The Arlington Avenue intersection at Rice Street will be closed for utility work until July 21, according to Ramsey County officials. This is part of the Rice Street reconstruction project.

However, businesses can be accessed from Park Street, Albemarle Street, and Cottage Avenue.

For more information go to ramseycounty.us/residents/roads-transportation.

As part of the Rice Street project, work continues from Maryland Avenue to the north side of the bridge at Cottage Avenue, and from Arlington Avenue to Wheelock Parkway. Wheelock Parkway is open to traffic traveling east and west, with no turning on Rice Street.

County Road J, I-35E

Meanwhile, work is scheduled to begin the end of July at the Ramsey County Road J and Interstate 35E exchange. The intersection of Centerville Road and County Road J will be fully closed for construction of a roundabout.

Businesses in the area — a gas station, restaurants and shops — can be accessed from the entrance to the south of the intersection and on Ramsey County Road J between Centerville Road and the highway overpasses. Ramps on I-35E will be open.

For more detour information go to ramseycounty.us/residents/roads-transportation.

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After last month’s shootings of two state lawmakers and their spouses, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher is pressing public safety officials for answers on how they handled notifying legislators and law enforcement agencies of the ongoing threat.

In a letter to security officials at the Minnesota Capitol, Fletcher raised concerns about information sharing between law enforcement and state leaders as a man suspected of shooting lawmakers while disguised as a police officer remained at large in the early morning hours of June 14.

Fletcher said the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office did not learn of the shootings, details about the suspect, or the fact that the suspect had been targeting lawmakers until hours after the information had become available to other officials and law enforcement agencies.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher. (Ellie Roth / Pioneer Press)

“Few things are more troubling than not being informed for several hours that a murderer is roaming the northern suburbs with a “hit list” in search of his potential victims, many of whom reside in your patrol jurisdiction,” the sheriff wrote in a July 7 letter addressed to the Minnesota House Sergeant at Arms and Minnesota Capitol Security, a branch of the State Patrol.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety disputes Fletcher’s claims.

“This letter does not accurately represent the manner in which law enforcement responded to the tragic events on June 14,” Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said in a statement this week. “Notifications were sent to the proper parties early that morning. We’ll be discussing that in greater detail with the sheriff and the others as the investigation continues.”

Vance Boelter, 57, faces federal and state prosecution for the fatal shootings of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark at their home in Brooklyn Park, and shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin. Authorities captured him near his home outside Green Isle, Minn., after a two-day manhunt.

Boelter allegedly had a list of addresses for Democratic elected officials and abortion providers in his vehicle, and visited the homes of Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, and Rep. Kristin Bahner, DFL-Maple Grove. Bahner was not home at the time, and Boelter allegedly left Rest’s street after a police officer arrived.

Local police

Vance Boelter, the man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses, is taken into custody Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Courtesy of the Ramsey County sheriff’s office)

Local police became aware of the shootings just after 2 a.m., when Hoffman’s daughter called 911, and started responding to north Hennepin County legislators’ homes. Though a widespread alert did not happen until after 3:30 a.m., when officers encountered the shooter at the Hortmans’ Brooklyn Park home.

The Department of Public Safety said teletype notifications —  digital inter-agency notices — went out to metro-area law enforcement agencies: one from the Brooklyn Park Police Department at 4:25 a.m. and another from the State Patrol at 4:45 a.m.

Those notifications mentioned that the suspected shooter appeared to be impersonating a police officer and urged agencies to monitor elected officials’ residences.

Asked about the teletype notifications, Fletcher said they lacked complete information and should have included lawmakers’ addresses so law enforcement could know where to go.

He also said the notifications included a description of the suspects’ vehicle, even though the suspect had abandoned the vehicle at the Hortmans’ Brooklyn Park house after encountering police.

Calling for review

Fletcher is calling for a review of the events of June 14, possibly through a legislative audit, to answer questions about which agency should be responsible for notifying lawmakers and law enforcement of potential threats.

The biggest concern, he said, is that it’s unclear who exactly should be notifying lawmakers and state law enforcement of potential threats.

While there were various messages sent by the sergeant at arms, legislative staff, and law enforcement agencies, the level of information available in different communications was at times patchy and delayed, he said.

“I was never suggesting at the time that I wrote the letter that we need to blame someone,” Fletcher said in an interview. “In fact, my letter says we need to figure out who’s even responsible.”

A group of 150 sheriffs and police chiefs received a briefing from the Department of Public Safety on this week, Fletcher said, adding that the agency plans a review of what happened the morning of June 14.

The House sergeant at arms falls under the authority of House leadership. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said there will be a review of the response to the shootings.

“I am grateful for the prompt and heroic efforts by law enforcement on the day of this horrific attack,” she said in a statement. “As with every major public safety incident, there will be top-to-bottom reviews of the response as well as significant work to examine improvements to safety and security measures.”

Security at Capitol

Fletcher’s letter to Capitol security and the House sergeant at arms comes as he continues to press state leaders to boost security at the state Capitol.

In a July 1 letter, Fletcher asked members of the Advisory Committee on Capitol Security, a bipartisan panel chaired by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, to consider electronic screening of visitors.

Measures should include metal detectors or X-ray machines to screen for weapons, the sheriff wrote, telling the committee that his office would be ready to assist with any efforts.

