Minnesota Today

Temperatures are going to be climbing across Minnesota through the weekend -- as another heat wave takes aim at the region. The Superior National Forest has closed access to a large section of the Boundary Waters because of several active wildfires and dangerously hot and dry conditions. The Department of Employment and Economic Development awarded 11 programs across the state grants to make child...

A judge Thursday sentenced a former Homeland Security agent to seven years in federal prison for making child sex abuse videos. He's one of three Minnesota-based law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty last year to child sex abuse image crimes. 17,000 Minnesotans left the Affordable Care Act marketplace over the past year, according to figures provided by MNsure. With a major midterm election...

Damage assessment and cleanup continues in Mower County after the second round of flash flooding there in a week. Parts of the county, including Austin, Adams and LeRoy, received around a half-foot of rain Wednesday. The flooding swamped streets and highways and sent water into basements. The sheriff’s office said it had to rescue some people from their homes. St. Paul plans to close homeless enca...

Republican candidates for governor are telling voters they'll reduce Minnesota's budget and taxes if they're elected. Democrats called on Republicans to more clearly spell out what they'd seek to cut. A federal lawsuit alleges that the medical giant Mayo Clinic has been cutting corners as it incorporates artificial intelligence into its research and patient care. Deere & Company, a farm equipm...

Minnesota Somali community leaders are denouncing President Donald Trump for posting a clip of Somali kindergartners at a St. Paul graduation on Truth Social. The Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office is again asking a judge for more time to respond to a demand from Renee Good 's widow for the return of her vehicle. Cleanup continues north of Detroit Lake following Monday night’s tornado that caused ma...

Several people were injured Monday night when a tornado touched down and caused significant damage north of Detroit Lakes . The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado based on weather spotter sightings. Nearly 75,000 people got approval to take paid family and medical leave under the state’s program in the first six months since it got off the ground. The Elk River City Council Monday nigh...

Two people were injured Monday when a suspected tornado touched down and caused significant damage north of Detroit Lakes. The Becker County Sheriff's Office says those injuries were not life-threatening. Minnesota's new paid family and medical leave program is now a full six months old. The volume of signups was high when the program went live in January because many families who welcomed a new b...

Authorities across Minnesota report at least three people drowned over the Fourth of July weekend . And Dozens of hospice nurses at Allina Health held a one-day strike on Monday. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Severe flooding in some parts of southern and southeastern Minnesota has closed several roads and highways in the area. Flash flooding closed Interstate 90 between Austin and Dexter for several hours this morning. It is now partially reopened, and MnDOT hopes to have the highway fully reopened this evening.

The U.S. has decided not to renew a key trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. The decision plunges Minnesota's agriculture industry into uncertainty. Lawmakers grilled the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ leader Wednesday about the agency’s process for revalidating Medicaid providers. Oral arguments are set Thursday morning in three lawsuits challenging Minnesota's ban on prediction marke...

Fourteen people facing federal charges for protesting ICE in Minnesota pleaded not guilty in federal court today . And Minnesota's attorney general's office won't enforce a new law requiring warning labels for social media sites while a lawsuit plays out. Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

More than a dozen people facing conspiracy charges in connection with anti-ICE protests are expected back in Minneapolis federal court Wednesday afternoon. A Minnesota Senate committee will meet Wednesday to discuss the Department of Human Services' revalidation process. The process triggered the agency to disenroll some providers. Leaders in three rural Minnesota counties are giving rave reviews...

The Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship is welcome news for many Minnesota families . The justices ruled in favor of the longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship to nearly anyone born on U.S. soil. Also today, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld laws in other states that bar transgender students from participating in school sports. Minnesota officials...

Tuesday is expected to be another day of scorching and dangerous heat across much of Minnesota. And Minnesotans are trying to cool off any way they can, from going swimming at their local pools or beaches to staying indoors with iced drinks. As heat builds across Minnesota this week, animal experts are urging pet owners to watch closely for signs their pets may be overheating. Pets can suffer heat...

Tornado sirens sounded earlier today in parts of central and northern Minnesota as a line of destructive storms swept across the region. There were no immediate confirmed reports of tornado touchdowns in Minnesota. But the storms produced wind gusts of 75 miles per hour and dropped half-dollar-size hail at Wadena just after 11 a.m. Hundreds of homes and businesses are without power across the stat...

An extreme heat warning takes effect Monday across much of central and southern Minnesota could see temperatures hit the 90s and heat indices making it feel like 110. And with that high heat, the state's Department of Natural Resources is encouraging people visiting state parks to stay hydrated and seek shady areas. A judge in Polk County ruled in favor of the rural city of Fosston this past week...

Early voting began Friday in Minnesota ahead of this year’s primary election. At the Minneapolis Early Vote Center, some voters were among the first to cast their ballots in person. Voters can vote early by mail or in person. More information is available at MNvotes.org. The Inver Grove Heights City Council voted 3 to 2 Friday to impose a one-year moratorium on data centers in the city. The meetin...

Voters can start casting their ballots Friday in the Minnesota primary election. Absentee voting starts 46 days before any election in Minnesota and you can cast an absentee ballot by mail or in person . Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says voters don't need an excuse to vote absentee. The primary election is Aug. 11. A government transparency organization has filed a lawsuit against the...

Hundreds of people attended an open house hosted by Google Wednesday in Hermantown, just outside Duluth. The company wants to spend up to $2 billion to build a large data center there. The proposal has faced strong opposition from residents, and at least two lawsuits have been filed to block it. The project still needs additional city and state approvals. The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursda...

The man who killed former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark faces sentencing next month. A group of workers at the Amazon warehouse in Shakopee protested outside of the facility Wednesday, the second day of Amazon's Prime Day Sale. A report released this week found that Minneapolis police often mishandled officer discipline cases. The Minneapolis City Council is scheduled to v...

Gov. Tim Walz wants the Trump administration to release records that he says could show he and the state of Minnesota have been targeted for political retribution. Walz filed 16 records requests under the Freedom of Information Act. Earlier this week, a federal judge threw out Justice Department subpoenas for records from the offices of Walz and other Minnesota Democrats, calling them meritless an...

A provider trade group is alleging that the Minnesota Department of Human Services is intentionally dismantling a social services program. Democrats see an opportunity to regain ground in rural parts of Minnesota this election year as farmers cope with high oil prices and input costs. A northern Minnesota utility broke ground on a nearly billion-dollar transmission line project. It's part of a bro...