MPR News has looked into reports that federal agents have accessed private data to track and intimidate anti-ICE activists since the immigration crackdown surged in Minnesota in December. Privacy advocates say it’s a clear violation of state law. Reporting from @jcollins.bsky.social.

Gov. Tim Walz abandons reelection campaign amid unrelenting fraud attention, Trump clashes www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz abruptly reversed course Monday and ended his campaign for a third term. Walz was three months into a reelection campaign that has been plagued by criticism over his handling of fraud and political opposition stirred up by President Donald Trump.

Minnesotans and players on Minnesota's pro teams made Team USA's hockey rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Minnesota Frost players Kendall Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein and Wild players Brock Faber, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes are all in.

A Minnesota grocery distributor has recalled hundreds of products sent to dozens of stores in the state, after unsanitary conditions were found in the company’s facility in Minneapolis. The recall affects products handled by Gold Star Distribution.

History will be made in St. Paul Friday when Kaohly Her becomes the city’s first Hmong mayor and the first woman to hold the title. With her inauguration, all of St. Paul’s elected city leaders will be women.

Our photographer Alex Kormann captured the exact moment the presses stopped for the last time in Minneapolis, ending a 158 history of locally printed newspapers.

Might get bad out there, folks. If you don't have to go anywhere, stay home. More than a half-foot of snow and blizzard conditions expected across much of the region, and it's expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season.

A pair of Duluth music scene mainstays will perform new songs Thursday night to a sold-out crowd at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Alan Sparhawk of slowcore band Low and the progressive bluegrass group Trampled by Turtles put out a self-titled record together this summer.

Another round of snow is moving across southern Minnesota Thursday. It will be followed by some very cold air this weekend for this early in the winter season.

Nisswa City Council members criticized Mayor Jennifer Carnahan Wednesday during a special meeting into her conduct. One council member called for Carnahan, former head of the state GOP, to resign.

More automated vehicles are hitting the road in Minnesota as the robotaxi company Waymo continues its testing in Minneapolis. But for now, they still have drivers behind the wheel.

I was excited to see a few bands in the lineup, but all my music festival friends seem to be unimpressed... And I'm not a 'go to a music festival by yourself' kind of person... 🫤

What's your favorite snow plow name from past contests? Personally love "Ope, Just Gonna Plow Right Past Ya," but I also love "Waipahiƞte." (Don't remember the past winners? We've got them! And don't forget to submit your name ideas before Dec. 19) ⬇️

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon will try next year for a fourth term in charge of an office that oversees elections and business registrations. He told MPR News in an interview that threats and challenges to elections are too great for him to step away.

"Heavy snow in central and northern parts of the state." Can 'heavy' snow be a foot? Is it weird that I want to see at least a foot?

University of Minnesota researchers say they’ve discovered several naturally occurring parasitic fungi that could be weaponized against the invasive beetles responsible for killing millions of ash trees across Minnesota and the eastern United States.

"I've been a sergeant, lieutenant, inspector. You'll be in roll call and hear, 'We’re going to war tonight.' Like, who are we going to war with?" www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...

I wonder how Minnesota United fans feel about the season shift. I'm following soccer just enough to think being in line with international leagues is a good thing, but I also wonder about just how challenging it will be for soccer fans to watch games in February.

A pair of solar flares is headed toward Earth and could touch off a magnificent show of auroras Tuesday evening and overnight across Minnesota. More from @svensundgaard.bsky.social

A federal appeals court panel ruled Thursday that managers of a suburban Twin Cities Home Depot did nothing illegal when they banned an employee from wearing a Black Lives Matter slogan on their uniform.

All kinds of voter resources for #election2025 when you're heading to the polls in Minnesota. Here's a thread for you!

President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill did away with several clean energy incentives, including tax credits that helped lower the cost of making homes more energy efficient. Some homeowners are moving forward with energy projects anyway. From @kirstimarohn.bsky.social

I'm working on a new show for Call to Mind and I want to know what stresses you out? What keeps you up at night? How does stress affect your mental health? Comment below or email with your stories about STRESS [email protected] TY to anyone who can lend a 🔄 to help spread the word.

