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📷: The Minnesota Capitol building just after sunset on a spring evening, by Brian Bakst | MPR News.
📷: The Minnesota Capitol building just after sunset on a spring evening, by Brian Bakst | MPR News.
Gov. Tim Walz said federal officials haven’t communicated adequately with local law enforcement about immigration enforcement activities. He said he anticipates there could be an enhanced ICE presence during the holidays.
Minnesota leaders condemn ICE for ‘chaos’ in immigration actions as operation goes on
Dozens of local officials and faith leaders met in Minneapolis to support immigrant communities and to call for more transparency in federal immigration actions.
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Gov. Tim Walz said federal officials haven’t communicated adequately with local law enforcement about immigration enforcement activities. He said he anticipates there could be an enhanced ICE presence during the holidays.
Reposted by MPR News
Tune in tomorrow -- 8PM, December 24th -- for Heart and Hearth, a special broadcast put together by @imjacobaloi.bsky.social at @mprnews.org . There will be many holiday delights, and I'll even read you a Christmas ghost story. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
#minnesota
#minnesota
Heart and Hearth: An on-air Christmas party
MPR News invites listeners to a festive on-air wassailing celebration, “Heart and Hearth,” featuring music, storytelling and communal singing inspired by the English holiday tradition.
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Tune in tomorrow -- 8PM, December 24th -- for Heart and Hearth, a special broadcast put together by @imjacobaloi.bsky.social at @mprnews.org . There will be many holiday delights, and I'll even read you a Christmas ghost story. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
#minnesota
#minnesota
The Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association claims that under Commissioner Paul Schnell’s leadership the department has been making “arbitrary and capricious decisions” in its oversight of county jails.
Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association criticizes state Department of Corrections
The Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association and the state Department of Corrections are each accusing the other of failing to work together on issues relating to county jail inspections. The association says ...
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 7:53 PM
The Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association claims that under Commissioner Paul Schnell’s leadership the department has been making “arbitrary and capricious decisions” in its oversight of county jails.
Secretary of State Steve Simon moved Tuesday to dismiss a federal government lawsuit seeking broad access to Minnesota voter data, calling it a “fishing expedition” involving sensitive personal information.
Minnesota election head moves to dismiss federal lawsuit seeking voter data
Minnesota’s top election official is seeking to dismiss a federal case that attempts to unlock state voter roll data. A hearing is set for March.
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Secretary of State Steve Simon moved Tuesday to dismiss a federal government lawsuit seeking broad access to Minnesota voter data, calling it a “fishing expedition” involving sensitive personal information.
The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion after yet another drawing passed without a big winner. The next drawing will be Christmas Eve on Wednesday, with the prize expected to be the 4th-largest in U.S. lottery history.
Powerball jackpot soars to $1.7 billion after another night with no big winner
The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion after yet another drawing passed without a big winner. The numbers drawn Monday night were 3, 18, 36, 41, 54 and the Powerball 7.
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 3:38 PM
The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion after yet another drawing passed without a big winner. The next drawing will be Christmas Eve on Wednesday, with the prize expected to be the 4th-largest in U.S. lottery history.
As winter settles across Minnesota, many Indigenous communities enter a season of storytelling.
Listen at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hear MPR News guest host Leah Lemm talk with two Native storytellers about the significance of storytelling in our lives, particularly during the darkest days of the year.
Listen at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hear MPR News guest host Leah Lemm talk with two Native storytellers about the significance of storytelling in our lives, particularly during the darkest days of the year.
Stories for the cold months: The importance of seasonal storytelling
Winter is storytelling season in many Native communities. Coming up at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, MPR News guest host Leah Lemm talks about how stories can help us learn, connect and keep traditions alive.
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 2:32 PM
As winter settles across Minnesota, many Indigenous communities enter a season of storytelling.
Listen at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hear MPR News guest host Leah Lemm talk with two Native storytellers about the significance of storytelling in our lives, particularly during the darkest days of the year.
