Minnesota
Here’s how to celebrate Pride Month 2024 in the Twin Cities and around Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — June is Pride Month, and there are lots of activities to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community in the Twin Cities and around Minnesota.
Below is your guide to some of the highlights of the Pride Month festivities, followed by a more comprehensive list:
June 1: Cheers to Pride
When: June 1
Locations: You can find a list of participating locations here.
Cheers to Pride is the official kick-off to Pride month. Raise a glass, grab a snack, or get energized with some coffee for the start of Pride month at participating locations. A portion of your purchase will go to Rainbow Circle — an organization that promotes inclusivity, provides support, and organizes to celebrate diversity.
Click here for more information.
June 1: Youth Pride
When: June 1, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Location: Como Midway Picnic Pavillion, 1199 Midway Parkway, St. Paul
Youth Pride, which is put on by the Minnesota School Outreach Coalition, is a free event for LGBTQIA+ youth between the ages of 13 and 22. The event will feature activities, games, entertainers, food from local businesses, and photo booths.
Click here for more information.
June 9: Trans Joy Fest
When: June 9, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Where: Park Point, Duluth
The third annual Trans Joy Fest will have more than 40 performers, a free clothing exchange, kids activities, and a silent auction.
Click here for more information.
June 15: St. Paul Pride Parade and Festival
When: June 15, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Where: Lowertown to Rice Park
St. Paul’s Pride parade will start at The Bulldog Lowertown at 10 a.m. and proceed to Rice Park, where the festival will take place.
Click here for more information.
June 21: Telling Queer History
When: June 21, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Where: Mill City Museum, 704 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis
Storytellers will present LGBTQIA+ stories of resistance, love, and identity formation. The event is part of the return of the 2023 exhibit Going Out, Coming In: LGBTQ+ Spaces in Downtown Mineapolis.
Click here for more information.
June 23: Twin Cities Pride Family Fun Day
When: June 23, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: Como Park East Pavillions, St. Paul
The free event is open to all families, and will feature crafts, a Minnesota Twins kids baseball clinic, fun activities, and appearances by Minnesota mascots.
Click here for more information.
June 29-30: Twin Cities Pride Festival and Parade
When: June 29-June 30
Where: Loring Park, Minneapolis
The second largest festival in Minnesota, the Twin Cities Pride Festival will have LGBTQIA+ entertainment on 4 stages, feature 650 vendors, including LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC community resources, artists, and businesses. The parade will take place from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on June 30 and will start at Third Street and Hennepin Avenue.
Click here for more information.
June 29: Minneapolis People’s Pride
When: June 29, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis
People’s Pride in a non-corporate alternative pride event for Minneapolis. There will be free food, and admission is free.
Click here for more information.
Other events around Minnesota
Twin Cities
- Burnsville Pride: June 1, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
- Queer Equity Casino Night: June 1, 7 pm. – 11 p.m.
- Queer Me Out 2024 Panel Discussion: June 4, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- Hastings Pride Festival: June 8, 11 a.m.
- Golden Valley Pride: June 8, 12 pm. – 6 p.m.
- MN POC Kickback Day Party: June 15, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
- Hopkins Pride: June 15, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Twin Cities Pride Grand Marshal Reception: June 15, 5:30 p.m.
- Gender Affirming Clothing Swap at Hopkins Library: June 16, 1 p.m.
- Twin Cities Pride Youth Night: June 28, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
- Pride Beer Dabbler: June 28, 6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
- “Going Out, Coming In” Walking Tour: June 29, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- Twin Cities Pride Rainbow Run 5k & Kid’s Rainbow Dash: June 30, 9 a.m.
Greater Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota investigators say child care centers captured in viral video were operating as expected
Minnesota
Game Recap: Kings 5, Wild 4 (S/O) | Minnesota Wild
Matt Boldy scored late in the third to tie it and ultimately send the game to overtime, helping the Wild (25-10-8) extend their point streak to six games (3-0-3). Brock Faber had a goal and an assist, Jake Middleton and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored, and Jesper Wallstedt made 34 saves.
