Police

2 Officers, 1 First Responder Killed Responding to Domestic Violence Call in Burnsville 🚔

The Summary: A man armed with multiple guns opened fire at police officers inside a suburban Minneapolis home today. The incident, which occurred in Burnsville, left two officers and a firefighter dead. Another officer was injured but is expected to recover.

Details of the Incident: The gunman, barricaded inside the home with his family, engaged in a shootout with authorities. Negotiations lasted for hours before the suspect began firing. The suspect’s family, including two children, were able to leave the house unharmed. The suspect was found dead. 

Victims: The fallen officers were identified as Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27 years old. Additionally, Adam Finseth, a firefighter and paramedic, lost his life. Another officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott, sustained injuries but is in stable condition.

“Today, three members of our team made the ultimate sacrifice for this community.” -Tanya Schwartz, Burnsville’s police chief

Community Response: The Burnsville community gathered for a candlelight vigil in front of City Hall on Sunday. In Minneapolis, a procession of law enforcement and first responders later accompanied the bodies of the officers and paramedic as they were driven to the office of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.

Ongoing Investigation: The suspect’s name is expected to be disclosed following an autopsy planned for Monday. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating.

World Cup Skiing

Triumphant Homecoming for Jessie Diggins at World Cup 🏆

The Summary:  Olympic gold medalist and Afton native Jessie Diggins made a triumphant return to her home state to compete in the Stifel Loppet Cup at Theodore Wirth Park. Diggins finished on the podium in the Women's 10K on Sunday. 

Emotional Return: For Diggins, competing in Minnesota held special significance, as it marked her first time racing in her home state since she was 19 years old. 

“This whole weekend has been my career dream come true.”

American Success: On the men’s side, American Gus Schumacher shocked the field when he won the 10k race, becoming just the third American man to win a World Cup title. 

Electric Atmosphere: A total of 40,000 fans attended the two days of racing. The rowdy fans created what several skiers called a "wall of noise" around the course. Loppet Foundation executive director Claire Wilson said she expects the foundation will discuss hosting another World Cup in the future. 

❯ Check out this awesome photo – Minnesota ski fans showed out for the world cup!

Twin Cities

How Much Does it Cost To Live in The Twin Cities?

The Summary: A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute (reported by Minnesota Reformer) revealed that a single person in the Twin Cities Metro must earn $47,442 annually, while a family of four needs at least $119,229 per year to afford basic necessities like food, housing, healthcare, transportation, and a cell phone. 

Disparity Between Minimum Wage and Cost of Living: The minimum wage in Minnesota and Minneapolis, $10.85 and $15.57 respectively, falls well short of meeting these basic cost of living expenses. However, most households in Minnesota surpass the minimum income needed for survival, according to Census Bureau data.

❯ View the full report from the Economic Policy Institute here.

Politics

❯ Dean Phillips Campaign Layoffs: Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota announced Friday the layoff of a significant portion of his campaign staff amidst his 2024 presidential bid, citing fundraising challenges. Despite the setback, Phillips affirmed his commitment to the race, emphasizing polling numbers showing unfavorability of both Biden and Trump. 

❯ Dead On Arrival: A DFL bill proposing Minnesota become a sanctuary state faced swift opposition from swing-district Sen. Grant Hauschild and Rep. Dave Lislegard, both DFL members. With their refusal to support the bill, its passage appears unlikely in the Senate or the House.

What Else We’re Reading…

The Sauna Resurgence in Minnesota 🔥

The New York Times ran a feature article over the weekend about Minnesotan’s and their love for saunas. They talk about how The pandemic “turbocharged” the state’s sauna industry with many people building their own saunas and others opening sauna businesses. Read the full article that goes into the history of Minnesota’s sauna love and the most recent resurgence. Want to learn more? Axios recently ran an article about the new Sauna companies that have popped up.

Sports

⚾ Baseball Season Is Here: The Minnesota Twins reported to Florida for the start of Spring Training. Catch up on some of the top storylines heading into the season here. The Twins are currently projected to win 87 games and defend their AL Central crown

🏀 Back on Track: Both the Gopher men’s and women’s basketball teams snapped losing streaks this weekend with wins over Rutgers and Northwestern, respectively. Both teams are likely outside of the March Madness field, but a strong finish to the regular season and a Big 10 tournament run could change that. 

🏒 PWHL Minnesota Loses: In battle of PWHL's top two teams, Minnesota fell 2-1 to Montreal. 

⭐ All Star Weekend:  In a relatively uneventful NBA All-Star weekend, Karl Anthony-Towns came up short in the 3 point contest while Anthony Edwards shot left-handed in the skills challenge. The Western Conference team, led by Wolves head coach Chris Finch, lost to the East in a final score of 186-211 (yes you read that score right).

GAME: Three Headlines and a Lie

The rules are simple. There are four headlines, three are real ones and one is a fraud. Try to spot the lie — the links will reveal which one’s are real and which one is the lie.

❯ A dog was rescued by firefighters after it fell in Little Elk Lake (link)

❯ A beer attacked a brewery worker at a local Twin Cities brewpub this past week (link)

❯ A Minnesota couple held their wedding ceremony in an ice fishing house over the weekend (link)

❯ A new cat cafe is opening up in St. Paul that promises to give you your caffeine and feline fix (link)

Quick hits

Headlines From Around The Twin Cities ✔

❯ Multiple Twin Cities based companies like Target and Medtronic have stopped posting and advertising on X (Star Tribune)

❯ The Legal Marijuana Now Party has enlisted a right-wing lawyer in a major party case (Minnesota Reformer)

❯ Minneapolis Civil Rights director, Alberder Gillespie, was fired over the weekend (Kare11)

❯ St. Paul teachers voted to authorize a strike. Both parties have expressed wanting to work out an agreement before a strike ensues (MPR)

❯ Minneapolis dumps concrete on former homeless encampment sites to discourage future encampments (Sahan Journal)

❯ St. Paul Schools' Joe Gothard named National Superintendent of the Year (WCCO)

Beyond the Twin Cities

Headlines From Greater Minnesota ✔

❯ Lake Superior makes travel guide's annual 'No List' amid overtourism, pollution (Bring Me The News)

❯ Duluth’s Old Central High School Building has been converted into 122 mixed-income units (WDIO)

❯ The Minnesota Department of Revenue is set to reissue 128K tax rebate checks that have gone uncashed (WCCO)

The Final Word: Awesome weekend for the ski community 🎿

I was at Saturday’s World Cup ski races at Theodore Wirth and was so amazed at the amount of people in the crowd, the atmosphere, and the energy felt throughout the day.

I mean, come on, just take a look at these photos of the crowd. Let’s do it again soon, yes?

-Patrick