Greater Minnesota

Five days into the new school year, the Albert Lea Area Schools district is reinstating its mask mandate for grades six through 12 after 42 students tested positive for COVID-19, leading 290 to quarantine for exposure.
More rain is on the way — but it might not break the drought
The drought in Minnesota only got worse last week, but more rain is on the way. Host Cathy Wurzer asked a climatologist what it will take for the state to pull out of this severe drought.
Some large cities in Minnesota and across the U.S. are seeing a rise in violent crime. But what about suburban and rural communities? Guest host Brandt Williams explored the issue with two criminologists and a public policy expert.
Crews working to assess damage from Greenwood Fire that moved like a ‘freight train’
The Greenwood Fire nearly doubled in size Monday, growing to more than 30 square miles. Fire officials are now working to confirm damage to an area of cabins and homes through which the fire wildfire burned.
Wilderness closed: BWCA cleared of visitors amid increased fire danger
Dozens of Forest Service rangers are paddling their way through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area telling campers they need to leave, after the wilderness was closed over the weekend because of wildfires.
A summer tradition changes with the climate
Climate change is affecting everything from campers’ schedules to infrastructure needs to the kinds of trees on the property at Camp Mishawaka in Grand Rapids, Minn. And it isn’t alone; a major insurer of summer camps has pulled out of the business as camps on the coasts lose property to wildfires and hurricanes.