The University of St. Thomas has informed employees it will lay off 26 staff members and keep 30 open positions unfilled, among more cost-cutting decisions to come as it seeks to narrow a $10.5 million budget gap for the 2024 financial year.

University President Rob Vischer informed staff of the budget challenges in a letter this week and held a “budget town hall” on Friday at the O’Shaughnessy Education Center auditorium in St. Paul.

Attorneys for two brothers who were sentenced to die in a quadruple killing, the “Wichita Massacre,” will argue Monday for a formal resentencing hearing, the latest in a long series of appeals.

How the sentencing was handled has been a point of contention because the defendants — Jonathan and Reginald Carr — had a joint hearing when jurors considered their punishments. Prosecutors plan to oppose the latest effort.

North Korea on Monday test-fired suspected short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, the country’s neighbors said. It’s speculated that it could soon launch a banned satellite into orbit.

In response to North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats, the United States and South Korea have been strengthening their bilateral military drills. On Monday the chairman of South Korea’s join chiefs of staff met with the U.S. space command commander, waiting for discussions on countering North Korean threats.

Kevin Strus can be reached at stru1349@stthomas.edu.