On Thursday, the Minneapolis City Council voted on major action items regarding the future of George Floyd Square.

One provides financial relief to those who live and own property near 38^th & Chicago Avenue, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The other rejects a proposal from the mayor, setting up yet more delays. 

The city was seeking a more than $630,000 assessment to help pay for the $15 million construction project that’s underway — but in unanimous support, the council voted to not charge home, business and property owners. 

Help may be on the way for people face special assessments near George Floyd Square

“This project has been billed for so long as something the city was doing for the community, and you can’t do something for the community and then charge them for it as a way of recommence for the murder of George Floyd,” said Councilor Soren Stevenson, who represents part of the area around George Floyd Square. 

At the meeting, the council also rejected the mayor and city staff’s recommendation on who should have exclusive development rights for the former gas station site at the intersection, now known as The Peoples’ Way.

Defying community input from a survey about what people like to see at the site, the mayor chose the Minnesota Agape Movement to handle the work.

Minneapolis mayor, city staff defy community survey, pushback growing on council

The city and Mayor Frey received sharp criticism from some council members at their meeting. 

“The city absolutely fumbled this process from start to finish,” Robin Wonsley said. 

Council member Jason Chavez, who also represents parts of George Floyd Square, said, “Much of the feedback that my office has received since a decision was made has been frustration and distrust in the process.”

In a statement from the Mayor’s office, they pushed back on the criticism of how he’s handled project planning, sharing specifically about the action taken Thursday:

“Voting down Agape and returning to the drawing board is the Council’s prerogative. Mayor Frey’s goal is to move forward at George Floyd Square and stop delaying. The mayor is already coordinating with Council Members Chavez and Stevenson and City staff to determine a path forward.” 

Since the city shared their pick for development rights at the Peoples’ Way, the mayor’s office has declined multiple interview requests, as we try to learn his reasoning.

We also had other questions about what seems like a contradiction in how he’s felt about community being involved in this process so far.

For example, following a city council override of his veto as they pushed for a 38th & Chicago plan that community surveying found was not wanted in February 2025, the mayor lashed out at council members. 

“Today’s short-sighted decision by the council has ignored community wishes and is a colossal waste of both time and money,” Mayor Frey said that February day last year.

A Minneapolis man accused of stealing $4 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the Covid-19 pandemic surrendered to the FBI on Thursday, federal officials announced.

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Said Abdullahi Ereg was indicted on June 24, 2024, on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.

Ereg is accused of obtaining, misappropriating and laundering millions of dollars meant to feed children in need, officials said in a statement.

“Today’s arrest is historic,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a different statement.

It was not immediately clear whether Ereg has a lawyer.

Ereg was added to the Justice Department’s “Most Wanted Fraudster” list last week and is the first person to be arrested, Patel said.

Federal officials established the list to “bring to justice the alleged worst of the worst who took advantage of American taxpayers and stole public funds, and let them know that the days of Washington, D.C. turning a blind eye to fraud are over,” Patel said in the statement.

Officials said Ereg ran a grocery store and deli in Minneapolis that was sponsored by the nonprofit organization Feeding Our Future. The organization, founded in Minnesota in 2016, has recently been at the center of a federal investigation into what federal officials have called “the single largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.”

Aimee Block, former leader of Feeding Our Future, was convicted last month in a $250 million fraud case that helped ignite an immigration crackdown by the Trump administration.

The group was part of a large fraud network that included partner organizations, fake distribution sites, kickbacks and false lists of children supposedly being fed, prosecutors said in Block’s indictment.

Ereg is alleged to have participated in the scheme during a one-year period starting in 2020. He is accused of submitting false reimbursement claims and receiving more than $4.2 million in federal funds.

A federal arrest warrant was issued after Ereg was charged, but he was living overseas, and his whereabouts were not known.

He surrendered to FBI agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

“This case sends a clear message: being outside the United States does not place you beyond the reach of HSI and our law enforcement partners,” said Michael McCarthy, the Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge in Minneapolis. “Our commitment is unwavering: those who exploit programs intended to support children and families will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice here in Minnesota.”

Ereg’s wife, who worked with him, pleaded guilty last year to one count of money laundering. She is scheduled to be sentenced next week.

by Megan Germundson, MinnPost
June 11, 2026

Minneapolis officials say Operation Metro Surge cost the city, residents and businesses nearly $700 million from December through April, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported Wednesday. The updated estimate is a sharp increase from the initial $203 million estimate city officials announced in February.

During a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Jacob Frey highlighted the city’s small-business resiliency fund, which sent out license fee refunds to 1,200 businesses, WCCO-TV reported.

Gauging the cost of Operation Metro Surge across the state is a work in progress, but some numbers are emerging

“Minneapolis is resilient, we’re compassionate, we’re tough and we have consistently shown grit,” Frey said on Wednesday.

A Minnesota administrative law judge ruled that a Montevideo-based electric cooperative cannot shut off power to the Upper Sioux Community’s casino after the tribe built its own solar power system, MPR News reported Wednesday. 

Judge Joseph Meyer’s ruling found that because the co-op’s own policies do not prohibit customer-owned solar generation, it has limited authority to stop co-op members from installing their own systems that reduce their reliance on the co-op’s electricity. The decision could influence how utility co-ops across the state deal with customers who want to generate their own power.

In an effort to increase agritourism in Greater Minnesota and celebrate agricultural history, a group of seven women in Douglas County launched a barn quilt tour, a scenic drive or hike guiding visitors past hand-painted quilt blocks on barns, the Bemidji Pioneer reported Wednesday.

Douglas County’s Painted Pathways trail was made possible by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and opened to the public June 1.

The Minnesota State Fair announced a new cookbook, its first in 50 years, that shares 100 blue ribbon winning recipes, MPR News reported Wednesday. The new book, “50 Years of State Fair Recipes: A Collection of Minnesota State Fair blue ribbon winners from 1976 to 2025,” will be available to purchase online after June 14.

Operation Metro Surge cost local businesses more than $600M, court filings say citing survey

“One of the most endearing things is how much it means to them to be a part of a State Fair competition,” Christine Noonan, the fair’s advertising director told MPR. “The stories, the memories, the connection to the fair and capturing this moment in time was especially important.”

Saturday, June 13, is one of four Free Park Days in Minnesota where all state parks and recreation areas will be free for the public, the Jackson County Pilot reported Wednesday. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will waive entrance and vehicle permit fees at all 72 state parks and recreation areas. 

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