Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

Stories from July 29, 2022

MnDOT exploring new pavement mixes to reduce use of carbon-intensive concrete

MnDOT exploring new pavement mixes to reduce use of carbon-intensive concrete

The experimental pavement mixes incorporate recycled bottles, fiber and other materials to reduce the proportion of concrete needed. The agency is also looking at whether it can sequester carbon in its pavement.
by Paul Huttner and Megan Burks

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

House passes semi-automatic gun ban after 18-year lapse

The House passed legislation Friday to revive a ban on semi-automatic guns, the first vote of its kind in years and a direct response to the firearms often used in the crush of mass shootings ripping through communities nationwide.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Bogus ballot requests latest issue in Wisconsin elections

Harry Wait was so determined to show Wisconsin's election system is vulnerable to fraud that he logged onto the state website, requested an absentee ballot in the state Assembly speaker’s name and had it delivered to himself. Then he ran to a sheriff to tell him that he had committed fraud.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Republican state senator's residency disputed

A Republican state senator’s residency is under scrutiny as he seeks a new term. First-term lawmaker Gene Dornink says he moved this year to avoid facing a fellow Republican incumbent after new district boundaries were set. Now a court is being asked to decide if he appropriately established residency in a southern Minnesota district. This is the afternoon MPR News update for Friday, July 29, 2022. Hosted by Hannah Yang. Theme music by Gary Meister.
by Hannah Yang

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Class action disability rights suit settled

People with disabilities who live in group homes have reached a settlement almost six years after they filed a lawsuit alleging that Minnesota disability programs rely too much on group homes and don’t provide support for people to live more independently. 
by Jon Collins

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Signs point to COVID concerns in southern Minnesota

Signs point to COVID concerns in southern Minnesota

We’re looking forward to the day we can report (hopefully) a consistent downturn in COVID metrics and call this a COVID mesa instead of a COVID plateau. But for now, flat metrics are the reality, and the possibility remains that things will get worse before they get better.
by Craig Helmstetter and Elisabeth Gawthrop

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
The Senate passed a bill to help sick veterans. Then 25 Republicans reversed course

The Senate passed a bill to help sick veterans. Then 25 Republicans reversed course

Veterans groups are slamming GOP senators for blocking a bill that would have given health care and benefits to veterans affected by from toxic chemicals and burn pits in wars dating back to Vietnam.
by Rachel Treisman and Quil Lawrence

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Holocaust survivor Lucy K. Smith dies at 89

Holocaust survivor Lucy K. Smith dies at 89

Funeral services were held Friday morning for St. Paul resident and Holocaust survivor Lucy K. Smith. During WWII in Poland she and her mother hid for six years and were never caught.
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
GOP senator’s residency in reelection bid challenged

GOP senator’s residency in reelection bid challenged

State Sen. Gene Dornink, who represents a southern Minnesota district, moved after new district boundaries paired him with a fellow Republican. Now some want the state Supreme Court to scrutinize his residency.
by Brian Bakst

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Minneapolis-based Lakota storyteller uses humor to 'right size' Pope's visit

Minneapolis-based Lakota storyteller uses humor to 'right size' Pope's visit

Pope Francis wore an eagle feather headdress during his visit to apologize to Indigenous people in Canada for abuses suffered at residential schools. Alfred Walking Bull, a writer and storyteller deployed his sense of humor.
by Melissa Olson

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

July continues to see below-average rainfall

This year’s July was dryer than normal across most of Minnesota.
by Cathy Wurzer

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A ruff month alone in the BWCA, Luigi the dog comes home

A ruff month alone in the BWCA, Luigi the dog comes home

A big black dog who goes by the name of Luigi, returned home this week after spending a month in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The dog was separated from his owners during a portage near the Sawbill Trail.
by Cathy Wurzer

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Adult English language learners head back to class in Minnesota

Adult English language learners head back to class in Minnesota

Adult English language learners across Minnesota are among those who suffered a gap in learning during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Now providers of these services are reimagining their curriculum as they head back into the classroom, and face increased demand due to an influx of new immigrants.
by Nina Moini

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Twin Cities' photographer sees the Hmong diaspora in Western landscapes

Twin Cities' photographer sees the Hmong diaspora in Western landscapes

Called “Paj qaum ntuj,” or “Flowers of the Sky,” the Walker exhibit showcases Her’s black-and-white landscape photos of the Mount Shasta region in northern California. It’s a departure from Her’s usual work with portraits — and a captivating story of a community’s relationship to its history and land.
by Estelle Timar-Wilcox

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Ellison won’t appeal state judge’s abortion decision

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Thursday he will not appeal a district judge's abortion ruling that invalidated several Minnesota restrictions. This is a morning update from MPR News, hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Music by Gary Meister.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Lovely Friday; much warmer weekend

Lovely Friday; much warmer weekend

Beautiful, dry Friday. Then heating up for the weekend with scattered storms likely on Sunday. Next week gets seriously hot.
by Bill Endersen

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Floyd family, others see inequality in penalties for ex-cops

Floyd family, others see inequality in penalties for ex-cops

Three former Minneapolis police officers went before a federal judge during the last week to be sentenced for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, and for each man, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson handed out penalties well below what prosecutors sought and below federal guidelines. For some Floyd family members and activists, the penalties were too small.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Summer boosters for people under 50 shelved in favor of updated boosters in the fall

Summer boosters for people under 50 shelved in favor of updated boosters in the fall

The Biden administration is scrapping plans to offer COVID boosters for people under 50 this summer. Instead officials will push for an earlier release of the next generation boosters in the fall.
by Rob Stein

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Few Black men become school psychologists. Here's why that matters

Few Black men become school psychologists. Here's why that matters

Psychologists play a critical role in K-12 schools, but there's a clear mismatch between the demographics of school psychologists and the student populations they serve.
by Pooja Salhotra

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
More people are opting to get sterilized — and some are being turned away

More people are opting to get sterilized — and some are being turned away

Doctors says more of their patients are seeking permanent sterilization procedures, but some patients are reporting that doctors are unwilling to operate on people of childbearing age.
by Aaron Bolton and Ellis Juhlin

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!