Minnesota

98 Minnesota mayors sign letter to Gov. Walz on state spending concerns

Published

4 months ago

December 23, 2025

98 Minnesota mayors sign letter to Gov. Walz on state spending concerns

Almost 100 Minnesota mayors, including over half a dozen in the Northland, have signed a letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and members of the legislature, raising concerns about the rising costs and financial pressures cities are facing due to state mandates.

The group of 98 mayors published the letter publicly on Monday, December 22nd, highlighting rising property taxes, declining state budget projections and the recent fraud investigations as reasons for “deep concern—and growing frustration” about the state’s fiscal direction.

“As mayors, we see firsthand how these decisions ripple outward. Fraud, unchecked spending, and inconsistent fiscal management in St. Paul have trickled down to our cities—reducing our capacity to plan responsibly, maintain infrastructure, hire and retain employees, and sustain core services without overburdening local taxpayers,” the letter says, in part.

Rising property taxes are preliminarily set to increase by nearly $950 million across the state next year — a 6.9% increase from 2025. The local leaders say those increases are necessary because of state policies and unfunded mandates, which include requirements for schools, health and human services systems, and public safety policies.

“Every unfunded mandate or cost shift forces us into difficult choices: raise taxes, cut services, delay infrastructure, or stretch thin city staff even further,” the letter states.

The mayors also cited a recent report from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, which showed the state slipping in national rankings over the past six years, something the chamber said should be a “wake-up call” to state leaders.

According to those statistics, Minnesota’s GDP has grown by just 1% per year since 2019, compared to the national average of 1.8%; the labor force has increased just 0.2% annually, ranking 40th nationally; and nearly 48,000 more Minnesotans left the state than moved here between 2020 and 2024.

In their letter, the mayors called on state lawmakers to “course-correct” and focus on policies that encourage growth and local stability.

The League of Minnesota Cities lists 856 cities in the state, so the 98 mayors would account for roughly 11.5% of cities. The map below shows the locations of each city in the Northland whose mayor signed the letter.

A spokesperson for Governor Walz sent our Hubbard sister station KSTP the following statement:

“The Governor’s focus on lowering property taxes is exactly why he has provided more funding than any administration in history directly to local governments.
“The surplus went directly back into the bottom line of local governments: $300 million for their police and fire departments, the largest infrastructure budgets in state history, funding to remove lead lines, the largest-ever increase in flexible local government aid, and property tax relief directly to taxpayers.
“The governor will continue to focus on ways to lower costs, but local governments also have a responsibility to manage their budgets and state aid responsibly.”

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Minnesota

Driver who fatally struck bicyclist in Minneapolis may have been impaired, police say

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Driver who fatally struck bicyclist in Minneapolis may have been impaired, police say

Minneapolis police suspect a driver was under the influence when he hit and killed a bicyclist on the city’s southside early Monday morning.

Officers responded to the crash at the intersection of Hiawatha Avenue and East 35th Street around 3 a.m., according to the Minneapolis Police Department.

Upon arrival, police found a man in his 50s suffering from apparent life-threatening injuries. Officers provided immediate medical aid, including CPR, before the man was transported to Hennepin Healthcare, where he later died.

The Minneapolis Police Department says that preliminary information indicates the driver, a 23-year-old man, had been traveling south on Hiawatha Avenue in a Ford Edge when he struck the bicyclist.

Officers arrested the driver and took him to the hospital, where police say “a search warrant for evidence collection was carried out.” Police later booked the driver into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide.

The incident is still under investigation.

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Minnesota

I-94 rest area in Minnesota closed until Independence Day for $2.9M improvement project

Published

16 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

I-94 rest area in Minnesota closed until Independence Day for .9M improvement project

A rest area along Interstate 94 in Minnesota has been closed to trucks until about Independence Day to accommodate an almost $3 million improvement project.

The eastbound I-94 Enfield rest area between St. Cloud, Minnesota and the Twin Cities between Wright County Road 8 and Highway 25 is now closed to cars and commercial vehicles as crews resurface the entrance and exit ramps, and update nearby sidewalks.

According to KNSI, the full closure is just the first phase of the project. The rest area will reopen to passenger vehicles only the week of May 11th. During that time, the truck parking area will remain closed as crews repave the lot.

The truck parking lot will reopen the week of June 30th, right around Independence Day. During that time, the passenger vehicle area will be shut down to allow for the resurfacing of the lot. The Minnesota DOT expects the rest area to be fully open by late July. The entire project is expected to cost $2.9 million.

Drivers heading east on I-94 are encouraged to use the Big Spunk Lake rest area near Avon, or to drive a little farther out to the Elm Creek rest area.

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Minnesota

UCLA baseball remains perfect in Big Ten by beating Minnesota

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

UCLA baseball remains perfect in Big Ten by beating Minnesota

Could a UCLA baseball team that’s perfect in Big Ten play get better?

Bruins coach John Savage thinks so, which is a frightening prospect for the rest of a seemingly overmatched conference.

While Savage’s top-ranked Bruins completed a three-game sweep of Minnesota on Sunday with a 5-2 victory at Jackie Robinson Stadium — stretching their Big Ten winning streak to 21 games — he said there’s more upside to be realized.

UCLA’s Payton Brennan and his teammates are still undefeated in Big Ten play this season after sweeping Minnesota on Sunday. Ross Turteltaub

“Offensively, we just really couldn’t get a lot going,” Savage said after his team went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six baserunners. “We just weren’t able to put a lot together, but when that pitching and defense shows up every day, it gives yourself a chance to win, and that’s kind of what we did all three games, really.”

Those elements were so good Sunday that they overshadowed Roman Martin’s solo homer in the third inning and Will Gasparino’s two-run shot in the sixth.

Bruins left fielder Dean West made three superb catches — two leaping and one diving — and four relievers combined to give up only one run in 4 ⅔ innings. Closer Easton Hawk needed only six pitches to record a 1-2-3 ninth inning while notching his third save in as many days.

Savage credited Minnesota’s pitching after the Golden Gophers (22-17 overall, 5-13 Big Ten) held the Bruins (36-3) to an average of five runs during the series and said many of his team’s offensive struggles were situational.

“We have very, very good offensive players — some of them are in … little ruts right now, but that’s OK,” Savage said. “These guys play a lot and get a lot of at-bats; there’s a lot of ups and downs.”

When it comes to UCLA’s conference record, it’s all been up.

What it means

UCLA’s sweep is further evidence that the Bruins aren’t getting complacent because of their record.

“This culture is really solid, and these guys truly believe in one another and they’re playing for the team,” Savage said. “We’re very fortunate to have this group, and so they love playing together, so there’s no complacency and there’s no reason to because we haven’t done anything; I mean, you’re 36-3, that’s great, but at the end of the day it’s about getting better and playing your best baseball the next 75 days.”

Turning point

Spotting a dominant team an early lead is never a good idea.

That’s what happened when the Bruins struck for two runs in the bottom of the first inning.

West led off with a single to center field, took third on Roch Cholowsky’s double to left and scored on a balk. With one out, Martin hit an RBI infield single off the pitcher’s glove. UCLA was up 2-0, and the Golden Gophers could never catch up.

Did you see that?

Minnesota did not like it when Gasparino admired his home run by lingering in the batter’s box before commencing his trot around the bases.

There was consensus in both dugouts because Savage also didn’t care for it.

“I thought he probably stayed in the box a little too long for me,” Savage said. “That’s kind of not who we are, and they didn’t like that; I wouldn’t like that either, really.”