Listen at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hear MPR News guest host Leah Lemm talk with two Native storytellers about the significance of storytelling in our lives, particularly during the darkest days of the year.
Public, indoor wood-burning fireplaces are becoming a rarity in Minnesota.
MPR News arts reporter Alex V. Cipolle set out on a mission to find firesides where people can gather. Along her journey, she learned many fireplaces have been replaced with gas and electric, losing their classic charm.
MPR News arts reporter Alex V. Cipolle set out on a mission to find firesides where people can gather. Along her journey, she learned many fireplaces have been replaced with gas and electric, losing their classic charm.
Fireplaces of Minnesota: A roundup of the state’s remaining public hearths
A search for Minnesota’s public, indoor wood-burning fireplaces and what’s lost as these once-common hearths quietly disappear.
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Public, indoor wood-burning fireplaces are becoming a rarity in Minnesota.
MPR News arts reporter Alex V. Cipolle set out on a mission to find firesides where people can gather. Along her journey, she learned many fireplaces have been replaced with gas and electric, losing their classic charm.
MPR News arts reporter Alex V. Cipolle set out on a mission to find firesides where people can gather. Along her journey, she learned many fireplaces have been replaced with gas and electric, losing their classic charm.
New moves by the Trump administration to ban gender-affirming care puts Minnesota's status as a safe haven for transgender youth in jeopardy.
Minnesota is a safe haven for transgender youth, but that could end under Trump administration
Minnesota has long been a safe haven for transgender youth, but new moves by the Trump administration to ban gender-affirming care put that status in jeopardy.
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 12:27 PM
New moves by the Trump administration to ban gender-affirming care puts Minnesota's status as a safe haven for transgender youth in jeopardy.
There are currently no mediation sessions scheduled between the district and union. And if no new contract is agreed upon, the teachers union says it will strike starting Jan. 8.
Anoka-Hennepin teachers set Jan. 8 for potential strike
Board members in the state’s largest district called a special meeting Monday night to talk through “management of schools” should the teachers strike. No mediation sessions are scheduled between the ...
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 2:02 AM
There are currently no mediation sessions scheduled between the district and union. And if no new contract is agreed upon, the teachers union says it will strike starting Jan. 8.
New legislation passed last week - the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act - expands access to federal benefits for the families of firefighters and other first responders who have died or become permanently disabled due to cancers related to occupational exposure.
St. Paul fire captain remembered as federal law expands cancer benefits for first responders
Congress is expanding federal benefits for firefighters and first responders with job-related cancer.
www.mprnews.org
December 23, 2025 at 1:10 AM
New legislation passed last week - the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act - expands access to federal benefits for the families of firefighters and other first responders who have died or become permanently disabled due to cancers related to occupational exposure.
As part of the resolution, the Canadian company agreed to pay $300,000 in civil penalties, $100,000 for ongoing monitoring and $1.2 million toward environmental projects to benefit natural resources.
Enbridge, DNR reach $2.8M agreement to resolve Line 3 aquifer breach
Enbridge and the Minnesota DNR agreed to a settlement after the company pierced a groundwater aquifer while building Line 3 in northern Minnesota, violating water rules.
www.mprnews.org
December 22, 2025 at 11:36 PM
As part of the resolution, the Canadian company agreed to pay $300,000 in civil penalties, $100,000 for ongoing monitoring and $1.2 million toward environmental projects to benefit natural resources.
Andrea Jenkins has been a political force on the Minneapolis City Council and has served as president and vice president since she was first elected to represent Ward 8 in 2017.
As Minneapolis Council member Andrea Jenkins retires, she reflects on ‘tumultuous’ time in office
Council member Andrea Jenkins has called her time in office “tumultuous” — most notably in 2020 during the pandemic and the upheaval after the murder of George Floyd in the ward.
www.mprnews.org
December 22, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Andrea Jenkins has been a political force on the Minneapolis City Council and has served as president and vice president since she was first elected to represent Ward 8 in 2017.
