State leaders have agreed to a “phased closure” of the Stillwater state prison.

A statement from Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said the effort would “consolidate the state’s prison facilities to enhance the DOC’s economic efficiency, to end state investments into the crumbling infrastructure” at the facility and “to minimize the ongoing health and safety concerns the facility presents to both staff and the incarcerated population.”

The maximum security facility for adult male felons dates back to 1851, though the original facility was replaced in 1914 due to overcrowding. There are currently 1,171 inmates at the prison.

A press conference with corrections officials is scheduled for Thursday where more information is expected to be provided. Return to twincities.com for updates.

Related Articles

Wisconsin man suffers serious injuries in Denmark Township crash

Woodbury getting a PGA Tour Superstore this summer

Former Tartan band director admits to sexually assaulting DeLaSalle student

Mahtomedi school district plans $28M bond referendum

Woodbury names five finalists for city’s top post

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, AP Business Writer

Dick’s Sporting Goods is buying the struggling footwear chain Foot Locker for about $2.4 billion, the second buyout of a major footwear company in as many weeks as business leaders struggle with uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Dick’s said Thursday that it expects to run Foot Locker as a standalone unit and keep the Foot Locker brands, which include Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, WSS and Japanese sneaker brand atmos.

“Sports and sports culture continue to be incredibly powerful, and with this acquisition, we’ll create a new global platform that serves those ever evolving needs through iconic concepts consumers know and love, enhanced store designs and omnichannel experiences, as well as a product mix that appeals to our different customer bases,” Dick’s CEO Lauren Hobart said in a statement.

Both companies are led by women. Hobart became CEO at Dick’s in 2021, while Mary Dillon has served as CEO of Foot Locker since 2022.

Foot Locker announced a turnaround plan in 2023 in part to help improve its relationship with big brands. Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Retail Round Up Conference last month, Dillon said that Foot Locker is working closely with Nike, specifically in categories including basketball, sneaker culture and kids.

Earlier this month Skechers announced that it was being taken private by the investment firm by 3G Capital in a transaction worth more than $9 billion.

The retail industry has been growing increasingly concerned over Trump’s trade war with other countries, particularly China. Athletic shoe makers have invested heavily in production in Asia.

Shares of sporting goods and athletic shoe companies have been under pressure all year. Foot Locker’s stock has plunged 41% this year. It is also facing pressure elsewhere, with major athletic companies like Nike and Adidas shifting their sales strategies.

Skechers had fallen almost 8% this year.

About 97% of the clothes and shoes purchased in the U.S. are imported, predominantly from Asia, according to the American Apparel & Footwear Association. Using factories overseas has kept labor costs down for U.S. companies, but neither they nor their overseas suppliers are likely to absorb price increases due to new tariffs.

Foot Locker, based in New York City, offers Dick’s a lot of potential, namely its huge real estate footprint, and would give the Pittsburgh company its first foothold overseas.

Foot Locker has about 2,400 retail stores across 20 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It also has a licensed store presence in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The company had global sales of $8 billion last year.

Jefferies analyst Jonathan Matuszewski said that about 33% of Foot Locker’s sales come from outside the United States. He anticipates that the combined company would generate approximately 12% of sales internationally on a pro forma basis.

The deal also broadens Dick’s customer base, with sneaker collectors anxiously anticipating new drops from Foot Locker.

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, said in an emailed statement that Foot Locker, which has a 4.3% share of the sporting goods market, would give an immediate boost to Dick’s.

“It would also give Dick’s substantially more bargaining power with national brands, especially in the sneaker space,” he added.

Foot Locker shareholders can choose to receive either $24 in cash or 0.1168 shares of Dick’s common stock for each Foot Locker share that they own.

Dick’s said that it anticipates closing on the Foot Locker deal in the second half of the year. The transaction still needs approval from Foot Locker shareholders.

Dick’s stock dropped more than 10% before the market open, while shares of Foot Locker surged more than 82%.

A man is charged with using a stick to break windows at restaurants and another business on St. Paul’s West Seventh Street near the Xcel Energy Center.

Estimated costs to fix the windows totals $17,500, with the price tag at $8,000 for one restaurant, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday.

Police responded about 3 p.m. Tuesday to the Downtowner Woodfire Grill at West Seventh and Walnut streets for multiple reports of a man breaking windows in the area. Officers found a 30-year-old about a block away in front of Maharaja’s.

The man had blood coming from his arm. An officer asked why he broke the windows and he said “it was because he needed help,” according to the complaint. St. Paul Fire Department medics took him to the hospital. The complaint said he has no permanent address.

Witnesses saw the man using a stick to break a widow at the Downtowner, at Cossetta Alimentari and Maharaja’s. They also saw him damage the door at  Patrick McGovern’s Pub.

The man cut himself when breaking one of the windows. Police noted the stick appeared to be a thick wooden handle from a tool.

The Downtowner’s owner tried to calm down the man and get him to stop breaking windows, but the man swung the stick at him two or three times, the complaint said.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office filed charges of threats of violence and four counts of first-degree criminal damage to property.

Related Articles

Former Tartan band director admits to sexually assaulting DeLaSalle student

DoorDash delivery driver pleads guilty to stealing $2.5 million in deliveries scam

Witnesses put suspected drunk driver’s speed at 90-100 mph before fatal St. Paul crash

Man shot by St. Paul officer during search after sex assault gets 35-year sentence

Mounds View deaths of 2 men investigated as murder-suicide

Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders have reached a budget deal at the Capitol.

A press conference is planned for Thursday morning where state leaders will discuss the deal. The legislative session ends on Monday, May 19. Lawmakers had to pass a more than $60 billion two-year budget this session. Even though there is a deal, lawmakers may still need a special session to finish the work.

“Amid partisanship and division in Washington, Republicans and Democrats are proving that here in Minnesota we can still work together to get things done,” Walz said, in a statement. “This agreement will ensure Minnesota continues to be the best place in the country to raise a child, while responsibly addressing long-term structural budget challenges. While we disagree on many things, every person in the negotiating room has the best interest of our state in mind. I want to thank House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, as well as Senate Leaders Erin Murphy and Mark Johnson, for bringing their passion and ideas to the room and working in good faith to improve the lives of the people we serve.”

Republican House Speaker Demuth said in a statement on the deal: “While we began this session by navigating a tie in the House and the most closely divided legislature in state history, we’ve been able to come to an agreement that improves the lives of Minnesotans and addresses the budget issues in coming years.”

She added that there was still work to do in the remaining days of the session.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said in a statement that “hard work” and “compromise” went into the effort.

“Our budget framework invests in shared goals like education, health care and family budgets, and prioritizes children, workers and vulnerable communities,” Murphy said. “We will balance the state budget for the next two years. And now we begin addressing the future budget challenges created by Washington, D.C.”

This is a breaking news story. Check back with twincities.com for more updates.

Related Articles

With no budget deal yet, special session increasingly likely at Capitol

MN moves to strengthen DWI laws after fatal St. Louis Park crash

With one week left, what’s happening with the MN budget at the Legislature?

Joe Soucheray: No other governor has tried to pull off this pathetic budget stunt

Gov. Walz encourages legislators, and anglers, to get the lead out