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Dear neighbors,
The shooting which took place at Annunciation Catholic School has shaken us all, not just as a city but as a nation. We are all touched by someone who is impacted by this tragedy, directly or indirectly. It happened mere hours after a shooting outside Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, another mass shooting which took a life in addition to the two children who were lost at Annunciation. Countless individuals are recovering, both physically and mentally.
These are religious institutions and places of learning, where children should be safe to practice their faith and learn without risk of violence. This is not a high standard — this is a basic human right. Unfortunately, given the current state of gun culture and ease with which people can buy guns in the US, we are not afforded these assurances as parents, families, and members of civil society.
We are calling for our elected leaders at the state and federal levels to enact gun reform that will protect our children and neighbors from the continued onslaught of gun violence that we experience here, unlike any other country on the planet. Gun violence must end, and we need everyone to communicate with our elected leaders to achieve this. Our very lives depend on it.
Hennepin County will continue to work towards reducing the prevalence of gun violence through continued investments in our community safety ecosystem through violence intervention and prevention efforts, mental and behavioral health in our schools, and through working with all private and public partners to ensure we are doing everything we can to advocate for law change that will save lives.
See the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners comment on this matter from our board meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
Click here to support the victims or find support resources.
With deep gratitude,
Commissioner Debbie Goettel
What's happening at Hennepin County, and across the district:
Commissioner Debbie Goettel invites you to share your questions and ideas at an upcoming community town hall meeting. Enjoy light refreshments while connecting with your commissioner and neighbors.
- Richfield – Wednesday, October 1, 5:30–6:30 p.m. | Augsburg Library, 7100 Nicollet Ave. RSVP here on Facebook.
- Eden Prairie – Wednesday, October 8, 5:30–6:30 p.m. | Eden Prairie Library, 565 Prairie Center Dr. RSVP here on Facebook.
- Bloomington – Tuesday, October 14, 5:30–6:30 p.m. | Penn Lake Library, 8800 Penn Ave S. RSVP here on Facebook.
For more information, contact:
Kate Nelson, District Director kate.nelson@hennepin.us | 612-348-7885
Make sure to follow me on X! @HennepinDebbie
The Hennepin County Youth Activities Grants (HCYAG) program is now accepting grant applications from local government units (LGUs) for the following grant opportunities:
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Play Area grants: awards up to $300,000
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Equipment grants: awards up to $10,000
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Lifeguard Services grants: awards up to $50,000
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Arts & Music grants: awards up to $25,000
Full instructions and applications can be found in the Hennepin County Supplier Portal
Application deadline September 30, 2025 at 4 p.m.
Fall is a great time to catch up on immunizations. With back to school around the corner, it's important to do all that we can to make sure our children, ourselves and our community stay healthy. The county offers free, walk-in vaccine clinics to help people stay on track.
Hennepin County recently awarded 26 Healthy Tree Canopy grants totaling $500,000. Grant projects will take place in nine cities, on two affordable housing properties, at four schools, and through eleven nonprofit organizations, including congregations and neighborhood associations.
Grant funding will be used for a variety of activities, including conducting tree inventories, expanding the capacity of city forestry teams, treating or removing and replacing ash trees, and educating residents on the benefits of trees and engaging them in tree planting efforts. More than 930 trees will be planted, and more than 180 diseased trees will be removed through the grant projects.
The grants will improve livability and reduce disparities by planting trees in areas experiencing disproportionate amounts of economic, environmental, and health inequities. The grants will also protect people and increase the county’s resilience to climate change by increasing the benefits that trees provide.
In August 2025, the county awarded contracts to 25 Green Partners environmental education projects totaling $577,400 to engage their audiences in learning about and taking action to protect the environment. Together, these projects will reach more than 9,000 people, including more than 5,600 youth, and reach more than 165,000 people with environmental messages.
The program prioritizes environmental education and engagement with audiences that experience disparities.
The program includes three types of projects. Five organizations will work primarily with adult audiences to motivate environmental actions, 10 organizations will work primarily with elementary and middle school youth to educate about the environment and becoming environmental stewards, and 10 organizations will engage participants from high school to age 24 in environmental leadership.
Since the program was established in 2012, the county has awarded 286 contracts totaling more than $4.3 million.
Hennepin County awarded seven Environmental Response Fund grants totaling $1.8 million in August. The awards will assist developments that increase the tax base and create or retain permanent jobs. They will provide soil vapor mitigation systems for the renovation or construction of affordable housing units in Minneapolis. Grants will also support soil cleanup projects in Rogers and Robbinsdale, and active vapor mitigation system and sump reroutes for a community center. One of the grants will provide continued support to the Brownfields Gap Financing Program, which provides small environmental grants to government entities and non-profit organizations.
Current and upcoming lane and ramp closures on I-494
2025 Transportation Activities Webmap
Check out what’s happening across the county or zoom into your district to see what’s happening closer to you. To learn more about each project, just click on the line or dot on the map.
Transportation Capital Projects Webmap
Other resources:
Metropolitan Council weekly construction update
MnDOT- Metro Area State highway and bridge projects
Sunday, September 21 - 1 to 5 pm
The day the street comes alive with fun!
Learn more here.
Attendees will also review site considerations and learn about long-term site maintenance. Must be an Eden Prairie resident or live in the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District to attend.
Presented by the City of Eden Prairie and Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District.
Free
Learn More and Register
The story of a city is the story of its people. However, the stories of ordinary people — people who are marginalized, people who are neither rich, powerful, influential, or famous — these stories tend to get left out of history books and are often forgotten even by their descendants. In south Minneapolis, there exists a community of just such forgotten and overlooked individuals — all of them deceased. This is Pioneer & Soldiers Memorial Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Minneapolis and the final resting place for over 22,000 average citizens buried between 1853 and 1919.
The life stories of this cemetery’s occupants provide a fascinating and diverse cross-section of Minneapolis history from the city’s founding until its emergence as a major metropolis. Join Alex Weston from Hennepin History Museum for this guided walking tour that will highlight forgotten individuals in order to reconstruct a history of Minneapolis from the ground up via the lives of its everyday residents.
Learn more here.
Check out events happening at a Hennepin County library near you. Filter for specific geographic areas, age groups, and different types of events to find something unique to you and your family!
Learn more at Hennepin County Library events.
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Whether it's a housing crisis, energy assistance question, or child protection concern, we are here to help you navigate these and other issues.
Please call our office at 612-348-7885 or contact us to seek assistance or ask a question.
Contact
Commissioner Debbie Goettel
Hennepin County District 5
Bloomington | Eden Prairie | Richfield | SW Minneapolis
612-348-7885
Graham Faulkner
Policy Director
612-596-7078
Kate Nelson
District Director
612-348-7885
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