The advisory committee so far hasn’t weighed in publicly on any specific changes at the Capitol. In June, members issued a statement saying they were committed to boosting security but stopped short of endorsing any specific measures.

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By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

WASHINGTON (AP) — World leaders, lawmakers and even one Native American tribe are deploying a novel strategy for remaining on good terms with Presidential Donald Trump: Praise his peacemaking efforts and nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize.

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The announcements of nominations are piling up for the mercurial Republican president, who has long coveted the prestigious award. The honor, according to Albert Nobel’s wishes, is given to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”

Peace prize nominations for Trump date to his first term, but he’s talking more in his second about how he’s helping to end conflicts, how he wants to be known as a peacemaker and how much he wants to be awarded a prize.

Fellow leaders, politicians and others have taken notice. Critics say Trump policies that have sown division in the U.S. and around the world make him unfit for a peace prize and he’s being manipulated with the nominations.

On Monday, as Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington to talk to Trump about Iran and the war in Gaza, the Israeli leader had something else to share with the president as they sat across from each other at a table set for their dinner meeting in the White House Blue Room.

“I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee. It’s nominating you for the peace prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it,” Netanyahu told Trump as he rose from his seat to hand over a copy of the letter.

Trump thanked him. “Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful,” the president said.

A group of African leaders had their turn with Trump a few days after Netanyahu.

The leaders referenced the U.S. role in mediating a recent agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to bring peace after decades of bloody conflict that has killed millions. Representatives from both countries signed the deal in the Oval Office in front of Trump.

“And so he is now bringing peace back to a region where that was never possible so I believe that he does deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. That is my opinion,” said Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Thursday, “President Trump was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize due to his proven record of securing peace around the world.” She added, “Thanks to this President’s leadership, America is respected again, making the entire world safer and more prosperous.”

The Nobel prizes are determined in secret. Nominations can come from a select group of people and organizations, including heads of state or politicians serving at a national level, university professors, directors of foreign policy institutes, past Nobel Prize recipients and members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee itself.

Past recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize include former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama, both Democrats.

Last month, as Trump announced the Rwanda-Congo deal, he complained that he’d never get a Nobel Peace Prize despite everything he’s done, ranging from the Abraham Accords of his first term, in which Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalized relations with Israel, to recently easing renewed tensions between India and Pakistan, among others.

Pakistan nominated Trump for the peace prize last month but then turned around and condemned him a day later after he bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities. Trump later worked with Israel and Iran to end their short war.

As a candidate, Trump promised he would end the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day in office before saying later as president that he was joking. But solving that conflict, as well as Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, has so far eluded Trump.

His supporters, including lawmakers in Congress, are trying to help make Trump’s dream come true.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has called on the Senate to nominate Trump, while Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., asked her social media followers to share her post if they agree with her that he deserves it.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., recently wrote on X that she has now nominated Trump twice and will continue to do so until he is awarded the prize.

“He has done more for world peace than any modern leader,” she wrote.

At least one Native American tribe said it intends to nominate Trump, too.

“No world leader has dedicated more time and effort to promoting global peace than President Donald Trump,” Marshall Pierite, chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, said in a statement.

BY ANNIE MA

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will restrict immigrants in the country illegally from enrolling in Head Start, a federally funded preschool program, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday. The move is part of a broad effort to limit access to federal benefits for immigrants who lack legal status.

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People in the country illegally are largely ineligible for federal public benefits such as food stamps, student loans and financial aid for higher education. But for decades they have been able to access some community-level programs such as Head Start and community health centers.

HHS said it will reclassify those programs as federal public benefits, excluding immigrants in the country illegally from accessing them. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the changes were part of a larger effort to protect American citizens’ interests.

“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”

A spokesperson for the Administration for Children and Families, which administers Head Start, said that eligibility will be determined based on the child’s immigration status.

Requiring proof of immigration status would likely create fear and confusion among families seeking to enroll their children, said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association.

“This decision undermines the fundamental commitment that the country has made to children and disregards decades of evidence that Head Start is essential to our collective future,” Vinci said.

The changes are part of a multi-agency announcement rescinding a Clinton-era interpretation of federal law, which had allowed immigrants in the country illegally to access some programs. The Education Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor announced similar changes affecting a range of workforce and adult education programs.

The changes will affect community health centers that immigrants rely on for a wide range of services, said Shelby Gonzales, vice president of immigration policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

“People depend on those services to get cancer treatment, to get ongoing maintenance for a variety of different health needs,” she said.

Students in the country illegally will no longer be eligible to participate in post-secondary career and technical education programs or adult education programs, the Education Department announced. The department also issued a notice to grant recipients to ensure that programs receiving federal funding do not provide services to immigrants without legal status.

Education advocates said the decision would harm young people who have grown up in this country. EdTrust Vice President Augustus Mays said the intention appears to be creating fear among immigrant communities.

“Policies like this don’t exist in a vacuum,” Mays said. “They are rooted in a political agenda that scapegoats immigrants and uses fear to strip rights and resources from the most vulnerable among us.”

Head Start was started six decades ago as part of Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. It operates in all 50 states, helping families who are homeless or are in poverty.

Associated Press writer Cheyanne Mumphrey in Phoenix contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.