MPRdotOrg
Minneapolis, St. Paul officials respond to reports of ICE operations targeting Somalis
- Title
- Minneapolis, St. Paul officials respond to reports of ICE operations targeting Somalis
- Runtime
- 59:05
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- City leaders from Minneapolis and St. Paul are holding a news conference Tuesday afternoon to respond to reports that the Trump administration is planning an operation targeting Somali immigrants.
According to reporting from the New York Times, the Trump administration is “launching an intensive immigration enforcement operation primarily targeting hundreds of undocumented Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, according to an official with knowledge of the operation and documents obtained by The New York Times.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and police chief Brian O’Hara, along with St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, are set to make statements at 1 p.m.
Read more coverage here:
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/02/minneapolis-st-paul-officials-respond-to-reports-of-ice-operations-targeting-somalis
- Title
- Korey and Cory: Minnesotan curling partners earn ticket to 2026 Winter Olympics
- Runtime
- 1:31
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- In what curler Korey Dropkin describes as a "phenomenal marketing play," he and curler Corey Thiesse first teamed up as mixed doubles partners in 2022. They both, with different partners, missed the qualifying mark in the 2018 and 2022 Olympic trials. This year – together – they finally earned their tickets to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
Thiesse was born and raised in Duluth to a curling family, and Dropkin says his curling skills better developed when he moved to Minnesota for college – a state where he could be among many of the best in the sport. The pair give some of the credit for their success to Minnesota’s curling environment, and say competing together on the biggest stage in the world after years of paralleling each other is a dream come true.
Video captured by Grace Praxmarer and edited by Jo Larson
- Title
- Documentary 'All the Empty Rooms' examines the bedrooms of children killed in school shootings
- Runtime
- 12:18
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman has covered countless school shootings over his career. And he admits it has made him numb to the endless string of tragedies.
In his new documentary, "All the Empty Rooms," one goal was to allow himself and his viewers the chance to sit with the lives of children killed in mass shootings - and shock both himself and the nation out of that numbness - as he photographs their now empty bedrooms.
Hartman sat down with MPR News Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the documentary short, which is available to stream on Netflix on Dec. 1.
---
0:00 Intro
1:13 How the idea started
2:24 Talking with parents
3:52 Photographing the bedrooms
6:14 Getting it made
8:01 Changing minds
11:13 Conclusion
- Title
- St Paul police hit photojournalists with less-lethal munitions during federal operation
- Runtime
- 1:51
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- Three photojournalists who covered a federal immigration arrest that drew hundreds of protesters to St. Paul’s East Side Tuesday, Nov. 25, say they believe police targeted them for doing their jobs.
The photojournalists – MPR News visual journalist Kerem Yücel, freelance photographer Tim Evans who was working for Reuters, and Sahan Journal staff photographer Aaron Nesheim – were hit by pepper balls or other less-lethal munitions as they documented the day’s events. Yücel’s injuries sent him to the hospital by ambulance. He has since been released.
All three photographers said they were clearly marked as press, had large cameras in their hands and they were grouped together as they worked.
Read more from Peter Cox at the link in our bio. Video edited by Ben Hovland
- Title
- Mistaken: Minnesota's Korean adoptees grapple with confessed systemic corruption
- Runtime
- 1:01:26
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- Earlier this year, South Korea’s government admitted that widespread corruption had tainted hundreds of thousands of adoptions from its country. Babies who were thought to be orphaned had living parents. Some children were trafficked. Paperwork was falsified. Records were destroyed.
Korean adoptees worldwide were left reeling, including here in Minnesota, home to the largest population of Korean adoptees in the U.S. Many had already wrestled with questions of identity and racial and cultural belonging. Now even the small bits of information they had about their past could no longer be trusted.
How are Korean adoptees who call Minnesota home responding to this foundational earthquake? Earlier this month, MPR News’ North Star Journey Live project hosted a gathering of adoptees who are deeply invested in the search for truth about their origin stories at Arbeiter Brewing in Minneapolis.
Moderated by Twin Cities PBS reporter Kaomi Lee, who is hers...
- Title
- Officers use less-lethal munitions on crowd during federal operation in St. Paul
- Runtime
- 2:05
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- Federal authorities on Tuesday took at least two people into custody in St. Paul during an operation that drew protesters and led to law enforcement using chemical irritants and firing rubber bullets into the crowd.
