Fourteen of the 15 activists federally charged for anti-ICE activity pleaded not guilty in Minneapolis on July 1. Contributing writer Ella Stern reports from the arraignment, where prosecutors revealed 20 terabytes of evidence and a judge rejected their bid for a 90-day extension.
Minnesota
Posted inWhat's Hot
What’s Hot: Fourth of July Weekend Events Across the Twin Cities
From Taste of Minnesota to a hands-on Ethiopian pottery workshop, here’s what’s happening across the Twin Cities this Fourth of July weekend.
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Sheer Treasures celebrates culture, wellness and community after 53 years
From selling incense door to door in North Minneapolis to 53 years in business, M. David and Gail Ricks built Sheer Treasures into a Northtown Mall staple rooted in culture, wellness and community.
Posted inDigital Editions
MSR Digital Edition 48 for July 2 – July 8, 2026
The MSR Digital Edition 48 for July 2 – July 8, 2026 is now live. Explore community news, sports, arts, and events. Edition 48, Volume 92.
Posted inAnother View
Parker, Delle Donne, Reeve headline WBHOF Class of 2026
Candace Parker, Cheryl Reeve and the late Barbara Kennedy-Dixon headlined the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Sports columnist Charles Hallman reports from Knoxville on the induction weekend’s most moving moments.
Posted inCoaching while Black
Eight teams, one Juneteenth
Eight Twin Cities high school boys’ basketball teams gathered at Hoop Habits in Eden Prairie for a Juneteenth showcase of unity and competition, and all eight programs share one thing in common: every head coach is Black.
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis Considers Drone Pilot Program for North Minneapolis, Activists Push Back
Minneapolis is considering a 75-day Skydio drone pilot program in North Minneapolis, and activists, privacy experts and community members are pushing back, raising concerns about surveillance, corporate ties to Israeli military operations and a police department they say cannot be trusted with the technology.
Posted inPolitics
Sens. Smith, Klobuchar Urge Trump to Sign Landmark Housing Bill at Twin Cities Press Conference
U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar joined housing advocates in Edina to call on President Trump to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the most significant federal housing legislation in more than 30 years, which he declined to sign despite its 85-5 Senate passage.
Posted inSports
14-Year-Old East St. Paul Boxer Wins Junior Olympics Gold
Natalia Young, a 14-year-old boxer from East St. Paul’s Sir Boxing Club, won gold at the 2026 USA Boxing Junior Olympics despite entering with only two fights to her name against opponents with 20 to 30 fights of experience.
Posted inFinance
First Independence Bank opens new St. Paul location on University Avenue
First Independence Bank, the Twin Cities’ first Black-owned full-service bank, opened a new St. Paul location at 627 University Avenue West on June 24, bringing banking services to the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods with a mission to close the racial wealth gap.
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis NAACP Calls for Ouster of Public Housing Director Over Heritage Park Conditions
The Minneapolis NAACP is calling for the immediate resignation or termination of Minneapolis Public Housing Authority Executive Director Abdi Warsame after revelations of widespread mold, water damage and neglect at Heritage Park Apartments, where half of the 440 units are empty or unsafe.
Posted inBusiness
Fractional CFO services are unlocking capital for Black businesses
Black Press USA contributing writer Amy Kang explains how fractional CFO services can help Black-owned businesses access capital, build investor-grade financial documentation and close the funding gap without the cost of a full-time executive.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Justice reform bills stall again at the Capitol, the fight continues
The Pretrial Data Transparency Act failed to pass for the second year in a row in Minnesota, but the Minnesota Justice for All Coalition is not deterred, continuing to push for reforms in a system where 63% of Hennepin County’s jail population is Black.
Posted inLocal & State
 Legal Rights Center Launches Hotline to Close Gap in Legal Defense for Low-Income Minnesotans
The Legal Rights Center has launched the First Defense Hotline, a 24/7 resource connecting Minneapolis arrestees with free legal counsel in the first hours after arrest, addressing the wealth gap in a legal system that too often leaves Black and brown Minnesotans without adequate representation.
Posted inFood
Patience is a form of power
Food columnist Lachelle Cunningham writes about chasing her great-grandmother’s fried green tomatoes, giving a Juneteenth keynote at Carleton College and finally claiming her voice as a writer, a healer and a social justice thought leader, with recipes for fried green tomatoes and potlikker mocktails.
Posted inJames on Jazz
100 years of Davis and Coltrane, and the loss of Sonny Rollins
MSR jazz columnist Robin James recaps the Twin Cities Jazz Festival at Mears Park, remembers the late great Sonny Rollins, and marks the 100th anniversary of Miles Davis and John Coltrane in a column celebrating Black Music Month.
Posted inLocal & State
Coalition calls on Twin Cities Pride to cut corporate tiesÂ
The Taking Back Pride Coalition held a press conference calling for Twin Cities Pride to drop corporate sponsors including Delta, United Health Group and 3M and remove police presence, marking the coalition’s tenth year organizing around anti-corporate, anti-police Pride demands.
Posted inObituaries
Remembering Ivorydell Maddox Johnson
Ivorydell Maddox Johnson, beloved wife, mother and grandmother who spent most of her life in Minneapolis and cherished its neighborhoods, celebrations and community, passed away June 13, 2026, at age 77. A Celebration of Life will be held July 2 at Estes Funeral Chapel.
Posted inLocal & State
Construction at George Floyd Square strains businesses, reshapes community landmarks
Construction has begun at 38th and Chicago Avenue, the site of George Floyd’s murder, and businesses and residents are already feeling the impact, with one Black business owner saying the first day left her shop completely inaccessible and questioning whether she will make it to the end of the month.
Posted inLocal & State
Charges dropped: Protester’s federal case ends with $25 fee
Federal charges against Isabel Lopez, an Aztec dancer and poet arrested during a June 2025 protest in south Minneapolis, were reduced to a misdemeanor after four felony counts collapsed, with Judge John Tunheim rejecting probation and ordering only a $25 court fee.