Met Council report finds ballooning costs for Blue Line

A new report from the Metropolitan Council found that the cost to extend the Blue Line light rail from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park has gone up $336 million, bringing the total to $3.6 billion, KARE 11 reported. The cost has some state and county officials disagreeing over whether the project should proceed at all.

Some Twin Cities dog owners rallied resistance to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s move to close the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park, according to CBS News. But their efforts didn’t move the board, which voted 8-1 on Wednesday night to close the popular park to off-leash dogs no later than Dec. 31, reports KARE 11. The closure comes in response to an archaeological study and concerns about the park’s location on land sacred to the Dakota. (This post has been updated.)

Minneapolis City Council member Pearll Warren has raised safety concerns about Near North’s Heritage Park affordable housing complex, where about half of the 440 apartments are vacant and many are in disrepair, according to KSTP. In 2025, a Hennepin County judge appointed Certus Financial LLC to take over and rehabilitate the property, but the company’s timeline remains unclear, Warren said.

Cannabis testing lab Legend Technical Services announced the end of its hemp and cannabis testing program, MPR reported. The move came after Legend’s testing license was frozen by Minnesota’s cannabis regulatory agency because the lab failed to complete compliance requirements. The loss adds to the industry’s recent challenges and will likely lead to longer turnaround times at other labs.

Lily Kopp is MinnPost’s University of Iowa summer intern.

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