MPR News

A man uses a green canoe paddle to stir a large vat of stew.

Boo-what? Drive-thru booya brings northern Minn. community together during pandemic

Booya is a longstanding fall tradition in some Midwestern communities. It’s an event and a food: A thick, hearty stew made from a variety of meats, vegetables and spices in a giant kettle, often over an open fire. It’s a fundraiser, a community event — and, in Hackensack, a way to connect at a time when people are working hard to stay apart.

A man speaks at a podium.

Minnesota Poll: Walz approval has slipped, but still strong

A new MPR News/Star Tribune/KARE-11 Minnesota Poll shows DFL Gov. Tim Walz still has a relatively good job approval rating, but it has dropped eight points since spring. Walz has battled with Republicans over the state response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the killing of George Floyd.

A person with a piece of string attached to her finger.

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Virus mingling at weddings, social events

Outbreaks are being driven largely now by formal and informal get-togethers among friends, families and co-workers who are not staying vigilant against the disease, state officials say.

The stage of the first presidential debate, in Cleveland. Tuesday's debate between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will be the first of three 90-minute debates between the two.

6 questions ahead of the 1st Trump-Biden presidential debate

The first presidential debate is high stakes. Can President Donald Trump avoid the sitting-president first-debate slump? Does former Vice President Joe Biden come across competently? And how personal will it get?

Relatives at a mass burial of pandemic victims at the Parque Taruma cemetery in Manaus, Brazil, mourn a family member.

COVID-19 deaths top 1 million worldwide. How these 5 nations are driving the pandemic

Nine months after the first reported fatality in China last January, the world has hit a sobering milestone.

A woman with dark hair wearing a blue suit jacket

Rep. Craig sues to keep 2nd District election in November

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig has sued to keep the seat on this November’s ballot. The death of a candidate from a marijuana party threw the race in doubt last week.

Traffic is slow on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis

Traffic fatalities are rising in Minnesota, 6 deaths over weekend

The Minnesota State Patrol reports six traffic fatalities around Minnesota over the weekend, keeping the state on track to surpass last year's total.

Protesters hold photos of Breonna Taylor and "Black Lives Matter" signs.

Officer charged in Breonna Taylor case pleads not guilty

The lone Kentucky detective charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor has pleaded not guilty. Brett Hankison’s plea Monday comes five days after a grand jury indicted him on three counts of “wanton endangerment” for firing into the home of Taylor’s neighbors.

A person puts a ballot in a box.

Stealth video stirs GOP call for absentee ballot probe

President Donald Trump and Minnesota Republicans cried foul over a conservative group’s report of Minneapolis ballot irregularities. DFLers call them “fake claims” from a group that has proven it can’t be trusted.

Court: Private locker room violated transgender boy's rights

The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday that schools must allow students to use locker rooms that are consistent with their gender identity, saying a suburban school district violated the rights of a transgender student by keeping him from using the boys' main locker room.

President Donald Trump gestures while speaking during a news conference

U.S. to ship millions of tests in push to reopen K-12 schools

President Donald Trump planned to announce Monday that the federal government will begin distributing millions of rapid coronavirus tests to states this week and urging governors to use them to reopen schools for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is warning Democrats of an exceedingly rare scenario where the House may need to decide the presidential election in January.

Pelosi prepares Democrats for rare possibility the House may decide the election

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi outlined the once far-fetched scenario in a letter to Democrats this weekend and is calling for more financial support for battleground candidates.

New Yorkers in need receive free produce, dry goods and meat at a Food Bank For New York City distribution event in July. Hunger is one of the most urgent — yet hidden — crises facing the nation.

A crisis within a crisis: Food insecurity and COVID-19

Hunger is one of the most urgent — yet hidden — crises facing the nation. In this special episode of All Things Considered, a look at how food insecurity has been exacerbated by the coronavirus.

Inside the Amazon Fulfillment facility in Shakopee

Amazon to kick off holiday shopping with October Prime Day

The company is holding its annual Prime Day over two days in October this year, after the pandemic forced it to postpone the sales event from July. It's the first time Prime Day is being held in the fall, and Amazon is positioning it as a way to get people to start their holiday shopping.

A person votes in a room.

Election 2020: Voter guides

Side-by-side comparisons of the Democratic and Republican candidates running for Minnesota’s most hotly contested political races.

2 arrested in shooting of doctor in Edina parking ramp

A 33-year-old man suspected of being the shooter and a 50-year-old woman accused of aiding and abetting were arrested Sunday, according to police.

A woman recovering from fever linked to COVID-19 checks medications in her home in Mineola, N.Y., this spring.

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. households struck by COVID-19 face financial trouble

Plus, of all U.S. homes that include someone with a disability, 63 percent report serious financial hardship during the pandemic, and 37 percent have used up all or most of their savings.

A man speaks behind a podium.

5 takeaways from NY Times report on Trump's tax returns

A New York Times report that President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income tax the year he entered the White House — and, thanks to colossal losses, no income tax at all in 11 of the 18 years that the Times reviewed — served to raise doubts about Trump's self-image as a shrewd and successful businessman.

Leaders of the new generation of D.C.'s statehood movement: Ty Hobson-Powell, 25; Demi Stratmon, 22; Jamal Holtz, 22; Noah Wills, 24; and Jamari O'Neal, 21.

D.C. statehood is a civil rights issue for young activists

There is renewed energy around the push to make the District of Columbia the nation's 51st state. Much of that energy comes from young activists who see it as a civil rights issue.

A man sits in a chair as another person prepares to take a blood sample.

Six months in, tribal nations cautiously optimistic about COVID-19 response

A little more than six months since Minnesota registered its first case of COVID-19, tribal nations in Minnesota are measured in their optimism about the effects of their efforts to manage the pandemic — but looking cautiously ahead to what health officials warn will be a difficult fall and winter.