An air quality alert remains in effect for all of Minnesota through Tuesday, as what state officials call an “unprecedented” stretch of poor air quality continues to affect the region. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the smoky air.

With the rise of the delta variant, the CDC recommends even vaccinated people wear a mask indoors in areas where community transmission is substantial or high. In Minnesota that includes more than 30 counties — including nearly all of the Twin Cities metro area.

Florida reported 21,683 new cases of COVID-19, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic, according to federal health data released Saturday, as its theme park resorts again started asking visitors to wear masks indoors.

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.

The winning images from this year's iPhone Photography Awards feature a man connecting with his horse, two rugged shepherds holding soft lambs and a figure looking into a brilliant night sky.

Caeleb Dressel of the U.S. is only the fifth swimmer to win as many five golds at one Olympics. Australia's Emma McKeon became only the second woman in any sport to capture seven medals.

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.

"Simone has withdrawn from the event final for floor and will make a decision on beam later this week," USA Gymnastics said. "Either way, we're all behind you, Simone."

No elite gymnast — not Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee, not six-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles — has received a perfect score since the sport moved off the “10” system to a new Code of Points in 2006.

This year's Olympic Games has been an event unlike any other before it. The ongoing pandemic has changed so much — but athletes still are blazing trails and making history.

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 photo of a real-life sponge and starfish hanging out together delighted the internet. One scientist acknowledged that the fuss is a bit silly — but he said he welcomes the attention, if it gets people thinking about the life that is dwelling in the world's oceans.

Tourists are visiting national parks and surrounding public lands in record numbers this summer, which is causing some overwhelmed national park gateway towns to rethink their promotion strategies.

As a landmark federal opioid trial nears completion, West Virginia communities are demanding $2.5 billion in compensation. Drug firms say they acted responsibly in shipping millions of pills.

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 federal moratorium on evictions during the pandemic expires July 31, but Minnesota state lawmakers designed an “off-ramp” that gives renters here more time.

Much of the state will be blanketed by smoky, unhealthy air well into next week. Health experts say the polluted air can be harmful even to healthy people. The fine particles in wildfire smoke are smaller than a human hair and can penetrate into the sensitive tissue deep in our lungs.

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.