Carson Hartzog

@carzharts.bsky.social

Retail reporter @startribune.com. Iowa grad. Lover of libraries and pit bulls. Reach me: carson.hartzog@startribune.com | Signal: carsonhartzog.13

On Aug. 27, 2025, a gunman opened fire through the windows of Annunciation Catholic Church. Over the past year, several families filmed their experiences in video diaries. We hear some of their reflections and come to understand how this community is working to move forward. 🎧️ bit.ly/4cUpWZ4

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There's been a lot of speculation over the years about Har Mar's future. It turns out the Roseville shopping center's long-awaited redevelopment hinges on one company — Cub. Gift link for all my east metro faithfuls: www.startribune.com/har-mar-mall...

Har Mar Mall owners want to redevelop property, but they still need to convince Cub Foods

The Roseville shopping center’s owner has been planning an overhaul for four years but is still negotiating with tenants, city records show.

startribune.com

The City of St. Paul has hired an outside law firm to investigate sexual harassment allegations against Mayor Kaohly Her, including claims that she directed inappropriate sexual comments toward Police Chief Axel Henry and other city employees.

St. Paul investigates sexual harassment allegations against Mayor Kaohly Her involving police chief, officers

The city hired an outside law firm for the probe after Chief Axel Henry filed a formal complaint alleging inappropriate conduct toward city employees.

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After more than a dozen years of dramatic redevelopment, Southdale’s multi-block plot now pairs retail shopping with apartments, a hotel, a grocery store, a co-working space, a county service center, a so-called athletic country club and some sort of “Tron”-ified mini golf.

Malls are dying. Southdale placed a $400 million bet to reinvent the concept.

By adding luxury goods and places to live, work, and play, the country’s first indoor shopping center is now trying to pioneer The Mall 2.0.

bit.ly

Some police departments in the Twin Cities suburbs left Flock camera data accessible to far-flung law enforcement agencies. Those agencies searched the data for immigration purposes at the height of last winter’s brutal federal crackdown.

Police searched Twin Cities license plate cameras for immigration enforcement during ICE surge

Federal agencies were able to access the typically confidential data through partnerships with law enforcement around the country.

startribune.com

Built just 25 years ago, this development was supposed to model a new form of affordable housing that would lift people to self-sufficiency instead of trapping them in poverty. But Heritage Park has since fallen into the same disrepair as the troubled projects it was intended to replace.

North Minneapolis renters stuck in squalid homes once heralded as the future of public housing

At Heritage Park, broken furnaces and pipes, pests and mold have driven half the tenants out.

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Have you been thinking more about formula safety following the recent recalls involving ByHeart and Nara Organics? If you're willing to share your experience, email carson.hartzog@startribune.com. Photo by The Associated Press.

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A messy dispute over the future of French Meadow is spilling into court, with founder Lynn Gordon saying the new operator has defaulted on more than $1.7 million in payments and damaged the beloved brand.

French Meadow founder calls sale of Minneapolis restaurant a ‘horrible mistake’

In a lawsuit, Lynn Gordon says the buyer behind the Lyndale Avenue location owes $1.7 million and has damaged the beloved brand she spent four decades building.

bit.ly

Minnesota Star Tribune owner Glen Taylor says a report that he sought to sell the paper to local conservative media group Alpha News is false, saying instead he wishes to put the 159-year-old company under a foundation.

Minnesota Star Tribune owner denies report of potential sale to Alpha News

Glen Taylor said he is “committed to keeping the Strib strong and independent” and will continue with previously announced ownership plan.

startribune.com

NEW: This church teaches that once an abuser is forgiven, anyone who speaks about the wrongdoing can be accused of having an unforgiving heart. The burden of sin would shift from the person who committed the act to the person who won’t let the matter rest. W/ @startribune.com

In This Church, Child Sexual Abuse Has Gone Unchecked for So Long That It Spans Generations

The church's culture of forgiving and forgetting sins has absolved abusers and silenced victims across the country.

propublica.org

Minneapolis police rarely responded to immigration-related emergency calls during Operation Metro Surge, even as the department spent $10 million on overtime and standby pay preparing for unrest that largely never materialized.

Minneapolis police rarely responded to ICE calls but still spent millions on overtime

The MPD prioritized preventing large-scale civil unrest over responding to calls from residents concerned about unlawful force by ICE, and racked up huge OT costs doing it.

startribune.com