MPR News

a chunk of honey comb is cut from a hive

Checking honeybee health by testing honey DNA

Commercial and hobby beekeepers lose many bee colonies to disease every year. A Fargo researcher is developing a way to provide an early warning of disease by testing DNA in honey.

Six women in a collage

Wave of young, diverse Minnesota politicians see path to power after primary wins

“Minnesota is being very clear right now that we are ready for young people and people of color to lead the state,” said Zaynab Mohamed, 25, part of a new generation of young, diverse politicians who won their August primaries and are expected to take power in January.

Former Minneapolis Police Officers Tou Thao

Thao, Kueng reject plea deals, will go to trial

Prosecutors had offered Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng sentences of 36 months for pleading guilty to aiding and abetting manslaughter, according to prosecutor Matthew Frank.

County attorney candidates have similar goals, different ways to achieve them

Although both Mary Moriarty and Martha Holton Dimick say they want the same results — public safety and police accountability — they disagree on how to get there.

Maasai wait in line to cast their votes

Photos: A look at the second week of August around the world

Election, competition, and life; MPR News visual journalists selected photo highlights from around the world documenting the second week of August.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted from a court room ater a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022.

Lawyers for basketball star Brittney Griner appeal her Russian prison sentence

Griner's attorney was quoted by Russian news agencies on Monday as saying the appeal was filed, but the grounds of the appeal were not immediately clear.

A wildfire smolders along a hillside

Fire on Isle Royale prompts closures, trail evacuations

Smoke was spotted in the area of the island's Three Mile Campground on Saturday afternoon, according to the NPS. Firefighters responded to find it had already grown to a 5-acre fire.

Kabul is awash in men and boys on rickety bicycles, because they can no longer afford the price of a bus ticket or a taxi.

A year on, the Taliban savor victory, while other Afghans pay the price

For the first time in decades, Afghans are living in relative peace. But with sanctions on the Taliban, the economy is in shambles and hunger is widespread. Girls are still out of school.

Two people shot, one fatally, near George Floyd Square in Minneapolis

Police were called to the shooting just before 1 p.m. They found two people with gunshot wounds, and one of them died at Hennepin Healthcare a short time later. The other suffered what were described as life threatening injuries.

Elephants at a water pan in Hwange National Park in north western Zimbabwe. The sanctuary has a capacity for 15,000 elephants, but it currently hosts more than 45,000 according to ZimParks, the country's wildlife management authority.

Drought is driving elephants closer to people. The consequences can be deadly

Zimbabwe's elephant population is growing, but climate change makes rainfall unpredictable. Animals travel further in search of water now, and often end up clashing with villagers for scarce resources

After years of carrying medical debt from the premature birth of her daughter, Terri Logan recently discovered a nonprofit called RIP Medical Debt had paid off her bills.

This group's wiped out $6.7 billion in medical debt, and it's just getting started

Nonprofit RIP Medical Debt buys up unpaid hospital bills plaguing low-income patients and frees them from having to pay.

A man uses a microphone to speak to a crowd.

Iran denies involvement but justifies Salman Rushdie attack

An Iranian government spokesperson added that Iran did not "have any other information more than what the American media has reported."

Graduates hold hands during a commencement ceremony at Dillard University in New Orleans in 2017.

After the rise of BLM, Black students and their families are heading back to HBCUs

Some historically Black colleges and universities have seen increases in application and enrollment numbers after years of decline.

The Kabul airport was a chaotic mess in the weeks leading up the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as Afghans tried to flee the country.

For Biden, the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul was a turning point in his presidency

President Joe Biden was elected on a promise of competency. The bungled exit from Afghanistan undercut that image. His approval ratings took a big hit, and have never recovered.

Blacktail Deer Creek in Yellowstone National Park, seen here in a 2019 photo from the ecological study known as NEON, is one site where researchers have bubbled sulfur hexafluoride into the water.

Why scientists have pumped a potent greenhouse gas into streams on public lands

A 30-year, nationwide study of ecological changes — including the effects of climate warming — has been releasing a powerful greenhouse gas, and critics want it to stop.

Anne Heche dies after being taken off life support, spokesperson says

The actress had been on life support after suffering a "severe anoxic brain injury," caused by a lack of oxygen, when her car crashed into a home Aug. 5. She was 53.

Basketball players embrace as another applauds

Sylvia Fowles' career ends with 4K rebounds; Sun top Lynx

Fowles, the 2017 league MVP and four-time defensive player of the year, had her league-best 192 career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Freya the walrus is pictured sitting on a boat in Frognerkilen in Oslo, Norway, on July 18. Authorities in Norway said on Sunday that they have euthanized the walrus that had drawn crowds of spectators in the Oslo Fjord after concluding it posed a risk to humans.

Freya the walrus drew crowds of fans. And that's why Norway decided to euthanize her

Authorities had warned people not to get close to her or pose for photos with the massive mammal. As a last resort, officials decided she posed a threat to humans and needed to be euthanized.

Baseball player pops up

Ohtani, Ward HR, Angels rally past Twins 5-3 in 11 innings

Carlos Correa hit a home and Luis Arraez had three hits for the Twins, who blew a three-run lead in the eighth inning and remained 1 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central.

Salman Rushdie speaks in front of orange sign at event

Salman Rushdie 'on the road to recovery,' agent says

The announcement followed news that the lauded writer was removed from a ventilator Saturday and able to talk and joke.

North Star Journey