Minnesota’s COVID-19 picture looked extremely bright on July 1. Now, with the month ending Saturday, things are a little cloudy. Cases and hospitalizations continue to rise at a steady pace heading into August.

Supporters of an effort to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new Department of Public Safety allege that the city doesn’t have the authority to attach an explanatory note to their ballot initiative and that the note is “misleading.”

The first week of the Olympics is wrapping up, but over the weekend you can catch Minnesota athletes competing in basketball, swimming, track and field, volleyball and basketball. Here’s the lineup of events throughout the weekend and how to watch them.

The Minnesota House Ethics Committee dismissed a complaint Friday against Rep. John Thompson, DFL- St. Paul after Thompson agreed to make a public apology to Rep. Eric Lucero, R-Dayton.

The current drought is helping researchers who are studying the history of flooding in the Red River Valley. They’re collecting samples of old trees buried in the muddy river bottom to help build a regional climate picture going back hundreds of years.

After more than a year of pandemic learning, Minnesota schools are using summer sessions to give students the chance to do the sort of in-person learning some have missed since March 2020. But even with expanded offerings, many summer sessions haven't been able to meet a rise in demand from students and families. 

Minnesota will offer $100 incentives to people who get their first vaccination dose between Friday and Aug. 15, as Gov. Tim Walz quickly embraces the effort outlined by President Joe Biden.

September was expected to be the month of mass returns to the office. Now the surging extra-contagious coronavirus variant has employers wondering what to do.

Joe Ryan thinks the world of the baseballs being used at the Olympics. So much so, he prefers the model from Osaka-based SSK to the Rawlings minor league baseballs manufactured in China.

The funeral for a slain Red Lake tribal police officer will be held Monday in Red Lake. There will be a wake for Ryan Bialke, 37, beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Red Lake Humanities building, and continuing until the funeral at 1 p.m. Monday.

Take your family on an interactive scavenger hunt to hear songs about Northfield landmarks. DJ Ariesfirebomb creates a welcoming dance party for queer black music lovers this Friday. Jazz vocalist Katia Cardenas of St Paul performs new songs and standards after three years away.

A federal freeze on most evictions is scheduled to expire Saturday, but elements of Minnesota's eviction moratorium are expected to remain in place until next June 1.

Minnesota has another day of poor air quality ahead much of Friday, and the smoke and haze returns for portions of the weekend. Meanwhile, most of the state misses out on rain once again.

Researchers say it may be counterintuitive because silver medalists perform better, but a study shows that third place winners tend to express more happiness after an Olympic event.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information dated Thursday gives new details on this variant of the coronavirus and says the agency should "acknowledge that the war has changed." It was first reported by The Washington Post.

The Serbian star was beaten in the men's tennis semifinal by Germany's Alexander Zverev. It means he won't make history by winning all four major tournaments and Olympic gold in a single year.

Rebekah Knapp died this week after her car crashed into a semitrailer on a road in rural northwestern Minnesota. She lived her beliefs, embracing the joy and fragility of life, writes MPR News reporter Catharine Richert, who profiled Knapp in 2019.

Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked after a Vatican investigation confirmed he had sexually molested adults as well as children, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a wedding reception in Massachusetts in 1974, court records show.