All posts tagged: Minnesota

Where is Aaron Larson now? Latest update on Jacob Wetterling’s friend as ABC 20/20 episode shines light on kidnapping

Where is Aaron Larson now? Latest update on Jacob Wetterling’s friend as ABC 20/20 episode shines light on kidnapping

The Jacob Wetterling case left the country and the small Minnesota town terrified. The child was kidnapped back in 1989 and his body would only be found years later. Now a new ABC 20/20 episode is bringing the case back into the spotlight and focus has gone to Aaron Larson, Wetterling’s best friend, who along with the victim’s brother was present when he was taken by a masked man all those years back. Jacob Wetterling was cycling back home with his brother, Trevor, and best friend, when the 11-year-old was kidnapped by a masked man. (X/@MSHPTrooperF) What happened to Jacob Wetterling? Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped and murdered when he was just eleven years old. Wetterling and his brother, Trevor, and friend, Aaron Larson, were biking when a stranger stopped them and asked them to put their bikes down in the ditch and lie face down. At the time Trevor was ten and Aaron was eleven. He asked them to run and not look back, threatening to shoot them otherwise. When the were united and finally …

Wildfires in Canada and Minnesota trigger poor air quality alerts across Midwest and Northeast US

Wildfires in Canada and Minnesota trigger poor air quality alerts across Midwest and Northeast US

Heavy smoke from several large wildfires blazing in Canada and Minnesota is expected to engulf large swaths of the Midwest and Northeast U.S. this week, exposing millions of people to dangerous air pollution. French firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire in the Fontainebleau forest near Noisy-sur-Ecole as wildfires reignite in the forest during a heatwave affecting a large part of the country, France, July 15, 2026. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe (REUTERS) Minnesota officials issued an air quality alert from Tuesday through Friday for areas including the Twin Cities metro area, Alexandria and Two Harbors, with very heavy smoke expected across the state’s northeastern corner as large wildfires spread. Air quality levels in Two Harbors, the Tribal Nation of Grand Portage and other regions in northeast Minnesota were expected to reach hazardous levels, making it unsafe for everyone. Dan Westervelt, associate professor at Columbia University’s Climate School, said severe drought conditions combined with heat in Canada and the U.S. have created “a perfect storm for really dry conditions to provide a lot of fuel for these wildfires to …

Minnesota plane crash: Aircraft goes down near Crystal Airport, smoke seen rising | Watch

Minnesota plane crash: Aircraft goes down near Crystal Airport, smoke seen rising | Watch

A small aircraft crashed near Crystal Airport in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, triggering an emergency response and prompting a federal investigation as officials work to piece together what happened. Preliminary information suggests the aircraft was a Beech F33A. (Screenshot from video by Minnesota Department of Transportation/ via Rapid Response) Early visuals from the scene showed a plume of smoke rising into the air near a residential neighborhood. Social media account Rapid Report posted on X, “Plane crash near Crystal Airport, Minnesota sends smoke plume into air” alongside a video capturing smoke rising from the crash site. Emergency crews rush to scene According to FOX 9 Minnesota, multiple law enforcement agencies and firefighters responded to the crash site just north of Crystal Airport, near County Road 81. A photographer from KSTP also witnessed a plume of smoke before spotting first responders surrounding what appeared to be the downed aircraft near Southbrook Park, less than a mile from the airport. Authorities secured the area as crews began assessing the situation. Also Read: Pacoima plane crash videos: Scary footage …

Who is ChongLy Thao? Minnesota county probes ICE arrest of US citizen as possible kidnapping

Who is ChongLy Thao? Minnesota county probes ICE arrest of US citizen as possible kidnapping

A criminal investigation has been launched in Ramsey County, Minnesota after a shocking arrest involving ChongLy Thao, a US citizen who drew national attention. The case surfaced after a viral image showed him being escorted out of his home in freezing weather wearing Crocs, shorts and wrapped in a plaid blanket. ICE under fire after viral arrest of innocent US citizen (GoFundMe) Officials are now investigating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers over the incident as a potential case of kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment. Who is Chongly Thao? ChongLy Scott Thao is a US citizen living in St Paul, Minnesota in the Twin Cities area. He has no criminal record. He did not know the men immigration agents were looking for and told the Associated Press that those individuals had never lived with him. Before the January incident, Thao was an unknown private citizen and it was the viral photo of him being led out of his own home, underdressed in freezing weather that drew the national spotlight. Also Read: Anna Kepner case: Ex-FBI …

Testy exchanges over immigration cases highlight growing confrontations between judges and DOJ| India News

Testy exchanges over immigration cases highlight growing confrontations between judges and DOJ| India News

