November’s surprising elections that lifted Kaohly Her to leadership in St. Paul and saw Jacob Frey’s return to Minneapolis culminated this week in inauguration ceremonies offering hints at how the leaders may approach their roles over the next four years.
But while Her’s ceremony felt almost like an introduction to a relative newcomer, Frey, voted in for a third term, hammered well-worn themes.
“First” was the word of the day at St. Paul’s St. Catherine University, hosting Her’s inauguration — not only the first female mayor of the city, but the first to be a woman of color, an Asian-American, an immigrant and of Hmong ancestry.
The St. Kate’s location offered a symbolic touch as one of the only women’s colleges in the nation and an establishment with strong outreach to the Hmong community.
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A color guard walks to the stage during St. Paul mayor Kaohly Her’s inauguration in The O’Shaughnessy auditorium at St. Catherine’s University on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. Credit: Ellen Schmidt/MinnPost/CatchLight Local/Report for America
Following accolades from friends and fellow officials, Her laid down what she said were foundational aspects of her mayorship, like concerns over rising property taxes and deferred maintenance of city resources, like arenas.
“I will never come to you without numbers, data points or a plan,” Her said.
Compare that to Mayor Frey’s inauguration, held at the Pantages Theater in downtown Minneapolis as part of the swearing in of public officials including the Minneapolis City Council.
Frey needs no introduction to most of the city’s residents — certainly not to the protesters who interrupted the beginning of his speech by yelling the names of domestic violence victims and holding up flags emblazoned with “FTP,” a phrase often used to disparage law enforcement.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is sworn in for a third term by City Clerk Casey Carl on Jan. 5, 2026, as his wife Sarah and daughters Frida and Estelle look on at the Pantages Theater in downtown Minneapolis. Credit: Trevor Mitchell
The mayor drew on previous terms, saying his administration would continue leaning into their work to support more affordable housing throughout the city, build more diverse public safety departments and revitalize areas like the former Kmart site along Lake Street.
Frey’s speech neatly compared what he said were national crises, like ICE raids, to Minneapolis’ harsh winters, saying the best way to weather both was together. And in a nod that seemed aimed at the City Council’s recent dysfunction, he repeated some councilors’ calls “not for chaos or blame, but for partnership.”
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Her commented on recent federal attention as well, saying the Trump administration was “determined to make life more difficult.” She shared a goal of removing federal officers’ ability to stage in public parks and wear masks.
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“I am determined not to allow this federal administration to turn us against each other,” Her said.
Both mayors bemoaned the current state of politics, with Frey alluding to the “frayed and even dangerous discourse” faced not only by candidates but by campaign teams and families. Her became emotional speaking about her friendship with late House speaker Melissa Hortman, assassinated in June.
Asked by MinnPost about their colleagues across the river, Her said, “the bond between St. Paul and Minneapolis is one of the most unique and special connections in the whole country. It’s what makes our region so great.” Her mentioned her hope to share meals and advice with Frey, “like we did last month.”
Frey called the Twin Cities’ partnership “the strongest force in Minnesota.” In Her, he said he has “a partner who believes that cities should be relentlessly focused on delivering for our residents and improving lives. I can’t wait to work with her to lift up both of our cities.”
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Both mayors clearly shared at least one goal: an interest in their audience leaving the inaugurations energized.
In Minneapolis, Frey and others onstage broke out dance moves to Kennadi Watkins’ rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady.”
In St. Paul, as people made their way to the doors, “Golden,” from the hit film “KPop Demon Hunters” — a song about claiming the many contrasting identities within one person — blasted over the speakers.
The lineup has been announced for the 2026 edition of Snow & Flurry, set for October 10th and 11th at Underground Music Cafe in Minneapolis, MN. Judge, Merauder, and Arkangel will headline the two-day event also featuring 25+ more acts in total.
Weekend passes are available now, with single-day tickets and daily lineups to be announced later.
Passes are available here.
Line up in order of flyer:
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Judge Merauder Arkangel The Killer Nehemiah Another Enemy Awaiting Eschiel Basic Needs Blistered Spirit Blood Stained Concrete Cudgel Direct Order Dose Enemy Of Man Enervate Ethic Eyes Of Sorrow Fleshless Body Lead Spirit Madman Meantime Neolithic Passion Self Interest Shits Creek Sin Sufrir Skewed What Counts Withdrawal Wrath Of Sanity Velocity
After spending months helping immigrant families weather the economic fallout of federal immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities, Smitten Kitten is asking the community for help sustaining itself.
The adult retail store in Minneapolis’ Lyn-Lake neighborhood issued a public plea for community financial support.
The strain comes after months of directing staff and volunteer time, resources and fundraising efforts toward mutual aid work that supported immigrants during Operation Metro Surge.
The store became one of the most visible community aid hubs after the federal operation began. Following the killing of Renee Good, Smitten Kitten began collecting groceries, diapers, toilet paper and other essentials.
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“Nothing is going to change unless we’re going to do something,” said Anne Lehman, Smitten Kitten social media manager and mutual aid advisor.
The store also helped direct efforts toward rent relief for immigrants facing heightened uncertainty and economic hardship.
“People had been hiding out since October. They’re going to need things like diapers, toilet paper and water.” Lehman said. “We ended up opening our store as a donation drop-off stop.”
Community support quickly exceeded expectations.
“It felt like every fifteen minutes someone was pulling up in an SUV that just came from Costco,” Lehman said. “As soon as we got it, it would be gone because of how great the need was.”
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Lehman said that the attention also created safety concerns for staff and visitors.
“We had to move where our stuff was because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had caught on to what we were doing and tried to intimidate us,” said Lehman.
In response, the store decided to move its operations elsewhere and began to focus on raising money for necessities. According to Lehman, the establishment raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various needs.
The operation, in part, ended by mid-February, and federal presence in Minnesota diminished. As things began to wind down, so did cash flow at Smitten Kitten.
“There were a lot of weeks where we were cutting it close on payroll,” said Lehman.
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In a social media post, Lehman asked the community to come help support the store by asking for donations, asking people to shop at their store or online.
“We are asking for help, but also all of these things that we’re pouring all of our energy into is not going away,” said Lehman. “If we want to continue doing mutual aid, we have to have a solid foundation of our business as well.”
MINNEAPOLIS — Real Capital Solutions (RCS) has acquired 3701 Wayzata Boulevard, a 308,681-square-foot office property in the Urban West End neighborhood of Minneapolis, for $34 million. Situated on 25.8 acres overlooking Brownie and Cedar lakes, the nine-story asset is 99 percent leased and serves as the headquarters location for several companies such as Tactile Medical, SRF Consulting Group, Regis Corp. and MOBE.
Originally developed as a corporate headquarters campus for Prudential and later occupied by Target Corp., the property underwent a comprehensive renovation and repositioning in 2019. Amenities today include a fitness center, conference facilities, a golf simulator, onsite café, outdoor gathering spaces, a rooftop patio, bike storage and direct access to regional trail systems.
