Greater Minnesota

Feds slap 20-year mining ban on land near Boundary Waters
The U.S. Department of the Interior issued a 20-year ban Thursday on new mining projects on 225,000 acres of federal land near the Boundary Waters, dealing a huge blow to the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely, Minn.
Passerby alerts residents of burning Duluth home, shovels snow to douse flames
The Duluth Fire Department says a passerby who spotted a fire on the outside of a home Monday morning helped the building's residents escape — and then mostly extinguished the blaze by shoveling snow onto it.
Inside the world of cornhole playing with Minnesota's first professional player
Lexi Hugeback is Minnesota's first professional cornhole player, and according to her, cornhole isn't just a game where you throw a beanbag into a hole in a board — it's a game of the mind.
What a hoot! Houston, Minn., is a national hot spot for studying owls
Host Cathy Wurzer talked with Karla Bloem, executive director of the International Owl Center in Houston, Minn., where staff members teach visitors how to identify owls during small-group “owl prowls.”
Future of Us: After the pandemic took worship online, a Rochester church takes stock
As the pandemic tested hospital workers, so too did it test houses of worship. But Rev. Beth Royalty, leader of the 163-year-old church that stands next door to the Mayo Clinic, says her congregation has come out the other side with a fresh perspective. “We can let go of the past. We have to let go of the past.”
Fargo art museum podcast connects with Indigenous creators
The Plains Art Museum has been around in one form or another since 1965. It now produces a couple podcasts, including 5 Plain Questions, which poses five general questions to Indigenous artists, creators, musicians, writers, and culture bearers. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talks with Native American Programs Director Joe Williams, who hosts the podcast.
Tornado ravaged towns rebuild and struggle
Two small Minnesota towns were hit hard by tornadoes earlier this year. As the year ends, each is still recovering and rebuilding, and community leaders see success and struggle.