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NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. report for Minnesota from Dec. 20, 2024

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NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. report for Minnesota from Dec. 20, 2024


NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. report for Minnesota from Dec. 20, 2024 – CBS Minnesota

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WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak says there’s a chance for small amount of precipitation on Monday.

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Minnesota

Minnesota HOA bill to cap homeowner fines heads to Walz’s desk

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Minnesota HOA bill to cap homeowner fines heads to Walz’s desk


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  • A bipartisan bill to reform homeowners’ associations has passed the Minnesota Senate and now awaits the governor’s signature.
  • The legislation caps most HOA fines at $100 and requires board members to disclose potential financial conflicts of interest.
  • The bill also limits an HOA’s ability to charge residents legal fees for questioning fines or charges.

A bipartisan bill limiting homeowners’ association fees, implementing new transparency and conflict-of-interest rules and establishing a path to dissolve some HOAs passed the Minnesota Senate Wednesday. The bill (SF1750) now heads to Gov. Tim Walz’s desk for final approval. 

Homeowners in Minnesota have faced massive charges from their HOAs for questionable construction projects, like new roofs and siding. A 2025 Reformer investigation found that some HOA management companies hired their own subsidiaries to complete expensive construction projects. In at least one case, a homeowner wound up in foreclosure due to hefty assessments. 

The bill passed by the Senate — and previously, by the House — would cap HOA fines at $100, with exceptions for repeat violations, health and safety risks, property damage or illegal rentals. It would require board members and property managers to disclose their financial relationships and recuse themselves from decisions from which they could financially benefit.

If signed into law by Walz, it would also require HOAs to make budgets available prior to meetings and to provide copies of contracts to residents upon request. 

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Multiple homeowners interviewed by the Reformer said that their questions for their HOA were referred to the board’s attorney — and then the resident was charged legal fees for the lawyers’ time. 

The bill would bar HOAs from charging residents legal fees for questioning fines or charges unless a formal hearing is held and the fine or assessment is upheld.

The legislation is the product of years of collaboration and negotiations among homeowners, HOA board members, lawmakers and property management companies. In 2024, the Legislature created a working group tasked with proposing reforms to the state’s laws governing HOAs and similar organizations. Lawmakers on the task force held several listening sessions to hear homeowners’ horror stories (and support for HOAs via some dedicated board members).

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The recommendations from that group became the foundation of the bill passed Wednesday. 

“The reforms in this bill will rein in abusive HOAs by empowering residents with more information, more rights and more protections,” said Sen. Eric Lucero, R-St. Michael, the top Republican on the Senate housing committee and a member of the HOA working group. “This bill is a true bipartisan compromise — in addition to adding consumer protections, nearly every concern raised in good faith was addressed.”

Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.



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Local festivals benefit from new Minnesota Humanities Center grants

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Local festivals benefit from new Minnesota Humanities Center grants


The Minnesota Humanities Center has awarded more than $2.8 million in legacy grants for 43 festivals around the state.

This is the second year the Minnesota Legislature has provided funds from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. The Humanities Center received 141 applications and $14,149,967 in requests for proposed projects. The average grant request was $101,475 and 35 percent of applicants were outside of the seven-county metro area.

“I am thankful for the hard work of our review panels in reviewing the applications submitted,” said CEO Kevin Lindsey in a news release. “Funding will support the many unique, diverse and wonderful festivals in Minnesota that build our community and make our state an amazing place to live.”

St. Paul organizations that received funding include: 825 Arts ($122,700), Arts Us Center for the African Diaspora ($49,380), Full Circle Theatre Company ($51,250), India Association of Minnesota ($20,000), Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center ($40,000), International Festival of Minnesota ($194,250), Mizna ($55,000), Monarch Joint Venture ($37,840), Music Mission ($14,545), New Native Theatre ($114,500), Rondo Avenue Inc. ($80,000), Selby Avenue Jazz Festival ($100,000), the United Hmong ($220,000), Twin Cities Jazz Festival ($150,000), Walker West Music Academy ($100,000) and Westside Boosters Youth Athletic Club ($220,000).

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Minneapolis organizations include: BIPOC Foodways Alliance ($62,160), Friends of Global Market, Inc. ($25,000), Minnesota People of Color LGBT Pride ($20,000), MSP Film Society ($100,000), Northeast Mpls Art Association ($38,067), Oromo Diaspora Media ($37,972), PCYC ($50,035), Rebound, Inc. ($24,825), SEAD Project ($82,800), Somali Museum ($56,366) and West Broadway Business and Area Coalition ($24,000).

Other groups in the metro that received funding include: Bloomington Pride ($10,000) and Tehor Tibetan Organization of MN ($24,000) in Bloomington; South St. Paul’s Dance Projects by ME ($50,000); Hiddo Soor International Organization ($55,000) and Pan Asian Arts Alliance ($49,800) in Plymouth; Minnesota Vietnamese Language School in Roseville ($16,500); and Brooklyn Park’s Umunne Cultural Association ($60,000).



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San Antonio vs. Minnesota, Final Score: Spurs’ defense strangles Timberwolves, 133-95

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San Antonio vs. Minnesota, Final Score: Spurs’ defense strangles Timberwolves, 133-95


The San Antonio Spurs had their backs to the wall, so they had a Game 7 mentality from tip-off, and they cruised their way to the finish line against the ravenous Minnesota Timberwolves. The Spurs are now going on tour and the winner of a Game 3 in a best of seven series when it’s tied advances 73.7 percent of the time, per the NBA’s Facts and Figures.

Both sides were implacable, defending the lane like it was a scared temple and neither had much breathing room until the levy broke for the Spurs in transition. San Antonio’s defense was more potent, holding them to their lowest output of the season (35 points) in the first half, which included a stretch where it forced Minnesota into a stream of bad shots.

Usually, even playoff games with a large difference get close, but the Spurs didn’t permit such shenanigans because Victor Wembanyama’s help defense was omnipresent, despite 10 less blocks, and his teammates were just as unforgiving, hounding the ball before it crossed half court and controlling the boards.



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