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Minneapolis City Council weighs new tobacco rules, including $15 minimum price for cigarettes

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Minneapolis City Council weighs new tobacco rules, including  minimum price for cigarettes


The Minneapolis City Council is considering adding new rules and restrictions on sales of tobacco products, including a minimum price for cigarettes and other products that could be the highest in the nation.

The changes under consideration include a minimum price of $15 per pack of cigarettes or package of four or more cigars, or for certain-size packages of snuff or snus.

The changes to the city’s existing tobacco products ordinance also would bar price discounts or coupons for tobacco products, and — starting Dec. 1 — ban free samples of tobacco products, and ban smoking of “samples” inside any retail establishment licensed to sell tobacco products.

The changes would also increase the penalties for businesses that violate the ordinance — including moving from a $200 fine to a $500 fine for a first violation.

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The proposal was forwarded by the council’s Business, Housing and Zoning Committee on Tuesday without recommendation. The full council is set to consider the measure next week.

Evalyn Carbrey with city’s health department told council members at Tuesday’s public hearing that, based on the department’s research, a minimum price of $15 per pack of cigarettes would appear to be the highest in the nation.

Carbrey clarified that the minimum price is not a tax.

“So the extra income will go back to the store, which we believe is helpful because it can soften the blow to retailers if they might potentially be losing some sales with a minimum price floor,” Carbrey said. “Any extra revenue goes back to the retailer.”

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Backers of the changes say the higher minimum price and ban on discounts will be an incentive for current smokers to quit, and for youth to not start smoking. In 2021, the St. Paul City Council passed tobacco restrictions that set a minimum $10 price on a pack of cigarettes.

But the latest proposal in Minneapolis — specifically the ban on sampling — also drew speakers in opposition at Tuesday’s public hearing. Some raised concerns that barring indoor smoking at cigar bars or hookah bars would harm important community gathering places.

And the owner of two stores that sell tobacco in Minneapolis raised concerns that a higher minimum tobacco price in the city would send customers to retailers in other cities.



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Minneapolis, MN

MN weather: Bright with highs in the 50s Monday

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MN weather: Bright with highs in the 50s Monday


Expect a pleasant Monday with light breezes, filtered sunshine, and highs in the 50s. Temperatures cool into the 40s this week with chances for rain and snow. FOX 9 meteorologist Cody Matz has the full forecast.

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Minneapolis, MN

Murder charges filed in 2020 shooting that took life of young mother

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Murder charges filed in 2020 shooting that took life of young mother


A man who admitted to firing the shots that killed an 18-year-old mother in south Minneapolis back in May 2020 is charged with murder. 

The criminal complaint names Malcom Chan Johnson, 33, of Minneapolis, as a suspect in the fatal shooting after he told police he didn’t know there was a woman in the car he was shooting at.

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The shooting claimed the life of Arionna Buckanaga, who was set to graduate high school a month after she was shot. 

READ MORE: Vigil held for woman shot in vehicle in south Minneapolis

Man charged for 2020 shooting death of Arionna Buckanaga

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Fatal shooting:

Court documents show the shooting happened near the intersection of 39th Street East and Cedar Avenue South in Minneapolis at about 11:25 p.m. on May 4, 2020.

Officers found Arionna in the driver’s seat of a crashed Ford Mustang, with a gunshot wound to her head. She died at the hospital days later.

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Her boyfriend, who was a passenger in the Mustang, told police he did not know who shot at the vehicle. 

Investigation:

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The criminal complaint states officers found an abandoned Chevy Suburban with bullet holes in the hood about a mile-and-a-half away from the scene of the shooting. The bullet holes appeared to be consistent with the driver of the vehicle shooting over the hood and accidentally striking the vehicle. 

Investigators also found 32 shell casings at the scene of the shooting. About two weeks later, police found two Glock 9mm handguns in a compost bin about eight blocks away from the shooting. Law enforcement officials determined the two guns fired the 32 shots.

DNA swabs taken from the Suburban were found to match Malcom Chan Johnson and another man, Namiri Tanner. Tests on the firearms also revealed a mixture of DNA that also matched Tanner.

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Court documents say authorities then spoke to a witness on March 20, 2025, who told them Johnson confessed to the shooting and that Johnson had a “gang feud” with Arionna’s boyfriend.

Confession:

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Police then spoke to Namiri Tanner, who is in a federal prison in Kentucky. 

The complaint states Tanner confessed to shooting at the Mustang and from the passenger’s seat and said that Johnson was shooting from the driver’s seat, firing over the hood. Tanner added that the two men abandoned the Suburban and ditched the guns in a trash can. 

Authorities then interviewed Johnson on March 4, 2026. He admitted driving the Suburban and firing one of the guns.

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Johnson said he thought Arionna’s boyfriend was in the Mustang, but didn’t know she was as well, and said he did not mean to kill her, according to the complaint.

What we don’t know:

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It’s unclear if Tanner will face charges in the case. Tanner is being held in federal prison on a drug case. However, it appears he is due to be released next month.

The Source: This story uses information from a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County Court and previous FOX 9 reporting. 

Crime and Public SafetyMinneapolis
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Railyard fire in Minneapolis: Six semi-tractors burned

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Railyard fire in Minneapolis: Six semi-tractors burned


The semi-tractors that were on fire in Minneapolis.  (FOX 9)

Early Saturday, the Minneapolis Fire Department responded to several semi-tractors on fire in a railyard.

Crews respond to fires and explosions

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What we know:

Firefighters arrived at the railyard at 29th Avenue Northeast and Central Avenue Northeast around 12:15 a.m. They found six semi-tractors fully engulfed in flames. 

Authorities say the railroad company confirmed that there were no hazardous materials in the area, and Xcel Energy was contacted to shut down a nearby electrical line exposed to the fire. 

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The fire came under control in about 20 minutes, fire officials said. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries reported in the incident.

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What we don’t know:

The exact cause of the fire remains unknown as investigations continue.

The Source: Information from the Minneapolis Fire Department.

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