The St. Paul and Minneapolis skylines, including Allianz Field, will light up in gold-medal gold Friday evening to mark the one-year countdown for the 2026 Special Olympics, which will be hosted in Minnesota.

Next June, more than 3,000 athletes from across the United States will compete in 16 Olympic-style team and individual sports at the University of Minnesota and the National Sports Center in Blaine.

There are 75,000 to 100,00 people expected to visit Minnesota for the event, said Christine Sovereign, CEO for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.

“It is a celebration of human potential,” Sovereign said. “And it is Minnesota on a national stage where all the athletes that will come to compete are seen, respected and cheered for.”

The 2026 games will be the first time Minnesota has held a Special Olympics event of this size since it hosted the Special Olympics World Games in 1991, according to Sovereign.

“The year-out milestone is more than just a countdown,” Sovereign said. “It really is a call to action to embrace inclusive mindsets ... because more inclusive mindsets in our schools and in our communities leave us all in a better place.”

— Kathryn Kovalenko

Car crashes into salon, but no one injured

The St. Paul Fire Department responded to multiple reports of a passenger vehicle that crashed into the Fusion Salon at 712 N. Snelling Ave. on Tuesday — leaving a hole in the side of the building that was later patched.

According to a statement from Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Smith, crews arrived on the scene at 9:43 p.m. No injuries were reported by either the passengers or building occupants. Authorities reported that the vehicle occupant refused EMS transport.

According to an assessment by St. Paul Fire Department personnel, the salon did not sustain any significant structural damage besides the hole and “the building was turned over to its owner.”

The salon owner did not respond to a request for comment.

— Safiya Mohamed

Tainted chicken salad prompting recall

Three people have died and more than a dozen others were sickened in an outbreak of listeria linked to premade chicken pasta meals sold at Walmart and Kroger stores, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The chicken fettuccine Alfredo meals were made by FreshRealm, which issued a nationwide recall of the products. They are no longer available for sale, the CDC. said.

As of Wednesday, 17 listeria cases tied to the outbreak had been reported in 13 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration. They were Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

One of the people sickened was a pregnant woman, whose illness led to the loss of the fetus, the FDA said.

Health officials said they were still investigating the precise source of the outbreak.

The recalled meals were sold in the refrigerated sections at Kroger and Walmart under the brand names Marketside and Home Chef, according to the CDC.

Three products were recalled:

• 32.8-ounce tray packages of Marketside grilled chicken Alfredo with fettuccine tender pasta with creamy Alfredo sauce, white meat chicken and shaved Parmesan cheese, with a best-by date of June 27, 2025, or earlier.

• 12.3-ounce tray packages of Marketside grilled chicken Alfredo with fettuccine tender pasta with creamy Alfredo sauce, white meat chicken, broccoli and shaved Parmesan cheese, with a best-by date of June 26, 2025, or earlier.

• 12.5-ounce tray packages of Home Chef “Heat & Eat” chicken fettuccine Alfredo with pasta, grilled white meat chicken and Parmesan cheese, with a best-by date of June 19, 2025, or earlier.

Health officials urged people not to eat the meals and to clean fridges, containers and other surfaces that may have come into contact with them. Listeria can survive in refrigerators and easily spread to other foods and surfaces, the CDC warned.

Food inspectors found this strain of listeria in sickened people from August 2024 to last month. The Food Safety and Inspection Service found the same strain of the bacteria during a routine check on a FreshRealm location in March, according to the FDA.

FreshRealm produces food at locations in California, Georgia and Indiana.

Listeria bacteria, which are naturally found in soil, can contaminate many foods. Most people who ingest it don’t get very sick, if they develop symptoms at all. The bacteria are most harmful to people who are pregnant, who are 65 or older, or who have weakened immune systems.

About 1,600 people in the United States develop serious listeria infections, known as listeriosis, every year, and about 260 of those infections are fatal, according to the CDC.

Last year, 10 people died and more than 60 people were sickened after a listeria outbreak linked to a Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia. Boar’s Head permanently shut down the plant last September.

— New York Times

2 dead, 1 injured in overnight shooting

Two people are confirmed dead and a third injured after a shooting prompted a shelter-in-place order overnight Tuesday in Chisholm.

Chisholm police alerted area residents late Tuesday of an “ongoing law enforcement operation involving multiple agencies” in an area near the 100 block of Fifth Street Northwest.

The order was lifted at about 3 a.m. Wednesday with indications that the department was not seeking any additional people related to the event.

In a statement Wednesday, Chisholm Police Chief James Vukad confirmed the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team found one man and a woman dead inside the residence.

Vukad reported that another man at the scene suffered a gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital. “He is expected to survive,” police said in a statement.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension responded to the scene to assist with “an open and active investigation.”

Police said more details are expected to emerge following the completion of autopsies and the analysis of evidence from the scene.

The identities of the victims have not yet been released, pending notification of family members.

Chisholm Mayor Adam Lantz issued a statement Wednesday on Facebook: “My deepest condolences and sympathy to the families and friends impacted by last night’s senseless and terrible act of violence. My heart breaks for the victims, and for everyone experiencing such a deep loss today. Know you do not grieve alone and you have our unwavering support.

“If anyone in or around our community is in need of assistance reaching representatives who professionally assist in grief support, please contact a city representative. Please keep the families of those affected in this tragedy in your thoughts as they try to navigate through this terrible loss.”

The shooting marks the third reported homicide incident in St. Louis County in five days.

— Forum News Service

Minneapolis pair charged in slaying

A fatal shooting at an apartment in Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood came roughly three hours after another man was assaulted in a home invasion at the same residence, according to court filings.

Authorities allege that Antonio Duryea Hendon, 35, and Amber Michele Rose Walker, 41, both of Minneapolis, drove to Duluth after being asked to pick up the assault victim from the hospital.

However, they instead went to the apartment, where Hendon allegedly shot a tenant, Cody Thomas Telega, 37, multiple times and also fired at a bystander, according to criminal complaints.

Hendon is charged with intentional second-degree murder and second-degree assault, while Walker faces a count of aiding an offender to avoid arrest.

According to court filings:

Duluth police were called to the apartment building, 117 E. Third St., around 10:30 p.m. Saturday when a 47-year-old man reported he was assaulted by two unknown assailants who kicked in the door. He was in the unit by himself at the time and jumped out a window to escape.

Telega and a woman, who were identified as the tenants of the apartment, arrived on the scene while police were investigating and spoke with officers.

The assault victim, meanwhile, contacted Walker from the hospital and asked her to pick him up.

Officers then responded to a shooting call at the apartment around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, finding Telega with multiple gunshot wounds near the common entry door. Witnesses said they heard shots and saw a man running away from the area.

— Forum News Service