Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is urging Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to restore a $700,000 federal grant that supported Minnesota’s violence prevention efforts. The Targeted Violence and Prevention grant was abruptly cancelled in July, cutting key positions within Behavioral Threat Assessment And Management team at the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

Walz went on to say that with recent tragedies, like the assassination of Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and her family, and the fatal shooting at Minneapolis’s Annunciation Catholic School, he wanted to highlight the devastating cost of failing to act.

Red River Valley Community Action’s board of directors have voted to dissolve the organization, a process that requires documentation to be filed and finances put in order before the organization ceases to exist. The unanimous decision came during a board meeting Wednesday evening, Sept. 3. The Vice President of the Board says the members’ dedication is why they have stuck around, despite the stress and confusion they’ve faced running an organization that became increasingly financially unstable in recent months.

The agency’s financial concerns were first reported in May after the organization announced it would permanently close its Grand Forks food pantry. Concerns at that time included tens of thousands of dollars in debt to partner agencies and vendors caused, at least in part, by what board members called misappropriated funds. The uncertain future of federal funding that’s essential for the organization’s operation was another major concern reported at the time.

The option the organization ultimately voted in favor of was dissolution, which calls for a majority of board members to vote in its favor. The board now needs to submit documentation with the Secretary of State’s Office. The deadline to file documentation is Sept. 22. Once the state reviews this documentation, it would determine whether RRVCA can feasibly continue providing services.