It was the second game of a back-to-back for Minnesota, which is coming off a 5-2 win at the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. The Wild and Kings will play again in Los Angeles on Monday.
“It was far from perfect of a game from us,” Faber said. “I thought we could have played better. With that quick turnaround, we’ll take the point. Now we need two in the next.”
Kempe put the Kings up 1-0 at 6:08 of the first period, scoring on a wrist shot from close range off Anze Kopitar’s cross-slot pass from below the goal line.
Middleton tied it up 1-1 at 8:28, getting his first goal of the season in 36 games on a snap shot from the left circle set up by Mats Zuccarello.
“I think he thought I was Kirill (Kaprizov) in the slot there, so it was nice to get one,” Middleton joked. “I normally have a few goals before I take 35 games off from scoring, so this one was getting a little stressful but we got it out of the way.”
Perry gave Los Angeles a 2-1 lead at 16:57 of the second period when Byfield’s shot struck him in the wrist and redirected in for the power-play goal.
Eriksson Ek tied it 2-2 at 18:23 on the power play, taking Quinn Hughes’ stretch pass at the offensive blue line for a short breakaway, fending off defenseman Joel Edmundson and scoring on a wrist shot from the left circle.
Byfield put Los Angeles back in front 3-2 at 4:54 of the third period. He shot the puck caroming off the boards back into the crease, where Wallstedt lost it in his skates and it was eventually knocked in by a Wild stick during the ensuing scramble in front.
“Shouldn’t be, that was terrible,” Byfield joked when asked if he knew it was his goal. “No, it’s good. I think it’s two now that were liked that, so I’ll take them how they come.”
Minnesota
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on the defensive as fraud allegations mount after viral video uncovered Somali aid scheme
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pushed back against the ever-growing fraud allegations levied against him in the disastrous aftermath of a viral video where an independent journalist cracked open a crucial part of the alleged Somali aid scheme.
A spokesperson for Walz, a Democrat who frequently provokes President Trump’s ire, addressed a bombshell video posted by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley.
“The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action. He has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed,” the spokesperson told Fox News.
The spokesperson added that Walz has “hired an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program entirely, announced a new statewide program integrity director, and supported criminal prosecutions.”
In the 43-minute video published on Friday, Shirley and a Minnesotan named David travel around Minneapolis and visit multiple childcare and learning centers allegedly owned by Somali immigrants.
Many were either shuttered entirely, despite signage indicating they were open, or helmed by staff who refused to participate in the video.
One of the buildings they visited displayed a misspelled sign reading “Quality Learing Center.” The ‘learning’ center is supposed to account for at least 99 children and funneled roughly $4 million in state funds, according to the video.
Shirley appeared on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show” on Sunday evening and boasted about his findings. He joked that the alleged scheme was “so obvious” that a “kindergartener could figure out there is fraud going on.”
“Fraud is fraud, and we work too hard simply just to be paying taxes and enabling fraud to be happening,” Shirley said.
“There better be change. People are demanding it. The investigation have been launched just from that video alone. So there better be change, like I said we work way too hard to be paying taxes and not knowing where our money’s going,” he added.
Many officials have echoed Shirley’s calls for change, with FBI Director Kash Patel even announcing that the agency surged extra personnel to investigate the resources doled out to Minnesota. He said this is one of the first steps in a wide-reaching effort to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.”
Federal investigators say half of the $18 billion granted to Minnesota since 2018 could have been stolen by fraudulent schemes — amounting to up to $9 billion in theft.
As of Saturday evening, 86 people have been charged in relation to these fraud scams, with 59 convicted so far.
Most of those accused of fraud come from Minnesota’s Somali community.
Shirley’s mega-viral video cracked 100 million views Sunday night.
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