MPR News

The 4-H building at the Minnesota State Fair is shown in a wide shot

Infrequently Asked Fair Questions: Where do the 4-H kids sleep?

Most people associate 4-H kids at the Minnesota State Fair with animals. It’s true — for many of the kids in 4-H, exhibiting an animal at the fair is a reward for months, even years, of hard work. When you go to the fair, you see these hard-working farm kids prodding pigs, shearing sheep and cozying up with cows — all in hopes of impressing judges and earning a ribbon. The animals stay in the barns. But where do the kids that brought them go at night?

University of North Dakota

University of North Dakota finds dozens of Native American remains

The University of North Dakota in Grand Forks has found more than 250 boxes of items taken from Native American tribes, including dozens of human remains.

DHS commissioner testifies before lawmakers.

Legislative audit criticizes Minnesota agency over COVID homelessness grant oversight

An audit of the Department of Human Services which provides housing support for people who are homeless found that it did not properly make sure grant money was legally distributed and tracked.

Kyle Olson poses for a portrait

With monkeypox, stigma challenges Minnesota health response

While anyone can catch monkeypox, so far the majority of the cases in the U.S. and in Minnesota are among men who identify as gay or bisexual, and men who have sex with men. Since cases began appearing in the country, there’s been an ongoing national conversation on how to address those most vulnerable to the disease without perpetuating bias.

Checking cables

Fiber cut along North Shore exposes vulnerabilities in tech-dependent world

A cut fiber optic line last week shut down all internet and cell phone service along the North Shore of Lake Superior for up to six hours, exposing vulnerabilities in the system that provides high-speed communications to northeastern Minnesota.

COVID-19-vaccines-clinics

U.S. clears updated COVID boosters targeting newest variants

U.S. regulators have authorized updated COVID-19 boosters, the first to directly target today's most common omicron strain. The move on Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration tweaks the recipe of shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna that already have saved millions of lives.

Amy Klobuchar met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Klobuchar visits Ukraine: 'They will not be beaten down'

Sen. Amy Klobuchar visited Ukraine this week and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, just before the United Nations inspectors made their way toward Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

A tent covers a manure pit outside a barn

Infrequently Asked Fair Questions: What happens to all the manure at the Minnesota State Fair?

Hundreds of farm animals are shown every year at the Minnesota State Fair — and where you find farm animals, you know you’re going to find something else. Manure. Lots and lots of manure. Where does it all go?

Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev addresses a group of 150 business executives in San Francisco, June 5, 1990. Russian news agencies reported that former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has died at 91, citing a statement from the Central Clinical Hospital.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has died at 91

Gorbachev was the Soviet Union's last leader and played a central role in ending the Cold War. The hospital that treated him said he died of a serious and protracted disease.

This image contained in a court filing by the Department of Justice on Aug. 30, 2022, and redacted by in part by the FBI, shows a photo of documents seized during the Aug. 8 search by the FBI of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Trump team may have hidden or moved classified material, DoJ says

The Justice Department said Tuesday it had uncovered efforts to obstruct its investigation into the discovery of classified documents at former President Donald Trump's Florida estate

Gilbert de la O

Gilbert de la O, icon of St. Paul’s Latino community, dies at 77

De la O was the first Latino to serve on the St. Paul School Board and deeply involved with many community organizations. He thought about others when it came down to honoring his own death.

People are visiting an exhibition of paintings

'A reflection of what it means to be Minnesotan' at the State Fair's Fine Arts building

The State Fair’s Fine Arts building showcases competitors from a variety of backgrounds, including hobbyists.

Baked goods.

The tight competition for this year's State Fair top baker award

The best bakers of Minnesota submitted their breads, cakes, cookies and pies and this year there was a tie for Supreme Baker — or so they thought. Chad O'Leary and Kimberly Maize both were named the Supreme Bakers for this year. But then in a twist, competition organizers realized they made a mistake. Cathy Wurzer talks with runner-up Chad O’Leary.

This photo taken on May 31, 2019 shows a watchtower on a high-security facility near what is believed to be a re-education camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, on the outskirts of Hotan, in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. As many as one million ethnic Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are believed to be held in a network of internment camps in Xinjiang.

The United Nations says crimes against humanity may have happened in China's Xinjiang

The United Nations human rights chief has released a long-delayed report, concluding that "serious" human rights violations have been committed against Uyghurs and other minorities in the region.

The U.S. food system makes junk food plentiful and cheap. Eating a diet based on whole foods like fresh fruit and vegetables can promote health - but can also strain a tight grocery budget. Food leaders are looking for ways to improve how Americans eat.

The U.S. diet is deadly. Here are 7 ideas to get Americans eating healthier

The way many Americans eat is fueling chronic disease. Here are seven big ideas from the White House's upcoming nutrition conference for how to improve Americans' diets.

Bird Flu

Avian flu resurfaces in a Meeker County turkey flock

The west-central Minnesota flock was quarantined and destroyed to stop the spread of the disease. Health officials say this strain of avian flu poses a low risk to the public. Poultry and eggs are safe to eat when handled and cooked properly.

Vikings Broncos Football

Vikings cut QBs Mannion, Mond as 2021 draft class is slashed

The Minnesota Vikings have waived quarterbacks Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond at the NFL’s roster cutdown deadline.

The sign on the front of a Best Buy store

Best Buy Q2 results fall amid softening demand for gadgets

Best Buy posted declines in fiscal second-quarter profits and sales as the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain struggled with weakening consumer demand for gadgets and high costs that rippled through its supply chain.

Employees of HarperCollins Publisher participate in a one-day strike outside the publishing houses offices in Manhattan on July 20, 2022 in New York City.

Support for labor unions in the U.S. is at a 57-year high

A new poll from Gallup shows that support for unions is the highest it's been since 1965. This comes as workers at companies like Starbucks, Amazon and Chipotle have lately launched union drives.

Anti-censorship protestors at a meeting of the Lafayette Library Board, defending a librarian who included queer teen dating in a book display in defiance of the board.

Local libraries have become a major political and cultural battleground

In Lafayette, La., like elsewhere in the nation, conservative groups are demanding removal of books they consider unsuitable for young readers. Many librarians see it as an attack on civil liberties.

North Star Journey