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Resident Lee Henderson poses for a portrait

Avivo Village shines as solution for unsheltered homelessness in Minneapolis

In 2020, the nonprofit Avivo went tent to tent at the massive encampment in Powderhorn Park to learn what it would take for residents to come indoors. From that came Avivo Village, an indoor community of 100 small units in the North Loop designed specifically for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
  • 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 4Is providing a portable toilet an endorsement of a homeless encampment?
Side view of an Amtrak passenger car.

Lawmakers discuss proposed passenger rail line between Duluth and Minneapolis

The Northern Lights Express would run between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports, with stops along the way in Coon Rapids, Cambridge and Hinckley.
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.
Train Derailment Ohio

50-car train derailment causes big fire, evacuations in Ohio

A train derailment and resulting large fire have prompted an evacuation order in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line. Norfolk Southern says about 50 cars derailed Friday night in East Palestine from a train carrying a variety of freight from Madison, Ill. to Conway, Penn.
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.
The Chinese balloon became the subject of a sketch in the most recent episode of "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 4.

Hours after its demise, the Chinese spy balloon was the star of the SNL cold open

"Saturday Night Live" kicked off its latest episode with an exclusive interview with the downed balloon, played by cast member Bowen Yang.
  • EarlierU.S. downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris
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.
Flyers Bruins Hockey

Bruins rolling, rest of NHL making final push for playoffs

The Boston Bruins are atop the NHL standings and running away with the Atlantic Division going into the second half of the season. But the playoff races are hot in the Metropolitan, Central and Pacific with roughly 30 games left to go down the stretch.
Player in white jersey takes part in fight

Bamba, Rivers, Suggs all suspended after Magic-Wolves dustup

The NBA has suspended Orlando’s Mo Bamba for four games and Minnesota’s Austin Rivers for three games for their roles in an on-court altercation on Friday night.
Diakine Sambou, queen of the sacred forest of Kaoupoto, on Feb. 23, 2021, in Mlomp, Senegal.

Meet the people safeguarding the sacred forests and lagoons of West Africa

In parts of West Africa, communities have designated biodiversity hotspots sacred and measure their value by the peace of mind they provide, rather than in dollars and cents.
People look at a dead gray whale at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, Calif., in May 2019, a year when 122 gray whales died in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last year, 47 of the whales died.

An unusually high number of whales are washing up on U.S. beaches

The unexpected deaths are hitting humpbacks and North Atlantic right whales on the East Coast and gray whales on the West Coast — populations that were already under watch.
President Biden gave his first State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. On Tuesday, he is set to give his second.

What Biden needs to do in this year's State of the Union speech

On Tuesday, Biden will deliver his State of the Union speech to a divided Congress — and a big audience at home. It's seen as an unofficial kick-off to his expected re-election campaign.
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., waits for the start of a session in the House chamber as the House meets for the fourth day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, D.C., Friday, Jan. 6.

Santos took office one month ago and his New York district says he's got to go

Congressman George Santos' constituents are furious and don't think he's doing the work to represent them. A recent poll finds most GOP voters want the scandal plagued Republican to resign.
Eye-popping egg prices have finally started to fall. Wholesale eggs in the Midwest market dropped by 58 cents to $3.29 a dozen at the end of January, according to USDA data.

Eggs prices drop, but the threat from avian flu isn't over yet

After months of eye-popping prices, egg lovers are finally seeing some relief. Wholesale prices in the Midwest fell by 58 cents at the end of January, but the days of a $1.50 a dozen may not return.
Emma Alexander was recently laid off from Goldman Sachs, along with over 3,000 other employees. Although the layoffs were unusually large this year, they are an ever-lurking prospect for people who work in finance.

It's nothing personal: On Wall Street, layoffs are a way of life

Big companies such as Amazon and Google have recently announced layoffs. In Wall Street, getting cut is always acknowledged as an ever-lurking prospect — but it still stings when it happen.
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.
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.
Rachel Maryam Smith fell in love with the ethereal beauty of giant soap bubbles several years ago and began creating them at sunset events in Santa Cruz, Calif. When enjoying bubbles together, "there is a euphoric point I have observed my participants reach," she says.

Here's why you should make a habit of having more fun

Happiness can sometimes feel just out of reach. But having more fun? You've got this — and those giggles and playful moments can make a big difference to your health and well-being.
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