Minnesota Politics

The Itasca County Board of Commissioners decided May 19, 2026, to fly both the 2023 and 1983 versions of the Minnesota state flag outside the government center in Grand Rapids.

The sites included autism service providers that received payments through Medicaid, according to a statement from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Gov. Tim Walz describes the move as a "campaign of retribution."

In December 2025, federal prosecutors announced new charges in a widespread Medicaid fraud investigation, leading to new political turmoil about who was at fault and what should be done.

The former lawmaker's trial is slated to begin March 30, 2026. Eichorn was charged with soliciting a minor in 2025 after a prostitution sting operation in Bloomington, where an undercover officer posed as a 17-year-old online.

The first day of the new session on Feb. 17, 2026, was the first time in 20 years Rep. Melissa Hortman was absent. She, her husband and their dog were killed in June 2025.

Davis, of Crow Wing County's Mission Township, was first elected to the state Legislature in 2022.

The Republicans and DFLers hosted precinct caucus meetings across the region on Feb. 3, 2026.

The Department of Human Services plans to "revalidate" 5,800 providers of Medicaid services deemed high risk for fraud, waste and abuse.

U.S. District Court Judge Kate Menendez said the court could not grant a pause of the surge based on the arguments in the case.