Quick Hits

• Annunciation Remembrance Day: Thursday marks one year since the Annunciation church and school shooting in south Minneapolis that killed children Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel. The city is honoring the lives lost and survivors with a day of remembrance, support and acts of kindness — while MPD released roughly 2,600 pages of documents on the response and investigation, and affected families say they'll renew their push for gun legislation in 2027.
• Reading crisis meets new law: Only 49% of Minnesota students read at grade level as new statewide literacy requirements take effect this school year, KSTP reports.
• Flock cameras split the metro: St. Paul is taking down its two Flock license-plate readers amid a national privacy and surveillance debate — even as a Minneapolis neighborhood hit by dozens of car break-ins last Friday weighs the technology.
• Mail voting lawsuit: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined attorneys general from 25 states and Washington, D.C., in suing the U.S. Postal Service Wednesday over new mail voting rules.
• In sports: The Timberwolves signed forward Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year, $12.4 million deal (per ESPN), while the Twins fell 4-2 to the A's — and lost Byron Buxton — despite Taj Bradley's rare immaculate inning.

Minneapolis

• Annunciation remembrance: In addition to Tuesday's document release, Minneapolis is marking the anniversary with a public service event and tributes to Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel, the two children killed in the 2025 church shooting.
• Heritage Park investment: The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority Board of Commissioners voted to approve a $6 million investment to help rehabilitate Heritage Park.
• Flock cameras and car break-ins: After dozens of cars were broken into throughout Minneapolis on Friday, KARE11 checked in with an impacted neighborhood about whether the plate-reading cameras are welcome.
• North Loop data center fight: The North Loop Neighborhood Association board signed a letter expressing frustration about the lack of "meaningful information" developer Legacy Investing has provided about its data center proposal — another step in the neighborhood's effort to slow the plans.
• Youth gang violence: The Minneapolis FBI Field Office says it's tracking a youth gang violence trend in the metro, with a local agent calling partnerships with area agencies key to the crackdown.
• Everson Griffen arrested: The former Vikings defensive end was arrested early Wednesday after he refused to leave an interstate in Minneapolis, according to the Minnesota State Patrol, which responded at 2:51 a.m.
• Cartel laundering charge: A 46-year-old Minneapolis man faces federal charges after the U.S. Department of Justice says he used his position at a financial institution to launder drug money for a Mexican cartel.
• ICE agent extradition: A Texas federal judge heard arguments and said he could rule as soon as Wednesday on whether Texas Gov. Greg Abbott must sign extradition papers for an ICE agent to be sent to Minnesota.

St. Paul

• Flock cameras coming down: St. Paul will remove its two Flock cameras, which have become embroiled in the national debate over privacy and surveillance.
• Lake Monster Brewing closing: The St. Paul brewery is closing in its current form this weekend, with Aug. 30 as the final day.
• Deadly weekend fires: Multiple families were impacted by devastating St. Paul fires over the weekend; two of the fires resulted in deaths.
• Encampment residents relocate: The city estimates more than 100 people moved after St. Paul closed its largest homeless encampment at Pig's Eye Park — with many relocating seven miles away to a more secluded site.
• I-94 reopened: Eastbound I-94 in St. Paul reopened shortly after 2 p.m. following a traffic incident, per MnDOT.

Local Sports

• Wolves add Kuminga: ESPN reports Minnesota and Jonathan Kuminga agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million deal, adding frontcourt depth for the upcoming season.
• Jones suspended: Vikings wide receiver Jeshaun Jones received a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's substances of abuse policy.
• Flores likes the defense: Defensive coordinator Brian Flores struck an optimistic tone Tuesday, pointing to growth across the roster with the regular season approaching.
• Flag football push: The Vikings are supporting girls flag football with an eye toward sanctioning it as a high school varsity sport in Minnesota.
• Twins drop thriller: Carlos Cortes homered and Gage Jump struck out nine over 6⅓ innings as the Athletics beat the Twins 4-2 Tuesday — overshadowing Taj Bradley's immaculate inning and compounded by the loss of Byron Buxton.

Minnesota Statewide

• Reading law takes effect: As students return to school, KSTP reports the new statewide literacy requirements and national data are raising concerns about how Minnesota children are learning to read, with just 49% at grade level.
• Truth Council convenes: Gov. Tim Walz created the Minnesota Truth Council by executive order last March to establish a public record of the "Metro Surge"; the council held its inaugural meeting this week.
• The $9 billion question: KSTP is probing the oft-cited $9 billion fraud figure — repeated from the White House to Congress to the State Capitol — and asking where the documentation actually is.
• Annunciation families push on: After a gun violence prevention package failed this year, parents with the Annunciation Light Alliance plan to try again at the Capitol in 2027, KARE11 reports.
• Fair tribute: Marjorie Johnson, the iconic "Blue Ribbon Baker" of the Minnesota State Fair, is being honored posthumously with a new award celebrating her legacy.
• Wolves help blueberries: New research from the Voyageurs Wolf Project suggests wolves may help blueberries spread and sprout more successfully in northern Minnesota.