Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

Stories from January 14, 2025

14th straight January thaw on the way for the Twin Cities?

14th straight January thaw on the way for the Twin Cities?

If it gets above freezing in the Twin Cities Thursday and Friday it will be our 14th consecutive year with a January thaw.
by Paul Huttner

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 bumpy start to the legislative session for the Minnesota House

The 2025 Minnesota legislative session is off and running, kind of. In the House, with Democrats boycotting the first day of session, there is dispute over whether the 67 Republicans gathered in the House chamber had the numbers for a quorum to actually start the session. The Senate, which currently has an even split, started on a much more peaceful note.
by Emily Reese

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!
Wisconsin’s governor creates new violence-prevention office in wake of school shooting

Wisconsin’s governor creates new violence-prevention office in wake of school shooting

Wisconsin’s Democratic governor on Tuesday created a new office dedicated to preventing gun violence, a month after a school shooting not far from the state Capitol and an idea that drew immediate opposition from Republicans who said it was misguided.
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!
The FDA calls for at-a-glance nutrition labels on the front of packaged foods

The FDA calls for at-a-glance nutrition labels on the front of packaged foods

The FDA wants front-of-package nutrition labels required on packaged foods. The labels would tell consumers if the product has Low, Medium or High levels of saturated fat, sodium and added sugar.
by Maria Godoy

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!
Straw buyer in Burnsville first responder shooting pleads guilty

Straw buyer in Burnsville first responder shooting pleads guilty

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors are dropping three other straw purchasing counts against Ashley Dyrdahl, who also agreed to appear in public service announcements to warn about straw purchasing.
by Matt Sepic

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!
Neil Gaiman has responded to sexual misconduct allegations

Neil Gaiman has responded to sexual misconduct allegations

The accusations stretch back decades and first became public last summer. Gaiman wrote, "I'm far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever."
by Elizabeth Blair

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!
Minnesota Legislature gavels in with House DFL lawmakers absent

Minnesota Legislature gavels in with House DFL lawmakers absent

The Minnesota Legislature officially began its 2025 session Tuesday at noon. With the DFL and GOP sharing power in the Senate and disputing control of the House, the start of the 2025 session has been strange to say the least.
by Nina Moini and Peter Cox

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!
Vikings close ‘another chapter in the purple book of pain’

Vikings close ‘another chapter in the purple book of pain’

The Minnesota Vikings’ successful season has come to a familiar end. Sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson join MPR News host Nina Moini with perspective on the team’s 9-27 loss to the LA Rams.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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!
In new podcast, Minneapolis reporter follows the story of couple who owned his house 100 years ago

In new podcast, Minneapolis reporter follows the story of couple who owned his house 100 years ago

The podcast “Ghost of a Chance” explores how the story of Harry and Clementine Robinson connects to a larger pattern of segregation that exists in Minneapolis today.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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!
Fond du Lac artist explains the importance of pipestone and the area where it is found

Fond du Lac artist explains the importance of pipestone and the area where it is found

Jeff Savage has worked with pipestone for 50 years to make sculptures and ceremonial pipes. Pipestone National Monument, where he and other members of tribal nations extract the stone, is near two proposed routes for a gas pipeline.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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!
St. Paul City Council reflects on a historic year: ‘Ten toes down, shoulder to shoulder’

St. Paul City Council reflects on a historic year: ‘Ten toes down, shoulder to shoulder’

St. Paul’s all-female city council has been on the job for a year now. What have they learned? MPR News host Angela Davis talks with this historic, young and diverse group about what it’s like to be a woman in politics today.
by Angela Davis and Kelly Gordon

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!
Chemicals in sewage sludge fertilizer pose cancer risk, EPA says

Chemicals in sewage sludge fertilizer pose cancer risk, EPA says

Harmful chemicals in sewage sludge spread on pasture as fertilizer pose a risk to people who regularly consume milk, beef and other products from those farms, in some cases raising cancer risk “several orders of magnitude” above what the Environmental Protection Agency considers acceptable, federal officials announced Tuesday. 
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!
Morning Announcements for Jan. 14

Morning Announcements for Jan. 14

Here are the morning announcements for Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
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!
Judge: DFL candidate’s election stands for Shakopee-area Minnesota House seat

Judge: DFL candidate’s election stands for Shakopee-area Minnesota House seat

State Rep. Brad Tabke, a DFL Minnesota House incumbent who narrowly won reelection, should be able to begin a new term, a judge ruled Tuesday — despite a GOP election challenge centering on a pool of ballots that were cast but never counted.
by Dana Ferguson and 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!
Sam Darnold’s career-best season ends with a thud as he takes 9 sacks in playoff loss

Sam Darnold’s career-best season ends with a thud as he takes 9 sacks in playoff loss

Sam Darnold’s renaissance pushed Minnesota to one of the NFL’s best records, offering the hope of a deep playoff run. A disappointing night in the desert rammed Darnold and the Vikings right out of the postseason.
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!
Israel and Hamas may be on the verge of a cease-fire. Here’s what we know right now

Israel and Hamas may be on the verge of a cease-fire. Here’s what we know right now

Negotiators in Qatar are close to a cease-fire deal that sees an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees, a six-week pause in fighting and eventual troop withdrawal from Gaza.
by Jerome Socolovsky and Kat Lonsdorf

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!

