The city of Eagan officially has a new police chief and he hails from the St. Paul Police Department.
Salim Omari was sworn in as Eagan’s police chief on Dec. 2, 2025. Omari spent the bulk of his 21-year law enforcement career with the St. Paul Police Department. (Courtesy of the city of Eagan)
After a 21-year career in law enforcement ranging from investigations and training to SWAT commander, Salim Omari was sworn in as Eagan’s new chief of police Tuesday night.
“We’re excited to welcome Commander Omari to Eagan,” Mayor Mike Maguire said in a city news release. “He brings a strong record of leadership, experience in complex policing environments, and a commitment to building trust with the community.”
Omari, who began his career with the Bloomington Police Department in 2004, spent more than 18 years with the St. Paul Police Department where he held titles including district chief of St. Paul’s Eastern District and commander of the Major Crimes Division.
As a commander, Omari led the Internal Affairs Unit, Training Unit and Western District Patrol, per the release.
Omari was also appointed by both Gov. Mark Dayton and Gov. Tim Walz to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
“I’m honored to be chosen to lead the highly respected Eagan Police Department,” Omari said in the release. “I believe in the power of collaboration and community engagement to keep our neighborhoods safe. Eagan is a thriving community, and I look forward to working alongside residents, city leaders, and officers to continue building trust and delivering excellent public safety.”
His departure from the St. Paul Police Department comes at a time when city leaders are raising concerns over the pay of St. Paul’s police chief and top staff.
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry oversees 616 officers and has a salary of $207,688, compared to Minneapolis’ chief who oversees 621 officers and makes $312,703, the Pioneer Press recently reported.
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Omari, who has a degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in police leadership and administration, officially began his new role on Nov. 24, taking over for former police chief Roger New.
After 31 years with the Eagan police department and the last seven of those years as chief, New announced his retirement earlier this year, saying it was time to pass the mantle. At the time of his retirement, New’s salary was reported to be $215,093.
“Commander Omari has a proven track record of effective leadership, operational excellence, and a clear commitment to equity and community engagement,” said Eagan City Administrator Dianne Miller, in the release. “We’re confident he will continue Eagan’s strong tradition of public safety and help shape its next chapter.”
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to take a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of an immigrant rights group arguing that it is illegal for local jails to hold immigrant detainees at the request of federal authorities.
The Wisconsin lawsuit comes as federal agents have launched high-profile immigration crackdowns in cities including Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina. Another operation is expected in the coming days in Minnesota, targeting Somali immigrants. The enforcement tactics have been met with protests and lawsuits.
A majority of justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted to take the ACLU case directly as an original action, rather than have it first work its way through lower courts. The court is controlled 4-3 by liberal justices.
Four justices, who were not named, voted to accept the case, while conservative Justices Annette Ziegler and Rebecca Bradley dissented. Justice Brian Hagedorn, who most often sides with conservative justices, wrote separately to discuss the process, but he did not reveal how he voted.
None of the justices discussed the merits of the case in the order agreeing to take it.
The court’s decision means there could be a final ruling in the case by the middle of 2026, far faster than if it first had to wind its way through lower courts. All briefs in the case are due within two months, and the court will set a date for oral argument sometime after that early next year.
The ACLU brought the lawsuit against five county sheriffs in September on behalf of Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant rights group based in Milwaukee.
“This is a historic step toward ensuring that Wisconsin’s law protects all residents, not just those with power and privilege,” said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera. “Honoring ICE detainers has subjected hardworking immigrants to unlawful arrests for far too long.”
The lawsuit contends that it is illegal for local jails to hold immigrants on detainers sent by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to local sheriff’s offices. The lawsuit was filed against sheriffs in Walworth, Brown, Marathon, Kenosha and Sauk counties, all of which honor those requests.
Sam Hall, one of the attorneys for the sheriffs, said they were reviewing the court’s order and evaluating next steps.
“We are confident, however, that Wisconsin sheriffs who honor ICE detainers do so fully within the bounds of Wisconsin law and the federal legal framework governing immigration enforcement,” he said in an email.
