair ordinance headed for November ballot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://archive.ph/3CqLj" target="_blank">a lengthy list of problems</a>, ranging from minor — like a broken doorknob — to major, like a failing roof or foundation.<ul><li>In a multi-unit building, tenants could also share the cost of a more costly repair to a shared appliance, such as a broken boiler, Hanson said.</li><li>The ordinance also spells out a procedure for handling disputes, allowing landlords 30 days to obtain a second opinion from an inspector.</li></ul>Friction point: &quot;Deciding what needs fixing, who&#x27;s qualified to do it, and whether a permit is required is real liability. This measure hands it to renters who never signed up for it,&quot; said Cecil Smith, president of the Minnesota Multi Housing Association.<ul><li>The association&#x27;s statement said &quot;unpermitted&quot; repairs could turn small problems into big ones.</li></ul>Yes, but: Hanson frames the ordinance as a &quot;break in case of emergency&quot; safeguard for tenants dealing with a negligent landlord, saying lingering maintenance issues often pose real safety risks.What we&#x27;re watching: If signatures are confirmed, the St. Paul City Council would have until July 6 to either send it to the ballot — or enact the ordinance themselves.<ul><li>Four of the council&#x27;s seven members have endorsed it, though Mayor Kaohly Her hasn&#x27;t publicly taken a position.</li></ul>

Son of slain Minnesota Democrat turns family tragedy into effort to curb political violence

The son of Melissa Hortman hopes sharing his family's story can help prevent future violence.

Since losing both his parents in a politically motivated attack, Colin Hortman has channeled his grief into a simple goal: preventing another family from experiencing a similar loss.The big picture: In recent months, the 31-year-old programmer met privately with members of Minnesota&#x27;s divided House, participated in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="workshops on bridging the partisan divide" data-vars-click-url="https://braverangels.org/" data-vars-content-id="c76271a7-8551-43b0-8e5c-29ebb42a1c21" data-vars-headline="Son of slain Minnesota Democrat turns family tragedy into effort to curb political violence" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://braverangels.org/" target="_blank">workshops on bridging the partisan divide</a>, and gave his first public talk on the need to lower the temperature when talking politics. <ul><li>&quot;When someone is framed as a danger to survival or as fundamentally immoral, as an enemy, it invites fear. And fear, when repeated often enough, turns into permission,&quot; he said <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="at an April event in Rochester" data-vars-click-url="https://youtu.be/fYimVCuy3AU?t=4052" data-vars-content-id="c76271a7-8551-43b0-8e5c-29ebb42a1c21" data-vars-headline="Son of slain Minnesota Democrat turns family tragedy into effort to curb political violence" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://youtu.be/fYimVCuy3AU?t=4052" target="_blank">at an April event in Rochester</a>. &quot;Permission to harass, permission to threaten, and eventually, permission to act.&quot; </li></ul>&quot;I&#x27;m standing here — the human cost of the shift,&quot; he told the crowd.

Man charged with killing Minnesota lawmaker pleads guilty

The attacks triggered a statewide manhunt and raised alarms over escalating political violence.

The man charged in last year&#x27;s politically motivated attacks that killed <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/06/14/minnesota-lawmakers-shot-targeted-attacks" data-vars-content-id="d91647fc-b02d-4ffe-bef5-a7df2a16f737" data-vars-headline="Man charged with killing Minnesota lawmaker pleads guilty" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/06/14/minnesota-lawmakers-shot-targeted-attacks" target="_self">Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman</a> and her husband and wounded another legislator and his wife pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court. The big picture: The guilty plea brings a measure of resolution to a case that rattled Minnesota politics and became a national symbol of growing <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="concerns about political violence" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/06/15/minnesota-melissa-hortman-shootings-political-threats" data-vars-content-id="d91647fc-b02d-4ffe-bef5-a7df2a16f737" data-vars-headline="Man charged with killing Minnesota lawmaker pleads guilty" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/06/15/minnesota-melissa-hortman-shootings-political-threats" target="_self">concerns about political violence</a>.

News 🗞

Timberwolves trade Julius Randle

Major redevelopment of former South Minneapolis Wells Fargo campus planned

Judge blocks Trump subpoenas targeting Minnesota Democrats

Why Star Tribune layoffs matter beyond the newsroom

Minnesota marijuana sales grow, but hurdles remain