Minnesota Legislature begins session. Vikings season ends with 27-9 loss to Rams

The Minnesota Legislature begins its 2025 session in St. Paul. Lawmakers will need to set a budget between now and May. And the Vikings’ season is over. They lost to the Los Angeles Rams 27-9 Monday night in an NFC wild-card game.

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!
One more chilly day before a drastic warmup

One more chilly day before a drastic warmup

Tuesday begins with frigid, below-average temperatures accompanied by wind chills ranging from 20 to 30 degrees below zero. However, a major warmup is on the way for midweek with temperatures climbing into the 20s and 30s along with abundant sunshine.
by Mandy Thalhuber

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!
Special counsel who investigated Trump says his team ‘stood up for the rule of law’

Special counsel who investigated Trump says his team ‘stood up for the rule of law’

Special counsel Jack Smith says in a new report that his team “stood up for the rule of law” as it investigated President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
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!
Extreme fire warnings keep LA residents on high alert

Extreme fire warnings keep LA residents on high alert

Much of southwest California is under a red flag warning, with winds expected to peak Wednesday. Authorities are urging residents to heed evacuation orders and prepare for power outages.
by Rachel Treisman and Ayana Archie

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!
What to know about the devastation from the Los Angeles-area fires

What to know about the devastation from the Los Angeles-area fires

The Palisades Fire, along the coast, has been blamed for eight deaths, while the Eaton Fire farther inland has been blamed for 17 others, the LA County medical examiner’s office said. Nearly 30 people were missing.
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!
Two new operas focus on the Black female experience

Two new operas focus on the Black female experience

Two short operas that got their premieres at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. feature Black female protagonists.
by Olivia Hampton

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!
RFK Jr. faces a complicated confirmation with some opposition on both sides of the aisle

RFK Jr. faces a complicated confirmation with some opposition on both sides of the aisle

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views on vaccines and abortion rights are raising alarms across the political spectrum, as he's one of the more controversial picks for the president-elect's Cabinet.
by Sarah McCammon

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!
NPR shopped for 96 items at Walmart to track how prices are really changing

NPR shopped for 96 items at Walmart to track how prices are really changing

NPR has tracked the prices of dozens of items at the same superstore in Georgia, including eggs, T-shirts, snacks and paper towels. Here's what got cheaper over the past year, and more expensive.
by Alina Selyukh and Juweek Adolphe

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!
Minnesota House DFLers boycott opening session; Republicans elect their own speaker

Minnesota House DFLers boycott opening session; Republicans elect their own speaker

DFLers on Tuesday made good on their threat to keep the Minnesota House in limbo as the parties fight over control. House Republicans pushed ahead anyway in the half-empty chamber. It’s all likely headed to the courts.
by Dana Ferguson and Clay Masters

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 new lesson in higher education: Being OK with uncomfortable conversations

A new lesson in higher education: Being OK with uncomfortable conversations

Colleges around the country have been taking heat for being too politically correct and stifling robust political debate. At the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the faculty is trying to tackle that problem. 
by Catharine Richert

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!
Senate District 60 primary results: 9 candidates running in election to decide control of the Minnesota Senate

Senate District 60 primary results: 9 candidates running in election to decide control of the Minnesota Senate

The recent death of Minneapolis state Sen. Kari Dziedzic left a 33-33 tie in the Minnesota Senate. A primary for her seat set for Tuesday features seven DFLers and two Republicans. The primary winners from each party will face each other in a Jan. 28 election.
by Matthew Alvarez

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!
Lawsuits allege power company involvement in LA wildfires

Lawsuits allege power company involvement in LA wildfires

Lawsuits allege the Eaton Fire was sparked by a SoCal Edison transmission tower. The company says they have not had a chance to inspect the scene yet. The ATF has only just begun the federal investigation into the fire's cause.
by Liz Baker

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!
After second trial, jury awards $3.25 million to family of man killed by St. Paul police

After second trial, jury awards $3.25 million to family of man killed by St. Paul police

A federal jury on Monday awarded $3.25 million to the mother of a man killed by St. Paul police in 2017. Kim Handy Jones, the mother of Cordale Handy, opted for a second trial in her civil suit after a judge sharply reduced the initial verdict.
by Matt Sepic

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!