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With Minneapolis medical center’s survival threatened, staff and leaders call for state action

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With Minneapolis medical center’s survival threatened, staff and leaders call for state action


As a dire financial outlook has pushed Minneapolis’ Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) to the brink of closure, health care workers and union leaders are calling for legislative action, which could be introduced at the state Capitol as soon as Tuesday.

HCMC, part of the larger Hennepin Healthcare provider system, is Minnesota’s busiest Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center. It is also a safety-net hospital, meaning it accepts patients regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay, and has been a training site for more than half of Minnesota’s practicing physicians. In 2025, the hospital saw nearly 115,000 patients, including more than 94,000 emergency department visits.

“HCMC is not just a Minneapolis hospital. It’s Minnesota’s safety net. It is Minnesota’s last line of care,” said Jeremy Olson-Ehlert, a registered nurse at HCMC and second vice president of the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA), at an April 1 press conference at the Capitol.

The hospital is also in financial straits, facing up to $50 million in operating losses in 2026 and staring down $1.7 billion in losses over the next 10 years, according to projections shared in March with the Hennepin County Board’s budget committee. Right now, the hospital can’t even make its $33 million biweekly payroll and must rely on the county to cover the overdraft, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde told MinnPost. Lunde chairs the Hennepin Health Board.

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The hospital’s financial hardships can be attributed to multiple factors over many years, including the shutdown of Minnesota-based health insurer UCare, which owes HCMC $115 million, and the running cost to treat uninsured or publicly insured patients, who make up the hospital’s majority.

Massive changes to Medicaid eligibility under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, set to go into effect in 2027, are expected to exacerbate HCMC’s challenges. About 140,000 Minnesotans are at risk of losing their health coverage in the coming decade, according to an analysis by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Lunde said that without action from lawmakers by the May 18 end to the legislative session, HCMC would begin closing in June.

No other place to go

The impact would be catastrophic and felt throughout the state, several speakers said at the April 1 press conference.

“Patients will wait significantly longer in emergency departments, and hospitals across Minnesota will lose a partner that they rely on,” Olson-Ehlert said. “There is no backup plan, there is no extra capacity, and there is no other place for these patients to go.”

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Lunde echoed those concerns, saying HCMC’s closure would overwhelm places like Regions Hospital in St. Paul and North Memorial in Robbinsdale, the only other Level 1 trauma centers in the Twin Cities. He also warned that wait times for the ER could skyrocket from one to two hours to up to 10.

Some cost-saving measures are already underway. In February, HCMC cut its beds by 100, to 390 total. In January, the hospital stopped accepting most non-emergency transfers from outside of Hennepin County, putting a strain on rural hospitals.

“We’re not only a safety net hospital for patients, we’re also a safety net hospital for other hospitals,” Lunde said.

The current solution being eyed is to repurpose the county’s 0.15% sales tax used to pay off bonds for the Minnesota Twins stadium into a 1% tax that would generate about $340 million annually for HCMC.

Lunde said he expects a bill in support of the tax to be introduced Tuesday in the House when the Legislature reconvenes after the Easter/Passover break. It will be introduced by a member of the DFL Party, he said, with a Republican co-signer.

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“We’ve met with the speaker, the senate minority leader, the senate majority leader, leadership in the House, because we’ve been very focused on we need a bipartisan bill, and we need bipartisan support,” Lunde said.

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This story was originally published by MinnPost and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.



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Minneapolis, MN

George Floyd Day of Remembrance: Watch live

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George Floyd Day of Remembrance: Watch live


The George Floyd Day of Remembrance is being held in Minneapolis to mark six years since he was killed by Minneapolis police.

A live stream of the event can be viewed in the player above. The events are expected to begin at 9 a.m. on Friday. 

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This story will be updated with the latest developments throughout the day.

George Floyd Day of Remembrance 

Local perspective:

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A remembrance brunch will be held in downtown Minneapolis before a yellow flower ceremony at George Floyd Square. 

Organizers say this gathering will likely be the last one held at George Floyd Square in its current form before the city begins reconstruction in the area next month.

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The family of Emmet Till will also be in attendance to show their support. 

There will also be $50,000 in scholarships awarded. 

Killing of George Floyd

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The backstory:

The killing of George Floyd sparked a movement for police accountability in the summer of 2020 after he died in custody of Minneapolis police after an officer held a knee to his neck for nearly nine minutes.

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READ MORE: Who was George Floyd?