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A federal judge clashed Tuesday with Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor during an unusual contempt hearing that highlighted growing confrontations between increasingly frustrated judges and Department of Justice officials. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan called Tuesday’s hearing to decide whether U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen and others should be held in contempt for not heeding orders to return the personal property of 28 of immigrants who had been detained and then ordered freed. The property ranges from cash to identity documents to clothing. Bryan, who had said in calling for the hearing that there had been “numerous unlawful violations of court orders,” started Tuesday by saying it would be a “historic low point” for the U.S. attorney’s office if he held anyone in contempt. “Your honor has made a remark smearing myself,” Rosen shot back. The judge later called for a break in the hearing to allow for a reset, acknowledging the two had “been a little testy and frosty with each other.” There has been a …

Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns| India News

Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns| India News

WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds. Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns Vance, who made the announcement with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the administration was taking the action “in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligations seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money.” Wednesday’s move is part of a larger Trump administration effort to spotlight fraud around the country. That effort comes after allegations of fraud involving day care centers run by Somali residents in Minneapolis prompted a massive immigration crackdown in the Midwestern city, resulting in widespread protests. President Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, announced Vance would spearhead a national “war on fraud.” Oz, who referred to …

Journalist Don Lemon is set to be arraigned in Minnesota church protest case| Entertainment News

Journalist Don Lemon is set to be arraigned in Minnesota church protest case| Entertainment News

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former CNN host turned independent journalist Don Lemon and four other people are set to be arraigned on federal civil rights charges Friday, accused in a protest at a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official is a pastor. Journalist Don Lemon is set to be arraigned in Minnesota church protest case Lemon did not comment to reporters as he entered the courthouse. Also scheduled for arraignment Friday is civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong. The prominent local activist was the subject of a doctored photo posted on official White House social media that falsely showed her crying during her arrest. The picture is part of a deluge of AI-altered imagery that has circulated since the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Lemon’s attorney, Joe Thompson, did not return calls this week seeking comment. Arraignments in federal court typically include the entering of pleas and scheduling of future proceedings. Lemon has said he plans to plead …

Testy exchanges over immigration cases highlight growing confrontations between judges and DOJ| India News

Trump’s border czar suggests a possible drawdown in Minnesota, but only after ‘cooperation’| India News

MINNEOLIS — The Trump administration could reduce the number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota, but only if state and local officials cooperate, the president’s border czar said Thursday, noting he has “zero tolerance” for protesters who assault federal officers or impede the ongoing Twin Cities operation. Trump’s border czar suggests a possible drawdown in Minnesota, but only after ‘cooperation’ Tom Homan addressed reporters for the first time since the president sent him to Minneapolis following last weekend’s fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti, the second this month by federal officers carrying out the operation. His comments came after President Donald Trump seemed to signal a willingness to ease tensions in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area and as the administration ended its “enhanced operations” in Maine. Homan emphasized that the administration isn’t relenting on its immigration crackdown and warned that protesters could face consequences if they interfere with federal officers. But he seemed to acknowledge there had been missteps. “I do not want to hear that everything that’s been done here has been perfect. …

Judge issues temporary order barring removal of boy, 5, and father who were detained in Minnesota| India News

Judge issues temporary order barring removal of boy, 5, and father who were detained in Minnesota| India News

A federal judge has issued a temporary order prohibiting removal of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father whose arrest last week in Minnesota quickly become another lightning rod for America’s divisions on immigration under the Trump administration. Judge issues temporary order barring removal of boy, 5, and father who were detained in Minnesota U.S. Judge Fred Biery ruled Monday that any removal or transfer of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, is on hold while a court case proceeds. The father and son are now at family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, near San Antonio. They were taken into custody last week outside their home in Minnesota. Neighbors and school officials say that federal immigration officers used the preschooler as “bait” by telling him to knock on the door to his house so that his mother would answer. The Department of Homeland Security has called that description of events an “abject lie.” It said the father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot and left the boy, Liam Conejo …

FBI is investigating Signal groups tracking ICE movement in Minnesota, says Kash Patel | World News

FBI is investigating Signal groups tracking ICE movement in Minnesota, says Kash Patel | World News

Director Kash Patel has said that the FBI has opened an investigation into the Signal group chats in which Minnesota residents are sharing information about federal immigration agents’ movements. “This Signal chat is something that we, the FBI, are looking at,” Patel told Fox News on Monday. .@FBIDirectorKash: “This Signal chat is something that we, the FBI, are looking at…” https://t.co/bbsC2YVrKx pic.twitter.com/ov1FbwgdjW — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 27, 2026 Earlier, Cameron Higby, a conservative media personality, had claimed that he had ‘infiltrated’ Signal groups all around Minneapolis that were used to track down federal agents. What Patel said Patel said in an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that he wanted to know whether any Minnesota residents had put federal agents “in harm’s way” with activities such as sharing agents’ license plate numbers and locations. “You cannot create a scenario that illegally entraps and puts law enforcement in harm’s way,” Patel said. Killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti The new investigation comes at a time when the Trump administration is on the backfoot, and is …