A St. Paul, Minnesota, man is finally home from the hospital after he was shot and left lying in a parking lot by a violent carjacker.
St. Paul police say it happened before 11 a.m. Friday on the 800 block of Forest Street.
Lying on his couch Tuesday, just hours after being released from the hospital, Derek Marty recounted that terrifying day.
“I thought I was going to die,” Marty said.
He said it happened as he was walking back to work from his lunch break. Before he knew it, a man wearing a mask snuck up behind him, telling him to give up everything he had.
A struggle ensued before a gun was pointed at Marty.
“He got up and cocked it, shot once, but he missed before he put the gun right on my leg,” Marty said.
The bullet shattered his femur. Rods and staples hold it together now.
The shooter took off with Marty’s jeep. Police later found his car with nothing missing inside.
Marty says the shooting left him with scars much deeper than the open wound. His message to everyone: don’t make the mistake he did.
“Just give them your keys. Give it up,” he said. “Not worth your life, no way. Nothing is worth your life. I’m thankful I’m even here.”
Police are still searching for the gunman. On Monday, they made a call to the public asking for help.
Despite recent high-profile cases, police data show carjackings are down compared to this time last year in both Twin Cities.
The Saint Paul, Minnesota city council turned the mic over to residents on Wednesday, with over a dozen people sharing their thoughts on a city ordinance aimed at restricting guns.
“This is common sense gun legislation,” said city council president and ward two council member Rebecca Noecker. “we’re trying to do what we know the majority of saint Paul residents.”
Noeker is one of the ordinance’s sponsors and wednesday marked it’s second time before the council. The proposed ordinance would ban public possession of assault weapons, large capacity magazines and binary triggers. It would require all guns to have serial numbers and restrict firearms in some public spaces like parks and libraries, require public facilities to inform residents of the new restrictions and define enforcement style and penalties.
There would be exceptions for active-duty law enforcement and military personnel, as well as licensed federal firearms curators and those transporting guns through the city.
The main hurdle, however, is Minnesota’s preemption law, which blocks cities from creating their own gun ordinances.
Noeker acknowledged the preemption law saying the city council sees this as a way to put pressure on state lawmakers.
“Its’ really important for two reasons one, to show what the city councils values are what the city of Saint Paul believes is acceptable and unacceptable,” Noeker said. “It’s also important to pressure the legislature to take that action.”
Rob Doar from the minnesota gun owners caucus says they plan to file a lawsuit, citing state statute 471.633, which reads, ‘Local regulation inconsistent with this section is void.’
“There’s a lot of things the city can do in order to try to mobilize action,” Doar said at the meeting Wednesday. “The one thing you can’t do is pass an ordinance that violates state law.”
Noeker says the city is ready for that legal challenge and believes council is within their rights to pass it.
“I feel very strongly that we have unanimous support for this ordinance,” she said.
Noeker says there’s still time for residents to share their perspective on the ordinance before council members vote on the matter next week.
Incumbent Melvin Carter is leading the St. Paul mayoral race Tuesday night with two-thirds of all ballots counted in the first round. Carter holds only a three-point lead over his closest challenger, State Rep. Kaohly Her.
Voters in St. Paul headed to the polls on Tuesday in the election to decide who they want as the city’s mayor, whether to support a city measure regarding administrative citations and on a school referendum.
Live election results for the St. Paul mayoral race
Five candidates are running to be mayor of St. Paul: incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter, Yan Chen, Adam Dullinger, State Rep. Kaohly Her and Mike Hilborn.
St. Paul, like most major urban areas, faces difficulties revitalizing its downtown and other neighborhoods in the post-pandemic era.
Here are the current results for the St. Paul mayoral race.
What platforms are the St. Paul mayoral candidates running on?
Carter is vying for a third term at the position. He was elected as the city’s 46th mayor in 2017, becoming the first Black man to hold the position. He successfully ran for reelection in 2021. He played a key role in pushing Gov. Tim Walz to call back state workers to in-person work for at least half of their workweek. That has brought thousands of workers back to downtown St. Paul.