There was no immediate confirmation about the nature of the operation, which took place on the 600 block of Rose Avenue East, a residential area in the city’s Payne-Phalen neighborhood.
Federal agents on the scene included several from Homeland Security Investigations, part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Read more at mprnews.org.
Video edited by Anne Guttridge
Thumbnail photo by Kerem Yücel
- Title
- Author Nicholas Sparks on 'The Notebook' music coming to St. Paul’s Ordway Center
- Runtime
- 2:52
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- The musical adaptation of one of Nicholas Sparks’ most famous novels, "The Notebook," is currently touring in St. Paul at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts through Nov. 30.
The musical, based on Sparks’ bestselling novel, keeps the familiar framework: Noah reads from a notebook to help his wife, Allie, remember the life they built together. However, it isn’t a linear timeline that gives the show its structure. Rather, it plays with memory, jumping between moments of the past and present.
MPR News’ Jacob Aloi asked Sparks about his time in Minnesota and what it was like turning his book and movie into a musical.
To read more about the musical, follow the link in our bio.
Interview by Jacob Aloi, video by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Leaders worry after Trump threatens temporary protected status for Somalis in Minnesota
- Runtime
- 1:43
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- President Donald Trump called for the “immediate end” of temporary protected status of Somali people in Minnesota on Friday, prompting questions about what could happen to the roughly 700 people in the U.S. under that designation.
Temporary protected status, or TPS, is a federal designation that lets people from other countries stay in the U.S., work and travel if they come from a place experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary conditions.
Somalia became a temporary protected status-designated country in 1991 after civil war broke out there. That status has been extended more than two dozen times as U.S. officials found that it was too dangerous for Somali people in the U.S. to return to Somalia. The latest extension is set to run through March.
Read more here: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/11/24/temporary-protected-status-somalis-minnesota-could-end-what-to-know
Video by Ben Hovland | MPR Ne...
- Title
- Fond du Lac Band resumes tradition of harvesting Lake Superior trout
- Runtime
- 2:43
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- Lake trout almost disappeared due to overfishing and the invasion of the Great Lakes by the invasive, eel-like sea lamprey. But a successful lamprey control program has allowed the lake trout to make a steady, remarkable comeback over the past 60 years. Last year, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission declared the lake trout fully restored in Lake Superior.
That has set the stage for the Fond du Lac Band to bring back the important cultural tradition of subsistence netting for lake trout. This fall was the third year Band members harvested fish. When the tribe first returned to Lake Superior two years ago to exercise their rights to harvest the fish under treaties signed with the U.S. government, it was the first time in more than 160 years ago they had done so.
Story by Dan Kraker, video captured by Derek Montgomery and edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Talking Volumes: Kate Baer asks 'How About Now'
- Runtime
- 1:13:09
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- The 2025 season of Talking Volumes ended with poet Kate Baer and guest host Catharine Richert and a lot of laughter.
Baer’s latest book of poetry, “How About Now,” captures the mundane beauty of what it means to be a modern woman in midlife. She writes of shifting roles and shifting bodies, of the joy she finds in her family — even if she’d rather stand outside and look at them through the window, and the unique bond in female friendships.
Musicians Faith Boblett and Seth Duin closed out the evening with their own kind of poetry.
- Title
- Woman sentenced to 40 years for murdering beloved Minneapolis DJ
- Runtime
- 1:38
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- Margot Lewis was sentenced on Thursday to the maximum prison sentence of 40 years for the murder of Liara Tsai, a Minneapolis DJ.
The 33-year-old woman from Iowa was convicted by a Hennepin County jury on two counts of second-degree murder in late September. One count was with intent to cause Tsai’s death and the other without intent, using a dangerous weapon.
Prosecutors say Lewis stabbed her former romantic partner, Tsai, to death in the bedroom of Tsai’s Minneapolis apartment on June 22, 2024, and attempted to conceal Tsai’s body by wrapping it in bedding and a mattress.
Lewis then moved her body into the backseat of a car and drove over an hour and 40 minutes to southern Minnesota before crashing the car, according to court documents. Police found Tsai’s body in the car, while Lewis was seated in a lawn chair in a highway median.
Story and thumbnail photo by Nicole Ki, video captured by KARE11 and edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Federal law enforcement operation draws protests in St. Paul
- Runtime
- 0:39
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- A federal law enforcement operation at a St. Paul manufacturer prompted a large response by observers and protesters on Tuesday morning.
