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Walz signs ‘Taylor Swift bill’ … at First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis

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Walz signs ‘Taylor Swift bill’ … at First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis


People buying tickets online for concerts, sporting events and other live events in Minnesota will be guaranteed more transparency and protection under a so-called Taylor Swift bill signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Tim Walz.

The law, prompted by the frustration a legislator felt at not being able to buy tickets to Swift’s 2023 concert in Minneapolis, will require ticket sellers to disclose all fees up front and prohibit resellers from selling more than one copy of a ticket, among other measures. The law will apply to tickets purchased in Minnesota or other states for concerts or other live events held in Minnesota.

Walz signed House File 1989 — a reference to Swift’s birth year and an album with that title — at First Avenue, a landmark nightclub and concert venue in downtown Minneapolis.

Kelly Moller (Courtesy photo)

“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that we would be at a bill signing for House File 1989 at First Avenue,” said Democratic Rep. Kelly Moller of Shoreview, chief author of the bill.

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Moller was among thousands of people who became stuck in ticket sales company Ticketmaster’s system after it crashed in 2022 amid the huge demand for Swift concert tickets and attacks from bots, which tried to buy tickets for resale at inflated prices. The situation led to congressional hearings but no federal legislation.

Supporters of Minnesota’s new law say the state joins Maryland as among the few states to pass protections for ticket buyers into law.

Ticketmaster did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new Minnesota law. Taylor Swift’s media team also did not respond.

Taylor Swift holds up a blue bedazzled microphone as she reaches out her arms
Taylor Swift performs during her ‘Eras Tour’ concert at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Friday, June 23, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Jessica Roey, a spokesperson for reseller StubHub, said in an email, “StubHub has long advocated for legislation that protects fans from anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices in the ticket buying process. We share the goals of HF1989 and look forward to continuing discussions with policymakers to advance policies that provide more transparency, more control, and more choice for ticket buyers.”

Earlier: After Taylor Swift came to town, Ross Raihala said there’s no one else like her. Here’s why.

Walz, a Democrat, said the new law is “protection so you don’t get a bad ticket, a fraudulent ticket, and resellers can’t snatch them all up before you get an opportunity.”

Mike Dean poses with his two daughters.
Mike Dean and his daughters at First Avenue on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, after Gov. Tim Walz signed a so-called Taylor Swift bill. (AP Photo/Trisha Ahmed)

Two young girls — one wearing a shirt that said “A LOT going on at the moment” in a nod to Swift, and another wearing a shirt that said “Iowa 22” in reference to basketball star Caitlin Clark — attended the bill signing with their dad, Mike Dean, who testified in support of the bill this year.

Dean said his daughter “came to me in December and said, ‘Dad, I want to go to see Caitlin Clark.’ As a father, I just couldn’t resist. And so I went online to go buy tickets.”

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The tickets were supposed to cost $300 total, Dean said, but they ended up costing over $500 because of hidden fees. The timer had begun in the online checkout process, so he had just minutes to decide whether to buy the tickets or lose them.

He ultimately bought the tickets. But Dean said these practices mean customers can’t make informed decisions. The new law, he said, will bring transparency to the process.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2025, and applies to tickets sold on or after that date.

Adrianna Korich, director of ticketing at First Avenue, said she supports the new rules, saying fans are sometimes tricked into paying up to 10 times a ticket’s face value because of deceptive websites and resellers who list tickets without actually possessing them. The new law bans both, she said.

“We have all heard the horror stories from the Taylor Swift Eras tour and have seen the astronomical prices that are being charged at checkout,” Korich said.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis man is third convicted in Coon Rapids triple murder

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Minneapolis man is third convicted in Coon Rapids triple murder


An Anoka County jury has found guilty the last of three defendants in last year’s fatal shootings of a woman, her son and husband after he and two accomplices posed as UPS delivery drivers and went into the family’s Coon Rapids home looking for money.

Omari Malik Shumpert (Courtesy of the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office)

Omari Malik Shumpert, 20, of Minneapolis, was convicted Friday in Anoka County District Court of three counts of aiding and abetting first-degree murder in the Jan. 26, 2024, killings of Shannon Patricia Jungwirth, 42, her son Jorge Alexander Reyes-Jungwirth, 20, and her husband, Mario Alberto Trejo Estrada, 39.

