Twin Cities Daily Digest — Monday, March 9, 2026

Golden Valley & West Metro

Man dies in Golden Valley house fire. A man was killed in a house fire in Golden Valley on Friday. A woman and a responding police officer were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Missing boy in Crystal. Authorities in Crystal are asking for the public's help locating Benjamin Kyle May, a juvenile described as 5 feet tall and 110 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Crystal Police Department.

Lawmakers push pet-friendly legislation. In a rare show of bipartisanship at the Capitol, Minnesota lawmakers introduced three bills aimed at helping dogs and cats this session. Thursday drew jokes about being "the most bipartisan day of the year" as legislators from both parties rallied around animal welfare measures.

West metro staging space needed. A resident is crowdsourcing suggestions for roughly 20x20 feet of cheap staging space in the west metro for 1-2 days — if you've got a spare garage bay, check the r/Minneapolis thread.

Minneapolis

Fire engulfs six semi-tractors at Minneapolis railyard. Authorities are investigating an overnight fire at a Minneapolis railyard where six semi-tractors were found fully engulfed in flames. The cause has not been determined.

Shooting leaves man with life-threatening injuries. Minneapolis Police are searching for a suspect after a man was shot near 16 15th Street East on Saturday night, suffering serious, life-threatening gunshot wounds. A separate Saturday night shooting left another man with at least one potentially life-threatening wound.

Two officers injured during arrest. Two Minneapolis police officers sustained minor injuries while making an arrest — one suffered a cut to the hand, the other a bite injury. Both injuries were described as minor.

Eviction crisis looms for immigrant families. Across the Twin Cities, city leaders are scrambling for solutions as thousands of immigrant families impacted by Operation Metro Surge face potential eviction. Residents and officials are calling for expanded rental support programs.

Robotaxis testing in Minnesota. Waymo has begun testing autonomous vehicles in Minnesota with human supervisors behind the wheel, but the Legislature must act to make fully driverless operation legal. A bill to allow robotaxis without human drivers is under consideration.

New driver's ed bill proposed. A proposed bill would require all new drivers age 21 and under to complete driver's education before obtaining a license. Current law only mandates the 30-hour course for those 17 and younger.

Fulton celebrates hockey gold. Fulton Brewing in Minneapolis is relaunching its collaboration beer with Olympic women's hockey player Kelly Pannek, celebrating Team USA's gold medal win.

St. Paul

St. Paul rethinks snow plowing. The city is piloting new approaches to plowing residential streets, trying to build a better system amid the perennial chorus of resident complaints on social media. Details on the new strategy are still emerging.

Minnesota's lead pipe replacement push needs more funding. The state set an ambitious 2033 deadline to replace lead service lines — four years ahead of the federal mandate. Officials say additional funding is needed to keep the timeline on track.

Local Sports

Moorhead repeats as boys hockey state champion. In a Class 2A thriller, Moorhead rallied from a three-goal deficit to stun Minnetonka in double overtime. Moorhead's Tyden Bergeson was named the 2026 Mr. Hockey Award winner, recognizing him as Minnesota's top senior boys' hockey player.

Vikings re-sign Eric Wilson. The Vikings are keeping linebacker Eric Wilson on a three-year deal, per multiple reports. ESPN reports the contract is worth a significant investment in the veteran defender as free agency kicks off.

Wild fall to Avalanche in shootout. Colorado rallied to beat Minnesota in a shootout in Denver on Saturday. The Wild are now virtually out of reach of the Avalanche in the standings with about a month left in the regular season.

Timberwolves blown out by Magic, 119-92. Desmond Bane scored 30 points and Paolo Banchero added 25 points with 15 rebounds as Orlando cruised past Minnesota on Saturday. Jalen Suggs also contributed in Orlando's third straight win.

Gophers edge Northwestern, 67-66. Langston Reynolds scored 21 points, including the game-winner, as Minnesota squeaked past Northwestern in the final regular-season game for both Big Ten teams.

Minnesota United fall 3-1 to Nashville. Sam Surridge scored twice and Cristian Espinoza added a goal and an assist as Nashville SC beat MNUFC 3-1 Saturday night at home.

Weather

Metro residents are experiencing what many are calling the "third false spring" of the season. Enjoy the mild stretch while it lasts — this is Minnesota, after all.

Minnesota Statewide

U of M professor helps bring Pixar's beavers to life. Dr. Emily Fairfax, a beaver expert at the University of Minnesota, served as a consultant on Pixar's new animated film Hoppers, which highlights beavers as "environmental heroes" and "ecosystem engineers."

Lawmaker proposes honoring fallen Master Sgt. Nicole Amor. A Minnesota state legislator is advancing plans to permanently honor Master Sergeant Nicole Amor, who was killed in Kuwait on March 3. VFW Post 1782 in White Bear Lake has set up a memorial and lowered flags to half-staff.

Iranian Americans in Minnesota call for peace. Local Iranian Americans, including Mohamad Firouzeh, owner of Nader Persian Restaurant, are speaking out about conditions in Iran. Firouzeh says some of his family members have been killed for protesting the regime.

Mayo Clinic posts strong 2025 numbers. Mayo Clinic reported operating revenues of $21.5 billion for 2025, calling it "another strong year" in financial results released last week in Rochester.