St. Paul Approves Estimated $11M Homelessness Plan; Measure Heads to Mayor Kaohly Her's Desk
Quick Hits
- St. Paul acts on homelessness. The City Council approved a three-part plan Wednesday estimated at $11 million, with city leaders saying taxpayers won't bear the full cost; the resolution now heads to Mayor Kaohly Her.
- Behavioral crisis response standoff in Minneapolis. Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed the City Council's block on a contract for a replacement Behavioral Crisis Response vendor — after the current vendor said in an email it would continue 2026 services only if it receives the 2027 contract.
- Rep. Ilhan Omar is moving out of her Washington, D.C. home after federal agents searched it last week, saying Wednesday the attention from the raid has made her feel unsafe there.
- A bystander averted a school bus emergency in St. Paul. Ebro Ahmed halted a runaway bus carrying students after the driver suffered a medical emergency.
- Wild fall in overtime. Minnesota rallied late in Edmonton but lost 4-3 Tuesday on an Evan Bouchard power-play goal.
A note for neighbors: no hyperlocal Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope or St. Louis Park items made today's crop — here's the best of the rest of the metro.
Minneapolis
- The Behavioral Crisis Response dispute continues: per KARE 11, the current vendor stipulated in an email that it would keep providing services in 2026 only on the condition it lands the 2027 contract. The City Council had blocked a contract for a replacement vendor, but Mayor Frey vetoed that decision Wednesday.
- A community meeting is scheduled in South Minneapolis over the bizarre, still-unsolved murder of Joe Eder, found stabbed to death in a yard near 43rd St. and Portland Ave. on the morning of Aug. 30 — his car, keys and other belongings untouched just feet away, KARE 11 reports.
- More than a year after Mariah Samuels was killed by her ex-boyfriend, community members rallied Wednesday around the message that "systems in place continue to fail them" as the City Council examines missed warning signs, according to KSTP.
- A Minneapolis police officer, Chanica Hall, was fired after reportedly sharing information about a shooting investigation with her brother — who was arrested in connection with the shooting weeks later, KARE 11 reports.
- Crime is down and police presence is up on Metro Transit, but MinnPost reports data questions remain following the Oct. 3 shooting death of Joseph Denny Nezperce, 36, on the Green Line near the Stadium Village station.
- MinnPost's Cityscape column makes the case that Nicollet Mall, downtown's long-stagnant main street, "doesn't have to stay stuck at second-rate."
St. Paul
- The homelessness plan approved Wednesday is a three-part resolution that KSTP notes could cost an estimated $11 million, with supporters quoted calling it "at least the beginning framework for a real plan" and the city saying taxpayers won't carry the full cost. It now goes to Mayor Kaohly Her.
- On a related note, MinnPost profiles a novel, chilly new effort to address Twin Cities homelessness at St. Paul's Union Gospel Mission, where CEO Pam Stegora Axberg was deep into a marathon stretch of interviews on a recent October morning.
- A North St. Paul man, Jamal Nash, was charged with fatally striking his father twice in the head with a hammer; Nash's mother says he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia five years earlier, KARE 11 reports.
- Per MinnPost's daily roundup, fallout from Operation Metro Surge continues as St. Paul Public Schools considers midyear layoffs of teachers who work with English learners.
- Getting spooky: The Haunted Can Factory, a Halloween experience at Can Can Wonderland, opens tomorrow, per KSTP's Twin Cities Live.
Local Sports
- Wild: Minnesota staged a late rally in Edmonton but dropped a 4-3 overtime decision Tuesday, with Edmonton's Evan Bouchard scoring on the power play at 3:32 of the extra session off a feed from Connor McDavid.
- Timberwolves: The 2026-27 season is nearly here, and expectations are high. ESPN's Bobby Marks tells KSTP he's bullish on the Wolves as they enter "a familiar position and an unfamiliar one," with lingering questions alongside the high hopes. MinnPost's preview calls the former laughingstock franchise "appointment viewing" and one of the league's "daredevil darlings."
Minnesota Statewide
- A federal judge apologized to a Minnesota public defender over ICE allegations that he committed a crime, saying it was clear the defender did nothing wrong — and expressing displeasure that the U.S. Attorney's Office isn't trying to correct the mistake, KARE 11 reports.
- Former students are remembering Allan Christopherson, a Minnesota coach killed last month in Wisconsin; investigators say his son, Colton, confessed to the crime.
- The Galleria in Edina is hosting a Minnesota music popup where shoppers can browse exhibits on the state's music history — an easy weekend trip down Hwy. 100.
- Art lovers: "The Smell of Earth: Seitu K. Jones Working in the Elements," a solo show exploring soil, culture and African American history — with collard greens as a recurring motif — is now on view at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, MinnPost reports.