Memorial Day is Monday, May 27, and there will be a number of events across the Twin Cities metro area over the weekend to honor and mourn those who died while serving in the military.

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. Since it is a federal and state holiday, many offices will be closed. Most grocery stores and pharmacies are open, however.

Here’s a look at this year’s local events:

St. Paul: 3 to 4:30 p.m. Monday. Ceremony honoring Vietnam War deaths at the Minnesota Vietnam Memorial on the state Capitol grounds.

St. Paul: 10 a.m. Monday. Memorial Day event at Oakland Cemetery, 927 Jackson St. Guest speaker will be Pat Hill of the Civil War Association.

St. Paul: 2 p.m. Saturday. Gary Carlberg, from VFW Post 1782 and Camp 56 SUVCW, will be hosting the dedication of over 20 Civil War Headstones in the Oakland Cemetery, 927 Jackson Street. This event is part of Operation Headstone, a joint MN VFW, MN American Legion and Camp 56 operation to set 250 headstones in 2024 for some of the hundreds of Civil War veterans in unmarked graves. The joint Honor Guard is from American Legion Post 39 from North St Paul and the VFW Post 1782 from White Bear Lake. Soldiers from the 1st Minnesota will be firing three rounds of musketry. The ceremony is open to veterans, those with an interest in Civil War history, and the general public.

The famous Round Tower at the Historic Fort Snelling on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

St. Paul: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday. Historic Fort Snelling will host an event focused on how Minnesota observed  “Decoration Day” during World War II (Decoration Day became known as Memorial Day after World War II).

The site will host programming across the entire 23 acres, from the new prairie landscape to inside the Plank Museum and visitor center. Hear the Brooklyn Big Band perform on the Klas Overlook, witness WWII era military demonstrations and ceremonies inside the historic fort, marvel at a historic plane flyover, watch the 2 p.m. baseball game and learn about how Fort Snelling figures prominently in Minnesota and American history.

The flyover time is estimated between 10 and 11 a.m. For more information go to mnhs.org. Historic Fort Snelling is located at 200 Tower Avenue, St. Paul.

Roseville: 10 a.m. Monday. Memorial Day service planned at the Roselawn Cemetery Veterans Memorial — Soldiers’ Rest. Attendees should bring a lawn chair as seating will not be provided. In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held at the Roselawn Chapel. A picnic lunch — hotdog, chips, cookie, pop or water — will be offered for $5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend.

North St. Paul: 9 a.m. Monday. The American Legion Post 39 Honor Guard and VFW Post 1350 Rifle Squad will honor veterans during a ceremony at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

North St. Paul: Noon Monday. The American Legion Post 39 Honor Guard and VFW Post 1350 Rifle Squad will honor veterans during a ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park. Attendees are encouraged to gather at 11:45 a.m. A brief program will be held. Honor Guards from North St. Paul VFW Post 1350 and American Legion Post 39 will fire a three-volley salute, provide flag detail and play taps.

A man pays his respects amidst a field of headstones at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Friday, May 26, 2023. John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Catholic Cemeteries: 10 a.m. Monday. Memorial Day Mass (rain or shine) will be held at Calvary Cemetery, in St. Paul; Gethsemane Cemetery, in New Hope; Resurrection Cemetery, in Mendota Heights; and St. Mary’s Cemetery, in Minneapolis. For more information, call 651-228-9991.

Stillwater: 11:30 a.m. Monday. Memorial Day Ceremony will honor the St. Croix Valley-area casualties of war. The ceremony will include music by the Croix Chordsmen and Stillwater Area High School band. A flag raising and flyover by the T-6 Thunder Flight Team is planned for noon. Attendees are asked to bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on. There will be limited seating available. The Stillwater Veterans Memorial is at Third & Pine Streets in Stillwater. More information at stillwaterveteransmemorial.org.

Stillwater area: Monday. The honor guard and auxiliary of VFW Post 323 will participate in the following services: 7 a.m. Rutherford Cemetery; 7:30 a.m. St. Mathews Cemetery; 7:50 a.m. Withrow Cemetery; 8:30 a.m. Marine on St. Croix Cemetery; 9:05 a.m. Stillwater Veterans Memorial; 9:30 a.m. Fairview Cemetery; and 9:50 a.m. Salem Cemetery. Times are approximations.

Mahtomedi: There will not be a parade this year for Memorial Day due to the road construction on Washington County Road 12/Stillwater Road. The American Legion will still hold a ceremony at Veterans’ Memorial Park on Memorial Day at 10 a.m.

Bayport: 8:30 a.m. Monday. Bayport American Legion Memorial Day Parade will begin on Minnesota Highway 95, between Central Avenue and First Avenue North and will proceed through the city to Hazelwood Cemetery.

White Bear Lake: 9:30 a.m. Monday. The White Bear Lake Memorial Day Parade will start at City Hall and progress to Union Cemetery, at U.S. Highway 61 and Minnesota Highway 96. 10 a.m. Memorial Service at Union Cemetery.