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The sheriffs had argued that because the lawsuit involves a complicated area of the law — federal immigration law and the relationship between federal and state and local law enforcement — the case was best “resolved and refined” by first going through the lower courts, rather than skipping directly to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Honoring an ICE detainer means the sheriff agrees to hold the person for 48 hours after they otherwise should have been released under state law. The goal of detainers is to give ICE agents more time to pick someone up if they are suspected of being in the country illegally.
The ACLU wants the Wisconsin Supreme Court to prohibit sheriffs from holding people on ICE detainers, which are based on administrative warrants. Holding someone for extra time must be authorized by a judicial warrant, in which a court determines there is probable cause to keep them longer, the ACLU argues in the lawsuit.
The ACLU argues that keeping the person in custody for that extra time constitutes an illegal new arrest. It is illegal because Wisconsin law does not allow officers to make civil arrests except in certain circumstances, none of which apply to immigration enforcement, the lawsuit argues.
In the first seven months of this year, ICE sent more than 700 requests to local jails across Wisconsin, asking them to hold someone 48 hours beyond when they were set to be released, the lawsuit contends.
Republicans in the GOP-controlled Wisconsin Legislature support a bill that would withhold money from counties that don’t comply with ICE detainers. The measure passed the Assembly, and if the Senate approves the bill it would head to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is likely to veto it.
Washington County officials will pay River Valley Christian Church $7.35 million to purchase its nearly 12-acre property in Lake Elmo and relocate the church.
Church officials signed the purchase agreement on Tuesday night; the county board is expected to approve it during its Dec. 16 meeting.
County and church officials have been negotiating for months over the purchase of the property at the southwest intersection of Minnesota 36 and Lake Elmo Avenue, an 11.88-acre parcel that is within the footprint of the new interchange.
The county’s initial offer of $2.3 million was rejected, but county officials were able to increase that number after considering a number of factors, including the value of the property, the expenses the church would incur to relocate, the public cost to redesign the interchange and the inflationary impact of the delay on project costs, said County Engineer Wayne Sandberg.
Redesigning the intersection around the church property, at 5900 Lake Elmo Ave. N., would have set the project back by at least two years, and alternative designs were estimated to increase the project costs as much as $5.2 million due to added right-of-way, engineering, inflation and new property impacts, Sandberg said.
“This agreement avoids millions of dollars in redesign and years of delay, and it’s very possible we would have had another tragic crash here,” Sandberg said. “This allows us to move forward.”
More than 200 crashes have occurred at the intersection of Minnesota 36 and Lake Elmo Avenue over the past 10 years, including three crashes – in 2018, 2024 and in May – that resulted in fatalities. An average of 57,000 vehicles pass through the intersection each day – 52,000 on Minnesota 36 and another 5,000 on Lake Elmo Avenue.
The new grade-separated interchange will improve safety, reduce congestion and improve bicycling and walkability in the area, Sandberg said.
Drivers no longer will be able to turn directly from one road to the other. Instead, the buttonhook-style ramps will provide access to Minnesota 36 through frontage roads and dedicated acceleration and deceleration lanes along the state highway, he said.
A rendering showing the design of a planned $40 million grade-separated interchange with buttonhook-style ramps that will be built at Minnesota Highway 36 and Lake Elmo Avenue. (Courtesy of Washington County)
“This is a positive outcome for everyone involved,” said County Commissioner Bethany Cox, who represents the area. “By working together, we’ve created a solution that allows our church partners to continue their mission in a new location while addressing a longstanding safety concern along Highway 36.”
Construction will start in the summer of 2026, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, Sandberg said.
Officials from River Valley, a nondenominational church, did not immediately respond to a query seeking comment.
Since its founding in 1995, River Valley has “grown into a thriving church with nearly 10,000 in attendance across 11 U.S. campuses and two international campuses with plans for further expansion in the future,” according to the church’s website.
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NEW YORK (AP) — A record 64 nations will be in Friday’s World Cup draw, more than 30% of FIFA’s members, as soccer’s leaders insist a bigger tournament is better.
