Minnesota

South Central Workforce Council/Minnesota Valley Action Council and Southwest Private Industry Council Receives $500,000 Grant from Department of Employment and Economic Development – Radio Mankato

Published

7 months ago

November 20, 2025

South Central Workforce Council/Minnesota Valley Action Council and Southwest Private Industry Council Receives 0,000 Grant from Department of Employment and Economic Development – Radio Mankato

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has awarded more than $4.8 million to 39 organizations to provide more than 4,000 young people with workforce development and training opportunities.

DEED’s Youth at Work Opportunity Grants Program serves youth of color and youth with disabilities who are economically disadvantaged or considered to be at-risk. Grantees will connect young people ages 14-to-24 with good-paying jobs in high-growth industries, taking a targeted approach for youth who face the largest systemic barriers.

“Youth development and job training is crucial to the wellbeing of our communities and our state’s economy,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek. “At DEED, we take pride in providing opportunities and assistance for some of our most vulnerable community members. Supporting the youth of today helps ensure Minnesota has a healthy and vibrant workforce tomorrow.”

“Across Minnesota, our Youth at Work partners are helping young people gain valuable skills and pursue economic stability,” said DEED Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development Marc Majors. “We’re proud that these grants will support the next generation in building a stronger and more resilient workforce.”

Youth at Work grantees are listed below (many organizations serve regions beyond the cities in which they are located):

Achieve Twin Cities, Minneapolis – $236,200

African Economic Development Solutions (AEDS), St. Paul – $120,000

African Immigrants Community Services, Minneapolis – $100,000

American Indian OIC, Minneapolis – $100,000

Anoka County Job Training Center, Blaine – $300,000

Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency, Virginia – $100,000

Bi-County Community Action Programs, Inc., Bemidji – $100,000

Career Solutions, St. Cloud – $242,000

Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services, Inc., Monticello – $300,000

City Academy High School, St. Paul – $100,000

City of Duluth Workforce Development, Duluth – $300,000

City of Minneapolis, Minneapolis – $1,350,000

City of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation – Right Track, St. Paul – $1,350,000

Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio, St. Paul – $100,000

Elpis Enterprises, St. Paul – $156,000

Face to Face Health & Counseling Service, Inc., St. Paul – $100,000

Faribault Public Schools, Faribault – $190,000

Genesys Works Twin Cities, St. Paul – $200,000

Greater Bemidji/Minnesota Innovation Initiative, Bemidji – $200,000

Hennepin County Department of Workforce Development, Minneapolis – $300,000

Hired, Minneapolis – $200,000

Independent School District No. 625 (St. Paul Public Schools), St. Paul – $150,000

JET – Northeast Minnesota Office of Job Training, Virginia – $300,000

Karen Organization of Minnesota, Roseville – $100,000

MIGIZI Communications, Inc., Minneapolis – $142,000

Minnesota Training Partnership, St. Paul – $100,000

Port Authority of the City of Bloomington, Bloomington – $100,000

Project Legacy, Rochester – $100,000

Red Lake Band of Ojibwe, Redby– $200,000

Rural Minnesota CEP, Inc., Detroit Lakes – $200,000

RWDA 5 – South Central Workforce Council/Minnesota Valley Action Council and Southwest Private Industry Council, Mankato – $500,000

Sabathani Community Center, Minneapolis – $200,000

Smart North, Minneapolis – $200,000

Spark-Y: Youth Action Labs, Minneapolis – $200,000

The Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota, Morton – $150,000

Urban Boatbuilders, St. Paul– $100,000

Wildflyer Coffee, Minneapolis – $200,000

Workforce Development, Inc., Rochester – $200,000

Youthprise, St. Paul – $200,000

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Minnesota

Minnesota man accused in a $250M fraud scheme taken into custody in Somalia | CNN

Published

3 hours ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota man accused in a 0M fraud scheme taken into custody in Somalia | CNN

AP —

Authorities say a Minnesota man charged with helping to orchestrate a $250 million fraud scheme has been taken into custody in Somalia.

Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody Thursday in Mogadishu, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said in a news release. Court documents do not show if Eidleh has obtained an attorney, and he has not yet had an opportunity to enter a plea in the case.

Eidleh is one of dozens of people who were indicted in 2022 in connection with what prosecutors said was a massive scheme to defraud a federal meals program.

According to court documents, Eidleh was an employee of Feeding Our Future, an organization that claimed it helped provide millions of meals to children in need during the pandemic under a federal child nutrition program. But prosecutors say just a small portion of the federal money went toward feeding kids, with the rest laundered through shell companies and spent on property, luxury cars and travel.

Eidleh is accused of creating fake child nutrition program sites, falsely claiming they were feeding thousands of children a day and creating shell companies that purported to be meal vendors at the sites. The indictment charges him with 31 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said Eidleh was a central figure in “one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history.”

“He not only stole taxpayer dollars, but he also robbed vulnerable children of critical resources they desperately needed. Rather than answer for his crimes in the United States, he fled to Somalia in a futile attempt to evade justice,” McDonald said.

President Donald Trump pointed to the fraud case as part of his justification for launching a massive immigration crackdown in Minnesota late last year.