As 2025 closes out, we asked reporters and producers to share their favorite articles from this year. Check out the standout stories and MPR News journalists' reflections here.
MPR News journalists share 23 of their most memorable stories from 2025
We asked MPR News reporters and producers what they consider their most memorable work as we close out 2025.
www.mprnews.org
December 22, 2025 at 6:11 PM
As 2025 closes out, we asked reporters and producers to share their favorite articles from this year. Check out the standout stories and MPR News journalists' reflections here.
Christmas Bird Counts have been growing in popularity, giving researchers more tools to work with. Minnesota has been taking part since 1905. This holiday season, 90 different Christmas Bird Counts are being held in the state. The annual bird census kicked off Dec. 14 and runs until Jan. 5.
These Minnesotans with binoculars aren’t casing your house. They’re just doing the Christmas Bird Count.
For 126 years the National Audubon Society has been hosting the Christmas Bird Count. That makes it the longest running community science bird project in the nation. And Minnesota has been taking part...
www.mprnews.org
December 22, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Christmas Bird Counts have been growing in popularity, giving researchers more tools to work with. Minnesota has been taking part since 1905. This holiday season, 90 different Christmas Bird Counts are being held in the state. The annual bird census kicked off Dec. 14 and runs until Jan. 5.
A man was shot and wounded by St. Paul police officers on Sunday afternoon, after reportedly pointing a handgun at officers. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to survive. No one else was injured.
Man shot and wounded by St. Paul police officers
A man was shot and wounded by St. Paul police officers on Sunday afternoon, after reportedly pointing a handgun at officers.
www.mprnews.org
December 22, 2025 at 4:11 PM
A man was shot and wounded by St. Paul police officers on Sunday afternoon, after reportedly pointing a handgun at officers. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to survive. No one else was injured.
A week from Monday, property tax levies for Minnesota local governments must be finalized, and many homeowners have flooded public hearings to voice displeasure over what’s on tap — including, in many cases, a hefty increase.
Chorus of complaints greet local leaders as Minnesota property taxes finalized
Across the state, local government officials have been hearing plenty from constituents about increases in property taxes. Those taxes must be finalized by next week.
www.mprnews.org
December 22, 2025 at 2:59 PM
A week from Monday, property tax levies for Minnesota local governments must be finalized, and many homeowners have flooded public hearings to voice displeasure over what’s on tap — including, in many cases, a hefty increase.
With jars of well water in hand and concerns about what might be inside them, residents from across southern Minnesota gathered in Fairmont this month to answer a question many private well owners hadn't ever bothered to ask: Is our water safe?
Private well owners in Minnesota encouraged to test for arsenic, other contaminants
A group of nonprofits are holding free water screening clinics throughout the state for private well owners to test their water supplies. Arsenic is a naturally occurring metalloid and has been linked...
www.mprnews.org
December 22, 2025 at 2:03 PM
With jars of well water in hand and concerns about what might be inside them, residents from across southern Minnesota gathered in Fairmont this month to answer a question many private well owners hadn't ever bothered to ask: Is our water safe?
Some southern Minnesota school districts are starting classes two hours late on Monday morning in the wake of freezing rain, sleet and snow overnight. That wintry mix has left things slick from Ortonville to Willmar to the Twin Cities, and points south.
Roads icy, some schools starting late after freezing rain in southern Minnesota overnight
Some southern Minnesota school districts are starting classes two hours late on Monday morning in the wake of freezing rain, sleet and snow overnight.
www.mprnews.org
December 22, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Some southern Minnesota school districts are starting classes two hours late on Monday morning in the wake of freezing rain, sleet and snow overnight. That wintry mix has left things slick from Ortonville to Willmar to the Twin Cities, and points south.
Although the man's remains were identified, many questions linger - like how the man, who lived in Los Angeles and Mexico after the war, ended up in Minnesota.