Chen is a scientist and business owner who immigrated to America at 19, according to her campaign website. Chen’s top priorities include public safety, community governance, housing and economic development, and integrating people experiencing homelessness back into the community. She previously ran for a seat on the St. Paul City Council.
Dullinger, according to his campaign website, was born and raised in Minnesota and has been a St. Paul resident for six years. He says organized labor, including unions, can benefit the “entire labor market,” and that the city needs a mayor “who truly cares and continues to promote unions.”
Dullinger is also focused on public housing, bicycle infrastructure and finding ways to reduce spending.
Her has represented St. Paul in the Minnesota House since 2019. She’s worked as a policy director for Carter for nearly four years. She was born in Laos before coming to the U.S. as a refugee when she was 3 years old. Her says the city needs safe communities, a vibrant economy, affordable and abundant housing and to defend residents against Trump administration policies that she says are “cruel and arbitrary.”
Hilborn is a lifelong resident of St. Paul and the founder of a restoration business. His mission is to bring “good that elevates everyone,” according to his campaign website. Hilborn wants to lower taxes, hold criminals accountable, support police by “providing them the tools they need,” expand homeless shelters and revitalize the downtown area.
Administrative citation measure
St. Paul residents will vote on a measure regarding administrative citations, also known as civil penalties. Unlike most cities in the state, St. Paul can only use criminal penalties to enforce ordinances.
If the measure passes, the City Charter would be amended so that administrative citations could be issued for people who violate city ordinances.
Supporters say criminal penalties are too harsh for small infractions and often let wealthier offenders delay the criminal process. Former St. Paul City Councilmember Jane Prince said the city could abuse the power to fine without limit, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
School referendum
St. Paul Public Schools is seeking an increase in its operating levy to $1,073 per student. The district says the referendum would generate around $37 million per year in additional revenue.
The district created a tax calculator that residents can use to see how the referendum, if passed, would impact them. According to an example officials shared, the estimated additional property tax for a $289,200 home would be around $26 per month or $309 per year.
Voters in Minnesota went to the polls Tuesday in the 2025 election.
Minneapolis and St. Paul both held contested races for mayor, while voters in dozens of school districts decided what will happen to requests to raise taxes to help pay for improvements to schools and programs.
Check below for the latest Minnesota election results as they come in.
Tuesday is Election Day and voters will head to the polls to cast their ballots.
While many might consider this an off-election year, many important races will be decided across the state.
Here’s what you need to know about the 2025 Minnesota elections:
Registering to vote
The most important thing you can do before you actually vote is to register. You can fill out a voter registration form by clicking here or you can register at your polling place on Election Day.
Where to find your polling place
Every voter is assigned a specific location to cast their ballot on Election Day. It’s usually it’s near your home address. Click here to find your local polling place.
Note that not all areas of Minnesota will have elections this year.
When are polling places open?
Polling places are typically open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., though you should check your specific polling place’s hours before going to vote. Several polling locations may not open until 10 a.m.
If you are in line by 8 p.m., you will be allowed to vote by law.
What’s on my ballot?
To make sure you know who will be on the ballot before casting your vote, the Secretary of State’s office has put together a sample ballot. Click here to see what is on your ballot.
Key races
Minneapolis incumbent mayor Jacob Frey is running for a third term. He faces opposition from several other mayoral hopefuls, including state Sen. Omar Fateh, Rev. Dewayne Davis and Jazz Hampton. The three have formed a pact to encourage voters to not rank the incumbent and instead rank each other as second- and third-place votes, a strategy that could cost Frey his reelection.
“Here we see really the battle within the Democratic Party over whether it’s going to be a socialist party that is really pushing the edge, challenging the status quo, or if it’s going to try to work within the system and try to provide alternatives, but alternatives that can be broadly appealing,” Larry Jacobs, political science professor with the University of Minnesota, said about the Minneapolis mayoral race.
All 13 city council seats in Minneapolis are also up for reelection.
Melvin Carter, in St. Paul, is seeking his third term, facing a challenge from state Rep. Kaohly Her, who has represented St. Paul in the legislature since 2019. Her worked as a policy director for Carter for nearly four years. Carter earned 62% of first-choice votes when he ran for reelection in 2021.