An ICE spokesperson confirmed the agency was part of the operation. The spokesperson said, “Today in St. Paul, ICE HSI and law enforcement partners conducted court authorized law enforcement activity and served a search warrant in furtherance of a federal criminal investigation. There is no threat to public safety, and the investigation remains ongoing at this time.”
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter spoke to protesters at the scene. He said he was not notified before the operation, and said the city will take steps to learn more.
This video was captured at 10:47 a.m. Federal officials left the scene by 11 a.m.
Photos and video captured by Kerem Yücel, video edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Jamar Clark’s family marks 10 years since he was killed by police
- Runtime
- 1:17
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- Ten years after 24-year-old Jamar Clark was killed by Minneapolis police, his loved ones are still grappling with his death. To honor him, family and friends gathered in north Minneapolis on Saturday, Nov. 15.
They remembered Clark as he lived and the signature colors of the Chicago Bulls — Clark’s favorite basketball team — adorned the space.
Clark’s killing sparked major protests in 2015 and laid the groundwork for Minneapolis to become the epicenter of a movement for Black lives following the 2020 police murder of George Floyd.
Story by Feven Gerezgiher, video captured by Tim Evans for MPR News and edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Duluth is first in Minnesota to pass ‘Right to Repair’ law
- Runtime
- 1:09
- Date posted
- 7 months ago
- Description
- Voters in Duluth have overwhelmingly passed a ballot initiative dubbed “Right to Repair,” a first-of-its-kind law in Minnesota that allows tenants to make simple repairs to their rental units, and then deduct the cost of those repairs from their next rent payment — up to $500 or half a month's rent, whichever is greater.
Voters approved the referendum by a 69 to 31 percent margin, with all of the city’s 34 precincts voting in favor of it.
The measure is modeled after similar policies in several states and cities, including Chicago, but this is the first law like it in Minnesota.
Story by Dan Kraker, video captured by Dan Kraker and edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Hundreds of fan treated to surprise KATSEYE appearance at Mall of America
- Runtime
- 1:02
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- KATSEYE is making last-minute appearances around the Twin Cities on Friday, Nov. 14, including stopping by their pop-up shop at the Mall of America.
The global girl group starts their first tour Saturday night with a sold-out concert in Minneapolis. They debuted last year and quickly rose to fame after the release of Netflix docuseries “Pop Star Academy.” Their last concert in Minnesota drew almost 8,000 excited fans to the Mall of America.
Video by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Jamar Clark's sister Tiffany Burns reflects on 10 years since police killed him
- Runtime
- 18:09
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Nov. 15, 2025, marks 10 years since the police killing of Jamar Clark. Clark was 24 years old and unarmed when Minneapolis police shot and killed him. The officers said Clark reached for one of their guns during a confrontation outside a party. Some witnesses disputed that Clark reached for the officer’s weapon. No officers were charged with a crime.
Clark’s death spurred protests, activism, and a movement that grew larger through the police killings of other Black men in Minnesota, including Philando Castile in 2016 and George Floyd in 2020.
MPR News host Nina Moini talked to one of Clark’s sisters, Tiffany Burns, to reflect on the 10 years since her brother’s death, which changed Minnesota’s history and her family forever.
For info on the 10th anniversary memorial event for Jamar Clark, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jamar-clark-10th-anniversary-celebration-tickets-1841799294269
Thumbnail photo: Christopher Juhn for M...
- Title
- Krispy Kreme’s return to Minnesota draws hundreds for fresh doughnuts
- Runtime
- 2:05
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The “hot light” turned on at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, marking the return of fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts to Minnesota.
The doughnut and coffee chain left the state in 2008. It returned with a new store in Fridley — and to hordes of excited doughnut fans.
Over 100 people waited in lines outside and in cars at the drive-thru just before the grand opening, some even waiting overnight.
Story by Feven Gerezgiher, video by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Northern lights put on a show for Minnesotans across the state
- Runtime
- 0:27
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- A pair of solar flares headed towards Earth made for a magnificent show of auroras across Minnesota overnight on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Tuesday’s lights were the most intense activity since May 2024. It's possible the northern lights will be visible again Wednesday evening.
To learn the science behind northern lights and see more photos, follow the link in our bio.