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Minnesota

Minnesota primary voting starts for major 2026 races

Published

13 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota primary voting starts for major 2026 races

Madison McVan
| Minnesota Reformer

Early voting for Minnesota’s 2026 primary elections began on Friday, 46 days ahead of the official Aug. 11 election.
Voters will decide on nominees for governor, an open U.S. Senate seat, and all state legislative positions.
Minnesotans can vote absentee by mail or in person at designated early voting locations.

Voting in Minnesota’s 2026 primary elections began Friday morning, 46 days before the official Aug. 11 Primary Election Day.

Minnesotans confront a hugely important midterm election in the fall, when all constitutional offices, an open U.S. Senate seat, a highly competitive congressional district and the Legislature will be on the ballot. Control of both state government and Congress are at stake.

Before then, however, the parties will choose their nominees in a bevy of competitive races that will shape the fall election.

We don’t have party registration in Minnesota, which means anyone can vote in the primary.

Following the sweep of a progressive slate in several New York primaries this week, political analysts will be closely watching voters’ preferences, which will set the stage for the second half of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Here’s what you need to know.

Which races are on the ballot in Minnesota?

Every Minnesota citizen will have the opportunity to vote for statewide offices including governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor and U.S. Senator.

For this primary election, you can only vote for candidates from one political party. Your ballot will have Democrats on one column, and Republicans on the other. Choose one! If you vote for candidates from more than one political party, your votes will not count. You decide when you vote which one of the parties you will vote for.

The governor’s race is wide open for the first time since 2018, when Gov. Tim Walz won his first term. Walz initially announced he would run for a third term before ending his campaign in early January following Republican attacks on his record on stopping fraud in Minnesota’s social safety net programs.

The Senate seat is open following Sen. Tina Smith’s retirement announcement last year. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor, still occupies the other Senate seat. (If Klobuchar were to win the governor’s race and resign her Senate seat, she would appoint a successor to hold the position until a special election.)

The entire state Legislature is up for reelection in 2026, but not every race has a competitive primary.

Voters may see other local races on their ballots, including county commissioners, county attorneys and school board members.

You can use this tool from the Secretary of State’s Office to preview your ballot.

How do I vote in Minnesota?

Friday, June 26, is the first day of absentee voting. You can request an absentee ballot be mailed to you, which you can return in-person or through the mail.

Alternatively, you can vote “in person absentee” by going to your local early voting location, where you can request your absentee ballot, receive it, fill it out and submit it on the spot.

Starting July 24, you can vote in-person at the early voting locations in a process similar to that of voting on Election Day.

Who’s running in Minnesota?

There are several competitive primaries in statewide races that will determine the matchups in the general election later this year.

For governor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is expected to win the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nomination after winning the party’s endorsement on the first ballot, over a challenge from Kobey Lane, a 26-year old trans activist and former Republican legislative assistant.

The Republican primary is competitive; after Army veteran and former health care executive Kendall Qualls won the party’s endorsement in May, the other front-runners refused to drop out of the race, citing voting irregularities at the convention. House Speaker Lisa Demuth and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell round out the three-way race.

In the race to replace Smith in the Senate, two Democratic powerhouses are facing off: U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Flanagan won the endorsement after Craig dropped out of the endorsement process; Craig is gunning for votes outside of the party’s activist base.

On the Republican side, GOP-endorsed former Navy Seal Adam Schwarze will face off against former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, whose name recognition and well-financed campaign could boost her performance in a primary.

With Craig’s highly competitive south metro seat in the U.S. House coming open, three top-tier Democrats are vying to replace her: former state Sen. Matt Little, state Rep. Kaela Berg and state Sen. Matt Klein. State Sen. Eric Pratt is running unopposed for the Republican nomination.

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

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Minnesota

Children’s Minnesota doctor warns of Benadryl challenge dangers

Published

23 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

Children’s Minnesota doctor warns of Benadryl challenge dangers

Updated on: June 25, 2026 / 10:46 PM CDT
/ CBS Minnesota

A dangerous social media trend is circulating online, and Minnesota health experts are warning parents it involves allergy medication.

Doctors say the so-called Benadryl challenge involves teens taking large amounts of the medication and record themselves as the effects kick in.

“Our goal here at Children’s Minnesota is if a trend causes any sort of physical harm or mental harm to make sure that we’re taking care of our patients,” said Dr. Nita Gupta, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children’s Minnesota.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the trend first gained attention in 2020 when there were 184 reported cases tied to intentional misuse of the allergy medication. Cases continued to rise the years but dipped in 2024 and then more than doubled in 2025, reaching nearly 400 cases. Most of the cases involved teens ages 15 to 19.

Dr. Gupta believes the main draw is the hallucinogen aspect of it, but says there are so many other negative consequences that can happen.

Health experts say the allergy medication can become dangerous when taken in large doses. Symptoms can escalate quickly and may include agitation, blurred vision, seizures and in severe cases, death.

“The second the parent knows that their child consumed this is a reason to come in or at least call poison control, don’t even wait for the symptoms to start,” Dr. Gupta said.

Experts say the resurgence of this dangerous challenge shows how quickly trends can return, and they urge parents to talk to their children about what they are seeing online.

Dr. Gupta believes early conversations at home may help prevent serious injury.

The Minnesota Regional Poison Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for anyone with questions. The organization’s phone number is 1-800-222-1222.

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