St. Paul ballot questions
There are two yes/no questions on St. Paul voters’ ballots.
City Question 1 asks voters if the city’s charter should be amended to allow the city council to give out fines for ordinance violations. St. Paul is currently only allowed to pursue criminal charges if an ordinance is violated.
If approved by voters, the city council would be able to implement fines within 90 days and determine the fine for each violation separately.
School District Question 1, if passed by voters, would increase St. Paul Public Schools’ operating levy, generating an additional $37.2 million in revenue for the district annually.
If passed, property tax increases in St. Paul could total 14.2%. Voters can see their estimated tax impact using an online calculator.
School districts ask for funding
Across Minnesota, there are eight dozen referendum requests before voters that include funding measures ranging from money for cybersecurity upgrades to new gymnasiums and fitness centers.
Shakopee, Big Lake, Owatonna, Monticello and roughly three dozen more districts join St. Paul with similar measures seeking to boost help with everyday costs.
St. Michael-Albertville wants approval of a $21 million bond referendum to, among other things, enhance school security systems. A $60 million capital levy request in Roseville would support cybersecurity, software replacement, tech training and more.
Where can I find election results?
You can find the latest election results on WCCO’s Election Results page by checking wcco.com/results.
Police in St. Paul, Minnesota, said a man was shot in the leg late Saturday night inside an east side bar.
It happened at about 11:45 p.m. at Saint Paul Saloon off Hudson Road and Earl Street, directly north of Interstate 94 in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood.
The shooter ran away on foot. The victim, who was also armed, chased the shooter out and fired several rounds at them, police said.
Officers set up a perimeter in the area and searched for the suspect, but he has yet to be found. It’s unclear if they were struck by gunfire themselves.
The shooter was hospitalized with injuries not considered life threatening. Police said the investigation is ongoing.
Police in St. Paul, Minnesota, say two people are dead after a shooting overnight Friday in the city’s north side.
Officers were called to the 400 block of Front Avenue in the South of Maryland neighborhood around 4:20 a.m. to find a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite officers’ efforts to save his life, the man died at the scene.
Police say a second gunshot wound victim arrived at a St. Paul fire station and was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Investigators are looking to identify the motive of the shooting, though Public Information Officer Nikki Muelhausen said it appeared to be “domestic in nature.”
She added that the two men were the ones who fired their guns at each other.
It’s not clear their exact relationship, Muelhausen said.
Friday’s shootings mark the 10th and 11th homicides in St. Paul for 2025. At this time last year, the city had seen 23.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
Flames ripped through a St. Paul apartment carport Wednesday morning, scorching several vehicles and leaving residents shaken.
St. Paul police say they’re investigating the incident as a suspected arson and investigators are working to identify who set the fire by canvassing the neighborhood for cameras.
Cell phone video shows flames ripping through the carport, leaving nothing behind.
Among those impacted, Dahir Osman, a new immigrant who lost his Ford Explorer along with all his legal documents in that fire.
“There’s nothing else I want but my documentation,” Osman said. “They all burned in the car.”
Surveillance video shared to WCCO shows people walking near the scene before the blaze.
Property manager Hamadh Abumayyaleh is weary after he says another fire happened recently at a nearby garage.
St. Paul police say they are investigating a garage fire near Beech Street. Video officers obtained allegedly shows someone intentionally set fire to the garage.
Investigators say it’s not yet clear whether the two fires are connected.
For tenants like Dahir, the fire is more than a financial loss, but he is grateful the fire did not spread to the apartment.
“We are just happy that nobody got hurt, but definitely somebody needs to pay for their actions,” Abumayyaleh said.
Officials in St. Paul, Minnesota, said Friday that dozens of trees near the Mississippi River were destroyed, nearly one year after a similar incident.
St. Paul Parks and Recreation says 32 trees were cut “just a few feet from the ground” south of the High Bridge of Shepard Road.
“While this incident is disappointing, we remain committed to growing and strengthening our urban canopy,” St. Paul Parks and Recreation said in a statement. “You can also help by watering recently planted trees on your boulevard or in your yard throughout the growing season and before the ground freezes each fall.”
