My lieutenant governor is an honor student at the U of M

Your daily Minnesota news roundup starts … NOW.

An entire kerfuffle lived and died yesterday around Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s membership in the national honor society Phi Beta Kappa when she graduated from the U of M 24 years ago in 2002. In the morning, the Wall Street Journal reported that Flanagan was not a member despite saying she was during a hearing in 2016 when she was in the Legislature. Was this like when short-lived White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia (2026-2026) said she was a lawyer but had not passed the bar? No, because Phi Beta Kappa and the Flanagan campaign provided evidence that she was indeed inducted into the academic honor society. Back to substantive issues, I guess.

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Hospital Association held a press conference to present a report outlining the coming impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The report says the Medicaid cuts in the bill will essentially destroy “the machinery that held hospital finance together.” 

Following the closure of the Pig’s Eye encampment in St. Paul, the encampment at Randolph Avenue has swelled to over 200 people, and the City Council is calling for a 60-day pause on closures and the creation of both a temporary low-barrier shelter and a permanent one. A vote on the resolution is scheduled for tonight.

In a development from yesterday’s news that St. Paul Public Schools were considering midyear layoffs of teachers due to a decline in English learner enrollment, the vote on the measure was postponed after a large protest at the board meeting on Tuesday night. The deadline for a vote on the layoffs is still Oct. 30.

Yesterday, I mentioned the race between DFLer Matt Little and Republican Eric Pratt in the 2nd Congressional District, including how Pratt has kept comparatively quiet. Well, now he’s getting attention for apparently leaving part of an AI prompt in some copy on his website outlining his strategy that read, “The President is not popular, so all messaging should be focused on local politics and needs.” This guy was reached for comment.

Related: What to expect when you’re expecting a new Timberwolves season

The Wolves opened their season with an authoritative 131-106 drubbing of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s new look Miami Heat last night, a game that was broadcast on ESPN. Many Wolves games this season will be available on DAZN, but some will be on other broadcast partners including ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock and Amazon Prime. Oh, and there will be 15 games on KARE 11, if you still have a TV that accepts rabbit ears. If you want to know where you can watch a game, just check this link.

And finally in your Minnesota news roundup: After a school bus driver in St. Paul suffered a medical emergency that sent a bus full of children rolling out of control down the street, Ebro Ahmed leapt into action, jumping on the bus and stopping it before the situation could get worse. 

CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen was reached for comment.

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