MPR NewsMPR News
Crews of state and county workers clear a large homeless encampment

Is providing a portable toilet an endorsement of a homeless encampment?

Minneapolis has stopped fulfilling requests for portable toilets at encampments on city property. Some city council members say they think it’s a way for the city to skirt responsibility for its encampments.
  • Part 1Minneapolis made little progress on homeless encampments in 2022. Why?
  • Part 2Minneapolis has increased police presence at encampment clearings
  • Part 3Minneapolis City Council too gridlocked to change homeless encampment approach
  • Part 5Avivo Village shines as solution for unsheltered homelessness in Minneapolis
White balloon next to airplane

U.S. downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris

An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and was estimated to be about the size of three school buses.
An aerial view of a river

Land next to St. Anthony Falls could return to Dakota tribes

The nonprofit Friends of the Falls has unveiled early design concepts for creating a place of restoration, healing and connection to the water on the downtown Minneapolis site.
Bayou Bay and Leslie Barlow

Meet four local arts leaders giving a voice to underrepresented communities

Guest host Jacob Aloi heads into the studios of artists of color, a queer filmmaker and a curator of Latin American Art. They’re all making the art world more inclusive.
Students takes a selfie

Columbia Heights students mark World Hijab Day

A group of students at Columbia Heights High School came up with a unique way to mark World Hijab Day, giving their peers a chance to ask questions about the traditional head covering or even try one on.
Two people acting

Seasoned Love: Theatre 55 offers a production of 'Rent' with an older cast

Theatre 55, which features cast members aged 55 and up, takes a look at Jonathan Larson’s “Rent.” The musical is set during the AIDS crisis and looks at a bohemian community in Manhattan — stories that many in the cast share and even lived.
A girl holds her cat

Purrfection reigns at St. Paul's Saintly City Cat Show

A look at the Saintly City Cat Club Annual Championship Cat Show, where local and national cat fanciers compete to show which cat is more purrfect.
People cheer during the Democratic National Committee 2023 Winter meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 3, 2023.

Democrats vote to upend presidential primary calendar for 2024 but challenges persist

The vote cements a shift in the presidential primary calendar that many Democrats have long called for and elevates states with greater diversity and voter access.
Heavy traffic on a highway

Companies pledge millions in fed effort to stem road deaths

3M, the maker of Post-it Notes, industrial coatings and ceramics, told the AP it was continuing its partnership with state transportation agencies to identify the best technology to make road signs and lane markings more visible and reflective.
Player in white jersey takes part in fight

Magic beat Wolves 127-120 after fight, 5 players ejected

The brawl broke out in front of the Orlando bench late in the third quarter, when Minnesota guard Austin Rivers and Magic center Mo Bamba got into an altercation. Bamba came off the bench and Rivers threw punches at him in a tussle that spilled over to include several others on the court.
Gas utilities and cooking stove manufacturers knew for decades that burners could be made that emit less pollution in homes, but they chose not to. That may may be about to change.

Gas stove makers have a pollution solution. They're just not using it

Gas utilities and cooking stove manufacturers knew for decades that burners could be made that emit less pollution in homes, but they chose not to. That may be about to change.
A nurse gives a Pfizer-BioNTech booster

A look at excess deaths during COVID-19, including firearm assaults and malnutrition

In Minnesota, there was just one week last year — the week ending April 2 — when the actual number of deaths did not exceed the average number of expected deaths.
A man sits in a U.S. Congress meeting room, listening.

Rep. Dean Phillips: Omar committee ouster was 'reckless' and 'dangerous'

Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, who is Jewish, butt heads with Rep. Ilhan Omar over her past comments on Israel. But he defended her ahead of a vote this week to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He joined All Things Considered Friday to talk about why.
Group of people gathering

Black business owners make their voices heard at Capitol

Black business owners filled the Capitol rotunda Friday morning to lobby lawmakers for more resources.
Young children watch a man signing a document

Juneteenth is now a holiday in Minnesota

Minnesota is the 26th state to make Juneteenth, also known as Black freedom day, a holiday after Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill Friday that passed with bipartisan support.
Attorney Ben Crump speaks about a civil lawsuit

Family sues Minneapolis over Amir Locke killing by police in no-knock raid

A Minneapolis police officer fatally shot Amir Locke last year seconds after a SWAT team entered a downtown apartment to serve a warrant. Locke was not suspected of any crime. No officers were charged. Locke family attorney Ben Crump announced the civil suit Friday.
A school bus stops at a stop sign

How cold before school is canceled in Minnesota? All depends on the district

When the temperature drops, students and parents might wonder how cold it has to get before their school calls off classes. Turns out, it all depends on the school district.
A man sits near a park.

'We’re still gonna say no': Inside UnitedHealthcare’s effort to deny coverage to chronically ill patient

After a college student finally found a treatment that worked, the insurance giant decided it wouldn’t pay for the costly drugs. His fight to get coverage exposed the insurer’s hidden procedures for rejecting claims.
A snow plow on the road

MnDOT's 'Name a Snowplow' contest voting ends tonight

Bobsled Dylan? Mary Tyler More Snow? Blizzo? You have until midnight to choose up to eight of your favorite names.
  • Past winners'Betty Whiteout,' 'Ctrl Salt Delete' top winners in MnDOT Name-a-Snowplow contest
  • Vote hereMnDOT’s 2022-23 Name a Snowplow contest
A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days.

China says it is looking into the report of a spy balloon over U.S. airspace

The balloon has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, The Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said.
COVID-19 Right
Elections 2022 Right
Floyd killing Right
Race Right
Providing Support for MPR.
Learn More
Program ScheduleStation Directory