A man’s remains were found along I-90 a decade ago. They’ve finally been identified as a WWII veteran
For more than 10 years, authorities in Freeborn County were puzzled as they tried to figure out who was the man whose skeletal remains were found along Interstate 90 near Albert Lea. Now that part of ...
www.mprnews.org
December 21, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Although the man's remains were identified, many questions linger - like how the man, who lived in Los Angeles and Mexico after the war, ended up in Minnesota.
The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission is recommending the state spend millions in funding on parks and trails, like new pedestrian bridges, a new amphitheater in Willmar and $1.1 million for a new bathhouse along Lake Superior.
Commission recommends $11 million for parks and trails projects
The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails commission is recommending that the state spend more than $11 million on a dozen projects improving parks and trails around the state.
www.mprnews.org
December 21, 2025 at 7:52 PM
The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission is recommending the state spend millions in funding on parks and trails, like new pedestrian bridges, a new amphitheater in Willmar and $1.1 million for a new bathhouse along Lake Superior.
Police said the federal agent was "struck by a vehicle and fired their service weapon in return."
Use-of-force incident reported between federal agent and civilian in St. Paul
St. Paul Police reported a use-of-force incident Sunday morning between a federal agent and a civilian.
www.mprnews.org
December 21, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Police said the federal agent was "struck by a vehicle and fired their service weapon in return."
Twenty-one people have died of drug overdoses in St. Cloud this year. But the city says funds from a recent settlement with opioid manufacturers will go toward a program to bring that number down.
St. Cloud sees surge of drug overdose deaths in 2025
The city numbers follow a statewide trend of rising fatal overdoses, mainly from fentanyl and also methamphetamine.
www.mprnews.org
December 21, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Twenty-one people have died of drug overdoses in St. Cloud this year. But the city says funds from a recent settlement with opioid manufacturers will go toward a program to bring that number down.
Digital sales for the holiday season are growing more each year - they're expected to hit $288 billion this year.
So small, rural towns are switching up their tactics to bring in new visitors (and new money into their local economies).
So small, rural towns are switching up their tactics to bring in new visitors (and new money into their local economies).
From 'Grinchmas' to chestnut roasts, these rural towns make the holidays central to their economy
Winter holiday festivals have become a regular way to grow revenue for America’s smallest towns. And with more people shopping online, those events are key to pulling people away from their screens an...
www.mprnews.org
December 21, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Digital sales for the holiday season are growing more each year - they're expected to hit $288 billion this year.
So small, rural towns are switching up their tactics to bring in new visitors (and new money into their local economies).
So small, rural towns are switching up their tactics to bring in new visitors (and new money into their local economies).
After a career spanning over 45 years, Garry George “Jellybean” Johnson was celebrated for his contributions to the music community as a skillful producer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer and to his family and Minneapolis culture.
Minneapolis Sound legend Jellybean Johnson remembered for his music and love
After a career spanning over 45 years, Garry George “Jellybean” Johnson was celebrated for his contributions to the music community as a skillful producer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer and to his...
www.mprnews.org
December 20, 2025 at 8:41 PM
After a career spanning over 45 years, Garry George “Jellybean” Johnson was celebrated for his contributions to the music community as a skillful producer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer and to his family and Minneapolis culture.
The trail opening Sunday at the Northland Arboretum in Baxter winds through snow-covered pine trees and fields in a loop just under half a mile long. Unlike a frozen lake or smooth rink, there are curves, hills and occasional bumps.
Arboretum in Baxter debuts new forest skating trail: ‘If we build it, they will come’
The trail opening Sunday at the Northland Arboretum in Baxter winds through snow-covered pine trees and fields in a loop just under half a mile long. Unlike a frozen lake or smooth rink, there are cur...
www.mprnews.org
December 20, 2025 at 7:35 PM
The trail opening Sunday at the Northland Arboretum in Baxter winds through snow-covered pine trees and fields in a loop just under half a mile long. Unlike a frozen lake or smooth rink, there are curves, hills and occasional bumps.