Video by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Why we’re still obsessed with the Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years after it sank
- Runtime
- 2:59
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains one of the most famous shipwrecks in history.
Fifty years ago, on Nov. 10, 1975, all 29 crew members died as the ship sank in a disastrous storm on Lake Superior.
The mystery that surrounds it and Gordon Lightfoot’s haunting song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” have created a fascination with the ship that has endured and seems to grow stronger with time.
Story by Dan Kraker
Video by Anne Guttridge
Video of the beacon lighting by Eric Dischino for MPR News
- Title
- Fans line up overnight for Labubus at Pop Mart Mall of America grand opening
- Runtime
- 1:04
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- About a hundred people braved the early morning chill at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., for a chance to get a Labubu.
The Pop Mart store has been open for a week but had reserved their most popular item for the grand opening at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8.
The store is Pop Mart’s first brick-and-mortar retail location in Minnesota. The Chinese toy company also has two vending machines at Rosedale Center in Roseville.
Story by Feven Gerezgiher
Video captured by Feven Gerezgiher and Jo Larson
Video edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Tony winner Santino Fontana on "Lost & Found in Cleveland," cutting his teeth in Twin Cities theater
- Runtime
- 17:08
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Santino Fontana is a Tony Award-winning actor and singer whom you might've seen or heard onstage in "Tootsie," on your television in "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" or in theaters in "Frozen." But before all that, he was an usher at the Guthrie.
On Friday, Fontana will make his return to the screen with "Lost & Found in Cleveland," a new Christmas movie that's basically "Antiques Roadshow" gone awry. He dropped by the MPR News studio to chat with reporter Jacob Aloi about the new film and how he got his start in the Twin Cities theater scene.
Story by Jacob Aloi
Video captured by Ruben Schneiderman, edited by Payton Whaley
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0:00 Intro
0:38 Lost & Found in Cleveland
4:27 Minnesota theater
11:36 The importance of theater
13:26 Advice to young actors
16:08 Outro
- Title
- As milk prices dropped, these Minnesota farmers put their cows out to cuddle
- Runtime
- 1:42
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Last year, Quinci Schmidt and her brother, Caleb Scherber, came across a business idea from a farmer in New York. What if they turned their calf nursery into a cow cuddling business?
They created Curious Cows and Company on their dairy farm in the town of Corcoran. For $25, anyone can spend 30 minutes with their calves, brushing their coats and feeding them hay
Schmidt said inviting those visitors in has allowed the family to generate revenue amid volatile dairy prices and created an opportunity to help people learn where their food comes from.
Story and video by Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval
Correction (Nov. 6, 2025): An earlier version of this caption incorrectly identified how the family heard of the New York farmer. Additionally, the story has been updated to clarify what the cows were eating.
- Title
- Jacob Frey wins third term as Minneapolis mayor
- Runtime
- 1:47
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was elected to a third term on Wednesday, Nov. 5, according to unofficial results. He fended off challengers who criticized his response to homeless encampments, the pace of police reform and what they described as a lack of collaboration with other elected officials like City Council members.
Frey’s main opponents were state Sen. Omar Fateh, minister DeWayne Davis and attorney Jazz Hampton. In ranked-choice voting, candidates with fewer votes are eliminated and their supporters’ votes are reallocated to their next choice. In the end, the race came down to Frey and Fateh in a second round of tabulation in the ranked choice election.
Story by Jon Collins
Video captured by Matt Sepic and edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Kaohly Her makes history as first woman and first Hmong American elected as St. Paul mayor
- Runtime
- 2:17
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- St. Paul has elected its first ever Hmong mayor and its first ever woman to lead the city.
Rep. Kaohly Her won over incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter after a tabulation of second-choice votes. St. Paul has used ranked-choice voting since 2011.
Her previously worked in Carter’s office during his first term and has represented part of St. Paul in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2019.
The victory makes history not only for the St. Paul mayor’s office, but also for the entire leadership of the city — the city council is made up of all women.
Story by Peter Cox
Video captured by Peter Cox and edited by Anne Guttridge
Thumbnail photo by Kerem Yücel
- Title
- Meet the kid trying to rescue fish stuck in a drained lake
- Runtime
- 1:45
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Lake Alice, located just north of Stillwater, Minn., in William O’Brien State Park, was drained almost completely in August.
