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Racers in a paceline with motion blur

Pain, joy, solitude share the trail in Minnesota's 'world's toughest race'

The Arrowhead 135 winter ultra race tests athletes like no other competition. Some run it to test their survival savvy. Others come to test their spirit in the frozen, lonely North Woods. Every competitor has a story.
  • '40 Below'Documentary follows the frozen competitors in 'the world's toughest race'
A food shelf with many shelves with no food on them.

Food shelf visits leaped last year in Minnesota, advocates say

Food security advocates were at the Capitol pushing for speedy passage of a state emergency food relief bill, with $5 million to feed Minnesotans in need.
  • Related Food insecurity is increasing across Minnesota
  • Listen Why hunger is rising in Minnesota and what can be done to help
People wait in a line to vote

Voter sign-up bill causes partisan split in MN Legislature

A bill that expands registration options for voters and future voters is exposing party divides over elections. It also would require more campaign spending disclosure.
A family looks on the podium

Minnesota begins newborn screenings for a common cause of birth defects

Minnesota’s started screening all newborns for congenital cytomegalovirus. Officials say the state is the first in the nation to do so universally.
A snow plow on the road

About darn time: Blizzo wins big in MnDOT's 'Name a Snowplow' contest

Blizzo, Clearopathtra, Han Snowlo and five other newly named plows will soon be clearing snow from state highways. The Minnesota Department of Transportation unveiled the winning names Wednesday. Blizzo came in second to “Yer a Blizzard, Harry.”
A group of people stand outside of a restaurant.

Lawsuit over Walz pandemic powers will continue

Restrictions imposed by Gov. Tim Walz around COVID-19 have ended, but the Supreme Court has reinstated a case over his use of emergency authority.
Disney plans to lay off 7,000 employees worldwide. The announcement is part of returning CEO Bob Iger's statement to his board about the company's finances moving forward.

Disney's Bob Iger is swinging the ax as he plans to lay off 7,000 workers worldwide

Returning CEO Bob Iger is making a statement to his board about the company's finances moving forward.

Woman found guilty in murder of 6-year-old son

A Hennepin County jury on Wednesday convicted a Twin Cities woman of first-degree premeditated murder in the May 20 shooting death of her young son.
Duran Duran perform on stage

Duran Duran is first Grandstand show announced for 2023 Minnesota State Fair

The Minnesota State Fair has announced its first Grandstand show for the 2023 fair: Duran Duran will play the Grandstand on Thursday, Aug. 31.
Illustration of emergency preparedness supplies like water, gasoline, canned food, money, flashlights and medicine.

Earthquakes happen all over the world. Here's how to start preparing for one

Earthquakes strike at a moment's notice. Here are seven steps you can take to help prepare your family, according to emergency and disaster preparedness experts.
A man holds his daughter's hand

Search teams race to find quake survivors as the death toll climbs past 11,000

A picture of a Turkish man holding the hand of his deceased daughter highlights the hopelessness caused by the earthquake.
Flags fly over the state capitol, Friday, Feb.11, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. Republican lawmakers there are working to restrict drag shows in the state.

At least 9 GOP-led state legislatures want to restrict or criminalize drag shows

Lawmakers in Tennessee are advancing a bill that would restrict drag show performances in the state. This bill and others like it threaten the LGBTQ community as well as businesses, critics say.
APTOPIX Turkey Syria Earthquake

Hope fading as deaths in Turkey, Syria quake pass 11,000

The death toll rose Wednesday to more than 11,000, making it the deadliest quake worldwide in more than a decade.
  • Turkey earthquakeHow to make sure your donation will do the most good for survivors
Starting May 11 most people will have to pay for those at-home test kits for COVID-19, as the federal government's declaration of a COVID-19 public health emergency officially ends.

COVID test kits, treatments and vaccines won't be free to many consumers much longer

Insurers, employers, taxpayers and other consumers will all be affected as drugmakers move these products to the commercial market in May. How much you'll pay depends on your health insurance.
Residents of southwest Pakistan move through floodwaters in September 2022. People with less wealth are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including more severe rainstorms.

Why the EPA puts a higher value on rich lives lost to climate change

There is one number that the Environmental Protection Agency relies on to decide which climate policies to pursue. So why does that number assume the lives of richer people are worth more?
A man in a suit speaks at a microphone

Slow but 'fruitful' negotiations continue in state consent decree of MPD

Officials with the city of Minneapolis say they’re making progress in negotiations with the state that could lead to a consent decree governing the Minneapolis Police Department’s policies and practices.  
  • A pattern of discriminationKey takeaways from MN Human Rights investigation of MPD
  • EarlierO'Hara's N.J. supporters say he can bring real change to Minneapolis police
  • ListenHow are you reacting to findings of racism in the Minneapolis Police Department?
Two people smile while soaking in a pool

Winter Play: Melting the stress of frigid cold at a Minnesota bath house

As winter cold bites deep, MPR News is celebrating the best of the season through a new series called Winter Play. Our staff across the state set out to try a new-to-them winter pastime. MPR News producer Samantha Matsumoto and reporter Simone Cazares visited Watershed Spa in northeast Minneapolis to take a much-needed break from winter. 
  • Winter PlayThe anticipation, anguish and magic of ice dipping
  • Winter PlayLet's go ride a kite!
  • Winter PlayWe tried Minnesota birrrd-watching
  • Embrace the chillThe full Winter Play series
LeBron James now stands alone atop the NBA's all-time scoring list, ousting another Laker great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, from the No. 1 spot. James is seen here last month.

LeBron James breaks the NBA career scoring record, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The last time a new name appeared atop the NBA's all-time points rankings was in April 1984. LeBron James was born later that year.

Biden says in State of Union that U.S. is ‘unbowed, unbroken’

 President Joe Biden exhorted Republicans over and again Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address meant to reassure a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.
  • 🎧Cómo escuchar la cobertura bilingüe del Estado de la Unión
  • 5 takeawaysFrom Biden's State of the Union address
  • GOP response to BidenSanders says the choice in the U.S. is 'normal or crazy'
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher

Ramsey County begins transfer of inmates as debate over jail funding intensifies

A state order reduces the Ramsey County jail’s operational capacity to 324 inmates. The Department of Corrections issued a similar capacity reduction order to Beltrami County on Jan. 27. Both orders highlight a series of concerns about conditions in the state’s jails.
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