MINNEAPOLIS — Tuning out politics with just weeks until an election can admittedly be difficult, but if you thought young voters weren’t paying attention – think again.

“I actually did watch the whole thing with some of my roommates,” Peter Kapsner, a junior at the University of St. Thomas who leans towards former President Donald Trump, said. “I thought it was really good debate. Both candidates had good game plans that they stuck to.”

“I just feel like it was much more of a debate than what we saw last time,” Deya Ahmed, a sophomore at the U of M, said.

Many we spoke with said they watched parts or the entirety of the debate.

“I think what really needed to be done was to bring excitement to voting, which I don’t think happened during the debate, especially for the youth vote,” Drue Bower, a first-year grad student at the U of M, said.

No matter who we spoke with, students on every side of the political aisle told us they were watching, forming new opinions, or deepening their connection to thoughts they already had.

“I do think I’m going to end up voting for Kamala when the election comes around,” Gavan Townsend, a third-year student at the U, said.

“I would say I’m more towards the right,” Yaphet Gg, a third-year student at the U of M, said. “I think he’s generally doing a good job of trying to attack Kamala for his base,”

That also includes voters who may have fallen more into the undecided camp.

“I was kind of leaning more towards Trump, but this kind of has me thinking a little bit more about, like, how level-headed the Harris campaign is,” U of M freshman Chase Ben-Avraham said.

What could sway young voters, they say – Taylor Swift’s endorsement of the Harris/Walz campaign, though not all agree.

“If Trump starts attacking her, they’re going to react and go, ‘Okay, this is it, I’m voting,'” Henry Kopp, a sophomore at the U, said.

“If you’re a Hulk Hogan, Harrison Butker or Kid Rock fan, you know, you’re probably already leaning right,” Benjaman Lindeen, a fourth-year student at the U of M, said. “If you’re, you know, really swayed by what Steve Kerr or Stephen Curry or Taylor Swift say, you’re probably already voting left. So I think from even a statistic standpoint, it’s probably marginal at best.”

With young voters paying close attention, they say you should do the same.

“Although it was chaotic, there was some of that chaos that might sway some people to another side,” Jake Slack, a senior at St. Thomas, said.

MINNEAPOLIS — You don’t need to build a flux capacitator to travel back in time and relive an ’80s phenomenon.

“Back to the Future the Musical,” which won the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, is coming to the historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis at the beginning of fall.

The London’s West End and Broadway show is based on the 1985 blockbuster film that spawned two sequels: “Back to the Future Part II” in 1989 and “Back to the Future Part III” in 1990. All three films combined grossed nearly a billion dollars.

The award-winning musical stars Caden Brauch as Marty McFly, Don Stephenson as Doc Brown and Ethan Rogers as Biff Tannen.

“Back to the Future the Musical” officially premiered at the Manchester Opera House on March 11, 2020. It then had a huge run at London’s West End beginning in 2021 and hit Broadway in August of 2023. 

The musical is directed by Tony Award-winner John Rando with original music by multi-Grammy-winners Alan Silvestri (“Avengers: Endgame”) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”), alongside songs from the movie including “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode” and “Back in Time.”

“Back to the Future the Musical” will play at the Orpheum from Tuesday, Sept. 10 to Sunday, Sept. 22.

Tickets, which start at $50, will go on sale at HennepinTheatreTrust.org on Friday, June 14, 2024, at 10 a.m. 

The production contains flashing lights, strobe effects, pyrotechnics and is recommended for ages 6 and up.

Its run time is 2 hours and 35 minutes and includes one intermission.

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ANOKA COUNTY, Minn. — The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public to help find a missing Anoka County woman who they believe is without critical medication.

Marina Dougall, 36, was last seen in Minneapolis in September of last year but wasn’t reported missing until May 2024. Police said her family hasn’t heard from her since she was last seen.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension released a statement Wednesday, saying Dougall was known to frequent the Franklin Avenue North area of Minneapolis as well as places throughout Anoka County and across the Twin Cities metro. Investigators said she may have been in the area of Burnett County, Wisconsin last September, before being dropped off at the Norwoood Inn in Roseville.

The BCA said Dougall has a medical condition that requires medication, and that she also has a history of mental health and substance abuse issues.

Dougall is described as 5’9 and 140 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. She also has a chipped front tooth, flower tattoos on her right hand and left shoulder, a snowflake tattoo on her right abdomen and a large tattoo on her back.

The BCA added Dougall was born in Russia and speaks with a slight accent.

If you’ve seen Dougall or know any information about her whereabouts, you’re urged to call 911 or contact the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office at 763-324-5209.