In an interview Friday morning, President Trump announced Memphis is his next target for federal intervention to combat crime. The president said he has support from Tennessee's governor and Memphis' mayor.

Charlie Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political organization. Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions for an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.

A real estate developer has allowed dozens of people to stay on an empty lot that he owns, racking up at least $15,000 in fines for public health citations. But unless he’s presented with a court order, Hamoudi Sabri said there’s nothing the city can do to make him close off his property.

Silksong when? Now.

The Minnesota Lynx holds the best record in the WNBA currently, with 32 wins and just eight losses this season. Monday night, the Lynx rallied against the Dallas Wings for a 96-71 win. (Story from @anikabesst.bsky.social )

When Arden Grim of Duluth was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, her parents were told she may never walk or talk. This summer she worked as a researcher at the clinic where she went for therapy as a child that she described as “life-changing.” Great story from Dan Kraker.

Like many Minnesota districts, St. Paul Public School leaders sent an email last week letting parents know they had plans in place to keep students safe. The district has spent years developing a layered approach to school safety that’s backed by research. (From @eshockmanwrites.bsky.social )

Feels like a bad breakup happening...

Feel like you've kept up with the headlines this week? Try out our MPR News Quiz!

The Great Minnesota Get-Together offers the perfect pool of participants on which to conduct health care research.

Police are responding to a shooting Wednesday morning at a church and school in south Minneapolis. They say “the shooter is contained.” This is a breaking news story, we'll update as we learn more.

So ready for Frost season

From 1973 to 1994 a family with six kids lived on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds year-round in what’s known as the J.V. Bailey house. Their dad, Bill Hermes, was the State Fair gardener and groundskeeper. Here’s what it was like to grow up right next to the space tower.

In the southeast corner of the Minnesota State Fair, there’s a big pale yellow house, next to the Space Tower and across the street from the Agriculture-Horticulture building. “This was home for 22 years. This is where mom and dad lived. This was our home,” said Sue Quam.

Small town movie theaters have struggled to survive for years in an increasingly on-demand world. In Wadena, the local theater is flourishing thanks to generations of work by one family. Meet the Quincers.

Sarah Schmidt hoped her kids would take to the farm life she grew up with and maybe show their animals at the State Fair. Years of early mornings, livestock shows and ribbons prove she didn’t have to worry.

Small town movie theaters have struggled to survive for years in an increasingly on-demand world. In Wadena, the local theater is flourishing thanks to generations of work by one family. Meet the Quincers.

A first-time crop artist, MPR News senior arts reporter and critic Alex V. Cipolle chronicles her exhausting but joyful journey of creating a whimsical, Magritte-inspired seed art piece for the Minnesota State Fair, discovering both the beauty and madness of gluing millet one seed at a time.

Health insurance premiums for thousands of Minnesotans are expected to increase in 2026. The proposed rate hikes are driven by rising health care costs, and federal subsidies designed to make coverage more affordable are set to expire at the end of 2025. More from @ericazurek.bsky.social

Twin Cities musicians Jackie Rae Daniels and Nate Baker’s new EP “Amerikinda Minnesorta Folk” showcases some of their favorite numbers and the depth in their rich sound that enhances the duo’s acoustic storytelling.

Rob Doar with the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said binary triggers are “protected as accessories under the Second Amendment” and legislation that bans them has been a “popular way to get gun control bills passed through the legislature.”

A nonprofit that trains service dogs has established a fund to honor the lives of Minnesota House DFL leader Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark and their dog Gilbert.

A Minnesota blood center has declared a blood emergency due to a shortage throughout the state. More from Erica Zurek (@ericazurek.bsky.social)

As of July 17, nearly 100 federal grants totaling more than $20 million in outstanding funds have been terminated or suspended at the University of Minnesota. Written by @bzosiad.bsky.social and Shubanjana Das

Every generation has its slang, from words like “groovy” and “far out” to “lit” and “slay.” Tuesday morning at 9 on MPR News, I’ll talk to a linguist and a poet about the most popular slang in 2025. This show is going to be "straight fire." www.mprnews.org/episode/2025...

Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl have accelerated overdoses for Black men ages 55 to 74, who have suffered disproportionately for decades. Read: www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...