| The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is planning to write an after-action report stemming from the June 14 shootings of two state lawmakers and their spouses that left two dead and two critically wounded. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told MPR News’ Morning Edition Thursday that law enforcement officials met with department heads Wednesday to discuss how information about the shootings traveled out to police agencies around the state in the hours after the shootings. He said more can be done to streamline that chain of command to ensure that other lawmakers get notified of potential threats earlier and law enforcement can fan out to guard them “The commissioner can come to a consensus on how this will be handled in the future," he said. "There is all sorts of technology available now to ping people's phones, just like a tornado alert, to let them know there is a danger and they should call or read a text. So, we just need to get better.”
A couple charged with submitting hundreds of falsified voter registration applications in Minnesota have pleaded guilty. Ronnie Williams, 58, and Lorraine Lee Combs, his 57-year-old romantic partner, faced federal charges of conspiracy to engage in voter registration fraud after they submitted more than 500 fraudulent voter registration applications while working for a Minnesota-based foundation. That foundation has not been named due to an ongoing investigation. Secretary of State Steve Simon told our colleague Matt Sepic that the case shows that checks built into the verification process led county election officials in Carver County, then later about a dozen other counties, to sound the alarm. “This is an example of the system working, because every last one of those phony fake false voter registrations were discovered, were not in circulation, and the perpetrators were caught,” Simon said. Williams and Combs have yet to be sentenced in the case. They previously lived in West St. Paul but now reside in Nevada.
The Minnesota Board of Pardons met this week and issued 33 pardons during the course of its eight-hour meeting. Minnesota Reformer journalist Michelle Griffith reports that the three-member panel comprised of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson denied three requests for pardons and two requests for commutations and accepted one request for a commuted sentence. The panel’s process has changed in recent years after lawmakers in 2023 revised the law to make it easier to get clemency. They also lowered the bar for granting a pardon or commutation. Previously votes had to be unanimous but now two of three board members can cast the votes to issue the clemency actions. And Star Tribune reporter Allison Kite has this look at how one man’s first-degree murder sentence was commuted.
Senior care advocates in Minnesota say they’re worried that the federal budget reconciliation law could cut government assistance, which helps many people pay for senior care. Toby Pearson, with Care Providers of Minnesota, spoke with MPR’s Morning Edition Thursday and says Minnesota is expected to lose about half a billion dollars in Medicaid funding. And that could shrink the amount of assistance available for people who need help paying for long-term care. "Right now, it's kind of an unknown, which is really disconcerting for a lot of long term care providers, but should be more disconcerting for people who (need) access." Pearson recommended that people concerned about affording their long-term care reach out to their housing providers as soon as possible to allow for time to determine their eligibility for help.
The fundraising and endorsement chase is picking up pace in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race. Days after Rep. Angie Craig announced the $2.4 million she’s brought in the campaign through fundraising and transfers as of July 1, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan announced her haul for the past three months. Her campaign said a report due next week will show more than $900,000 raised during that span. No word from either yet on cash on hand, which is the amount they have available to spend. Meanwhile, both are showcasing their Democratic Party endorsements. Flanagan touts dozens of state and local officials backing her for the party nod. Craig announced that she had the support of six of eight DFL Congressional District chairs. The state party endorsement will be decided in a convention next May. It’s possible there will be an August 2026 primary to determine the nominee that will be striving to keep the seat in Democratic hands after Sen. Tina Smith departs.
Minnesota’s biggest congressional fundraiser appears to be Republican Rep. Tom Emmer. While we don’t have all of the reports yet, it’s unlikely any other federal candidate will top the $6.5 million his campaign said he raised from April to June. That’s a huge haul for a House candidate who hasn’t faced much by way of stiff competition since winning his seat. There’s a good reason though: He’s the No. 3 ranking House Republican with the title of Majority Whip. That puts him in the thick of the decision-making process and it’s expected that leaders will raise a lot of money to spread around to candidates in tougher districts. All of the federal campaign reports are due July 15, so we’ll know for sure then. | 