The human-made lake needs to be drained about a foot, one to three times yearly into the nearby St. Croix River when water levels get too high. But this time, the valve broke, leaving the Caucutt family unpleasantly surprised when they arrived at the state park to fish on Oct. 18.
After exploring the lakebed, Levi Caucutt, 11, made it his mission to save the few fish left in what is now "Lake Alice Creek." He and his sister, Vivi, caught and moved about 10 of them into the St. Croix.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said it's not yet clear when valve will be repaired and the lake refilled.
Video captured by Cait Kelley and Kerem Yücel, edited by Jo Larson
- Title
- Ojibwe artist George Morrison’s exhibit opens at The Met
- Runtime
- 2:02
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- “The Magical City: George Morrison’s New York” is the first solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of art for the late Ojibwe artist.
The connection between Minnesota and New York is strong. Morrison, who was born in 1919 in Chippewa City on the North Shore, was a member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, which awarded him a scholarship to move in 1943 to study at the Art Students League of New York.
Morrison is acclaimed in the worlds of Native and Minnesota art and collected in museums across the country, but he was often overlooked as an artist who shaped the Modernist and Abstract Expressionist movements alongside friends and peers like Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Louise Nevelson.
The Met is the most visited museum in the U.S. and this is the first major exhibition of Morrison’s work from his early years in New York.
Story ...
- Title
- House Speaker Lisa Demuth launches Republican bid for Minnesota governor
- Runtime
- 1:41
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Lisa Demuth, the highest-ranking Republican at Minnesota’s Capitol, has announced her run for governor.
Monday, Nov. 3 marks one year from the 2026 election. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is seeking an unprecedented third consecutive, four-year term. Demuth is entering a more crowded Republican field and is seeking the endorsement from the Minnesota Republican Party at the convention next May, as well as the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Demuth spoke with MPR News politics correspondent Dana Ferguson ahead of her announcement.
Learn more: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/11/02/republican-house-speaker-lisa-demuth-will-run-for-minnesota-governor
Interview by Dana Ferguson, video by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- North Star Journey Live: Is college still worth it?
- Runtime
- 1:18:38
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Climbing tuition costs and hefty student debt took the shine off a college education. Is college still worth it, or should high school students consider other post-secondary options? North Star Journey Live hosted a panel with Sahan Journal to talk with young adults and school counselors about the value of a college degree.
- Title
- These two elections will decide which party controls the Minnesota Senate
- Runtime
- 1:37
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- On Election Day, voters in suburban Woodbury and rural Wright County will decide a pair of state Senate special elections that will determine which party has a majority heading into 2026.
The contests in two distinct districts will restore the Senate to its full complement for the first time in months. And they offer up a preview for high-stakes campaigns in 2026 when all 201 legislative seats are on the ballot.
MPR News senior political reporter Dana Ferguson shadowed the four candidates to learn more about their campaigns.
Story by Dana Ferguson, video captured by Dana Ferguson and Anne Guttridge, video edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Minneapolis mayoral candidates answer: should the city instate a $20 per hour minimum wage?
- Runtime
- 2:05
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Voters in Minneapolis are electing a mayor this fall, and it's a crowded race with 15 names on the ballot.
Four of the leading candidates mayor addressed key issues and how they intend to lead their city in a MPR News/Minnesota Star Tribune debate. Incumbent Jacob Frey, state Sen. Omar Fateh, business owner and attorney Jazz Hampton and minister DeWayne Davis addressed public safety, property taxes, minimum wage and downtown development. The candidates were selected because they’ve been the most active in their contact with voters and in putting resources into the race.
Video captured by MPR News production staff and edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Talking Volumes: John Grisham talks justice, his new book and why he doesn't write sex
- Runtime
- 1:43:26
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Prolific author John Grisham came to Talking Volumes for the first time earlier this month and charmed the packed Fitzgerald Theater with stories about his time as a lawyer, how writing transformed his views on justice and why he doesn’t put sex scenes in his book.
- Title
- Minnesota's two testing labs gear up for recreational cannabis boom
- Runtime
- 1:55
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Minnesota now has two state-approved testing labs for recreational cannabis: Legend Technical Services and ChRi Laboratories. While Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management says more labs are expected to get licensed in the next few months, officials at both St. Paul-based testing facilities are expecting testing backlogs once the recreational cannabis market starts ramping up early next year and hemp products must be tested in-state starting Jan. 1.