Shumpert fatally shot Estrada after he fought back, prosecutors said.

He’s scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 9, a day after his older brother Demetrius Trenton Shumpert will go before a judge for sentencing.

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Jurors previously convicted Demetrius Shumpert, 33, of Minneapolis, and Alonzo Pierre Mingo, who prosecutors said orchestrated the robbery plan and pulled the trigger in the killings of Jungwirth and Reyes-Jungwirth.

Mingo, 39, of Fridley, was sentenced to life in prison in September.

Mingo, a former UPS seasonal employee, wore his old uniform while carrying a box to convince Jungwirth that he was delivering a package, prosecutors said.

Several surveillance cameras were mounted throughout the house in the 200 block of 94th Avenue Northwest. Video showed Demetrius Shumpert and Mingo forcing Jungwirth to open credenza drawers while demanding money.

All three victims were shot in the head, and two of the killings were on video. Two small children, both under the age of 5, were also in the home at the time of the killings but not injured.

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Court records said Estrada was suspected of drug trafficking and that law enforcement was on his trail in the days leading up to the killings. Afterward, investigators searched a Golden Valley storage unit that Estrada had rented under a false name and seized three bags of white powder, seven bags of psilocybin mushrooms, three bags of marijuana and a bag of meth, according to a search warrant affidavit.



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Minneapolis College teams up with Toys for Tots to provide holiday gifts for student parents

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Minneapolis College teams up with Toys for Tots to provide holiday gifts for student parents


For many student parents at Minneapolis College, the holiday season arrives during one of the busiest and most stressful times of the year.

Final exams, work schedules and family responsibilities often collide in December. This week, a Toys for Tots giveaway on campus offered some relief.

The college partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program to provide gifts exclusively for student parents. School officials say more than 145 student parents signed up for the event, representing nearly 270 children.

Veronica Krawiec is a nursing student at Minneapolis College and the mother of a young son, Christopher. She said balancing school, work and parenting can be overwhelming, especially around the holidays.

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Krawiec said she was able to find a Lego set her son specifically asked for this Christmas, something she was not sure she would be able to afford on her own.

She said the support she receives on campus has made a significant difference, pointing to resources like the Student Support Center and food pantry. Krawiec said those services help her focus on school without feeling ashamed for asking for help.

“As a mom most of the time I feel like I’m failing but like this this helps me a lot to not feel as bad,” she said.

Sharita Jackson, a first semester addiction counseling student and single mother of two, also attended the giveaway. She said resources like the Toys for Tots event help ease some of the pressure that comes with being a student parent.

Minneapolis College staff say the need among student parents has grown this year, in some cases doubling. The college estimates nearly 20% of its students are parents, and more than 70% of students identify as Indigenous or people of color, international, low income or first generation.

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In addition to holiday giveaways, the college offers a Student Parent Center, a food pantry, basic needs support and access to housing, financial and veterans resources. Staff say those services are designed to help students stay enrolled and succeed while raising families.

College officials say events like the Toys for Tots giveaway help reduce stress during the holidays and allow student parents to focus on finishing the semester strong.



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ICE agents clash with dozens of residents in streets of South Minneapolis

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ICE agents clash with dozens of residents in streets of South Minneapolis



A tense situation developed in South Minneapolis Monday afternoon, where dozens of residents confronted ICE agents operating in the streets near Lake Street and Pillsbury Avenue, not far from the Karmel Mall.

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WCCO reporter Esme Murphy was also on the scene and reported that chemical irritant had been deployed. Murphy and a WCCO photographer were among those who were hit with the irritant.

Murphy reported seeing at least three people in handcuffs, but it was not immediately clear for what reason they were being detained. The scene seemed to have cleared by 2:30 p.m.

Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies were observed at the scene. Local law enforcement have been deployed to control crowds since the Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Metro Surge in recent weeks. One of the recent ICE operations in the metro area was a raid at a construction site in Chanhassen over the weekend.

The Karmel Mall is the nation’s first Somali shopping center. The enhanced ICE actions came just after President Trump said, “I don’t want [Somalis] in our country” and claimed Somalis are “completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota.”

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Few other details were immediately available, but WCCO crews on the scene noted that many of those protesting against ICE were using whistles, which in many prior confrontations have been used to try to warn neighbors that ICE agents were in the vicinity.

This story is developing and will be updated.





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