Minnesota

Trial will be

Published

4 months ago

July 14, 2025

Press Room

July 13, 2025 / 11:05 PM CDT
/ CBS Minnesota

It’s a high-stakes trial that could ultimately give Republicans and Democrats a 50-50 split in the Minnesota Senate.

“It has such political ramifications,” said Twin Cities attorney Mike Bryant. “I think a lot of people will be watching what happens.”

It was April 2024, when the criminal complaint said Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell‘s stepmother’s called 911 to report a burglary at her Detroit Lakes home. Mitchell allegedly told police she entered the home to retrieve personal items connected to her recently deceased father, because her stepmother had cut off contact.

In a social media post, Mitchell denied all allegations. Mitchell said she had gone to check on a family member with Alzheimer’s disease.

Bryant said he feels Mitchell will have to testify.

“Unless the state has a really super weak case that they can’t prove anything, I think it’s going to be one of those situations where the jury’s going to want to hear from her,” said Bryant.

“I think it’s going to be very difficult to win,” said Minneapolis criminal defense attorney Joe Tamburino. “Let’s face it, according to what’s in the complaint and what we imagine the prosecutor will prove at trial, is that she was found in the house at the very early morning hours, she was dressed in black and she was discovered by her stepmother and then supposedly she ran down to the basement, and then when the police got there, she made a number of incriminating statements.”

Tamburino said Mitchell’s defense team will be calling on character witnesses.

“Those are witnesses who would say ‘look, the defendant is someone who’s honest, trustworthy, a good person,’” said Tamburino.

They will also try for something called jury nullification.

“Meaning you’re just telling the jury you never had the intent to do this, you’re a good person, so please find me not guilty,” said Tamburino. “Will there be witnesses, like factual witnesses, to say things that ‘well some of this property really was belonging to the defendant Ms. Mitchell’ or ‘some of this property was meant to go to her.’”

Bryant said he expects the longest part of the trial to be jury selection. If a jury can be picked in time, he expects the trial should wrap by the end of the week.

Jason Rantala

Jason Rantala joined WCCO as a reporter in June 2023. He’s a Minnesota native and is thrilled to be telling the stories of those in his hometown.

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Minnesota

Olsen’s 3rd field goal of game lifts Northwestern to wild 38-35 win over Minnesota

Published

16 hours ago

November 22, 2025

Press Room

Olsen’s 3rd field goal of game lifts Northwestern to wild 38-35 win over Minnesota

CHICAGO — – Jack Olsen’s third field goal of the game, from 33 yards, snapped a tie with 53 seconds left and Northwestern ended a three-game losing streak with a wild 38-35 win over Minnesota at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

Olsen’s boot capped a 14-play, 60-yard drive as Northwestern rebounded from a 28-13 third-quarter deficit to snap a three-game losing streak. Minnesota’s Brady Denaburg’s 40-yard field-goal attempt as time expired went wide to the left, and the Wildcats (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) held on for their first victory ever at the historic home of the Chicago Cubs in eight tries dating to 1923.

Preston Stone threw for two touchdowns and 305 yards on 25-for-30 passing. Caleb Komolafe hauled in his first reception touchdown this season and ran for another to increase his season total 11 TDs and finish with 129 total yards. Griffin Wilde pulled in a reception TD and 111 total yards and Joseph Himon II rushed for a score.

Drake Lindsey passed for four touchdowns – three to Javon Tracy – but Minnesota (6-5, 4-4) lost its second straight.

Lindsey, a 20-year-old redshirt freshman, finished with 264 yards on 20-for-30 passing. He started connecting consistently after Northwestern got out to 10-0 and 13-7 leads after it scored on its first three possessions.

Linsdey hit Lemeke Brockington with an 8-yard pass for his fourth TD with 8:20 left in the fourth as Minnesota tied it 35 all on a zippy six-play, 75-yard drive. Komolafe’s second touchdown of the game, on a short pass from Stone had put Northwestern ahead two minutes earlier.

Northwestern dominated in total yards, 525-323 thanks to a 220-59 advantage in rushing in a game that became a shootout after a choppy penalty-filled first quarter.

Darius Taylor rushed for Minnesota’s first touchdown and 43 yards. Koi Perich had a 93-yard kickoff return in the second quarter.

Tracy, a junior wide receiver, had his first multi-TD game with the Golden Gophers and upped his season total to six. The transfer from Miami (Ohio) became the first Minnesota player with three TD receptions in a game since Rashod Bateman, now with the Baltimore Ravens, did it against Northwestern on Nov. 23, 2019.

The takeaway

Minnesota: Lindsey, Tracy and the passing game were impressive, but Minnesota couldn’t protect or build on a 28-13 lead it opened early in the third quarter – and couldn’t bounce back from a 42-13 loss at No. 6 Oregon last week,

Northwestern: The Wildcats rebounded from a 24-22 loss to Michigan at Wrigley Field last week when Dominic Zvada kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired. With their sixth win, Northwestern is bowl-eligible for the second time in coach David Braun’s three seasons.

Up next

Minnesota hosts Wisconsin on Saturday to concludes its regular season

Northwestern plays at Illinois on Saturday in its regular-season finale.

——

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Minnesota

Trump says he’s ending temporary protected status for Somalis in Minnesota

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

Trump says he’s ending temporary protected status for Somalis in Minnesota

President Donald Trump said he is ending the temporary protected status (TPS) program for Somalis in Minnesota, “effective immediately,” in a post to Truth Social Friday night.

Newsweek reached out to Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s office for comment.

Why It Matters

Trump’s decision to end TPS for Somali migrants in the North Star State has potentially major implications for immigrant communities, humanitarian protections and U.S. immigration policy.

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the country. Changes to TPS could affect not only the lives of those directly impacted, but also broader debates about deportation policies and the U.S. role in offering safe haven to people from conflict zones.

What To Know

In a post to social media, the president said, “Minnesota, under Governor Waltz [sic], is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity. I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota.”

Trump continued, “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER! President DJT”

TPS, established by Congress in 1990, is designed to prevent deportation of people to countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters or other unstable conditions.

This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.

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For Minnesota, warmer winters do not mean the end of snow

Published

2 days ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

For Minnesota, warmer winters do not mean the end of snow

Winter has warmed more than 5 degrees since the 1970s, but that doesn’t mean less snow for the state. State climatologist Kenneth Blumenfeld explained the connection between an increase in snowfall and higher global temperatures on Climate Cast.

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