South St. Paul: 10 a.m. Monday. A Memorial Day program will be held at South St. Paul High School auditorium at 700 Second St. N. After the program, a hot dog lunch will be held at Gallagher-Hansen VFW Post 295 at 1401 Thompson Ave.

Hastings: 7 a.m. Monday. Memorial Day March. Beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Levee Park in Hastings and proceeding for 10 miles along the River Trail Loop. For more information, go to marchforthem.org.

Radio: 10 a.m. Monday. WCTS Radio will broadcast a locally-produced Memorial Day service featuring patriotic music, religious and historic reading as well as President Ronald Reagan’s remarks at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day 1986. The voices and stories of veterans of war will also be a part of the service, courtesy of the AMPERS network. An encore will air at 5 p.m. WCTS Radio is at 1030 AM, 97.9 FM and streaming at WCTSRadio.com.

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By STEPHEN GROVES and REBECCA SANTANA (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are trying for a second time to push ahead with a bill to clamp down the number of migrants allowed to claim asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sought on Thursday to underscore Republican resistance to the proposal.

The legislation, negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators, was already rejected by most Republicans in February when it was linked to a foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies. But with immigration and border security becoming one of the top issues of this year’s election, Democrats are looking for an answer to the barrage of GOP attacks, led by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, on border security.

“Senators will face an important decision. Will both sides come together to advance a bipartisan border security bill or will partisanship get in the way once again?” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said this week.

Schumer is trying to defend a narrow Senate majority in this year’s election and sees the Republican’s rejection of the deal they negotiated as a political “gift” for Democrats.

When the proposal was brought up in February, a test vote failed 49-50 — well shy of the 60 votes needed to advance. While a majority of Democrats were expected to again support the procedural vote to begin debate on the bill, the proposal seemed to be losing traction in the Senate as not even the primary Republican author, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, expressed support for Schumer’s move.

“This is trying to poke Republicans in the eye rather than try to say, ‘How do we solve the problem?’” Lankford told reporters.

Republican leaders spent much of the week decrying the vote as a bald-faced political maneuver and amplifying a well-worn criticism of President Joe Biden: That he bears responsibility for the historic number of migrants who have made their way to the U.S. in recent years.

“We’re nearing the end of President Biden’ s term, and the American people’s patience for his failing to secure the southern border is running thin,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday.

Earlier in the week, McConnell told reporters, “The president needs to step up to it — do everything he can do on his own because legislation is obviously not going to clear this year.”

Since the collapse of the Senate’s legislation in February, the Biden administration has been considering executive orders on border policy and immigration. It has already made some changes to the asylum system meant to speed up processing and potential removal of migrants. Yet the Senate’s test vote this week was widely seen as part of a lead-up to Biden issuing more sweeping border measures, potentially as early as June.

The Democratic president has considered using a provision in federal immigration law that gives leeway to block entry of certain immigrants into the U.S. if it would be “detrimental” to the national interest of the United States. The authority was repeatedly tapped by Trump when he was in the White House, but some of those actions faced legal challenges.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Monday that legislation to address problems at the border — as opposed to executive actions by the president — would be more effective. The Senate legislation would provide more money for Customs and Border Protection officials, asylum officers, immigration judges and scanning technology at the border — all things that officials have said the underfunded immigration and border protection system needs.

“The legislation provides tools that executive action cannot,” Mayorkas said.

The Senate bill is aimed at gaining control of an asylum system that has sometimes been overwhelmed in the last year. It would provide faster and tougher enforcement of the asylum process, as well as give presidents new powers to immediately expel migrants if the numbers encountered by border officials exceed an average of 4,000 per day over a week.

Even before the bill was fully released earlier this year, Trump effectively killed the proposal by labeling it “meaningless” and a “gift” for Biden’s reelection chances. Top Republicans soon followed his lead and even McConnell, who had initially demanded the negotiation over the border measures, voted against moving forward.

A significant number of Democrats have also criticized the proposal, mostly because it does not include any broad relief for immigrants who have already established lives in the United States.

“It fails to address the root causes of migration or to establish more lawful pathways,” said Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus said in a statement this week that the Senate’s bill “fails to meet the moment by putting forth enforcement-only policies and failing to include provisions that will keep families together.” They have urged executive actions that would provide protections from deportation for immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years or who have family ties to U.S. citizens.

Amid the tension, Biden’s reelection campaign met with CHC leadership Wednesday to discuss outreach to Latinos, and Biden spoke on the phone with Rep. Nanette Barragán, the chair of the group. She discussed the reasons for the group’s opposition, according to a person familiar with the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation.

Still, for Democratic senators facing tough reelection battles, the vote Thursday provided another opportunity to show they were supportive of tougher border measures.

As Sen. Jon Tester attempts to hold a Democratic seat in the red-leaning state of Montana, he sent a letter to Biden earlier this month saying, “I will continue to fight for the bipartisan border security bill in Congress, but its failure is not an excuse for lack of action from your Administration.”