Republican and DFL state lawmakers are united in alarm over rising property taxes and are pushing measures that would provide short-term relief for homeowners, including a potential Minnesota property tax refund, while aiming for a more comprehensive property tax overhaul in the future, the Star Tribune reported Wednesday.
Across the state, local governments are set to raise property tax levies by $871 million, a 6.8% increase this year, according to the Minnesota Department of Revenue.
Meanwhile, the results of a statewide poll released Wednesday by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce found that Minnesotans say affordability should be the top priority for elected officials followed by concerns about high taxes and government spending.
“Minnesotans feel like they are paying more and getting less, and that’s something that lawmakers can’t ignore,” said Doug Loon, President and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
The request to release a 23-year-old Burnsville woman facing deportation on humanitarian parole so she can undergo surgery to remove a tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst was denied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Minnesota Reformer reported Wednesday.
Andrea Pedro-Francisco, whose release has been advocated for by Democratic lawmakers, faith leaders and human rights advocates, was scheduled to have cyst-removal surgery a week before she was arrested by ICE officers in Burnsville on Feb. 5 while on her way to work.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing Sharon and Larry Cook, founders of two Minneapolis nonprofits, Les Jolies School of Dance and Real Believers Faith Center, for violating nonprofit law, including misusing $2 million to fund “lavish lifestyles, luxury travel and designer goods,” according to a May 5 press release from the Minnesota Attorney General’s office.
The Cooks, who have not yet filed a response in court, told KARE 11 the lawsuit’s allegations were “brutal lies,” KARE 11 reported Tuesday.
St. Paul police officer Tommy Lee Adams 41, is facing 14 counts of third-degree burglary for allegedly breaking into the loss prevention office of a Cub Foods store where he previously worked and repositioning security cameras to conceal a series of thefts, KSTP reported Wednesday. The St. Paul Police Department placed Adams on administrative leave in November 2025, according to KARE 11.
Animal rescue organizations in Minnesota, including The Animal Humane Society, Tri-County Humane Society, Ruff Start Rescue and the Bond Between, are stepping up to take in around 90 beagles rescued from Ridglan Farms, a Wisconsin research facility that has faced break-ins and protests over allegations of abuse, WCCO reported Tuesday. The rescue comes after Ridglan Farms agreed to sell 1,500 dogs as part of a settlement to avoid criminal prosecution, according to FOX 9.
“These beagles will need time, patience, veterinary care, and compassionate foster homes to help them learn how to simply be dogs,” a representative for Ruff Start Rescue told FOX 9. “Everything about normal life will be brand new to them: toys, soft beds, backyards, affection, routines, and freedom itself.”
