Latest news with #MetroState
CBS News
06-05-2025
- CBS News
St. Paul man charged in alleged gun attack on mom that prompted Metro State University lockdown
A St. Paul man, who had only been out of prison for a couple of months, is charged with attempted second-degree murder and possessing a machine gun after he allegedly shot at his mother last week on the city's east side, prompting a lockdown at nearby Metro State University. The Ramsey County Attorney's Office filed charges against the 22-year-old suspect one day after the shooting, which happened on the afternoon of May 1 in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood. According to the complaint, the suspect and his mother separately told police they had an argument at their home, culminating with the woman telling her son to move out. They told investigators the suspect left the house, and minutes later his mother pulled up beside him in a parking lot a couple blocks from their home off Sixth Street East and Maria Avenue, directly across the street from the university's main building. The two started arguing again, the complaint states, with both saying the mother told her son not to return home. The suspect told investigators he then "blacked out," and fired nearly a dozen rounds at her SUV. The woman told police she then drove home, and her son said he followed to check if she had been injured. Officers arrived soon after to find the two arguing again, and took the man into custody. A K-9 found the gun, which police say was modified with a "trigger activator," inside their backyard grill, according to the complaint. The suspect allegedly admitted it was his weapon. Officers at the scene noted the woman's SUV had "a shattered rear window, a broken rear driver's side window, and multiple bullet holes along the driver's side," the complaint states. Court records show the suspect has four previous felony convictions, including first-degree robbery and being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm. He was released from prison in late February, and was arrested less than three weeks later in Hennepin County for illegal possession of a firearm modified with an "auto sear," the complaint states. He was on conditional release for that alleged offense at the time of last week's shooting. The suspect's bail was set at $1 million. If convicted, he could face at least 20 years in prison. Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
CBS News
02-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Minnesota State colleges and universities brace for budget reductions, tuition hikes as state funding falls short
A college degree is already expensive, and it could cost students even more at some Minnesota public colleges and universities next year. The Board of Trustees governing the Minnesota State system — which serves 270,000 students across community and technical colleges and universities like St. Cloud State, Metro State and Minnesota State University in Mankato — discussed tuition increases ranging from 3.5 to 9% in each of the next year to plug budget shortfalls. Bill Maki, vice chancellor for finance and facilities, told WCCO the average increase will likely land somewhere in the middle and vowed the schools wouldn't balance their budgets on the backs of students, so reductions and streamlining resources will follow, too. The board will consider each school's tuition proposal and make a final decision in June, and they will discuss options again at a meeting later in May. "There's many factors that go into setting tuition rates, and student affordability is one of the strong values of Minnesota State, [and] that it is a primary source of operating revenues. So balancing and having the availability of the experiences that students expect versus how much they pay is something where there's trade-offs that will need to occur," Maki said. The other primary source of revenue supporting Minnesota State programs is state funding. But a bleak state budget picture — a projected $6 billion deficit in the future if lawmakers don't act wisely this session — means the Legislature is tightening the belt. The House and Senate still need to hash out the differences of their higher education budget blueprints, but Minnesota State is bracing for no new funding, something Maki explained has not happened in a decade. He said whatever the final deal is will likely amount to a funding cut since last budget there was an influx of one-time dollars. "We look forward to being able to move forward and do it in a very thoughtful, deliberate way to try to minimize the impact the best we can to students," he said. The focus of lawmakers in both chambers, working with fewer resources, is on shoring up the state's financial aid program. Maki said that it will help blunt the impact of any tuition increase for families. The colleges and universities within the system are the cheapest in the state, with tuition ranging from about $6,200 to $10,000 per year. In the previous two years, tuition remained flat, according to the Board of Trustees' documents. The highest increase in the last decade was 3.4%. During the Minnesota Senate's debate on the higher education budget bill Thursday, GOP Sen. Zach Duckworth blamed Democrats who controlled the State Capitol the previous two years for the current budget outlook. He attempted to shift funding away from the North Star Promise Program, which provides free college for students whose families make less than $80,000, to implement a tuition freeze at Minnesota State. DFL Sen. Omar Fateh of Minneapolis countered that previous Legislatures contributed to the budget shortfalls state schools are facing. "A lot of the challenges higher ed has been facing, including costs, is due to years of disinvestment that's been occurring — year after year after year, the state not investing in our higher education, not investing in our students," Fateh said. "So we did that. We invested a record number of dollars in higher ed last biennium." Last year, the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents voted to raise tuition for this school year by 4.5%. The Legislature must adjourn on May 19 to avoid a special session.
CBS News
12-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
State Department action sends ripples through South Sudanese community in Colorado
Political unrest half a world away is being felt here in Colorado as South Sudanese community members wonder what comes next. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the transitional government in South Sudan is taking advantage of the United States. He is revoking visas for South Sudanese citizens and said no new visas will be issued. South Sudan is reportedly on the brink of a new civil war . Colorado resident Nyadak Pal said, "It's bringing back memories of trauma." She came to this country as a war refugee from South Sudan and eventually earned a degree from Metro State, as well as full citizenship. "These are intellectuals that are adding to our economy," said Pal. Rubio announced last week that he is revoking the visas of all South Sudanese passport holders due to "a failure to repatriate deportees in a timely manner." It impacts students and those within the community concerned that they'll be deported regardless of immigration status. "Overall, what brings us together is education," Pal said. The effects of the visa revocation are wide reaching and tie into USAID cuts to South Sudan as well. "There are children who have already died since this cutoff," said Peggy Gonder, who is on the board of Seeds of South Sudan . The Colorado nonprofit has helped refugees earn education in Kenya. "Eighty-three have graduated high school. Twenty-four in college in Kenya, and we just graduated our first medical doctor." While the visa change hasn't targeted their nonprofit, the USAID cuts have impacted food programs to camps where South Sudanese war refugees have come from. As Pal hears of a looming civil war in South Sudan, she is working to organize her community together no matter what happens here in the U.S. "So, this is where we find connection and alignment to try to bring our groups together in the name of education."