The trees had been planted by local high school students last fall during MEA weekend in partnership with the nonprofit Tree Trust. Less than a month later, 60 of the trees were destroyed in a similar act. Some of the trees were thrown in the river and it cost St. Paul Parks and Recreation nearly $40,000, according to the department.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to report it to the non-emergency police line at 651-291-1111.
Officials are working to determine the next steps for replacing the damaged trees.
About three weeks ago, laminated racist flyers were scattered in several St. Paul neighborhoods, according to St. Paul Police.
Residents say the flyers were filled with hateful language targeting the African American community.
Officers quickly flooded the area and worked to clean up the flyers. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made as of Wednesday.
“To see that kind of rhetoric, to see that vile hatred to call these flyers, racist is an understatement,” said Justin Lewandowski, from Hamline Midway Coalition (HMC).
Despite the shock and hurt, community members gathered inside Bethlehem Lutheran Church to stand together and reject hate.
“It’s an opportunity to meet challenge with joy meet fear with connection,” Lewandowski said.
City leaders, neighbors and community groups echoed a message of unity throughout the evening while emphasizing that St. Paul is a city where everyone should feel welcome.
Mayor Melvin Carter also stopped gathering, saying the intimidation will not work and reminded people how connected everyone is.
“We can’t erase the fact that evil exists, but we can respond to it with beauty,” Carter said.
From the podium to the pews, the message was clear; unity always wins.
Six days after their Oct. 4 wedding at Grand View Lodge, Brianne Wilbury and her husband stopped at Sociable Cider Werks, a favorite date spot. Their car still had “Just Married” on the back window.
“I look over and see a car that says ‘just married,’” Wilbury said. “I thought, oh good for them. Then I realized, that’s my car.”
Wilbury said someone pulled a white car behind theirs, broke the driver’s-side lock, removed the panel by the ignition and started the vehicle with a USB cable.
“It took them about 30 seconds, and then my car was gone,” she said.
The car was later found in the Dinkytown/Marcy-Holmes area, Wilbury said. Several items were missing, including a wood-burned wedding sign her father made and keepsakes the couple collected while living in Colorado.
“I’m happy they found the car, but you only get one of them,” Wilbury said. “My dad could make another, but it wasn’t there. It didn’t see the ceremony.”
Wilbury lost her mother when she was 10. She said the sign mattered because, “it’s not like I can ask my mom to make me a wedding present,” adding, “this was really important — to have something my dad touched and worked on.”
Wilbury says staff and patrons at the cidery tried to help.
“People were already on their phones, ready to call, and the bartender gave us a free round,” Wilbury said.
One person followed the car to try to get a license plate number, she said.
Wilbury isn’t focused on arrests; she wants the sign back.
“If someone does have it, I’d really like it back,” she said. “Even if it’s broken in two pieces — there’s always wood glue.”
“Even if they take my car, they cannot take my marriage,” she said.
Among the biggest races on the ballot in November is the mayor’s race in St Paul, and incumbent Melvin Carter is running for a third term.
St. Paul, like most major urban areas, faces difficulties revitalizing its downtown and other neighborhoods in the post-pandemic era.
Carter played a key role in pushing Gov. Tim Walz to call back state workers to in-person work at least half of their work week. That has brought thousands of workers back to downtown St Paul.
The mayor continues to battle the impact of a rent stabilization limit passed in 2021. Housing permits dropped 80% after passage. That limit has been amended twice, including a recent exemption for buildings built after 2004.
“We worked with our city council a couple of months ago to pass an amendment that excludes new construction. We have to be able to build new housing,” Carter said.
The mayor is running amidst an increasing property-tax landscape. Carter is proposing a 5.3% property tax hike, Ramsey County is proposing a 9.75 % hike and St. Paul Public Schools is asking taxpayers to support a $37.2 million referendum. If the school levy is approved by voters, that could mean property tax increases of a total of 14.2%. St Paul has the highest sales tax in the state at 9.88%, compared to 9.03% for Minneapolis.
Carter, who has three school-age children, said despite the impact on property taxes, he plans to vote “yes” on the school referendum.
