Minnesota

Minnesota Capitol security enhancements underway

Published

6 months ago

October 27, 2025

Minnesota Capitol security enhancements underway

Security changes at the Minnesota State Capitol are underway, but it will still be a couple of months before an advisory committee’s comprehensive recommendations are forwarded to the legislature.

The most notable change in the short term will be more uniform security personnel on the job, following the recent hiring of 20 new security officers.

RELATED: State Capitol security changes now in effect with more to come

“Mid to late November is when they will start their training and then be put into their own classification and be out there in the field, so to speak, and functioning as Capitol security officers and our eyes and ears that are out there,” says Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol.

Geiger says more state troopers will also be assigned to the Capitol complex, along with a new captain to help oversee security, as well as an existing captain.

RELATED: State Patrol finalizing third-party Capitol security review after ‘naked man’ incident

Additionally, a trooper will be assigned to work with the BCA investigating threats involving the Capitol complex. There have been 50 threats investigated so far in 2025 — compared to 19 in all of 2024. 13 cases this year have been referred for prosecution.

The Advisory Committee on Capitol Security also learned more about the consulting firm hired to study Capitol complex security and to make recommendations for improvements. The Axtell Group is headed by former St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell. He addressed the committee to outline the work that will be done, but says it’s too soon to report any findings.

One lawmaker was concerned that the contract with the consulting firm only calls for studying four of 14 buildings that make up the Capitol complex, including the Capitol itself, the Senate Office Building, the Centennial Office Building (where House members are temporarily officing) and the Judicial Building.

“There are other buildings on the campus that obviously the public interacts with,” said Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia. “People who actually perhaps serve in these buildings will walk over to for a number of different reasons, and I’m wondering why have those buildings been excluded from the comprehensive, I believe it was called a comprehensive security assessment, because without those buildings in my estimation it is not comprehensive.”

Axtell said his firm’s contract only calls for a review of those four buildings, and Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson explained why. He says they are the most heavily visited buildings, and all that could be budgeted for at this point.

“This assessment, once it’s completed, does not preclude us from coming back to the legislature and asking for more funds to complete the rest of the Capitol area completely,” he said. “I think that actually would be a wise idea.”

The committee, chaired by DFL Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, includes House and Senate members, law enforcement, and sergeant-at-arms staff from the House and Senate. They will continue meeting until they come up with recommendations for the legislature when it reconvenes in February.

RELATED: State committee discusses Capitol security in wake of attack on lawmakers

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Minnesota

AJR Brings Their Catchy Pop Hits To The Minnesota State Fair in 2026

Published

4 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

AJR Brings Their Catchy Pop Hits To The Minnesota State Fair in 2026

ST. PAUL (WJON News) — A multiplatinum indie pop trio will grace the stage of the Great Minnesota Get Together this summer. AJR will hit the stage at the Minnesota State Fair on Wednesday, September 2nd. The trio has generated billions of streams and four platinum singles, along with being one of the 500 most listened to artists on Spotify.

AJR will be joined by Quinn XCII (92) and Avery Cochrane. Quinn XCII (92) blends pop, alternative, and genre-bending storytelling and has garnered multiple platinum singles like “Straightjacket.” Tickets for AJR go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.

9 grandstand shows have now been announced for the 2026 state fair.

AJR joins Bonnie Raitt, “Weird” Al Yankovic, Sierra Ferrell, Tommy James & The Shondells with special guest Herman Hermit’s Peter Noone, Rod Stewart with Richard Marx, Brad Paisley, and the It’s Iconic tour with TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue as acts announced for the 2026 state fair.

Minnesota State Fair

READ MORE FROM AUTHOR PAUL HABSTRITT

2025 Minnesota State Fair

The Great Minnesota Get Together is a rite of passage, and the first sign that summer is coming to an end. 2025 saw perfect weather for the entire 12-day run of the Minnesota State Fair.

Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt

Kansas and Jefferson Starship at The Ledge

Two classic rock legends in Kansas and Jefferson Starship brought down the house at the Ledge Amphitheater in 2025.

Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt

Turnpike Troubadours at the Ledge

The American Country Band Turnpike Troubadours took the stage at the Ledge Amphitheater in Waite Park with their “Wild America” tour and special guest Old Crow Medicine Show.

Gallery Credit: Paul Habstritt

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Minnesota

What a University of Minnesota grad has done for space exploration

Published

16 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

What a University of Minnesota grad has done for space exploration

The successful Artemis II mission around the moon is a reminder that space exploration is built on decades of groundwork. Photojournalist Joe Van Ryn and Frankie McLister show how a University of Minnesota graduate helped pave the way for spaceflight.

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Minnesota

Minnesota county is investigating potential kidnapping and false imprisonment by federal officers

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota county is investigating potential kidnapping and false imprisonment by federal officers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota officials are planning to investigate the actions of federal law enforcement officers in one county, potentially including a kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said they planned to release more details about the investigation at a news conference later Monday. Ramsey County includes the state capital of St. Paul.

Choi and Fletcher said they will pursue information they need for the investigation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The department has refused so far to cooperate with other state and local investigations into the killings by federal officers of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

The news conference announcement did not specify which incident is being investigated, but the county’s chief prosecutor and sheriff said they would ask the public for information about this and other incidents.

The state and the chief prosecutor in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, sued the Trump administration last month to gain access to evidence they say they need to independently investigate three shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis, including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

The lawsuit accuses the federal government of reneging on its promise to cooperate with state investigations after the surge of around 3,000 federal law enforcement officers into Minnesota.

Minnesota and Hennepin County have also appealed to the public to share information about federal officers’ potentially illegal activities, given the refusal by federal authorities to provide evidence.

The Trump administration has suggested Minnesota officials don’t have jurisdiction to investigate those cases. State and county prosecutors say they need to conduct their own inquiries because they don’t trust the federal government.

The Justice Department in January said it was opening a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing, and two officers have been placed on leave, but the agency said a similar federal probe was not warranted in Good’s death.

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