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.
“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.
“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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