In Carter’s latest term, the city has seen a drop in violent crime: 70% of gun crimes are now being solved, which is an increase from 21% in 1971. So far this year, there have been nine homicides, down from 18 last year. There have been 1,725 assaults compared to 1,915 the year before.
“We made a decision a couple of years ago that if someone is shot in the arm or the leg or the pinky toe in our city, we are going to investigate that as a homicide as a strategy,” Carter said.
Voter turnout in St. Paul’s mayoral races is historically low: just 34% of voters cast ballots in 2021. Carter has won his past two ranked-choice mayoral elections easily, winning both on the first ballot.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Saturday is shaping up to be beautiful, and a #Top10Wx Day has been declared across much of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
High pressure sitting over the region means it will be clear, calm and sunny all day. Although temperatures were a bit chilly during the morning, they’re expected to reach the upper 60s by Saturday afternoon.
By Saturday night, gusty winds will blow in some clouds ahead of a stronger system that will push through the region on Sunday.
Expect off-and-on rain showers for the second half of the weekend, with up to a quarter of an inch of precipitation expected for some parts of the state. Winds will also be more noticeable, with gusts reaching up to 35 miles an hour.
The start of the work is expected to be calmer, and rain is expected to wrap up by Monday morning. High temperatures will drop again throughout the week, but will stay near 60 degrees.
During the 2025 St. Paul Art Crawl, the Lowertown Lofts Artists Cooperative is honoring the memory of an artist whose life was tragically and violently cut short days before last year’s event.
Carrie Marie Kwok was shot and killed during the evening of Sept. 25, 2024, while painting a mural outside her home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Police said it appeared to be a random attack. The suspect, 29-year-old Seantrell Murdock, was killed just hours later during a confrontation with St. Paul officers in Belle Plaine, Minnesota.
In the year since, her family has had to pick up the pieces as they struggled with the question, why?
Julie Shobe says her sister was strong-willed, independent and loved being around her children and grandchildren.
Shobe said in a statement, “I miss her every day. Finally, after a year I’m accepting that she is really gone. The art crawl was a busy time for her, trying to get projects done. Carrie is missed by many. I miss her advice, her care and her laughter. She was the one who knew me best.”
Kwok’s co-op family says they think about the wonderful person she was and the light she brought to the group.
Ben Krywosz created a new piece titled “Brief Encounters.” He came up with the piece in response to her death as he struggled with the randomness of the day.
A look at the art piece “Brief Encounters,” created by Ben Krywosz
WCCO
The images in the piece were taken in New York, in the same spot, seconds apart. A composite of people moving through their own moment, unaware of one another.
Krywosz’s artwork is a glowing tribute and reminder that there is a connection that can’t be erased.
The art crawl runs on Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
There’s a new bear in town, bringing the number of polar bears at the Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota, to four.
On Friday morning, zoo officials announced the arrival of 4-year-old Astra, who they hope will mate with Kulu, a 5-year-old male polar bear currently at the zoo, as part of a breeding effort to increase the population of the threatened species.
According to the zoo, Astra’s move from the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington, is part of a plan made by the Polar Bear Population Alliance and other organizations working to make a “sustainable and genetically diverse polar bear population in the United States.”
Astra weighs 700 pounds, according to zoo officials, who add she is currently in a mandatory quarantine period in a holding area and an outdoor quarantine yard located behind the scenes. However, she’ll be able to see, smell and vocalize with Kulu and two other polar bears currently at the zoo during the quarantine.
“The next few weeks will be focused on helping her settle in and feel comfortable in her new surroundings,” said senior zookeeper Allison Jungheim. “Her genetics are valuable to the population, and we’re optimistic that, in time, she and Kulu will form a strong bond that contributes to the sustainability of this threatened species.”
While zoo officials hope to let her into the deep-water exhibit in Polar Bear Odyssey this weekend, it will depend on how she adjusts in the next few days. The Polar Bear Odyssey habitat has more than 13,000 square feet of outdoor space, a holding building that’s more than 3,000 square feet in size, a cub den, pools, two habitat areas, natural daylight and more.