MPR News visited both labs, which say their current turnaround time on testing ranges from one to two weeks.
Story by Nicole Ki. Video captured by Anne Guttridge and edited by Nicole Ki.
- Title
- Four-time world champion ‘Pumpkin King’ from Anoka is dethroned
- Runtime
- 1:42
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota has won four of the five Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off’s he’s competed in. In 2023 he set the world record with his 2,749 pound pumpkin named Michael Jordan.
The pumpkin he grew this year for competition, Happy, didn’t quite pull its weight. Gienger spoke with MPR News producer Lukas Levin about missing this year’s competition.
Interview by Lukas Levin, video by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Most Minnesota workers can get partial paid leave through the state starting Jan. 1
- Runtime
- 2:16
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Employees in Minnesota who work for companies without paid family and medical leave programs may be eligible for paid leave through the state starting Jan. 1, 2026.
Workers can apply to receive partial pay when they are on leave, and their job will be protected if they have worked for the employer at least 90 days.
The program will be funded by a 0.44 percent payroll tax on both the employer and the employee, which will start Jan. 1 as well.
You can find more information on paid leave categories and eligibility on the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s website.
Story by Dana Ferguson
Video recorded by Anne Guttridge and edited by Jo Larson
- Title
- Minnesota United win Game 1 of MLS Cup playoffs
- Runtime
- 0:26
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Minnesota United defeated the Seattle Sounders in the opener of their best-of-three MLS Western Conference playoff series on Monday, Oct. 27 in St. Paul. After a scoreless draw, the Loons beat the Sounders 3-2 on penalty kicks. At one point, a flag was unfurled that read “You Betcha” and featured a flying loon, the club mascot.
The Loons will play Game 2 against the Sounders in Seattle on Monday, Nov. 3.
Video captured by Michael Olson and edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Minneapolis Mayoral Debate 2025 - Jacob Frey, Omar Fateh, Jazz Hampton and DeWayne Davis
- Runtime
- 54:23
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Monday’s debate is one of the final times the leading candidates will be in one place ahead of the Nov. 4 end of voting.
The winner will be decided in a ranked choice election. That means voters will be able to cast votes for more than one candidate out of a field of 15. First-choice ballots will be tabulated and future tabulations will be done with the backup options until one candidate gains a majority.
Incumbent Jacob Frey is seeking a third term. The most visible challengers, based on campaign spending and other outreach activity, are: minister DeWayne Davis, state Sen. Omar Fateh and Jazz Hampton, an attorney and startup business founder.
Those four will take part in Monday’s debate, moderated by MPR News senior editor Brandt Williams and Star Tribune columnist Eric Roper.
To read more coverage, visit here: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/10/27/minneapolis-mayor-debate-dewayne-davis-jacob-frey-omar-fateh-jazz-hampton
- Title
- Eagan police concluded high school band teacher, Brett Benson, groomed students
- Runtime
- 6:03
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- An investigation into Eagan High School music teacher Brett David Benson was opened in 2022 after the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district contacted police on a report that Benson, then age 35, allegedly sneaked a student out of her room during a school trip to Italy.
Eagan police detective Chad Clausen eventually interviewed more than 40 people, including teachers, parents and Benson’s former students. He also spoke to Benson, who denied any wrongdoing.
Elizabeth Shockman reports that what Clausen concluded, according to his 100-page investigative report completed in 2023, went much deeper than a single allegation on a school trip.
Hannah LoPresto and Sophie Panetti were two of the students who spoke to Clausen for his investigation. They agreed to speak to MPR News on the record.
Story by Elizabeth Shockman, video by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visits Minnesota for ICE briefing
- Runtime
- 1:19
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivered remarks Bishop Whipple Building at Fort Snelling in Minneapolis on Oct. 24 on the ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Secretary Noem discussed stepped-up ICE enforcement efforts in Minnesota, part of the administration's broader push to tighten immigration policies nationwide.
Noem outlined plans to prioritize arrests of people with criminal records and those with pending deportation orders, but offered few details on how enforcement will increase or what resources might be added in the state.
She also did not confirm whether the President Trump plans to deploy the National Guard to assist.
Hundreds of protesters gathered before Noem spoke. The crowd grew to more than 600 as she spoke.
