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Mpls. City Council to discuss amendments to proposed city budget

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The council voted against Mayor Jacob Frey’s proposal to use $15 million on police bonuses.

MINNEAPOLIS — After voting down Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s proposal to use $15 million to pay bonuses to police, the City Council met again Thursday — this time, without the mayor — to discuss what they would like to see instead.

With 48 amendments up for discussion, right off the bat, council members knew it was going to be a meeting that took more than just one sitting.

Of the amendments, the initial few focused on public safety. Council Member Elliott Payne (Ward 1) proposed diverting $3 million from human resources into non-police safety ambassadors in seven cultural corridors.

“The safety ambassador program downtown is a really unique program because of the resources that exist downtown,” Payne said. “I want to bring those kind of resources to more parts of the city, so the cultural districts have been designated in areas that have been historically disinvested in.”

Specifically in his district, he referenced focusing on the area that includes Lowry and Central Avenues.

“We don’t often have a lot of violent crime on Lowry and Central, but we have a lot of livability issues,” Payne said. “We have people struggling with substance abuse disorder and we have a lot of small businesses there that are wanting a safe and vibrant commercial corridor.”

In another amendment, Council Member Jason Chavez (Ward 9) proposed reviving a community safety center, somewhere Third Precinct residents can go while their new police station is in the works.

“Right now, when people have to file police reports, they have to go outside the Third Precinct. When people have to turn in lost items, they have to go outside the Third Precinct,” Chavez said. “We want to build this community safety center in the meantime, while the Third Precinct is being built, and I want this to last forever in the years to come.”

Having voted down the mayor’s proposal, both council members said they’re making better use of the money.

“We’re asking to be a part of the process — that’s what we’re doing today,” Chavez said. “These cool services are happening because of that and I think it’s exciting. That would have never happened if we would have approved the safety aid a couple weeks ago.”

In a memo Wednesday night, the mayor outlined why he would oppose certain amendments like the one-time cutting of funds from human resources to use for cultural ambassadors in those commercial corridors.

He said cutting funds from HR would lead to significant backlogs in hiring, especially with what he calls a team that’s “under-resourced and overworked.” 

The meeting continues again on Friday at 10 a.m. at City Council chambers.

Mayor Frey also referenced a memo from city officials opposing many of the amendments.

“As the City’s leading subject matter experts have already relayed to you, the proposed amendments above pose grave governing concerns. I want to clearly tell you now: these amendments will negatively impact our ability to provide service to our constituents and deliver on the promises we have made,” said Frey in the statement.

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CONTEST: Win a pair of Justin Timberlake tickets

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Watch KARE 11 Sunrise or KARE Saturday from September 17 – September 21 for a chance to win a pair of tickets!

Watch KARE 11 Sunrise or KARE 11 Saturday from Tuesday, September 17 to Saturday, September 21 for the chance to win tickets to see Justin Timberlake at the Xcel Energy Center. 

One winner will receive a pair of tickets to see Justin Timberlake at the Xcel Energy Center on Thursday, October 31. The winner will be notified by email on Monday, September 23, and have 48 hours to respond and claim their prize. 

To enter, fill out the contest form here or below for an entry to win. 

You can enter once each day. Good luck!


Full contest rules can be found on this link here.



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Shooting kills 1 in St. Paul

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Officers say they found the man in the rear of an apartment building suffering from gunshot wounds.

ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul Police are investigating after finding a man dead following a shooting early Tuesday morning. 

Squads were called to the 1200 block of University Ave. W around 12:30 a.m. after a 911 caller reported hearing gunshots and seeing a person lying on the ground. Upon arrival, officers found a man with apparent gunshot wounds lying in the rear of an apartment building, according to a press conference. 

St. Paul Fire medics pronounced the man dead on the scene, according to police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster.  

The SPPD homicide team is investigating the events that led up to the man’s death and trying to identify potential suspects. If you have any information on this incident, call 651-266-5650. 

Case updates and the victim’s name will be released on St. Paul Police social media channels. 



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Supreme Court’s newest member takes the oath

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A ceremony was help honoring the Minnesota Supreme Court’s newest member.

ST PAUL, Minn. — A vast array of judges, lawyers, family and friends gathered at the Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul to honor the newest member of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Natalie Hudson administered the oath of office to Associate Justice Theodora Gaitas, who was appointed last spring to replace retiring Associate Justice Margaret Chutich.

“A strong judiciary guards against tyranny, against oppression, against injustice. But a strong judiciary also serves the people,” Gaitas told the crowd.

Gaitas, who spent her childhood in Greece, quoted Greek philosopher Aristotle several times in her speech.

“Aristotle wrote law is order and good law is good order,” she said. “Here in Minnesota, we have good order. Good order relies on a strong judiciary.”

Gaitas has spent the past four years as a jurist on the Minnesota Court of Appeals and before that spent two years as a Ramsey County District Court Judge. She took the legal oath previously before joining the Supreme Court in August, so Monday’s event was purely ceremonial. 

Gov. Walz appointed Gaitas and Judge Sarah Hennesy last April to fill two vacancies that were expected on the high court in the months ahead.  Justice Hennesy joined the Supreme Court on May 13, replacing the retiring Associate Justice G. Barry Anderson.

Walz took a break from the vice-presidential campaign trail Monday afternoon to attend the ceremony and thank Gaitas for accepting the new role.

“One of the questions we asked is what life experiences shaped who you are,” Walz said. “Justice Gaitas’ personal journey, her personal heartaches, as well as her commitment to others shined through in so many ways. Putting others in front of herself, and her work as a public defender doing it with every ounce of her intellect, but with the compassion that needed to be there too, shined through.”

The heartache he referenced was the sudden death in 2023 of Justice Gaitas’s husband R. Christopher Sur. He died while cross-country skiing in Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis with a friend. Their daughter Clea performed with a musical combo at the ceremony and held a copy of the US and Minnesota Constitutions as Gaitas took the oath.

Lt. Gov. Flanagan praised Gaitas for her breadth of experience and connection to those who use the court system.

“Justice Gaitas has excelled at every level of the legal profession and the judiciary. Her extensive experience as an appellate public defender and judge in the district court and court of appeals instilled a deep understanding of how our justice system can and should treat real people.”



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