Your daily Minnesota news roundup starts … NOW.

In the wake of the COVID pandemic and with the rise of remote work, office vacancies have risen in both downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, but developers are now working to convert that former office space into current living space. Candidates include Minneapolis’ Ameriprise Financial Center, vacant since 2025, and City Center, which used to be the center of our scene, but City Center’s over, no one really goes there. 

As part of the Star Tribune’s North Star Summit at the Guthrie Theater, Gov. Tim Walz sat for an “exit interview” with Star Tribune vice president and opinion editor Phil Morris. 

“I came out of a classroom in Mankato, was elected by my neighbors to do a job, now I’m pretty sure I’m going to go back into that classroom, post of that, and share what I’ve learned. I am not the same person. I am pettier on this,” Walz said, followed by laughter in the Guthrie, “and I think there’s a story to be told here how to heal this country a little bit.”

Following the murder of George Floyd, the idea of having emergency personnel trained to respond to crises with empathy and social services instead of violence gained traction nationwide. Here in Minneapolis it has taken the form of violence interrupters, but cities like Durham, N.C., are bringing their own unique approaches to 911 calls. 

The mother of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by ICE officers during Operation Metro Surge, spoke at a Capitol Hill forum yesterday. Donna Ganger was one of several people who addressed representatives about the spate of killings by ICE agents in the last year.

Former Gov. Mark Dayton is on a book tour for his recently released memoir, “Perseverance,” and he stopped by Content Bookstore in Northfield to share his thoughts on governance and other topics.

And finally in your news roundup: The Mall of America is preparing to welcome not one but two new Bandai stores on Sept. 30. The Bandai Namco Cross Store is only the second to open in the U.S. after the one that opened in Japan Village in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2025. The first Gundam Base opened in Chicago last December, making this the country’s second and getting us one step closer to getting Ilhan Omar a Gundam.