Floyd was 46 years old when he died while in police custody outside of Cup Foods at E 38th St and Chicago Ave in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. The police were called to Cup Foods because Floyd had allegedly used a counterfeit $20 at the store.

A teenager captured his arrest on video, which showed then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin holding his knee on Floyd’s neck. In the video, Floyd calls for his mother and repeatedly states he can’t breathe before appearing to lose consciousness.

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The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Floyd’s death as a homicide, citing the cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression. Other significant conditions listed included heart disease, fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use. 

The intersection of 38th and Chicago became known as George Floyd Square, where community members can honor his memory through art and gatherings. 

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The Source: This story uses information shared by event organizers and previous FOX 9 reporting.

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Minneapolis, MN

Homicide investigation underway in north Minneapolis after double shooting leaves 16-year-old dead

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Homicide investigation underway in north Minneapolis after double shooting leaves 16-year-old dead


A 16-year-old boy is dead after a shooting in north Minneapolis on Thursday night.

Police responded to the 1300 block of 18th Avenue North around 5:30 p.m. on a report of multiple shots fired. Officers at the scene found a 16-year-old boy with life-threatening injuries, Minneapolis police said.

He died at the scene, according to Minneapolis police.

A 44-year-old man who was in the area during the shooting was also hit and suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Police say he drove away from the area to a gas station near Broadway Avenue and Knox Avenue North, where officers responded and brought him to the hospital.

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Investigators are looking into the circumstances around the shooting. No arrests have been made.

A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS photographer captured evidence markers with bullet casings, crime scene tape and a large number of first responders.

“This is another heartbreaking act of violence that has left a young person dead, another individual wounded, and families suffering unimaginable pain,” said Chief O’Hara. “Our investigators are working urgently to determine exactly what happened and to identify every person responsible for this violence.”

Editor’s note: A spokesperson for Minneapolis police initially told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the victim was a “young adult man.” A later update from police said the victim was a juvenile.

The scene on Broadway Avenue and Knox Avenue North (KSTP-TV)
The scene on Broadway Avenue and Knox Avenue North (KSTP-TV)

To get the latest updates on this story sent to your mobile device, download the KSTP app at the links below.

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Bruce Springsteen Sings a Rallying Cry as Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Ends

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Bruce Springsteen Sings a Rallying Cry as Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Ends


On the eve of Stephen Colbert‘s final Late Show, the host invited Bruce Springsteen to the stage for a fitting performance of his protest song, “Streets of Minneapolis.” Earlier this year, the musician and the E Street Band live-debuted the track during their politically charged Land of Hope and Dreams tour.

In a way that felt bittersweet, Colbert announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen.” As his spotlight faded and focused on the singer, Springsteen made it clear why he was there for the late-night series penultimate episode. “I’m here in support tonight of Stephen, because you’re the first guy in America who lost his show because we’ve got a president who can’t take a joke,” Springsteen said. “And because Larry and David Ellison feel they need to kiss his ass to get what they want.”

He added, “Stephen, these are small-minded people who got no idea what the freedoms of this beautiful country are supposed to be about. This is for you.”

The singer then launched into an emotional performance of “Streets of Minneapolis,” which was written in reaction to ICE’s brutal immigration crackdown in the city, and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. 

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Last year, CBS announced it was cancelling The Late Show, claiming the move was “purely a financial decision.” It’s been speculated that CBS’s parent company Paramount pulled the plug to curry favor with Donald Trump — who Colbert frequently called out during his show — and the FCC to ensure a merger between Paramount and Skydance would go through. As Springsteen highlighted before his performance on Wednesday night, Paramount is helmed by David Ellison, the son of Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of Oracle.

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A procession of stars have lined up for Colbert’s closing weeks, with guests including Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and original host David Letterman, who returned to throw CBS property off the Ed Sullivan Theater roof. Recent musical guests include David Byrne, the Strokes, Michael Stipe, Chris Stapleton, and Foo Fighters, who previously served as the final musical guest of Letterman’s Late Show.

When speaking to The New York Times last month, Colbert discussed his decision to cover political topics and lean into current events, and how that often drew the ire of the Trump administration. “Comedians are anti-authoritarian by nature,” Colbert said. “And authoritarians are never going to like anybody to laugh at them. The number of newspeople who have said to me or Jon Stewart or any of the guys who do this, ‘God, I wish I could say what you say on air.’ And we can. I think that upsets them. I think it might be upsetting that we really do not live in their world of principalities and powers.”

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