Bike to School Day set for Wednesday

More than 160 schools across the state have signed up to participate in the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Bike to School Day on Wednesday.

Sponsored by MnDOT and the Minnesota Safe Routes to School program each year, event promotes safe biking and walking activities. Other events or activities sponsored by the Minnesota Safe Routes to School program include Winter Walk to School Day.

Students and families can participate by biking or walking to school from home, joining a “walking school bus” or “bike train” a few blocks from school or by having parents drop students off a few blocks from school so that they can participate. Some schools offer bike safety education events during the day, like bike rodeos or taking field trips by bike.

Participating schools in St. Paul include Battle Creek Elementary School, Bruce Vento Elementary School and Crossroads Elementary, among others.

“Bike to School Day is a fun way for kids to learn about bicycle safety and explore their community on two wheels,” said Kelly Corbin, MnDOT Safe Routes to School coordinator. “The turnout at the events also reminds us how important it is to make it easier for kids to be able to bike everywhere they want or need to go.”

Schools can register events at walkbiketoschool.org/registration/. More information is available at dot.state.mn.us/saferoutes/.

— Imani Cruzen

Local GOP official first in governor’s race

Republican Josh Schoemann, the top elected official in a suburban Milwaukee county, launched his campaign Sunday with a campaign video, making him the first candidate from either major party to get into the 2026 governor’s race.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has not yet said whether he will seek a third term. Evers has repeatedly said he will announce his intentions after the state budget is passed and signed into law, which typically happens around early July.

Schoemann, 43, filed to create a campaign committee on Wednesday. He is the executive of Washington County, one of the deepest red counties in Wisconsin, which President Donald Trump won with 67% of the vote in 2024.

Schoemann has never run a statewide race before and is unlikely to be the only Republican candidate.

Bill Berrien, a Whitefish Bay manufacturing businessman, created a political action committee two weeks ago as he also considers a run. Berrien is a Navy SEAL veteran and CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision in New Berlin.

Others mentioned as potential candidates include U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents northern Wisconsin, and two-time losing U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde, a Madison businessman.

Schoemann was elected as county executive in 2020 after previously working six years as county administrator and county manager. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and received an honorable discharge in October 2008 from the Army National Guard.

— Associated Press