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Minneapolis, MN

Hark, downtown Minneapolis’ only vegan, gluten-free cafe, closing April 28

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Hark, downtown Minneapolis’ only vegan, gluten-free cafe, closing April 28


The owners of Hark Cafe, the vegan, gluten-free cafe in the Warehouse District, have announced they will close April 28 and transition to a commercial kitchen/catering operation.

It’s been a tenacious three-year run for owners Lisa Neumann and Katherine Pardue. The self-described best friends met in college and eventually launched the homey cafe with plans to serve early morning coffee and baked treats, late-night cocktails and everything in between. But the road hasn’t been easy.

The duo signed a lease for the space just before March 2020, when a statewide mandate shut down restaurants for indoor dining. Hark Cafe opened in January 2021, during a time marked by uncertainty for the hospitality industry, and made headlines as one of the first businesses in the metro area to require customers to provide proof of vaccination.

Even with the challenges of trying to get into a regular service rhythm, the cafe gained a reputation in gluten- and cruelty-free dining circles for incredible ice creams, veggie-packed sandwiches and delightful sweet treats.

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According to a social media post, the bakery will transition into “catering and wholesale, and by custom order, as well as monthly/holiday treat presales.”

The cafe (430 1st Av. N., Mpls., harkcafe.com) is still open for breakfast through lunch until its last day.

West End’s new Punch Pizza opens April 30

It’s an even dozen restaurants for the Twin Cities’ favorite Neapolitan pizza chain. Punch pizza’s newest location opens April 30 near Costco in St. Louis Park (5799 W. 16th St., punchpizza.com). The first restaurant opened in St. Paul in 1996 with distinctive Italian-style pizzas that are cooked in just 90 seconds. The thin, gently charred crust, served with a variety of traditional toppings, has become popular across the Twin Cities with its slow and steady growth. The new outpost boasts a menu stacked with the favorites fans have come to know and love.

Speaking of Punch locations, St. Paul fans who still stare lovingly at the dark Highland Park location will want to know that there still are no publicly known plans for reopening. It’s no longer listed as a location on the website, but the FAQs assure us it will reopen. Someday.

Chimborazo’s second location opens in St. Paul

Northeast Minneapolis’ beloved neighborhood eatery Chimborazo has officially crossed the river. Its second location is now open in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood, off Lexington Parkway, in the retail complex adjacent to Trader Joe’s. The Ecuadorian restaurant has been a mainstay in northeast Minneapolis for 15 years. The new outpost will serve a similar menu of Ecuadorian cuisine, including slow-roasted meats, sandwiches, soups and more. Stop by at 508 S. Lexington Pkwy., chimborazorestaurant.com.

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Minne’s on Glenwood reopens with a mission

Minne’s on Glenwood in Minneapolis’ Harrison neighborhood is hosting a reopening celebration on May 4. The restaurant started as a food truck and expanded into the permanent location earlier this year, serving floats, Chicago dogs, burgers, fries, onion rings and more.

The eatery also aims to uplift its community with a Pay It Forward Board, where guests can buy a meal that’s served to a hungry neighbor. Said owner Cordell Richardson: “We bring a beacon of light to this neighborhood feeding every guest with our secret ingredient of kindness.”

The grand reopening celebration (1825 Glenwood Av., Mpls.) is from noon to 5 p.m., with live music, raffles, games and more.

Lowertown favorite expands hours for Farmers Market season

Saint Dinette in Lowertown just announced expanded hours that include opening at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays this summer. The sit-down restaurant is just around the corner from the St. Paul Farmers Market and hopes to lure shoppers with its bites and a grocery valet service. Folks can pop in after buying their market goods and drop bags at the host stand, where the items will be cared for while diners choose between French toast with honey butter or a breakfast double cheeseburger. (Don’t worry, there’s a salad, too.) Saint Dinette is at 261 E. 5th St., St. Paul, saintdinette.com.

Ann Kim’s new hit restaurant is now taking reservations

Kim’s, the new Korean-American restaurant in Uptown from James Beard Award-winning chef Ann Kim, has announced that reservations are now available. The formerly walk-in-only restaurant, called “bold, flavorful and personal” in a February review by the Star Tribune, opened late last year with lines out the door and nary a reserved table in sight. Now, planners can book a table, and there were even a bunch open as we published — and before word got out (1432 W. 31st St., Mpls., kimsmpls.com).

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Dashfire in the THC beverage business

For those who like to celebrate like it’s 4/20 every day, Dashfire has two new canned THC beverages hitting the market. The ready-to-drink beverage, bitters and liqueur company introduces two new beverages, the dark cherry-juniper Bramble and the spicy passion fruit margarita, each with 5 mg of THC. They’re available at select Twin Cities liquor stores as well as at Dashfire’s Elusive botanical bar (1620 Central Av. NE., Mpls., dashfire.us).

Spoon and Stable snags prestigious award nomination

Tales of the Cocktail announced its Regional Top 10 Honorees for the 18th annual Spirited Awards last week, and Gavin Kaysen’s Minneapolis restaurant Spoon and Stable (212 N. 1st St., Mpls., spoonandstable.com) was the only Minnesota restaurant to be recognized in the Best U.S. Restaurant Bar–U.S. Central category. Winners will be announced during the annual Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans July 21-26.





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Minneapolis, MN

Man dead, 2 others hurt in overnight shooting in Minneapolis

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Man dead, 2 others hurt in overnight shooting in Minneapolis


Police say two people were hurt and one other man died.

