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Today’s newsletter is 1,023 words — a 4-minute read.

The Minneapolis City Council has advanced a proposal to dissolve the Office of Community Safety (OCS).

Why it matters: A series of worrisome audits and blown budgets has raised questions about OCS' ability to coordinate Minneapolis' police and fire departments with the city's many experiments with unarmed public safety workers.

Catch up quick: Mayor Jacob Frey created OCS in 2022 to unify the city after Minneapolis voters rejected a plan that would've replaced MPD with a "department of public safety."

• OCS was meant to carry forward some of the ballot measure's spirit and substance.
• The new office — led by a community safety commissioner — would oversee MPD, its reform process, and non-police alternatives.

Driving the news: A City Council committee voted yesterday 9-3 to send a proposal to disband the office to a full council vote, which could come as soon as tomorrow.

• The initiatives OCS oversees would continue, but eliminating its staff and the commissioner position — which Todd Barnette plans to vacate soon — would also free up $2 million during a citywide budget crunch.

What they're saying: Council President Elliott Payne argues that instead of elevating reform, OCS muddied the city's org chart.

• "Having the commissioner sandwiched in between the mayor and the [police] chief broke the chain of command," Payne tells Axios. "It lost the clarity."

Case in point: The city's charter gives the mayor direct authority over MPD. OCS' former leader, Cedric Alexander, told the Star Tribune that he was frequently bypassed by ex-MPD Chief Brian O'Hara, who dealt directly with the mayor.

• Payne says this explains why MPD overspent its budget in multiple areas in 2025: OCS lacked true authority to push back.

The other side: OCS' defenders on the council say the issues are reasons to bolster the office and its leaders' authority, not to abandon the experiment.

• Council Member Jamison Whiting called it a "reckless" proposal that would "increase MPD's influence over Minneapolis' public safety strategy" and sideline alternative programs.

Friction point: Neighborhood Safety Department director Amanda Harrington said OCS support was key to forcing the police department to work with her.

• "Without the commissioner literally telling [MPD] they had to work with me, we couldn't get some things started," she told the council.

What we're watching: Council members LaTrisha Vetaw and Pearl Warren — who usually side with the mayor — voted to advance the proposal, despite Frey's opposition to the plan.

• If those two members don't switch sides, the proposal would have a veto-proof majority — though Vetaw also said she still had concerns.

Keep reading

"At every turn, they have ignored us, misled us, and shielded Alex's killers. We are a family who love this country. We trust in the institutions of this country. We believe in the rule of law, and that people should be held accountable through that law. However, our experience with the Department of Justice has left us wondering how Alex will ever get justice."

Context: The press conference by Michael and his wife Susan came five days after a Star Tribune report showed that the DOJ is again withholding evidence from state investigators.

• The DOJ said in a statement to the paper that communication with family members comes later in an investigation's process.

🤠 The Loop is closing on Nov. 29, but will be replaced by a country music bar that the owners say will bring some of Nashville's Broadway to the North Loop. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)

🚨 Two St. Paul men have been charged with stealing $26,000 worth of rare Pokémon cards from an Eagan arcade, the second time they've been charged in a Twin Cities Pokémon heist. (Fox 9)

🔎 The Minnesota Department of Education has hired an auditor to examine Fridley Public Schools over concerns that the district is in a "debt spiral" tied to short-term borrowing the pay bills. (Minnesota Reformer)

Opioid overdose deaths fell in 2025 for the third straight year, newly released data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows.

• Non-fatal overdoses involving opioids also dropped 2% year-over-year.

Yes, but: Overall overdose deaths rose 3% — to 1,025 — due to an increase in fatalities involving stimulants.

• Deaths involving meth and similar drugs jumped 11%, while fatal cocaine overdoses increased by 6%.

The bottom line: Minnesotans struggling with substance abuse or mental health can text or call 988 for free, confidential support; or text their ZIP code to 898-211 for more information on recovery resources in their community.

Go deeper on the data

Cheerios boxes may never be the same now that General Mills is rolling out Ziploc bags to help keep the cereal fresh.

The Golden Valley-based food company said it's received hundreds of thousands of letters, emails and DMs asking for an easier way to reseal a cereal box, so it's teamed up with Ziploc to change that.

The new bags — in Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios boxes — are for now only at Walmart.com, but will roll out to national retailers in the coming months.

💭 Our thought bubble: Nick's three kids put down a box of cereal in about two days, but this should help Torey's smaller family, which resorts to airtight containers to stave off stale Cheerios.

📺 Torey is glad that "Nobody Wants This" is back.

🀄️ Kyle hosted mahjong night at his house.

🤧 Nick is wondering when this hacking cough is going away.

🥦 Audrey nabbed this amazing vegetable dress at her clothing swap.

This newsletter was edited by Larry Graham.