Plymouth Votes to Shut Off 18 Flock Cameras Over Privacy Concerns — Plus, Your Fall Fun Guide for Golden Valley

September 23, 2026 · 42 sources

A quiet news day inside Golden Valley itself, but a couple of items just outside the city line are worth your attention.

Quick Hits

Plymouth is shutting off its Flock cameras. City leaders in Plymouth — just beyond New Hope and Crystal to the northwest — voted to stop the camera service, taking all 18 cameras offline, after a lengthy debate over privacy and data access.
Fall season, sorted. A crowdsourced Reddit megathread of Twin Cities fall and Halloween events is growing by the day, and Dairy Queen just rolled out a Halloween "Spellbound Series" menu — foaming potion-like drink, shimmering purple Blizzard and a "scary spicy" dipping sauce included.
Friction at Minneapolis City Hall. Council members expressed frustration over city staff not attending committee meetings, after the mayor's office informed them staff will no longer be in attendance all the time.
The Lynx clinched the No. 1 seed anyway. Even in a 96-77 loss at Indiana on Tuesday, Minnesota locked up the WNBA's top playoff spot when Golden State lost.
Big names at the North Star Summit. Gov. Tim Walz sat for an "exit interview" on the Guthrie stage reflecting on eight years in office, while OpenAI's Varun Shetty argued for "pacing the frontier" on AI development.

A quiet news day inside Golden Valley itself, but a couple of items just outside the city line are worth your attention.

Plymouth ends its Flock camera service. After a lengthy debate that centered on privacy, data access and how the company handles information, Plymouth leaders voted to stop the service, shutting down the suburb's 18 cameras. It's the most consequential west-metro privacy decision this week, and one next-door communities will be watching.

Your fall bucket list, crowdsourced. A Reddit user is compiling a megathread of every fall and Halloween-themed happening around the Twin Cities, inviting locals to add events and weigh in on whether they've been before — a handy jumping-off point for Golden Valley households mapping out October weekends. Twin Cities Live, meanwhile, is spending the week in Northfield, with a stop at A Great Day Farm hidden just south of town.

"Driverless cars, but with a driver?" City leaders are debating whether to allow driverless rides on Minneapolis streets. A proposal would require companies offering the rides to obtain a city license, and the debate is splitting over jobs and safety.

Capitol Hill hears from Minneapolis families. Families and a witness testified in Washington about the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis 17 days apart in January. "My daughter should still be alive," one family member said.

School closure lessons from across the river. As Minneapolis Public Schools weighs closing schools, KSTP points to St. Paul's earlier closure review as a preview of what displaced students may face.

That rabid bat, resolved. The woman seen picking up a rabid bat from a Minneapolis sidewalk has come forward; the Minnesota Department of Health spoke with her and completed a risk assessment Monday.

In the courts. A judge on Monday sentenced Shay Michael Benson, 38, to life in prison for the murder of his Richfield roommate a year ago, with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Separately, Martaveis Lamier Roberts, 24, was ordered to serve three years of supervised probation — no prison time — after pleading guilty as the getaway driver in a fatal 2024 Minneapolis shooting.

AI takes the summit stage. OpenAI executive Varun Shetty, appearing at the Minnesota Star Tribune's North Star Summit, addressed AI's relationship with the media and calls for a slowdown in development, saying the industry must "pace the frontier."

Four years for a 100-mph crash. Paw Moo Htoo, 32, of St. Paul received a 48-month prison sentence after he was accused of driving over 100 mph before crashing into another vehicle in Ramsey County and killing its driver.

First appearance in deadly hit-and-run. A Little Canada man accused of hitting and killing a pedestrian early Sunday and then driving off made his first court appearance Tuesday; the alleged incident unfolded during a late-night McDonald's stop, according to court documents.

Vikings: With punter Brett Thorson dealing with a hamstring injury, the Vikings turned to a familiar face, signing veteran Johnny Hekker to the practice squad.

Lynx: Minnesota fell 96-77 to Indiana on Tuesday as Caitlin Clark filled the stat sheet — 27 points, nine assists, seven rebounds — and Kelsey Mitchell added 20 points to her WNBA single-season scoring record. The Lynx still clinched the No. 1 seed thanks to Golden State's loss.

Walz looks back — and ahead. On stage at the Guthrie Theater for the 2026 North Star Summit, Gov. Tim Walz reflected on eight years in office and charted a path forward in an "exit interview" with the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Debates coming to primetime. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS will host televised statewide debates — including the race for Governor — next Friday, Oct. 2, ahead of the November general election.

New domestic violence task force. A statewide task force has begun work on a plan to better respond to, track and prevent domestic violence across Minnesota.

Troubling reports out of East Bethel. KSTP reports allegations of abuse and neglect linked to a taxpayer-funded nonprofit residential psychiatric facility in East Bethel that treats children with severe mental health and behavioral needs.

A decades-old charge at the State Academy for the Deaf. A former Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf teacher has been charged with sexually assaulting a student; the alleged assault occurred in the 1980s.