Minneapolis, MN
Minnesotans gather to mourn and honor Oklahoma nonbinary teen Nex Benedict
Outside the Minneapolis Teacher’s Federation, on a chilly Friday evening, gatherers held candles to mourn, celebrate and honor the life of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student who died after a fight at Owasso High School in Oklahoma.
Benedict identified as nonbinary, a term used by people who identify with a gender that is not male or female, a person whose gender identity is more expansive.
Student organizers from the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at Edison High School in northeast Minneapolis organized the vigil in honor of Nex.
“Everybody in GSA thought if we act now, it might create a big enough impact to at least show some respect for Nex,” said Kam, a GSA high school student organizer.
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Attendees gather prior to the start of a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
Throughout the evening, speakers called for political action in Minnesota and across the country to honor Nex Benedict’s life and to protect the safety of transgender youth.
“This is holy ground tonight because we gather to remember Nex Benedict,” said Rev. Justin Sabia-Tanis, associate professor at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. “It is holy because we gather here to remember Nex Benedict. It is holy because you and I are here, and we are sacred, holy people.”
Sabia-Tanis spoke out against anti-transgender policymaking, including bills passed in several states that restrict transgender people from using the bathrooms that fit their gender.
“Those who make anti-trans laws and encourage their passage are complicit in each act of violence that occur because of what they say and because of the laws that they pass,” Sabia-Tanis said.
S.J. Amado and their child Zochi Nelsen-Amado snuggle together during a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, is the chair of the Queer Legislative Caucus. She said in the days since the news broke, she finds herself “unable to stop apologizing to Nex.”
“I am sorry you will not find your way in this world,” said Finke, “I’m sorry you will not experience the radical joy of queer adulthood. I am sorry you will not live the fullest realities of a whole human life.”
Several of the evening’s speakers addressed Nex Benedict’s death as a part of the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Benedict’s mother was a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Nation, added to the calls for accountability on the part of policymakers, including Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma. In 2022, Stitt signed a bill requiring public school students to use bathrooms according to the gender listed on their birth certificates.
Rev. Mary Visas of the Federation of Christian Ministries during a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
“This did not happen on accident. Policies have consequences,” said Flanagan.
Flanagan observed that she and Stitt, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, are the only two Native Americans to hold executive offices in state government across the country.
“As an Anishinaabekwe, I cannot say that it is all right with our Indigenous values that our children are bullied and made to suffer and are hurting,” said Flanagan.
“It is not who we are. That is not where we come from, and we will continue to do everything in the state of Minnesota, but that is not enough,” said Flanagan.
GSA student organizers say they need bathroom solutions
Student organizers with Gender and Sexual Alliance organizers were accompanied at the vigil by their teacher Amelia Marquez.
Marquez recalled moving from Montana to seek greater safety in Minnesota as a transgender person and called on allies of transgender youth in helping to create safe spaces in schools.
Jane Robertson of Lino Lakes holds a transgender pride flag during a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
“These kids should not be afraid to go to the bathroom to go to in our schools here in Minneapolis and St. Paul,” said Marquez.
GSA student organizer Keeda Johnson said students need “bathroom solutions.” “We need a community who is going to stick up for our LGBTQ+ rights,” said Johnson.
“The genderqueer students have to stand and sit and sometimes even to go the nurse like we are sick because we have to go to the bathroom,” said Johnson. “It’s humiliating to have to go to the nurse and say ‘we have to pee’ because there is not a bathroom that fits our gender identity. It hurts, it makes me at least feel like something is wrong.”
Johnson encouraged youth to seek out resources which affirm their gender identity.
A sign is displayed during a candlelight vigil hosted by the Thomas Edison High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
Liam James Doyle for MPR News
Minneapolis, MN
Truck driver dead after crash sends Metro Transit bus into home in south Minneapolis
It happened early Monday morning in Minneapolis.
One person is dead and another is hospitalized after an early-morning crash in south Minneapolis on Monday that sent a Metro Transit bus into a home.
It happened at around 4 a.m. at 10th Avenue South and East 38th Street, just a few blocks east of George Floyd Square.
A spokesperson for Metro Transit police tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that a truck was speeding down 10th Avenue when it hit the back of the bus, ripping a tire off the bus and sending it into the front of a home.
The driver of that truck died, according to Metro Transit police, while the driver of the bus was taken to a hospital but is expected to be OK.