Story by Sarah Thamer and Jon Collins
Video captured by Sarah Thamer and Kerem Yücel
Livestream video by U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Vide...
- Title
- Politics Friday: Voices from Rochester, Minnesota
- Runtime
- 4:54
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Join us every Friday on Politics Friday as we bring you a candid, no-frills conversation about Minnesota politics — and this week, we’re going where few broadcasters do: straight into the heart of the community.
In this edition of Politics Friday: Ask Rochester, we head to southeastern Minnesota to ask a simple question: “How are you doing right now?” Residents of Rochester share candid reflections on local issues such as housing, jobs, civic trust and community change. From optimism about new opportunities to frustration with political division, this episode offers honest and personal perspectives on how national trends are showing up in everyday life in Greater Minnesota.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro & context
02:15 - Voices from Rochester: “How are you doing?”
10:40 - National politics meets local life
18:30 - What comes next in Minnesota & how you can help
25:45 - Wrap-up & call to action
Connect with us:
- Title
- Sophia Forchas, last hospitalized Annunciation shooting victim goes home
- Runtime
- 1:02
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Twelve year old Sophia Forchas was released from the hospital on Thursday, nearly two months after she was shot in the head at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis on Aug. 27. She is the final victim of the mass shooting to be discharged.
Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski died in the mass shooting, and 30 other people including Sophia were injured. Eighth grader Lydia Kaiser, who was also shot in the head, had been released as of Sept. 6.
Story by Sam Stroozas, video courtesy of The Catholic Spirit | Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, video edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- White Earth Nation expands bison herd in northwest Minnesota to 55
- Runtime
- 0:34
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- The White Earth Nation’s Bison Program recently expanded its herd with the arrival of 45 new bison, which includes yearlings, mature cows and two cow and calf pairs. In August, the program welcomed its first bison calf.
The tribal nation now has a total of 55 bison between a breeding herd near Naytahwaush and a harvest operation near Mahnomen.
In addition to supporting goals around food sovereignty and security, the program has a cultural and spiritual aspect. Some people are commenting on how good it is to see the animals back on their traditional landscape at White Earth.
Story by Chandra Colvin, video courtesy of White Earth Nation, video edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Native lacrosse stages a comeback in northeast Minnesota and beyond
- Runtime
- 2:45
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Eight years ago, a group called Twin Cities Native Lacrosse played a demonstration game of Baaga’adowewin on the Fond du Lac Reservation. The game is the Ojibwe version of lacrosse and it was a vital community-building tradition around the Great Lakes until it virtually disappeared during the boarding school era.
After Thomas Howes played it for the first time, he knew he wanted to bring the game back to his community but he faced one major hurdle: They needed sticks to play. So Howes learned to make them. Through trial and error, he learned to fashion Baaga’adowewin sticks in his garage workshop. He’s since made hundreds of sticks — more than he can count — that are used throughout his community and beyond.
Story and interview by Dan Kraker, video captured by Derek Montgomery and edited by Anne Guttridge
- Title
- Hundreds in Woodbury celebrate Diwali, a celebration of light over dark
- Runtime
- 0:57
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Hundreds of people came to the Hindu Society of Minnesota’s Diwali Mela celebration on Oct. 18 at the M Health Fairview Sports Center in Woodbury, Minn.
Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil. The holiday, the biggest in India, is also known as the festival of lights and is celebrated in October or November every year, depending on the Hindu lunar calendar.
Video by Jo Larson
- Title
- Thousands attend ‘No Kings’ Trump protest in Minneapolis on Saturday
- Runtime
- 0:22
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- Thousands gathered in Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon for the "No Kings" protest against President Donald Trump.
The nationwide mass mobilization is a response to the government shutdown and various Trump administration decisions, Indivisible Twin Cities spokesperson Jennifer O’Brien said.
“The cuts to health care access, the cuts to our environmental protections, it's going to affect our beloved Boundary Waters and the watershed district — things that really matter to Minnesotans,” she said.
Video captured by Tim Evans for MPR News, edited by Sam Stroozas.
- Title
- Talking Volumes: Misty Copeland, ‘Bunheads, Act 2: The Dance of Courage’
- Runtime
- 1:24:56
- Date posted
- 8 months ago
- Description
- n her latest picture book, Misty Copeland continues the story of her beloved “Bunheads.”
