Minnesota House Republicans raised more money than ever before, targeted their spending on a narrower list of races and made a concerted effort to get conservatives to vote early.

It paid off. Republicans put an end to the DFL’s trifecta control of government this week by bringing the state House to a rare 67-67 tie. Pending as many as two recounts in House races that Democrats narrowly led, neither party will hold a majority in the chamber for the first time since 1979.

It’s not exactly the control Republicans had hoped for, but a tied House will provide a check on the agenda of Democrats who still hold the state Senate and governor’s office. The parties must reach a power-sharing agreement to determine how the House will run.

“Our goal over the last two years has been to bring balance back into St. Paul … We have accomplished that goal,” House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said at a news conference Wednesday.

Republicans across the country benefited from favorable tailwinds as President-elect Donald Trump resoundingly defeated Democrat Kamala Harris. But that wasn’t the whole story in Minnesota, where Republicans retained six state House seats in districts that were won by Harris.

“That sends a huge message that it was a Minnesota choice, it wasn’t even a national choice,” Demuth said in an interview Thursday.

Heading into this election, Minnesota Republicans had argued that Democrats overreached with too many spending increases and policy changes over the past two years. On the campaign trail, they emphasized that Democrats spent most of a historic state budget surplus and raised some taxes at a time when people were struggling with high prices.

State House Republicans successfully defended every one of their seats in Tuesday’s general election for the first time in a decade, blocking the DFL from flipping a single district. They swept every state House seat on the long-Democratic Iron Range, flipping a holdout district they hadn’t won since 1928. They also gained a Winona seat they hadn’t held since 1984, and flipped a seat in St. Peter.

The Depot in Hopkins reopened this week, bringing a trailside snack shop, youth hangout space and events venue back to Excelsior Boulevard.

“It was emotional,” said Roxie Wolfe, rental and events manager for the Hopkins Center for the Arts, which is managing the building. “There was a lot of reminiscing and then happiness about the fact it reopened.”

The building operated for about 25 years as a coffee house, host for open mic nights and youth gathering space before officials last year shut it down amid financial challenges. It got a sprucing up before reopening, including fresh coats of paint.

Nick Bishop, Hopkins’ finance director, said the first phase of the remodeling project cost about $50,000, money the city covered using American Rescue Plan grants and the city’s capital improvement fund. He said Hopkins continues to work with other partners — including the city of Minnetonka, Hopkins School District and Three Rivers Park District — to contribute to the shop’s operations.

“I’m glad that people gave us the patience and trusted that we could bring this back and also keep the youth focus,” Bishop said. “It’s the most important part and it’s the whole reason we do it.”

The brick building, an old railroad stop, sits near Highway 169, along the intersection of multiple bike paths, including the Cedar Lake and Minnesota River Bluffs LRT regional trails.

The shop menu is a little different. Instead of leaning into lattes, they’re now focused on drip coffee, tea and hot chocolate. They also offer healthier snacks, such as trail mixes. They don’t take cash, only cards. Restrooms are open to the public, and the whole building is dog friendly.

The shop will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. The space will once again serve as a meeting place for the city’s youth advisory board and can also be rented during additional hours for birthday parties, meetings, lectures and other events.

Rucker said most of the damage from the fire was to the television and “other ordinary combustibles adjacent to the television.”

The fire produced a large amount of smoke, and there was soot on surfaces throughout the house, she said.

Rucker said there have been four fire-related fatalities in the city so far this year.

Cecil was an avid gardener who “adored her pets, especially her dog Maggie,” the obituary read.

Before retiring, she worked for the Internal Revenue Service and Lutheran Social Service, the obituary continued.