Officials say nobody besides the driver was on the bus at the time, and the home the bus hit was also empty at the time.
Investigators are still at the scene, working to clean up all of the debris and determine exactly what led up to the crash.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is at the scene and working to learn more. Download the KSTP app and follow 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on social media for the latest updates.
Minneapolis, MN
Atlanta Dream survive thriller in Minneapolis, edge Lynx 91-90 to open 2026 WNBA season
The Atlanta Dream trailed by double digits, fought back twice and still needed Angel Reese’s game-saving block in the final seconds to survive.
Atlanta opened the 2026 WNBA season with a 91-90 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday night, powered by Allisha Gray’s 24 points, Te-Hina Paopao’s pull-up jumper with 12 seconds remaining, and a performance that left little doubt about what this team intends to do this season.
Reese’s block on Emese Hof’s layup attempt in the closing seconds sealed one of the most dramatic opening-night wins before 10,821 fans at Target Center.
When Minnesota pushed its advantage to 13 points in the second quarter and the Dream looked like they were in serious trouble, Allisha Gray took over. The veteran guard finished with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-18 shooting, going a near-perfect 9-of-11 from the free throw line to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Gray’s ability to get to the line and convert kept Atlanta within striking distance throughout a game that could have spiraled out of control multiple times. She scored 11 points in the third quarter alone as the Dream chipped away at Minnesota’s lead.
Rhyne Howard was equally important on both ends, finishing with 15 points, five assists and three steals. Jordin Canada ran the offense efficiently with 12 points and six assists, and Paopao added six points and four assists in a composed performance off the bench.
With Atlanta trailing 85-87 and the clock winding down, Naz Hillmon stepped back and drained a 22-foot three-pointer with 2:44 left to tie the game and silence the fans in the Target Center. It was the shot of the night, and arguably the play that won Atlanta the game.
Hillmon finished with 15 points on an efficient 6-of-10 from the field, adding seven rebounds in 33 minutes. She was the Dream’s most reliable scorer off the bench and delivered her best basketball when Atlanta needed it most.
Rookie Madina Okot also impressed in her WNBA debut, scoring eight points on 3-of-6 shooting with four rebounds in just 10 minutes, showing the poise and physicality that earned her a roster spot out of training camp.
Angel Reese’s first game in a Dream uniform was complicated. She shot 4-of-11 from the field, committed five turnovers and picked up a first-quarter technical foul that gifted Minnesota a free point. At one point in the first half, she missed three consecutive shots on the same possession.
But Reese also grabbed 14 rebounds, nine on the offensive glass, blocked three shots, came up with two steals, and made the most important play of the game when it mattered most. Her block on Hof’s layup in the final seconds was the kind of athletic, instinctive play that changes games and defines seasons.
That is the player Atlanta acquired this offseason. On opening night, in the most pressure-packed moment of the game, she showed exactly why.
Minnesota had every opportunity to win this game and couldn’t finish it. Olivia Miles finished with 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting and eight assists to go along with eight free throws made. Kayla McBride scored 20 points and hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:11 left that looked like it might be the dagger.
Courtney Williams added 14 points and six assists, and the Lynx shot 50 percent from the field, a number that should have been good enough to win.
But 15 turnovers and an inability to execute in the game’s final minute proved too costly. Minnesota had chances to put Atlanta away in the fourth quarter and couldn’t. The Dream made them pay every time.
Atlanta continues its opening road trip Tuesday against the Dallas Wings before returning home for the May 17 opener against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces at State Farm Arena. Minnesota hosts Atlanta again on May 27.
Minneapolis, MN
Woman dead after argument leads to shooting in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A shooting in south Minneapolis left a woman dead Saturday night.
Fatal shooting on Pillsbury Avenue South
What we know:
According to Minneapolis police, officers responded to a report of gunfire near Pillsbury Avenue South and West 25th Street around 5:30 p.m.
A woman was found at the scene with life-threatening gunshot wounds. She was taken to the hospital where she later died.
Police believe that an argument inside an apartment led to gunfire.
The suspected shooter fled the scene before police responded.
What we don’t know:
Police did not say what led up to the shooting or if they made any arrests.
The woman has not yet been identified.
What you can do:
Anyone with information on the shooting can call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or click here to submit a tip.
The Source: A press release from the Minneapolis Police Department.
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