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Solar panels outside

A vision for green energy — and jobs in underserved communities 

As Minnesota moves towards a green economy there will be an increasing demand for people trained to install the acres of solar panels needed to supply clean energy.
  • Getting to GreenMinnesota's energy future
  • K-12 Solar for SchoolsSurge of interest in program
  • Rochester betsOn geothermal to power a green future
  • MorrisA small Minnesota town with big climate goals
A person sits outside of a building.

How to protect your identity after the U of M data breach

Cybersecurity specialist Ian Coldwater joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about what former students, applicants, staff and all of those impacted can do to protect against identity theft.
  • EarlierU says hackers may have stolen decades of student, worker data
A Clark County Election Department worker sorts ballots on Nov. 9, 2022, in North Las Vegas, Nev. Nearly 60% of the state's county voting officials are new since 2020, according to a new report.

In some states, more than half of the local election officials have left since 2020

Election conspiracies have fundamentally changed the job of local voting officials, and many don't want to take it anymore.
A person speaks during a news conference

Bemidji authorities launch two-day search for Indigenous teen missing since 2021

“Every day is different. And it doesn't get easier,” said Teddi Wind, mother of Nevaeh Kingbird. Nevaeh was 15 years old at the time she disappeared. Wind said she was overwhelmed by the support for the search that began Monday.
a daughter kisses his father in the nose

Windom man, former snowmobile racer, loses legs in farm accident 

Travis Muller, 30, had both legs amputated after a grain bin accident in southwestern Minnesota. He is currently sedated in the hospital and a family-run GoFundMe has raised over $30,000 for his medical costs.
Somali Prime Minister visit

In Twin Cities speech, Somali prime minister praises community, asks for support

In a speech in Bloomington, Hamza Abdi Barre, the first sitting Somali prime minister to visit Minnesota, praised the young generation of Somalis born and raised in the U.S., saying they offer hope for the future.
With the General Motors world headquarters in the background, United Auto Workers members attend a solidarity rally as the UAW strikes the Big Three automakers on Sept. 15 in Detroit. President Biden will join the workers in solidarity on Tuesday.

Autoworkers will get a historic visitor to the picket line: President Biden

Biden will join the United Auto Workers in Michigan on Tuesday, an extraordinary step for a sitting president.
A government shutdown is looming even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Biden made an agreement earlier this year that was supposed to prevent this exact outcome.

Washington prepares for the shutdown that was never supposed to happen

Congress is just days away from a possible government shutdown with few solutions being discussed.
A BCA vehicle parks in the street of a residential neighborhood.

Medical examiner rules Roseville deaths as murder-suicide

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner has preliminarily ruled three deaths in Roseville, Minn., over the weekend as two murders and a suicide.
A person poses for a portrait

Politics Friday won’t be the same: Longtime MPR News editor Mike Mulcahy to retire

Mike Mulcahy is retiring after nearly four decades covering news and politics in Minnesota for radio and TV. His last day at MPR News is Friday, Sept. 29.
  • ListenSaying farewell to MPR News senior editor Mike Mulcahy
  • Thank you, Mike!Send well wishes to Mulcahy here!
Tyson Nansel, spokesperson for the Resolution Copper mine, shows how the copper is about 6,800 feet underground. To process the copper, the mine will use billions of gallons of local water and stored Colorado River water.

The U.S. needs minerals for green tech. Will Western mines have enough water?

As the U.S. plans new mines for copper, lithium and other metals to use in green technologies, mining projects in the West could threaten scarce water supplies.
Customers at SolDias ice cream shops in Texas are encouraged to pay with cash instead of credit cards. Owner Victor Garcia is backing a legislative effort that aims to lower credit card processing fees through increased competition.

Why many business owners would love it if you stopped using your credit card

The fees merchants pay for accepting credit cards are much higher in the U.S. than in Europe. Ice cream shop owner Victor Garcia, for example, paid more than $25,000 in swipe fees last year.
Obit David McCallum

David McCallum, star of TV series 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' and 'NCIS,' dies at 90

The Scottish-born actor's career included roles on stage and in movies, but the 1960s spy series made him a household name and his role as a quirky pathologist 40 years later brought him fame again.
A man speaks at a podium

Trump argues First Amendment protects him from 'insurrection' cases aimed at keeping him off ballot

Attorneys for former President Donald Trump argue that an attempt to bar him from the 2024 ballot under a rarely used “insurrection” clause of the Constitution should be dismissed as a violation of his freedom of speech.
On Sept. 11, 2001, 343 firefighters and paramedics were killed, most when the towers collapsed. Now, an equal number have died from 9/11-related illnesses, the FDNY says.

FDNY deaths from 9/11-related illnesses now equal the number killed on Sept. 11

Two recent deaths brought the total to 343, matching the death toll from Sept. 11, the FDNY said. Some 11,000 former and current FDNY employees suffer from 9/11-related illnesses, 3,500 with cancer.
Jamileh Alamolhoda is the wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Why Iran won't budge on mandatory hijab laws — according to the president's wife

Jamileh Alamolhoda, the wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, talks about why Iran's government is unwilling to compromise on compulsory headscarf rules.
Haley Van Voorhis' play led to an incomplete third-down pass by the Juniata quarterback on Saturday. Shenandoah went on to win, 48-7.

Haley Van Voorhis makes NCAA football history as the first female non-kicker player

The safety, a junior at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va., was tapped to play Saturday against Juniata College during a Division III game — delivering a successful quarterback hurry.
Biden-Rail Projects

Biden administration announces $1.4 billion to improve rail safety and boost capacity in 35 states

The Biden administration has awarded $1.4 billion to projects improving railway safety and boosting rail capacity. Much of the money comes from the 2021 infrastructure law. 
In this Sept. 19, 2021 file photo, flames burn up a tree as part of the Windy Fire in the Trail of 100 Giants grove in Sequoia National Forest, Calif.

Thousands of federal firefighters face a looming pay cut. How much is up to Congress

The bipartisan infrastructure law granted federal firefighters a big pay bump. Amid a looming government shutdown, that wage increase will expire, leaving first responders unsure about their income.
Denmark Lego Sustainability

Toymaker Lego will stick to its quest to find sustainable materials despite failed recycle attempt

Denmark’s Lego says it remains committed to its quest to find sustainable materials to reduce carbon emissions, even after an experiment by the world’s largest toymaker to use recycled bottles did not work.
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