Mounds View High School principal Rob Reetz has been named the 2026 Minnesota High School Principal of the Year.

“It’s very humbling,” Reetz said. “I feel like a lot of the success I have in this position is due in large part to partnership. It’s other people that I work closely with that contribute great things — teachers, fellow administrators, our deans. Everyone works so hard to do such amazing things with our kids that it’s humbling to be recognized for something that I know is a reflection of a lot of people’s really great work.”

The Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals divides the state into eight regions, each with a selected representative. The region Reetz was selected to represent includes 93 schools in the east metro.

The selection board reviewed the eight representatives in December and selected Reetz as the honoree. He will represent more than 450 lead principals at the national level.

Reetz has worked in the Mounds View Public Schools district for around 19 years. Past roles have included principal of Edgewood Middle School and Chippewa Middle School, professional learning specialist, instructional strategies facilitator and special education teacher, according to the district website. He also has worked as a coach and led professional development at the district’s central office, Reetz said.

“I think it’s really understanding the importance of student and teacher voice in the decisions that school leaders make,” Reetz said. “I think I’ve really learned to galvanize people in times of crisis. And generally to listen and be curious and try to understand the the real essence of a problem before we jump to solving it.”

Since learning of his recognition, Reetz said he has spent the day thinking about his mentors and those who have influenced him, including his twin brother Russ Reetz, who is the principal at White Bear Lake Area High School.

Reetz received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth campus, a master’s degree in special education from Augsburg College and an education specialist degree in leadership, policy and administration from University of St. Thomas.

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By MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.

The State Department, led by Secretary Marco Rubio, said Wednesday it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the U.S. The suspension will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant, or temporary tourist or business visas.

“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a statement. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”

The statement did not identify which countries would be affected by the pause, but President Donald Trump’s administration has already severely restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for citizens of dozens of countries, many of them in Africa.

The suspension will begin on Jan. 21.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States says it’s moving into the next phase of a Gaza ceasefire plan involving disarming Hamas, rebuilding and daily governance.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff says in a post on X that the ceasefire deal was entering a phase focused on demilitarizing Gaza, establishing a technocratic government and reconstruction.

Witkoff did not offer any details Wednesday about the new transitional Palestinian administration that would govern Gaza.

The White House did not immediately offer any details, either. Witkoff said that the U.S. expects Hamas to immediately return the final deceased hostage as part of its obligations under the deal.

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By STEVE KARNOWSKI

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge made no immediate decision Wednesday on Minnesota’s request to suspend the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the state, where federal agents have yanked people from cars and confronted angry bystanders demanding they pack up and leave.

Plumes of tear gas, the deployment of chemical irritants and the screech of protest whistles have become common on the streets of Minneapolis, especially since an immigration agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head on Jan. 7 as she drove away.

“What we need most of all right now is a pause. The temperature needs to be lowered,” state Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter said during the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez promised to keep the case “on the front burner” and gave the U.S. Justice Department until Monday to file a response to the request for a restraining order. Local leaders say the government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights with the surge of law enforcement.

Menendez said the state and cities will have a few more days to respond.

“It is simply recognition that these are grave and important matters,” the judge said of the timetable, noting there are few legal precedents to apply to some of the key points in the case.

Government attorney Andrew Warden suggested the slower approach set by Menendez was appropriate.

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The Department of Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December and is vowing to not back down.

“What we see right now is discrimination taking place only on the basis of race: Are you Latino or are you Somali? And then it is indiscriminate thereafter,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told Fox News. “In other words, they are pulling people off the streets. They have pulled U.S. citizens off the streets and you don’t need to take my word for it at this point. This has been very well documented.”