🌱 Lawmakers Pass $2B Education Bill + Arrests Made In MPS Shooting

Hello, Minneapolis! In today's edition of the Patch Daily newsletter:

• An employee at Loring Elementary School faces charges after bringing handguns to campus.
• A fire at a St. Paul mosque is being investigated as potential arson.
• The Gophers softball team will compete this weekend in the NCAA Tournament.

But first, today's weather: Mostly cloudy, a t-storm. High: 67 Low: 46.

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Here are the top 5 stories today in Minneapolis:

1. Police arrested three juveniles in connection with a shooting at Minneapolis Public Schools headquarters this week. Four suspects were located in a stolen Kia Monday after firing shots outside the Davis Center. Police Chief Brian O'Hara, who made one of the arrests, said in a statement that Minneapolis youth “have been allowed to continue to wreak havoc in our neighborhoods with no recourse and no consequences." (BMTN)

2. Gov. Tim Walz is expected to sign “the largest ever year-to-year increase in state aid to schools.” A bill to increase school spending by more than $2 billion passed the House and Senate earlier this week. (KARE11)

3. A Minneapolis Public Schools employee faces several charges after a student found two handguns in his bag, Bring Me The News reports. The guns were found in April at Loring Elementary School. (BMTN)

4. Officials are investigating a possible arson at a St. Paul place of worship, CBS reports. A fire broke out early Wednesday at Oromo American Twhid Islamic Center. If proven to be arson, it would be the sixth attack on a mosque in Minnesota this year. The cause of the fires is still being determined. (CBS)

5. Green Minneapolis will host more than 100 events at Peavey Plaza this summer, the organization announced. Free “music, dance and theater” will be offered weekly beginning May 24. (Green Minneapolis)

From our sponsor:

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Today in Minneapolis:

• See a performance of “brea(d)th” at Orchestra Hall. (11 a.m.)
• Check out “Immersive Disney Animation” at Lighthouse ArtSpace. (4:30 p.m.)
• See “Heathers” at the Parkway Theater. (7 p.m.)
• Go swing dancing at Minneapolis Cider Company. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Community members spoke at Minneapolis City Hall earlier this week to oppose building proposals for the shuttered 3rd precinct space. (CBS)
• Meet Minneapolis is celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. (Meet Minneapolis)
• Warblers are arriving in the metro area this spring. (Paid source: Star Tribune)
• The Minnesota Gophers softball team is preparing for the NCAA Tournament this weekend. (FOX)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

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• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Get Free Stuff And Great Perks Every Week (May 23)
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That's all for today, Minneapolis! See you tomorrow for the Friday edition.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Minneapolis Patch newsletter? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.