A 20-year-old man is charged with attempted murder for allegedly beating a woman at random with a table leg on a St. Paul LRT platform during rush hour Tuesday — as several witnesses watched without intervening.
According to court documents filed in Ramsey County, the attack occurred at 5:45 p.m. on the METRO Green Line platform at Fairview and University avenues.
Officers arrived at the scene to find the 31-year-old victim “lying in a pool of blood, bleeding heavily from her head and face,” the charges state, and “a large wooden table leg” was found nearby.
The suspect was soon found by officers a couple blocks west of the platform with “blood on both hands.”
Court documents state surveillance footage showed the woman get off a bus and walk towards the platform. The suspect then jogged up behind her while “pulling up his pants with one hand … carrying the table leg with the other.”
Footage then shows him striking her dozens of times, and continuing after she lost consciousness, according to the charges.
Surveillance footage also showed “a group of five or six male bystanders” walk up to the suspect, but no one stopped the attack.
“The bystanders did nothing to stop [the suspect] or hold him down — they let him slip away,” the complaint states.
Two days later, the victim told investigators she didn’t know her attacker, and she “saw joy in [his] eyes when he beat her up,” the complaint states.
She suffered a skull fracture and required staples to close her head wounds, and one of her eyes was “completely swollen shut,” according to court documents. She also suffered several fractures along her right arm “from her shoulder to her hand.”
The complaint states the suspect is also charged with fifth-degree assault for allegedly punching a woman at random near the Hennepin County Government Center late last month.
The suspect, whose given address is Catholic Charities Hope Street Youth Shelter in Minneapolis, is being held in the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center.
He’s charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
A third man has been sentenced for his role in a staged robbery in Isanti County, Minnesota, that went wrong and ended in a murder.
On Thursday, a judge sentenced 43-year-old Abraham Alexander Houle to nearly 25 years in prison for two charges of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree burglary that he pleaded guilty to back in May.
All four men were arrested and charged after Jose De Jesus Diaz Fernandez was found shot to death in his Spencer Brook Township home in December 2023.
A criminal complaint alleges Olivar hired Rodrigues, Houle and Downs to rob a “stash house” that contained money and drugs. Olivar believed he could get out of a debt to a “cartel organization” by staging the robbery, according to the complaint. Rodrigues, Houle and Downs allegedly went to the house dressed as police officers.
At some point, shots were fired and Fernandez was killed. The complaint states Downs identified Rodrigues as the shooter, though Rodrigues denied firing a gun.
A security guard at a St. Paul bar has been charged with manslaughter after punching a patron and knocking them unconscious.
Officers were flagged down by a woman near Blues Saloon at 1638 Rice St. around 2:20 a.m. Sunday. She showed officers a man slumped over inside a pickup truck. Charges say the woman told police the man had been unconscious for about 10 minutes after a security guard punched him.
The man was pulled out of the vehicle and an officer began CPR, noting he had a faint pulse and shallow breathing.
Charges say the victim was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a “devastating brain bleed,” and died Monday night. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 33-year-old Melvin Martinez Altamirano, of Madison, Wisconsin.
The woman allegedly had been on a first date with Altamirano and said he got jealous after multiple men hit on her, so the two got kicked out of the bar. She said while they were leaving, the security guard told Altamirano to “hurry up and leave,” and hit him once, according to the complaint. Altamirano then fell and hit his head on the ground, losing consciousness. Two men carried him to his truck.
Officers reviewed surveillance video of the incident that allegedly shows Altamirano and the woman walking into the parking lot and Altamirano pointing at his date. The security guard stepped between the two and punched Altamirano in the head, shoved him and punched him again before he fell to the ground.
Another security guard told police the couple was “highly intoxicated” and fighting inside the bar, and that, when asked to leave, Altamirano became aggressive toward security, charges say. Once they got the two outside, the second security guard said the man tried to get back in. The guard deployed pepper spray, but it was defective. The security guards followed the pair to the parking lot, where the physical fight ensued.