When a cast shake-up threatens the success of a children’s ballet production of “Don Quixote,” a young troupe must find strength in each other. This family friendly conversation will touch on creativity, collaboration and the power of perseverance.
- Title
- #TheLastFrontier's Dallas Goldtooth on his pivot from comedy to action
- Runtime
- 2:03
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Dallas Goldtooth is an actor known for comedies like "Reservation Dogs" and "Rutherford Falls." This month, he's taking a turn into drama and the Alaskan wilderness on Apple TV’s “The Last Frontier.”
Goldtooth is Diné and is a member of Lower Sioux Indian Community in Morton, Minn. He came by the MPR News studio to talk with Native News team members Leah Lemm and Melissa Olson on how activism, stunt training and YouTube sketch comedy prepared him for his newest project.
You can find the rest of the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=059e2oBDacXN5k91&v=45or7RmuKlU&feature=youtu.be
Interview produced by Aleesa Kuznetsov
Audio engineering by Josh Sauvageau
Video by Payton Whaley and Anne Guttridge
Thumbnail image courtesy of Apple TV
- Title
- St. Paul Mayoral Debate 2025 - Melvin Carter, Yan Chen and Kaohly Her
- Runtime
- 56:59
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- In three weeks, votes will start to be tabulated in St. Paul’s ranked-choice election. The winner will serve a three-year term rather than the typical four years because St. Paul will align its future elections with the presidential election cycle starting with 2028.
This fall, incumbent Melvin Carter is seeking a third term. Two of the most visible challengers, based on campaign spending and other outreach activity, are state Rep. Kaohly Her and Yan Chen, a scientist and business owner.
Those three will take part in Tuesday’s debate, moderated by MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and Pioneer Press city hall reporter Frederick Melo.
To read more coverage, visit here: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/10/14/st-paul-mayor-debate-with-melvin-carter-yan-chen-and-kaohly-her
- Title
- 'The Last Frontier's' Dallas Goldtooth on making the jump from comedy to action
- Runtime
- 23:29
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- Dallas Goldtooth is an actor known for comedies like "Reservation Dogs" and "Rutherford Falls." This month, he's taking a turn into drama and the Alaskan wilderness.
Goldtooth is Diné and is a member of Lower Sioux Indian Community in Morton, Minn. He came by the MPR News studio to talk with Native News team members Leah Lemm and Melissa Olson on how activism, stunt training and YouTube sketch comedy prepared him for his newest project, "The Last Frontier" on Apple TV.
"The Last Frontier" is now streaming on Apple TV.
Story produced by Aleesa Kuznetsov
Audio engineering by Josh Sauvageau
Video by Payton Whaley
Thumbnail image courtesy of Apple TV.
- Title
- Tablers at Indigenous-focused farmers market talk Indigenous Peoples Day plans
- Runtime
- 1:32
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- The second Monday of October is recognized as Indigenous Peoples Day in Minnesota. On the Thursday before the holiday, Indigenous business owners and advocates at Four Sisters Farmers Market in Minneapolis shared their plans for this year's Indigenous Peoples Day.
Four Sisters is located between Pow Wow Grounds and the Minneapolis American Indian Center along the American Indian Cultural Corridor. The market is open every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Oct. 30.
The indigenous-focused market showcases more than 15 vendors and is attended by over 100 people every season.
To see more ways to celebrate to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day around Minnesota, follow the link in our bio.
Story by Chandra Colvin, video by Jo Larson
- Title
- This man ran the Twin Cities Marathon two months after leaving prison
- Runtime
- 2:19
- Date posted
- 9 months ago
- Description
- On Sunday, Oct. 5, Andre Anderson and his running mentor Steve English crossed the finish line of the Twin Cities Marathon in four hours and 40 minutes.
The pair were brought together through Mile in My Shoes, a Twin Cities nonprofit that pairs local runners with people in substance-use recovery programs, homeless shelters, veterans’ organizations and reentry centers.
The marathon was only two months after Anderson had been released from prison. He was convicted of second-degree attempted murder in connection with a stabbing near Duluth in 2014. Anderson fought the conviction, arguing the photo lineup process that identified him was faulty. Anderson lost on appeal but maintains his innocence.
Story by Nicole Ki and Cait Kelley
Video captured by Cait Kelley, Carly Danek and Anne Guttridge
Video edited by Anne Guttridge
Thumbnail photo by Carly Danek