A homicide investigation is underway in Minneapolis after a shooting early Friday morning killed one man and hurt two others.

Minneapolis police were called to the area of East Franklin Avenue and Chicago Avenue at around 12:30 a.m.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS cameras caught more than 65 evidence markers scattered across the ground in the area and shattered glass at a bus shelter. Some nearby businesses also appeared to have some damage.

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Minneapolis police are still working to determine what led up to the shooting and who was involved but investigators say first responders found the three men suffering from gunshot wounds.

One injured man is in his 40s, the other in his 50s, police say. Both were taken to a hospital by ambulance.

The third man died at the scene. His name and age haven’t yet been publicly released.

Police say early information suggests the men were on a sidewalk when at least one person opened fire, then fled in a vehicle.

So far, no arrests have been made.

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Anyone with information about what happened is asked to call police at 612-673-5845 to leave a voicemail or email policetips@minneapolismn.gov.

“This is a tragic and deeply disturbing act of violence that has taken a life, and left others seriously injured,” MPD Chief Brian O’Hara said. “This kind of violence is unacceptable, and we are committed to identifying those responsible and holding them accountable.”

Minneapolis police investigating alleyway shooting near East Franklin Avenue

It comes less than 30 hours after another serious shooting along East Franklin Avenue, just a half-mile west of Friday’s scene. That incident left a man hospitalized with a potentially life-threatening gunshot wound. No arrests have been announced in that case either.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is still working to learn more about this shooting. Stay with KSTP-TV for the latest updates on air and on the KSTP app.

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A Minneapolis woman recounts death of Alex Pretti as lawyers eye a class action lawsuit

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A Minneapolis woman recounts death of Alex Pretti as lawyers eye a class action lawsuit


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis woman who confronted federal immigration officers alongside Alex Pretti in January was among a group of potential litigants who spoke out Thursday about alleged excessive force against people protesting or monitoring the enforcement surge in Minnesota.

Georgia Savageford, who introduced herself as Wynnie at a news conference, said she was inside an officer’s vehicle when she saw federal agents shoot Pretti.

“That day has changed me forever,” she said. “The trauma will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I will never be the same.”

Savageford said she had been legally observing the actions of federal officers in Minneapolis ever since the shooting death of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7. She said she was doing so again on the morning of Jan. 24 when an agent pushed her twice and caused her to fall.

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“As I was going down, three agents proceeded to tackle me and drag me face-down into the middle of the street. They knelt on my back, twisted my arms and my legs to the ground, and handcuffed me. The cuffs were so tight I lost feeling in my hands, which resulted in temporary nerve damage,” she recounted.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond Thursday to emails seeking comment. Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for access to evidence they say they need to independently investigate the killings.

Savageford said Pretti recorded video of her arrest and yelled at agents to leave her alone.

She said the officers put her in the back of a vehicle, from which she saw agents shoot and kill Pretti on the other side of the street.

“At that moment, I thought I was going to die too. I pleaded with the agents to understand why another life was taken, and to not take mine,” she said.

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She added that they told her to shut up and to stop being hysterical. She said they then took her to an ICE holding facility where she was held for 12 hours in a cold cell without ready access to food, water or the bathroom until she was released without being charged.

“I did not know him, but I knew he had my back,” she said of Pretti. “I know the kind of heart he had. One that loves and protects without limits.”

Savageford shared her story at a news conference where civil rights attorney John Burris, of Oakland, California, and other lawyers laid out how they’re paving the way for potential class-action lawsuits over alleged excessive force used against protesters and monitors.

Burris, who specializes in police misconduct, helped win an $11 million settlement against the Oakland Police Department in 2003, and helped win a civil jury verdict of $3.8 million for the late motorist Rodney King, who was beaten by Los Angeles police officers in 1991.

He said he and his colleagues have filed complaints with federal agencies involved in the Minnesota enforcement surge on behalf of 10 people, including Savageford, as the first step in a process that’s likely to lead to a larger class-action lawsuit.

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“We have many others that are under investigation that have not completed the process. But I thought it was important for us to start this process now. Put the government on notice that we’re here,” Burris said.



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Boy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor

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Boy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor


A fifth grader from Minneapolis received the Citizen Honor Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Victor Greenawalt jumped in front of his friend during a mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

Weston Halsne told local station KARE 11 that Greenawalt saved his life.

“It was really scary,” Halsne told KARE 11. “My friend Victor, like, saved me, though. Because he laid on top of me. But he got hit.”

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Two students were killed and several were injured after a shooter opened fire through the windows of the church last year. The shooter died on the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Congressional Medal Society said in a statement that Greenawalt showed “extraordinary bravery far beyond his years.”

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 3: Flowers line a pathway to Annunciation Catholic Church as U.S. Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance visit to pay their respects to victims of the shooting there on September 3, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The shooting left two students dead and many more wounded. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski-Pool/Getty Images)

“Instinctively, Victor protected a classmate with his own body, directly saving their life during the attack,” the society said in a written statement. “His courage and selflessness became a powerful symbol of hope and humanity for a community in crisis.”

Greenawalt was hospitalized following the shooting, according to a verified GoFundMe page. His sister was also injured.

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He flew to Washington with his family on Wednesday to accept the award.

Greeenawalt met with Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., while on Capitol Hill. The ceremony also included a wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery.

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He received the Young Hero award, which honors individuals age 17 or younger for their courage.

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