4 Things To Know from WCCO

Number 1.A former Minnesota lawmaker arrested in a prostitution ring, Justin Eichorn, will now spend the next 16 months behind bars. Number 2.Another metro community is calling it quits when it comes to license plate reading cameras. The Plymouth City Council voted late last night to end their contract with camera company Flock. Number 3.Lakeville High Schools are closed today after anonymous thre...

Number 1.Officials south of the Twin Cities say they're investigating anonymous threats at Lakeville South High School and Lakeville North High School Tuesday. The threat sent Lakeville South High School into lockdown. Number 2.A Wisconsin trooper is fighting to recover after falling off a bridge during a high-speed chase. Number 3.Today, researchers are gathering at the University of Minnesota to...

Number 1.Testimony continues in the murder trial of Jordan Collins Sr. He's accused of killing his 16-year-old son, Jordan "Manny" Collins Jr. His dismembered remains were found in a garbage bag at a landfill last year. Number 2.Health officials are warning about a nationwide increase in rabies cases involving human exposure. Here in Minnesota, a rabid bat was found on a downtown Minneapolis sidew...

Number 1.An ICE agent charged with shooting a man during Operation Metro Surge was in federal court today. He pleaded not guilty. WCCO was in the courtroom. Number 2.We are following the trial of a father charged with killing his own son. Jordan Collins Sr. was charged with the murder of his 16-year-old son, Jordan Collins Jr. - known as Manny - last summer. Opening statements were this morning. N...

We have a special episode today. WCCO Senior Investigative Reporter Jennifer Mayerle joins the show to talk about her latest documentary, A Secret Set Free: https://youtu.be/NtDa-s5DPCU Number 1. An ICE agent accused of shooting a man in North Minneapolis and then lying about it was in state court today. Number 2. Nearly 30 people were caught and cuffed in a trafficking takedown at several suburba...

Number 1.The future of driverless cars in Minneapolis is uncertain. An ordinance that would go into effect next year from the city council would require a human monitor to be in the driver's seat with a driver's license. Number 2.Hennepin County set aside a big chunk of change to help businesses after the ICE surge. But they say nearly half of the applications they received were fraudulent. Plus a...

Elk River High School had to be evacuated after a threat today. The school says they will provide additional updates once police share more details. Big changes could be coming to Minneapolis Public Schools. The district is set to unveil its "transformation plan."A new ruling today from the Supreme Court puts new mail in voting rules on hold. It means Minnesota's mail-in voting process will stay t...

Right now more than 100 doctors are on strike in Minnesota. The doctors union says this is historic, saying it believes that this is the first ever private-sector hospital strike. A meeting tonight in Inver Grove Heights surrounding data centers could help the city avoid a massive legal penalty. The potential cost would be at least $20 million. The University of Minnesota says it will remove one o...

25 years ago today on September 11th, four planes changed the course of American history, leaving millions in mourning. And in Minnesota, you'll be able to look to the sky for a memorial to the first responders who gave their lives that tragic day. Students and teachers at Providence Academy marked the 25th Anniversary of the terror attacks in silence today. More than 19 departments across Hennepi...

Today a father goes on trial for the murder of his teenage son. 16-year-old "Manny" Collins was missing for nearly two months before his remains were found in a landfill in June of 2025.We're also following a Minnesota State Fair assault. Police are still looking for the people who seriously hurt a 45-year-old man in a fight Saturday night. Children's MN says they received a $35M gift from a phila...

Two Brooklyn Center motels were stormed by police this morning. 23 people were arrested. Police say it's related to an investigation involving suspected human trafficking, drugs and firearms offenses. A woman who was involved in the murder of a transgender Minnesota man will spend the rest of her life in prison without the possibility of parole. She admitted to torturing and killing Sam Nordquist....

School is back in Minnesota, and student safety is top of mind. Today, we break down a new school bus law drivers need to know, how St. Paul schools are recovering from last year’s ICE surge, and new security measures in Anoka-Hennepin schools. Plus, University of Minnesota officials respond to safety concerns in Dinkytown following a recent shooting. Join Maria Lisignoli for this episode of 4 Thi...