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There will be 104 games instead of 64 in the World Cup running from June 11 through July 19 at 16 venues throughout North America. Seventy-eight games will be at 11 NFL stadiums, including all from the quarterfinals on, and 13 each in Mexico and Canada. The final is at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where there will be a halftime show for the first time.
In addition to 12 group winners and second-place nations, eight third-place teams advance to a new round of 32. The World Cup winner will play eight games.
“I’ve always thought that what FIFA should do is do it like the Final Four and do 64 teams with no groups, just a knockout,” said Alan Rothenberg, the head organizer of the 1994 World Cup in the U.S., comparing soccer with the NCAA basketball tournament.
Led by captain Lionel Messi, who turns 39 during the tournament, Argentina seeks to become the first nation to win consecutive World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Messi and Portugal’s 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo are expected to play in a record sixth World Cup.
AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and AC Milan in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi arrives for an MLS Eastern Conference final soccer match against New York FC, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo speaks during a press conference in Dublin, Ireland, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, ahead of Thursday’s World Cup qualifying soccer match against Ireland. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)
FILE – Tailgaters gather outside MetLife Stadium before an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
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AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and AC Milan in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)
At least four countries have qualified for the first time
Cape Verde (ranked No. 68), Curaçao (82), Jordan (66) and Uzbekistan (50) have qualified for the first time and four playoff teams could become debutantes: Albania (63), Kosovo (80), New Caledonia (149) and Suriname (123).
Curaçao, an autonomous territory of about 156,000 people within the Netherlands kingdom, is the smallest nation by population to qualify,
“I’m a little bit worried,” said former U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller, now an ESPN analyst. “We talked about it when they expanded from 24 that it was going to leave some teams that got into the World Cup that weren’t quite at the level, and now expanding it to 48 I think you’re looking at some teams that are going to really struggle.”
World Cup ticket prices are setting records
FIFA has set record initial prices of up to $6,730 for a ticket along with as much as $175 for a parking place and $73,200 for a hospitality package — up from $25 to $475 for the 1994 tournament in the U.S.
Almost 2 million tickets among what is expected to be more than 6 million have been sold, the governing body said.
“I’m not sure that FIFA’s number one goal is to grow the sport in America,” former U.S. goalkeeper Tony Meola said. “I always hate that people miss out on this because they get priced out of it.”
Ticket holders who require visas to enter the U.S. have been promised priority appointment scheduling by the U.S. government.
High temperatures could be an issue at some US venues
A key could be whether teams are drawn to play in open-air stadiums where summer heat could be a factor. Only four of the 11 U.S. World Cup venues have roofs, including one that isn’t temperature controlled.
“I will be interested when we find out the teams, as to who is playing in indoor climate-controlled venues more as opposed to outdoor, because I do think that there is a significant difference and obviously a potential competitive advantage,” said former American defender Alexi Lalas, Fox’s lead analyst.
Kickoff times will be announced Saturday. The average noon temperature over the past 30 years in East Rutherford on July 19 is 84 degrees with a RealFeel index of 91, according to AccuWeather.
Political element
The 1994 World Cup draw in Las Vegas featured performances by Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, James Brown and Vanessa Williams plus comedian Robin Williams, who called the draw screen “the world’s largest keno board” and yelled “Bingo!” when Greece was pulled out of a bowl.
Retired stars Tom Brady of the NFL, Shaquille O’Neal of the NBA and Wayne Gretzky of the NHL along with three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge will be on stage for the draw, to be run by former England captain Rio Ferdinand with broadcaster Samantha Johnson. Brady, O’Neal and Judge are American and Gretzky is Canadian, but there is no Mexican sports representative.
Model Heidi Klum co-hosts Friday along with actors Kevin Hart and Danny Ramirez, and entertainment includes Tony Award and Olivier Award winner Nicole Scherzinger, Andrea Bocelli and Robbie Williams. The Village People will perform Trump favorite “Y.M.C.A.” and FIFA will award its own peace prize, likely to Trump. Former NFL star Eli Manning will be the red carpet host.
