Minneapolis, MN

Return of Target employees brings jolt of life to downtown Minneapolis

Published

2 years ago

March 6, 2024

Return of Target employees brings jolt of life to downtown Minneapolis

Darryl Freeman has worked in a downtown Minneapolis parking ramp near Target headquarters for the last eight months. This week, for the first time, he watched as the four-story ramp at 9th and LaSalle headed toward capacity.

“It’s a pretty nice crowd today,” Freeman said on Tuesday. Most days the ramp is more like half full, he said. The attendant at another ramp nearby said it was the busiest it’s been in years.

Target employees are back in town.

Once the main feeder of the downtown workforce, the retail giant’s employees have largely worked from home since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. In December, Target announced that it had asked employees to spend at least one week per quarter working out of one of its three downtown office buildings.

The skyways that pass by Target’s downtown store bustled on Tuesday with business casual-attired people, many sporting the easily spotted white security badge with the red logo that marks the company’s employees. Some were seeing each other for the first time since they were hired.

Target’s voluntary return-to-office week comes amid mounting pressure from downtown boosters and Mayor Jacob Frey for businesses to bring workers back and toss a lifeline to the eateries and other establishments that once relied on their patronage.

As they wound through the skyway, a pair of Target employees chatted about a quirk in the company payroll software. Another small group gathered at Qdoba for a meal. Several rushed through the throng to make an afternoon meeting.

Data scientist Mikey Lara said he typically meets with his team about once a week at the company’s northern campus in Brooklyn Park. But he’s seldom seen this many fellow Target employees together in one place.

“I know, it’s crazy,” Lara said as he passed through a security turnstile and disappeared into an elevator.

Derek Figueroa said he met some fellow team members for the first time, and that it’s been nice to spend time in person with colleagues. But he still prefers working from home, he said.

“I like it, but I do prefer to stay home because it’s more cost-effective, and efficient for me, in terms of time,” said Figueroa, who is 25 and lives in Uptown.

Figueroa stressed that the in-office week was not a company mandate. Most Target employees approached by Star Tribune reporters on Tuesday declined to speak on the record about the company’s policies.

Lines for some downtown lunch spots snaked out into the skyways. Still, some service business workers that cater to the downtown crowd said it still didn’t really feel like pre-pandemic times.

“It hasn’t been more people,” said Cuong Le, who works at Elegant Nails & Spa in the skyway. Nearby, his coworker polished the nails of the the store’s lone customer.

Most of the salon’s customers live downtown, Le said. The shop once served a number of Target employees, he added. But that was before the pandemic.

The influx of corporate workers came too late for the Coconut Whisk Café and Bubble Tea Shop on Nicollet Mall. The shop is closing at the end of the month, as the owners plan to shift toward selling pancake and cookie mixtures. Co-owner Myles Olson said more Target workers back downtown might have been positive, but time ran out.

“I wish I would have been able to see what the impact would be,” Olson said.

Across the street from the downtown Target store, the 801 Fish restaurant had a modest-sized crowd around lunchtime. Chad Waldon, the regional service director for 801 Restaurants, said he hopes Target’s new policy is just an opening volley in a move toward more in-person work.

“We want to see it return to weekly, to see these guys downtown, to show them a good time, and give them a good reason to not go home right after work,” Waldon said.

As of now, Target leaders have so far only committed to asking employees to work in-office four times a year.

Michael Roper, who was holding a cardboard sign asking for money on the sidewalk, said he noticed “a lot” more people on Monday walking past him. He made over $9 in 15 minutes.

Sueweda Bashir, a freshman at the University of St. Thomas’ downtown campus, regularly visits the downtown Target store for an energy drink before her afternoon classes. She usually breezes through the store’s self-checkout. But on Tuesday, she encountered the longest lines she’s seen since the start of the fall semester.

“It has never been this busy,” Bashir said.

Her friend Abdiwali Yusef, who goes by A&W, raised an eyebrow as he scanned the bustling crowd about a 100 feet from the downtown Target store’s downtown entrance. He hadn’t noticed the red-and-white employee badges until a reporter pointed them out.

“There was no parking today,” Yusef said. “I’m just starting to put two and two together.”

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Minneapolis, MN

Truck driver dead after crash sends Metro Transit bus into home in south Minneapolis

Published

12 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

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.

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Minneapolis, MN

Atlanta Dream survive thriller in Minneapolis, edge Lynx 91-90 to open 2026 WNBA season

Published

24 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

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.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 09: Angel Reese #5 of the Atlanta Dream blocks a shot attempt by Emese Hof #25 of the Minnesota Lynx during the fourth quarter at Target Center on May 09, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.

Ellen Schmidt / Getty Images

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.

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