Connect with us

Minnesota

When will more dispensaries start opening in Minnesota? A cannabis business explainer

Published

on

When will more dispensaries start opening in Minnesota? A cannabis business explainer


Justin Hesse, partner with MN River Holdings, at the Prairie Island Indian Community’s cannabis cultivation site in Welch, Minn. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A total of 324 licenses will be given out in this spring’s lotteries. Here is a breakdown of the licenses by type. Half of the licenses for each type are reserved for social equity applicants.

On Feb. 17 when the application window opened, OCM also sent feedback to social equity applicants who were denied in the fall, explaining what they needed to fix for resubmission. The state’s social equity program is intended to help people negatively affected by past cannabis prohibition, veterans and people who live in high-poverty areas to compete with better-funded entrepreneurs.

In November, 1,169 of 1,817 social equity applications were denied, leading to criticism that the state should have allowed applicants to fix what they believe were minor paperwork errors. This led to lawsuits against the state, which decided to cancel a lottery in the fall that would have allowed for some licenses to be issued sooner.

Advertisement

Collins defended the process, saying the state’s cannabis laws were designed with the intention to fast-track those who could correctly complete their applications.

“We know that process was complex, but really the vision was that the most prepared could get that early cultivation going,” Collins said.

Edina cannabis attorney Carol Moss said she is particularly frustrated by OCM’s decision to cancel the fall lottery because it worsened the odds for prospective business owners.



Source link

Advertisement

Minnesota

What 3,000 federal agents are doing in Minnesota

Published

on

What 3,000 federal agents are doing in Minnesota


This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.

Welcome to The Logoff: Tensions are rising in Minneapolis as the Trump administration continues its crackdown.

What’s happening? There are some 3,000 Department of Homeland Security agents — both ICE and Customs and Border Protection, or CBP — in Minnesota this week, largely in the Minneapolis area. Since the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent eight days ago, a huge amount of video and reporting has documented further brutality by federal immigration agents, often indiscriminate and unprovoked, against immigrants and American citizens alike.

On Wednesday night, a federal agent shot and injured a Venezuelan man after an alleged traffic stop, giving fresh fuel to protests. And on Thursday morning, President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy troops to Minnesota, “if the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E.”

Advertisement

Why does this matter? For the second time in six years, Minnesota feels like a tinderbox. Officials in the state, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, are urging calm and asking protesters to remain peaceful, but it increasingly feels like this is a fight the Trump administration wants to pick. On Wednesday, senior Trump aide Stephen Miller described arresting “insurrectionists” in Minneapolis as a “national security priority.”

What’s the context? ICE, which makes up the majority of the agents currently in Minneapolis, has grown substantially in the last year, at the same time as its standards have dropped precipitously. At the same time, under pressure to make more immigration arrests, they’re taking an increasingly militarized approach at odds with how ICE operated under previous administrations. All of those factors are on display right now in Minneapolis.

What’s the big picture? What’s happening to Minneapolis residents already looks less like immigration enforcement and more like an occupation. If Trump follows through with his Insurrection Act threat, things could grow far worse.

And with that, it’s time to log off…

As always, thanks for reading, have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Minnesota

Minnesota judge declines lawsuit to block ICE operations | Fox News Video

Published

on

Minnesota judge declines lawsuit to block ICE operations | Fox News Video


A Minnesota judge allows ICE operations to continue in the state following a lawsuit brought against the Department of Homeland Security. Constitutional law attorney Katie Cherkasky weighs in on what’s next on ‘Fox & Friends First.’



Source link

Continue Reading

Minnesota

Minnesota Wild Recalls Defenseman David Špaček From Iowa | Minnesota Wild

Published

on

Minnesota Wild Recalls Defenseman David Špaček From Iowa | Minnesota Wild


SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled defenseman David Špaček (SPAH-chehk) from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Špaček, 22 (2/18/23), owns 19 points (3-16=19), 61 shots and 10 penalty minutes (PIM) in 35 games with Iowa this season, leading the team in assists (T-12th among AHL defensemen) and ranking second in points and shots. The 6-foot, 190-pound native of Columbus, Ohio, recorded 31 points (4-27=31), 31 PIM and 117 shots in 72 games with Iowa during the 2024-25 season, leading the team with 18 power play assists, ranking second in assists, and pacing team defensemen in scoring. For his career, Špaček owns 62 points (10-52=62), 62 PIM and 251 shots in 168 games over three AHL seasons (2023-26).

Špaček will represent Czechia at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic games and has previously represented Czechia at multiple international competitions, including the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded two assists in eight games, and the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he posted five assists in 10 games to help Czechia secure gold. He also helped Czechia to a silver medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Tournament, recording eight points (3-5=8), 11 shots and a plus-7 rating in seven games.

Špaček was selected by Minnesota in the fifth round (No. 153 overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft and has yet to appear in an NHL game. He will wear sweater No. 82 with the Wild.

Advertisement

Minnesota will host the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3.

Minnesota Wild single-game tickets are on sale now at wild.com/tickets, ticketmaster.com and at the Grand Casino Arena Box Office. Flex, 11-Game, half and full season memberships are also available for purchase. Please visit tickets.wild.com or contact a Wild Ticket Sales Representative by calling or texting (651) 222-WILD (9453) for more information. Group reservations of eight or more tickets can contact [email protected] for more information. Single game suite rentals are also available, contact [email protected] for more information.

Follow @mnwildPR on X and visit www.wild.com/pressbox and for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, player interviews and daily statistics.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending