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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis considers minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers

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Minneapolis considers minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Drivers for Uber, Lyft and other rideshare companies would get a minimum wage in Minneapolis if a city ordinance passes as early as next month, city council members said Tuesday at a news conference.

Under the ordinance, drivers would get at least $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute, or $5, whichever is greater. The rule would only apply for the portion of the ride within the city.

Uber and Lyft “cannot continue to collect billions of dollars off the backs of drivers, like the ones here today, while those very drivers struggle to cover their rent, childcare costs, health care bills, and so many other basic necessities,” said Democratic council member Robin Wonsley, lead author of the proposed ordinance.

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Emergency call center workers say their centers are understaffed, struggling to fill vacancies and plagued by worker burnout.

FILE - A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market on May 24, 2019. Minneapolis is backing away from enforcing laws that criminalize psychedelic plants. On Friday, July 21, 2023, Mayor Jacob Frey ordered police to stop using taxpayer dollars to enforce most laws against hallucinogenic plants, which include psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca and mescaline. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Minneapolis is backing away from enforcing laws that criminalize buying psychedelic plants or using them in private.

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Nicholas Hartnett, owner of Pure Power Solar, carries a panel as he and Brian Hoeppner, right, install a solar array on the roof of a home in Frankfort, Ky., Monday, July 17, 2023. Since passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, it has boosted the U.S. transition to renewable energy, accelerated green domestic manufacturing, and made it more affordable for consumers to make climate-friendly purchases, such as installing solar panels on their roofs. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Excessive heat continues to bear down on sections of the US, a reminder of the impetus for the The Inflation Reduction Act, the significant climate legislation that turns one year old on August 16.

Kimberly Thompson, center, listens as Francis Howell School Board members talk in favor of rescinding all previously passed resolutions, including an anti-racism resolution, during a meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023 in O'Fallon, Mo. In the national reckoning that followed the police killing of George Floyd three years ago, protesters took to the streets in a St. Louis suburb and urged the mostly-white Francis Howell School District to address racial discrimination. The school board responded with a resolution promising to do better. Now, led by new conservative board members elected since last year, that resolution has been revoked.(David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

In the national reckoning that followed the police killing of George Floyd three years ago, about 2,000 protesters took to the streets in a St. Louis suburb.

Farxan Bedel said he has been driving for Uber and Lyft since 2018 to support his family.

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“We just want fair compensation,” Bedel said. “If you pay $50 from downtown Minneapolis to the airport, why am I getting $15? That’s unfair.”

If passed, the ordinance would also guarantee riders and drivers get receipts detailing how much the rider was charged versus what the driver received.

“The pay for drivers has dropped to less than half of what it was in 2014. That’s what caused 1,300 drivers to organize,” said Stephen Cooper, an attorney for the Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association and a former human rights commissioner for Minnesota.

Seattle, New York City and Washington state have passed similar policies to protect rideshare drivers, and rideshare companies haven’t left those places, Cooper said.

In May, Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz vetoed a bill that would have mandated higher pay and job security for Lyft and Uber drivers in the state. Walz said at the time that rideshare drivers deserve fair wages and safe working conditions, but it wasn’t the right bill to achieve those goals.

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Ride-hailing drivers, like other gig economy workers, are typically treated as independent contractors not entitled to minimum wages and other benefits, and have to cover their own gas and car payments.

___

Trisha Ahmed is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Trisha Ahmed on Twitter: @TrishaAhmed15





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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis on alert as millions across the Midwest brace for severe weather

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Minneapolis on alert as millions across the Midwest brace for severe weather


Severe weather is forecast to impact the U.S. Midwest on Monday, April 28, with the City of Minneapolis urging residents to prepare for two rounds of severe weather expected throughout the day.

Minnesota will begin experiencing impacts early on Monday. The first round of storms is expected to continue through the morning hours, producing large hail and strong winds across the region.

A second, potentially more impactful, round of storms is forecast to develop during the afternoon after a brief lull and continue into the evening. This second round carries the potential for EF2+ tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds across affected areas.

Frequent lightning associated with supercells is expected as the storms pass through the region.