According to the complaint, the security guard charged with manslaughter told officers Altamirano pointed his finger at his date and blamed her for them getting kicked out of the bar. The security guard said he was “frustrated with (the victim) for fighting inside the bar and being verbally aggressive” with the woman in front of him before he swung at Altamirano. He says one of his punches did not land and he could not recall what part of the victim’s body he punched.
Riley Moser is a digital producer who covers breaking news and feature stories for CBS Minnesota. Riley started her career at CBS Minnesota in June 2022 and earned an honorable mention for sports writing from the Iowa College Media Association the same year.
With less than a month until Election Day, St. Paul voters are hearing from the candidates looking to lead Minnesota’s capital city.
The candidates shared the stage for the first time Monday night, talking about everything from taxes to city services and hearing from voters in the process.
Incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter is vying for a third consecutive term. He’s facing four challengers on the 2025 ballot: biophysicist Yan Chen, state Rep. Kaohly Her, engineer Adam Dullinger and Mike Hillborn, an entrepreneur and 40-plus-year resident of St. Paul.
One issue at top of mind for voters: high property taxes. Here’s what each candidate had to say about it.
“What are the things that we are spending money on that are hidden, that we don’t know?” Hilborn said. “We’re the highest property tax, highest sales tax in Minnesota. That means there is room to cut.”
“We have to start looking at new revenue sources. We can’t keep relying on the backs of our residents in order to generate the funds and to run our city’s operations,” Her said.
“There’s just so many things that you can do to cut those costs. You don’t need custom-formed concrete and all these fancy things,” Dullinger said. “If we are trying to really keep up with our budget, we need to not overspend on those kinds of things.”
“I definitely don’t agree with cutting bike lanes. Bike lanes make life more affordable for folks. I definitely don’t agree with cutting our libraries. Libraries are something that enable people to participate in this economy,” Carter said. “But there are things that we can do. We can diversify our revenues.”
“The major change would be public works, right? Because that’s big department spending — $200 million we go into Public Works Department,” Chen said.
A reminder: the mayoral race is ranked choice, meaning voters can rank their candidates in order of preference.
Election day is Nov. 4.
Voters will get another chance to meet the candidates Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wilder Foundation. The event is free and open to the public.
Beret Leone is a native Minnesotan who joined the WCCO team as a reporter in September 2022 – and she’s thrilled be back home in the Twin Cities! Beret grew up in Chaska and graduated from Bethel University.
There’s just over four weeks until the November elections, when Minnesota voters go to the polls to decide numerous municipal elections around the state. One of the big races is for St. Paul mayor.
Incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter is seeking a third term. Carter won his first bid for reelection in 2021 with a commanding 61% of the vote.
This year, the best known of his four opponents is State Rep. Kaohly Her. Her has represented St. Paul in the state legislature since 2019. Among the neighborhoods she represents are Cathedral Hill and Mac-Groveland.
Her worked for Carter as his policy director for three years and nine months during his first term. Now, she is running against him. While violent crime in St. Paul is down, she says more needs to be done.
“We have to make sure that our city is open for business,” Her said. “And when people are here and trying to navigate difficult situations, that we are responsive and that when they are calling into city hall and asking for that, we are actually able to track things that are happening.”
Her says she is running because the city is at a standstill. She says development has stalled at the Ford site, Midway and downtown. Her says she would have worked to keep Cub Foods from closing its Midway store.
“Our environment and our city is not conducive for people to run their businesses and to thrive in St Paul, and that I bring a different perspective as to how I would do that,” Her said.
She says Carter’s property tax proposal of 5.3% is too much and that she would expand the tax base by attracting new businesses and bringing more affordable housing to the city.
Her is known for her push for gun control laws in the Minnesota legislature. In 2024, she sponsored a bill that required gun owners to immediately report a stolen or lost gun. Gun advocates argued it would unfairly penalize gun owners and the measure did not pass. Her says she will bring it up again.
St. Paul’s mayoral and city elections on Nov. 4 are ranked-choice elections.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Esme Murphy, a reporter and Sunday morning anchor for WCCO-TV, has been a member of the WCCO-TV staff since December 1990. She is also a weekend talk show host on WCCO Radio. Born and raised in New York City, Esme ventured into reporting after graduating from Harvard University.