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Stories from January 2, 2019

Minnesota education chief's 5 lessons learned

Minnesota education chief's 5 lessons learned

State Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius steps down soon after eight years overseeing Minnesota public schools. She's visited classrooms across the state, and she said there are a few things Minnesotans should know.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Noor's lawyers explain no show for police car inspection

Noor's lawyers explain no show for police car inspection

Attorneys said the process forced them to discuss their plans publicly and led to limited access that they thought was meaningless to the investigation.
by Riham Feshir

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Longtime Minneapolis landlord faces perjury charge

Longtime Minneapolis landlord faces perjury charge

Stephen Frenz has been the subject of multiple housing lawsuits and was ordered to pay $18.5 million in a class action settlement. He's accused of lying in court records in an attempt to block legal action by his tenants.
by Riham Feshir

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Minnesota's biggest climate change signals

Minnesota's biggest climate change signals

When looking for signs climate change has arrived in Minnesota, look for the little and unexpected things, said Kenny Blumenfeld, the state Department of Natural Resource's senior climatologist.
by Paul Huttner

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Pro wrestling interviewer 'Mean Gene' Okerlund dies

Pro wrestling interviewer 'Mean Gene' Okerlund dies

Eugene "Mean Gene" Okerlund, whose deadpan interviews of pro wrestling superstars like "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan made him a ringside fixture in his own right, has died. Okerlund started as an interviewer in the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association.
by Jeff Baenen, Associated Press

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The Thread: Best books of 2018

Three of the most bookish people at MPR ran down the books from 2018 that you should put at the top of your reading list.
by Kerri Miller, Stephanie Curtis and Tracy Mumford

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What's in store for Minnesota in 2019?

What's ahead for Minnesota in the new year? MPR News host Angela Davis spoke with three guests about what to watch when it comes to Minnesota politics, the arts and the economy in 2019.
by Angela Davis

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How to hone your personal brand in 2019

It's the new year, and time revamp your personal brand. How can you market yourself -- on social media or elsewhere -- to highlight what you're good at and how you want to be seen?
by Angela Davis

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Three views on our nuclear future

Nine countries now have nuclear weapons, even as the U.S. threatens to pull out of international non-proliferation treaties. That seems ominous. But is it? Do nuclear weapons even matter? Kerri Miller talks to three guests with three different views.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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New acting Interior Secretary is an ex-oil lobbyist, agency insider

New acting Interior Secretary is an ex-oil lobbyist, agency insider

"As Ryan Zinke steps down, a former oil industry lobbyist will take over at the Interior Department. Zinke left amid a string of ethics investigations.
by Nate Hegyi

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African American Studies celebrates 50 years at the U of M

African American Studies celebrates 50 years at the U of M

This year marks the 50-year anniversary of the start of the African American Studies department at the University of Minnesota. The University established the department in 1969, but only after pressure and protests from black student activists.
by Cathy Wurzer

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Democrats announce major changes to U.S. house rules

Democrats announce major changes to U.S. house rules

Democratic leaders unveiled a new rules package that will be brought up for a vote on the first day of the new Congress. The rules govern how the U.S. House operates.

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Minnesota tough: Photographer caught in dog v. longhorn kerfuffle

Minnesota tough: Photographer caught in dog v. longhorn kerfuffle

If you've spent any time online in the last day or so, you probably haven't missed the bovine drama of athletic competition when the mascot of the University of Texas -- a longhorn -- ran roughshod over photographers who, for reasons not yet explained, were overly enthralled by a dog, in this case the mascot of the University of Georgia at the Sugar Bowl.
by Bob Collins

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Ramsey County deputies probe 2 New Year's Day deaths

Deputies responding Tuesday afternoon to a shots fired call at a home in White Bear Township found two men dead in the house. Right now, it's unclear what led to the shooting.
by Brandt Williams

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Surf’s up on Superior

Is there anything that screams 'Minnesota winter' more than surfing? No. There's not.
by Bob Collins

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Man who claimed to have a gun arrested on Duluth campus

Police arrested a man who said he had a gun and was making suicidal threats at the University of Minnesota's Duluth campus.
by Associated Press

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What is the Mid-America Business Conditions Index?

What is the Mid-America Business Conditions Index?

Every month, Creighton University publishes the Mid-America Business Conditions Index. Here's why it's worth your attention.
by Bill Catlin

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Survey suggests improving business conditions in Midwest

The Mid-America Business Conditions Index rose to 55.2 in December from 54.1 in November, the report said. The October reading was 54.9. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth.
by Associated Press

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Dakota Access pipeline developer slow to replace some trees

Dakota Access pipeline developer slow to replace some trees

The developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline missed a year-end deadline to plant thousands of trees along the pipeline corridor in North Dakota, but the company said it was still complying with a recent settlement.
by Associated Press

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Unexpected ways the government shutdown might affect you

Unexpected ways the government shutdown might affect you

In the second week of the federal shutdown, consumers might notice fallout in unexpected places, from poop in national parks to closed museums.

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Hello, goodbye! Why people move to and from Minnesota

Hello, goodbye! Why people move to and from Minnesota

If some Minnesotans are fleeing the state for whatever reason, it's OK. There are people to replace them.
by Bob Collins

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$1 million bond set in Cass County baby death

A central Minnesota man is being held on $1 million bond in the death of an infant in his care.
by Associated Press

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U.S. agents fire tear gas at migrants trying to cross Mexico border

U.S. agents fire tear gas at migrants trying to cross Mexico border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorities say they fired tear gas to deter about 150 Central American migrants from climbing over or under the U.S.-Mexico border fence into California.

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Trump answers Romney criticism: 'I won big, and he didn't'

Trump answers Romney criticism: 'I won big, and he didn't'

Days away from joining the Senate's Republican majority, Sen.-elect Mitt Romney broadly criticized President Donald Trump's policies and character and argued that the president "has not risen to the mantle of the office."
by Associated Press

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For a North Korean defector turned journalist, warming ties are cause for worry

For a North Korean defector turned journalist, warming ties are cause for worry

South Korea barred Kim Myong Song, a reporter for the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, from covering a meeting with North Korean officials. He believes they were concerned his presence could derail the talks.
by Anthony Kuhn

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The news didn't stop over the holidays. Here's what you missed

The news didn't stop over the holidays. Here's what you missed

The government partially shut down, President Trump and the first lady made a secret visit to Iraq and the stock market plunged and rebounded — all in just over a week.
by Brandon Carter

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Hill leaders to attend White House briefing on border

Hill leaders to attend White House briefing on border

Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are expected to attend a briefing on border security at the White House as the government remains partially shut down and President Donald Trump asks in a tweet, "Let's make a deal?"
by Associated Press

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Minnesota’s Northwest Angle: Time to give it to Canada?

The Angle, for those of you who've not studied maps of Minnesota, is a spit of land in Lake of the Woods County that is north of the line that generally defines the U.S. border and belongs to the United States. It is -- other than Alaska -- the only U.S. territory north of the 49th parallel -- i.e. the border.
by Bob Collins

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The Mark Dayton you didn’t see

Every new year should start off with the type of letter to the editor that Seng Vang got published in today's Star Tribune.
by Bob Collins

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What’s on MPR News – 1/2/18

Here are the stories, topics, and guests you'll hear today on MPR News.
by Bob Collins

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Tonya Allen calls on us to be 'solutionaries'

Highlights from an event held every year at the University of Minnesota called "The Celebration of John Brandl and his Uncommon Quest for the Common Good."
by MPR News Staff

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