Minnesota
Job Corps closure puts dozens of young adults at risk
As the Hubert Humphrey Job Corps Center in Saint Paul prepares to close its doors, dozens of young adults are facing an uncertain future. The closure leaves many without housing, education, or other skills needed to succeed in the workforce.
Last week, the Department of Labor announced that they would pause operations for Job Corps centers nationwide. Students and staff are expected to leave by June 30th.
The Department of Labor decision “aligns with the President’s FY 2026 budget proposal.” Also stating that the Job Corps program has faced “significant financial challenges under its current operating structure.”
“People come to Job Corps because they have no other place to go, they have no other family to turn to,” said Job Corps student, Christopher Walter.
Walter joined the program to get away from a parent that experienced a psychotic episode. He found himself a community, and a family at Job Corps.
“I’m actually crying behind my sunglasses right now,” said Walter. “Job corp was essentially family, it’s a home away from home.”
Job Corps, the largest federal job training program for low-income youth, has been a lifeline for young people, offering a place to live, learn and prepare for careers. Now, with no alternative – the future for these young adults remains unclear.
“It makes me want to cry, it’s just really hard,” said Job Corps staff member Laura Nelson. “They were promised if they worked hard, did what they were supposed to do they’d get something out of it.”
Finding job opportunities, outside resources and homes is all the staff at Job Corps can do for now.
“For every single center across the country you have a homeless population of around 25%,” said Christopher Kuhn, Job Corps Executive Director Center of Operations and Support. “I don’t know where they all will go and I don’t know what services will be available for them.”
While the closure has been met with shock and disappointment, local organizations like the Salvation Army’s Booth Brown House, is stepping up to support. The Booth Brown House, a shelter for homeless young adults, is preparing for the surge of homeless youth displaced by the job corps closure.
“We do have capacity in our emergency shelter to take a handful and we have seen interest from those youth when the time comes,” said Erin Foss, Program Director at the Booth Brown House.
Although disappointed at the closure, Foss remains hopeful. The Booth Brown House staff visited the Job Corps to discuss housing and job opportunities.
“We’re going to do our best to keep encouraging and assist them in finding other resources so these youth continue to move forward and don’t fall through the cracks,” said Foss.
Pushing back, Christopher Kuhn, is urging the public to ensure that these young adults don’t get forgotten.
“America needs skilled workers, let us help. That’s what we do. Otherwise you’ll have a whole generation of young people that’ll be a burden on our economy and society, when they can really be contributors. And they want to be, they want to help,” said Kuhn.
As the June 30th deadline approaches, the future of the young adults still remains uncertain. But there is still hope for some of the students and staff at the Hubert Humphrey Job Corps Center and centers across the nation.
On June 3rd, the National Job Corps Association (NCJA) filed “a motion for a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to stop the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) closure of 99 Job Corps campuses nationwide.”
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from eliminating the Job Corps program.
A hearing is set for June 17, where the fate of the program will be decided.
(FOX 9) – Minnesota is joining a legal challenge targeting the largest media merger in history, arguing that it would ultimately be a bad deal for customers.
AG Ellison joins lawsuit to block Warner Bros.-Paramount merger
What we know:
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 11 other attorneys general, filing a lawsuit to stop the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance Corporation.
The suit alleges the merger would violate antitrust laws by creating a media conglomerate that would control nearly one-third of all U.S.-based theatrical movies.
The combined company would control about 27% of the market for wide-release theatrical films and basic cable channels. Only three distributors would control 75% of wide-release films, and four — including Disney, Universal, and Sony — would control 86%, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit also points out that Warner Bros. is currently the second largest and Paramount the third largest in licensing basic cable channels, and together they would control 27% of that market. The merger would combine two of Hollywood’s five major film distributors and two of the five major basic cable companies, eliminating competition and harming movie theaters, cable distributors and consumers.
What they’re saying:
“Minnesotans deserve a fair and competitive marketplace, not one where a handful of giant corporations control what we watch, what we pay, and what choices we have,” AG Ellison said in a statement. “This would be the largest merger in media and entertainment history. It will raise prices, limit innovation, and reduce the variety of voices in media and entertainment. I’m taking action because this goes too far in consolidating power with a few at the expense of the public.”
What’s next:
The coalition has asked Warner Bros. and Paramount not to close the merger until after the judicial process concludes. If the companies refuse, the attorneys general plan to file a temporary restraining order to halt the deal.
The Source: Information provided in a statement from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
WASHINGTON (7News) — The debate over the National Guard presence in the nation’s capital is intensifying after the Pentagon told 7News the Guard mission connected to President Donald Trump’s crime initiative could continue through Inauguration Day 2029 unless it is ended sooner by the president.
The development comes as one governor has decided to withdraw troops from Washington, while D.C. leaders are urging other states to do the same.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is pulling his state’s National Guard members out of the District earlier than originally planned.
Walz’s office says its mission to support America 250 celebrations has concluded. The decision follows concerns about whether some Guard members were being used beyond the security mission tied to those events.
RELATED | Pentagon to keep National Guard activated in D.C. through Inauguration Day 2029
The D.C. Council is also pressing other states to reconsider their deployments.
All 13 councilmembers signed letters to the governors of Michigan and the U.S. Virgin Islands asking them to withdraw their National Guard troops from the District. Council leaders argue those service members were deployed to support the nation’s 250th anniversary events—not a broader federal public safety mission.
“They’re just doing their job, but it still hurts the city. It hurts our image. It creates resentment,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
SEE ALSO | 13-year-old boy shot and killed in Northeast DC home
“The letters were sent to two states that we were surprised when they decided to send the guard. Now, they sent the guard, as I understand it, to support the America 250 events. So it would be nice if they just kind of go back home,” Mendelson added.
According to the Joint Task Force overseeing the deployment, more than 5,100 National Guard members are currently assigned to the District, including troops supporting Freedom 250 events and other summer activities.
While Minnesota is ending its deployment, governors in states including Georgia and Mississippi have said their Guard members will remain in Washington to support the president’s mission.
A road rage-related shooting caused a southern Twin Cities metro highway to shut down for several hours Saturday evening.
The Minnesota State Patrol and the Eagan Police Department responded to a report of a road rage incident on northbound Interstate 35E near Deerwood Drive around 5:16 p.m., according to Eagan police.
Police say one of the drivers fired multiple rounds at another vehicle. While no one was injured, the victim’s vehicle was struck by gunfire and sustained damage.
The Eagan Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect vehicle and driver involved. Investigators are looking for a white 2010-2014 Ford F-150. The truck is described as having four doors, black door handles, gray rocker panels, a black tonneau cover and visible rust around the driver’s side rear wheel well/fender. The suspect is described as a White man with long, dark hair.
Anyone with information about the incident or the driver is asked to contact the Eagan Police Department tip line at 651-675-5799 or email the department at eaganpd@eaganmn.gov.
I-35E reopened to traffic around 8:10 p.m. Saturday.
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