Couples hoping to get married on Valentine’s Day will again have the option to do so at no cost at several Minnesota county courthouses, including Ramsey and Washington counties.

Hennepin County District Court began offering free Valentine’s Day weddings in 2013 and other courts have followed suit over the years. In 2026, 10 district courts are offering free Valentine’s Day weddings on Thursday, Feb. 12, and Friday, Feb. 13.

“This year will be Hennepin County District Court’s 13th year of performing free weddings for Valentine’s Day — and we are doing it on Friday the 13th,” said Judge William Koch, who has organized Hennepin County District Court’s Valentine’s Day weddings since their inception. “We hope to flip the script of negativity around Friday the 13th:  This year’s theme is ‘Lucky in love.’  We want to celebrate our 13th anniversary with a new group of happy couples. It is such a special day for our couples and everyone here at the courthouse.”

Couples wishing to have a judge marry them on Valentine’s Day should check the list below and follow the directions for registering for a free wedding. Couples do not need to reside in the county in which they plan to marry, but they must have a valid marriage license in that county before a wedding can be performed.

Information and appointments:

In Ramsey County, weddings will take place at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul in the lower-level conference room 40 Find out more at: mncourts.gov/find-courts/ramsey

In Washington County, weddings will take place at the Government Center in Stillwater. For more information call 612-424-9827 or email 10thWashingtonCourtMailbox@courts.state.mn.us

In Beltrami County, weddings will take place at the County Judicial Center in Bemidji. Call 218-888-5060 to make an appointment.

In Carlton County, weddings will take place at the Justice Center in Carlton. Call 218-673-5080 to register.

In Carver County, weddings will take place at the District Court in Chaska. Call 952-361-1420 to register.

In Chisago County, weddings will take place at Chisago County Government Center in Center City. Call 651-213-7020 or email 10thChisagoCourtMailbox@courts.state.mn.us.

In Hennepin County, weddings will take place at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis. Find out more here: https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/hennepin/marriage-ceremonies.

In Lake County, weddings will take place at the Lake County Courthouse in Two Harbors. Call 218-595-5008.

In Roseau County, weddings will take place at the Roseau County Courthouse in Roseau. Call 218-463-2541 for more information.

In St. Louis County and Duluth area, weddings will take place at the Duluth Courthouse in Duluth. call 218-221-7683 for more information.

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Two leaders in the St. Paul Public Works Department started a GoFundMe account after one of their employees was detained by federal ICE agents and faces deportation.

Sean Kershaw, the Public Works director, and Jericho Huggar, the Public Works street superintendent, organized the fundraiser to help the man and his family with financial support. They did not identify him.

The GoFundMe said the man was detained “based entirely on profiling him because of his country of origin. He was legally authorized to work in the United States by the federal government and (has a valid and current state) commercial driver’s license.”

The man is a “great employee,” working to keep St. Paul streets safe with plowing snow and filling potholes, the fundraiser said. “His detention leaves his wife without any income because she is now afraid to go to work; she knows few people in the community, and we are working to get her support,” the fundraiser continued, noting that while the man is being connected to legal resources through the city, he’s still likely to be deported by ICE.

As of Sunday evening, just over $10,000 had been raised.

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“Stranger Things” star Finn Wolfhard gave a nod to the cult Minneapolis band the Replacements during his hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live.”

While introducing musical guest A$AP Rocky on Saturday’s show, Wolfhard wore a vintage Replacements t-shirt from the group’s final tour in 1991.

Wolfhard is currently co-writing a film based on Bob Mehr’s best-selling biography “Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements” with his father, Eric.

It may well also have been a reference to the Replacements’ infamous, profanity-laced debut as musical guests on “SNL” that took place 40 years ago Sunday. Producer Lorne Michaels subsequently banned them for life from the show, although he did welcome back band leader Paul Westerberg as a solo artist in 1993.

Wolfhard announced the film in an October Instagram post that read: “One of my parents’ first dates was to a Replacements concert. Then I was born!

“As Westerberg once said ‘Let’s let em down.’ ”

Mehr, who is the music critic for the Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis, Tenn., also wrote about the film on social media.

“In the nearly ten years since ‘Trouble Boys’ was published, I’ve been flattered and fortunate that so many accomplished, talented people have approached me about adapting the book for both the big and small screen,” Mehr wrote.

“Over the years, and through various iterations, I’ve continued to believe that the Replacements’ tale would eventually transcend the page and find life in another format. To that end, I’m grateful to my friend Finn, his father Eric, and producer Richard Peete for having a real vision for this book and this band.”

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A group of protesters interrupted Sunday morning services at a St. Paul church because one of the pastors works with a federal immigration agency, according to police.

At approximately 10:40 a.m., officers were called to the Cities Church in the 1500 block of Summit Avenue after receiving reports that some 30 to 40 protesters had interrupted services, according to police spokesperson Nikki Muehlhausen.

By the time officers arrived, the group had left and was walking down the alley, she said.

In a Facebook post, protesters said they went to the church to ask for justice for Renee Good because they had identified a church pastor as the acting director for the St. Paul field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The church’s website lists David Easterwood as a pastor. Easterwood is listed as a defendant in a Jan. 12 lawsuit filed by the state of Minnesota to halt the federal immigration crackdown that led to the fatal Jan. 7 confrontation between Good and an ICE agent.

Later Sunday, Trump administration officials condemned the protest at the St. Paul church, which is is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, a conservative Protestant denomination headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.

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