After several years of declining numbers, Minneapolis city officials say the size of the police force is showing signs of growth.

Citing a report from the city’s human resources department, they say the city is on track to end the year with a larger police force than it had last year. Police chief Brian O’Hara says it will be the first time since 2020 that the department will see an increase in sworn officers.

“I’m also pleased about who is applying,” said O’Hara in a statement. “We have several applicants with relatives who are current MPD officers. A few years ago, family members were discouraging their loved ones from coming here. To me, that’s real progress.”

The department’s numbers have dropped significantly since the unrest following the police killing of George Floyd. Officers began filing workers’ compensation claims by the dozens and many also retired or left the force for other reasons. There were more than 800 sworn officers at the beginning of 2020. City officials say that number is currently 570. If that number stands at the end of the year, it will represent a slight increase in the number of officers on the force compared to the end of 2023.

The number of job applications has increased significantly. City officials say there were nearly 700 job applications submitted to MPD last year. So far in 2024, more than 1,000 people have applied.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says the city’s recruitment efforts are paying off. “We set a plan to recruit more police officers and that plan is working,” he said.

City officials say the newly adopted police union contract offers big incentives for new hires. It increases officer salaries by 21.7 percent over the next three years, which means a recruit at the department’s academy would earn about $85,000 a year by the third year of their contract.

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The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has made $3 million in emergency funds available to tribal nations amid the ongoing food shortage caused by a distribution problem with federal tribal food programs. The amount is $2 million more than the tribe anticipated two weeks ago when they announced the funding.

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community chairperson Cole Miller said delivery disruptions have created a crisis for tribal nations who utilize the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food programs.

“Tribal food warehouses are running out of food. Native elders and families are going hungry, and there is no permanent solution from the federal government yet in sight,” said Miller.

As of this week, 18 tribal nations across five states have applied to the Shakopee for over $2 million of relief, according to Miller.

More than 100 tribal organizations and nearly 50,000 people living on tribal lands across the U.S. rely on the USDA program. The tribe is providing funding to tribal nations in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Montana.

The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations — or FDPIR — provides food to income-eligible households living on or near tribal lands across the U.S. The treaty-based relationships between the federal government and tribal nations require the federal government to provide food to tribes.

Miller said the federal government needs to make good on its trust obligations.

“Sounds like there’s food there, there’s trucks there to transport the food, but somewhere it’s broken down, and that’s not getting to the tribes that need it the most,” said Miller.

A single vendor contracted by the USDA to ship food to tribal nations across the country appears to be the source of the delays.

This past week, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, alongside six other senators, wrote a letter sent to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack calling on the agency to fix the problem. The letter stated those delays are “particularly impactful to children during the summer months when they are more likely to experience the ‘summer slide’ — a period of learning loss and regression due to a lack of sufficient resources.”

USDA spokesperson Will Clement says the agency is working to solve the distribution issue.

“Working with our contractor, we are targeting food shipments to the Tribal nations and communities where inventories are lowest and have put in place a number of temporary delivery and funding options to help communities access food they need as we work through these challenges,” wrote Clement.

‘It’s been exhausting’

Wendy Zika is the food distribution coordinator for the Bois Forte band of Lake Superior Chippewa — an Ojibwe community near the Canadian border.

Routine shipments sent to Bois Forte from the USDA’s commodity food program were scheduled to arrive at the start of the month, but didn’t arrive until the third week of August.

“The delays have been hard on families that depend on this food [at] the beginning of each month and middle of the month, too.” said Zika.

Zika’s program has applied to the Shakopee community for emergency assistance and says she is set to receive funding.

Chairman Miller says the emergency funding provided by Shakopee is intended to be a temporary fix until tribal nations can access USDA temporary assistance.

“The USDA, they’ve come up with short-term solutions, and we’re pressuring them to find long-term solutions. Tribes are still going to be in need. These programs are still going to be there. So, we’re really pushing the federal bureaucrats in Washington to fix the problem long term, not just short term,” said Miller.

Miller and others are proposing changes to the upcoming federal Farm Bill that would address food insecurity issues. Miller says providing emergency funding amid the ongoing food shortage is the priority.

At Bois Forte, Zika says she worked every day last week delivering food that arrived late on USDA food trucks.

“It’s been exhausting. But I got it done,” said Zika. “I have lots of people still in need of their food this month and I am figuring I will be busy all week.”

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MINNEAPOLIS — Angel Reese became the WNBA’s single-season rebounding leader with eight games left on Sunday in the Chicago Sky’s 79-74 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, who got 22 points from Courtney Williams.

Reese finished with 17 points and 19 rebounds for her 24th double-double, a league rookie record. She has 418 rebounds for an average of 13.1 per game, with her total surpassing Sylvia Fowles’ record of 404 in 2018 set with Minnesota. The 6-foot-3 Reese also broke the record for offensive rebounds with 165, passing Yolanda Griffiths (162 in 2001).

Reese and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces are the only players in the league with at least four games of 15-plus points and 15-plus rebounds this season.

Williams tied a season high in scoring for the Lynx. Kayla McBride added 17 points and Napheesa Collier scored 15 for Minnesota (24-9).

The Lynx, who had their six-game win streak snapped Friday with a 94-76 loss to Dallas, are a league-best 8-1 since the Olympic break.

Chicago (11-21) lost its sixth straight. The Sky’s lead over Atlanta for the final playoff spot fell to one-half game with the Dream set to play at the Los Angeles Sparks Sunday night.

Kamilla Cardoso led the Sky with a career-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting and had nine rebounds. Michaela Onyenwere scored 15 points.

Collier and Williams each scored four points in a 14-4 opening run and Minnesota never trailed.

The Sky went on an 11-2 run to open the fourth quarter and tied it at 62-all when Diamond DeShields made a driving layup with 7:41 to play. Williams answered with back-to-back pull-up jumpers 24 seconds apart to put the Lynx in front for good.

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