The man suspected of killing two people and injuring six others in a mass shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment complex Wednesday was facing eviction after a string of incidents including assault and allegedly showing a gun to apartment management, according to court documents. The shooting happened at an apartment complex near Loring Park and the Minneapolis Convention Center. Plus, t...

We're officially halfway through the great Minnesota get together. And law enforcement says things are going better than they could have hoped for. They've made it this far without any major issues, and they plan to keep it that way. Today the man sentenced in federal court for the murders of Mark and Melissa Hortman will be back in front of a judge on state charges. Vance Boelter's hearing is thi...

Today, the state's highest court is hearing a case about whether a religious school has the right to fire a trans employee. Rezyl Grace claims she wasn't allowed to keep her job as a librarian at Academy of Holy Angels, a Catholic high school in Richfield, after coming out. A proposed constitutional amendment could mean more money for Minnesota public shcools. Supporters say it would tap into a fu...

Class is back in session. A temporary change in state law has allowed more than a dozen Minnesota school districts to start this week. An investigation continues today after police say they found three people dead in a town home in Inver Grove Heights on Sunday. A St. Paul woman is being remembered as a hero. Bonnie Pierce's family says she lost her life after she ran into a burning home to save h...

Join Maria Lisignoli and Johnny Kahner in this special LIVE at the Minnesota State Fair 4 Things to Know. One child dead and another critically injured in a minibike crash in Brooklyn Center on Thursday afternoon. The City of Hastings is suing 3M over alleged contamination of five public wells with forever chemicals. The city alleges that 3M released the toxic chemicals from smokestacks over three...

One year ago today: two young lives were cut short in a shooting at a church attached to a school. 18 other students were hurt, along with three adults. The shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in South Minneapolis left the community shocked and heartbroken. We're remembering the victims. The ICE agent charged with shooting a Venezuelan Immigrant through a closed door during Operation Metro Su...

The trial over teen addiction to social media is over. Meta has reached a settlement with nearly all 50 states, including Minnesota. Our state could see upwards of $300 Million. Today, an 18-year-old man pleaded guilty to killing 10-year-old Lily Peters in Wisconsin. A judge sentenced Carson Peters-Berger to life in prison. Memorials, which included balloons, teddy bears and candles, were set up o...

WCCO is digging through an extensive report on the response and investigation into the deadly attack on a Minneapolis catholic church. The massive report is about 26-hundred pages long. It includes hundreds of pages of photographic evidence connected to the Annunciation Church Shooting. The report is broken into two: the first stemming from the Minneapolis Police Department, and the second mostly...

A utility pole hit a vehicle and killed the person inside in Hopkins. Xcel Energy says their pole was inspected recently and was in compliance with safety standards. The State Fair starts this week and everyone from law enforcement to organizers are making sure it is safe for attendees. This involves letters written to people who may be in connection with gangs. Hospice nurses have voted to author...

August 21 — Today is the 5th annual National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. The goal is to raise awareness about a drug epidemic that costs tens of thousands of lives each year. While progress has been made thanks to education and prevention efforts, there's more work to do. A body was found during an overnight garage fire in North Minneapolis. The crime lab and police were there investiga...

Data center debates continue around the country. That includes in Minneapolis' North Loop neighborhood. We speak with some residents. Mike Lindell refused to concede the GOP nomination for governor and now he says he's going to pay for a statewide recount. It would cost more than $800,000.A deputy was in danger after he found himself staring down the barrel of gun. Luckily, he escaped a close call...

August 19 — There was no decision today on xAI's request for a judge to temporarily block Minnesota's ban on AI "nudification." At a hearing for Elon Musk's company and the state of Minnesota, the judge said he would expedite his review and will likely inform the parties of next steps on Monday. Today's hearing was about whether the judge should temporarily stop Minnesota from enforcing the law wh...

August 18 — Governor Tim Walz announced an executive order to prevent mining of copper, nickel, and other precious metals within the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed. This comes four months after Congress voted to overturn a 20-year federal ban on mining near Minnesota's Boundary Waters. Minnesota's Attorney General is trying legal action to get an ICE agent extradited to Minnesota. Attorney Gener...