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According to the National Weather Service (NWS), there is some uncertainty regarding the evolution of convection across the warm sector. If storms are able to remain semi-discrete, long-track strong tornadoes will be possible across Minnesota and other parts of the Midwest. Weaker tornadoes could also develop within bowing segments of the anticipated squall line.

Tornado risk will be highest during Monday evening, while the threat of damaging winds along the squall line is expected to peak from late afternoon into early evening.

Image credit: NWS/SPC

The City of Minneapolis has advised residents to be weather aware and take necessary precautions ahead of the approaching severe weather.

Residents are urged to ensure they have multiple reliable ways to receive severe weather alerts, prepare for possible power outages by charging their essential electronic devices, and have a flashlight readily available. If an alert is issued, take immediate shelter in a basement or an interior room on the lowest level of a building.

Outdoor furniture and loose objects should be secured to reduce the risk of wind-borne debris during strong winds. To minimize the potential for localized street flooding, clear leaves and debris in front of catch basins to allow proper water drainage.

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SPC Categorical outlook for Monday, April 28, 2025SPC Categorical outlook for Monday, April 28, 2025
SPC Categorical Outlook for Monday, April 28, 2025. Image credit: SPC

While the focus is on southern Minnesota, northern Iowa, and western Wisconsin, isolated severe storms are also possible farther south into Kansas and Missouri.

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed Minneapolis along with parts of southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and northern Iowa under a Moderate Risk (level 4/5) of severe thunderstorms through Monday.

A larger area of Enhanced Risk (level 3/5) covers much of the surrounding region, including the remaining parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, and much of Minnesota. Meanwhile, a larger region of Slight Risk (level 2/5) extends from the Great Lakes to the Southern Plains through Monday.

References:

1 Day 1 Convective Outlook – SPC – April 28, 2025

2 City asks residents to prepare for severe storms Monday – Minneapolism.gov – April 27, 2025

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Minneapolis, MN

Mpls stabbing outside Target Center not connected to concert, 1 arrested

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Mpls stabbing outside Target Center not connected to concert, 1 arrested


Police lights. (FOX 9 / FOX 9)

Minneapolis police say they arrested a man suspected of stabbing another man in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday night. 

Minneapolis stabbing

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What we know:

Police say the stabbing happened just before 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of 6th Street and Hennepin Avenue. 

The victim reportedly fled his attacker on foot after he was stabbed in the neck and collapsed in front of Target Center, where police say he was found by traffic control officers. He was then taken to the hospital and stabilized.

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The suspect was tracked by officers using cameras in the area. Police say they arrested the suspect without incident near the intersection of 5th Street and Hennepin Avenue shortly after the stabbing.

That suspect is now facing assault charges. 

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Police say they believe the stabbing has no connection to the Charli XCX concert that was happening inside Target Center at the time of the incident. 

What we don’t know:

Details on what may have led to the stabbing have not been shared by law enforcement. 

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The Source: This story used information shared by the Minneapolis Police Department. 

Crime and Public SafetyMinneapolis



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Minneapolis, MN

Northeast Minneapolis restaurant makes another world’s best list

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Northeast Minneapolis restaurant makes another world’s best list


Chef Yia Vang’s restaurant Vinai is getting even more time in the sun: The northeast Minneapolis eatery has been named among the world’s best new restaurants by a global publication.

This week Condé Nast Travel released the Best New Restaurants in the World: 2025 Hot List, which spotlights 34 restaurants around the world from Bolivia to Sydney and Kenya to Paris.

“Named after the Thai refugee camp where chef Yia Vang was born, Vinai serves up authentic Hmong food in a way most Americans have never tasted. There’s fried catfish, grilled lamb heart, and his signature Hill Tribe chicken, all paired with fresh produce (often from his parents’ Minnesota garden) and family-recipe hot sauces,” according to the write-up.

“Those unapologetic flavors pay homage to both his heritage and America’s largest Hmong population, which is based in the Twin Cities … Every dish and cocktail on the menu—which features both Hmong and English languages — has a backstory, and Yang is often on hand to tell the tales.”

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Vinai’s popular double-cut pork chop is served with a tamarind-lemongrass glaze.

The design of chef Yia Vang’s Hmong restaurant Vinai has received national acclaim.

Reservations at the restaurant, 1300 NE. 2nd St., Mpls., remain a hot commodity, but the bar and lounge are both first come, first served.



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