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Stories from February 27, 2025

Minneapolis City Council overrides mayoral veto on George Floyd Square; Red Wing schools cancel Black History Month event with state attorney general

The Minneapolis City Council this morning overrode Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto of a plan to pursue a pedestrian-only plaza at George Floyd Square, and Red Wing Public Schools canceled a Black History Month event where Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was scheduled to speak.
by Emily Reese

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USAID cuts will impact Minnesota farmers

USAID cuts will impact Minnesota farmers

MPR News host Tom Crann spoke with Gary Wertish, president of the Minnesota Farmer’s Union. Wertish and his family farm in Renville County.
by Tom Crann and Gretchen Brown

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Breezy conditions Thursday night; precipitation chances northeast

Breezy conditions Thursday night; precipitation chances northeast

Brisk northwesterly winds will persist through Thursday night and intensify by Friday with gusts potentially exceeding 50 mph. Snow showers are mainly expected in the northeastern part of the state with a chance of rain mixing in as temperatures rise overnight.
by Mandy Thalhuber

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Oldest Minneapolis cemetery designated Underground Railroad site

Oldest Minneapolis cemetery designated Underground Railroad site

The oldest cemetery in Minneapolis is now part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Genealogists discovered that four African Americans buried there were part of the vast network that helped enslaved people travel north to freedom.
by Cathy Wurzer and Lukas Levin

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Thank You, Stranger: A bone marrow donor halfway across the world saved this woman's life

Thank You, Stranger: A bone marrow donor halfway across the world saved this woman's life

Lisa Korslund was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 while she was living in Switzerland. Her doctors told her she needed a bone marrow transplant. She said a stranger halfway across the world saved her life.
by Nina Moini and Ellen Finn

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Minnesota matches U.S. trend of slowing decline of Christianity

Minnesota matches U.S. trend of slowing decline of Christianity

The decline of Christianity in the U.S. has slowed, potentially quelling fears from Christian leaders who thought the religion could be headed towards obscurity.
by Nina Moini and Ellen Finn

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Minnesota-based group fights stigma surrounding fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Minnesota-based group fights stigma surrounding fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

About one to five percent of school-age children in the United States are living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, developmental challenges caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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How a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling could make schools liable for dangerous hires

How a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling could make schools liable for dangerous hires

A Minneapolis charter school can be held legally responsible for hiring a gym teacher who sexually assaulted students. The Supreme Court decision could have implications for schools across the state.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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Minnesota artists travel to the Outsider Art Fair in New York

Minnesota artists travel to the Outsider Art Fair in New York

New York’s Outsider Art Fair will feature work from five artists with Interact, a St. Paul-based arts center supporting artists with disabilities, marking a long-awaited milestone for the organization.
by Alex V. Cipolle

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Former Minnesota school employee accused of using AI to create child sex abuse images

Former Minnesota school employee accused of using AI to create child sex abuse images

A former employee of two Minnesota school districts now faces federal charges for allegedly receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material — including allegations that he used artificial intelligence technology to produce images of child sex abuse.
by MPR News Staff

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Morning Announcements for Feb. 27

Morning Announcements for Feb. 27

These are the morning announcements for Thursday, Feb. 27. Tell us what you’re celebrating!
by MPR News Staff

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My family's immigration story — and yours

My family's immigration story — and yours

How do we remember the journeys that brought us to Minnesota? And why do those stories matter now, more than ever?
by Sarah Thamer and Kelly Gordon

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St. Paul Mayor announces taking legal action against Trump. Maplewood man charged with using AI to create child sexual abuse material

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced Wednesday the city will join San Francisco in taking legal action against President Donald Trump. The Department of Justice has charged a Maplewood man with using AI technology to produce sexual abuse images of children in his care, as a school district employee from 2021 until last month.
by Emily Bright

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Above-normal temperatures continue; snow north Thursday night into Friday

Above-normal temperatures continue; snow north Thursday night into Friday

It’ll be another mild day Thursday. Winds increase Friday as the next disturbance brings snow tonight for northern Minnesota. It will be followed by one day of colder temps Saturday. 
by Sven Sundgaard

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How Trump’s crackdown plays into misperceptions about immigrants and crime

How Trump’s crackdown plays into misperceptions about immigrants and crime

The White House portrays its immigration crackdown as a success. Critics say the administration is trying to look tough for the cameras, and worry about the “tail wagging the dog.”
by Joel Rose

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The Trump administration kills nearly all USAID programs

The Trump administration kills nearly all USAID programs

The Trump administration is terminating thousands of foreign assistance grants and awards, according to a court filing. The move effectively guts the six-decade-old agency.
by Fatma Tanis and Frank Langfitt

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Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa and dog were dead for some time, warrant shows

Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa and dog were dead for some time, warrant shows

Gene Hackman was found dead Wednesday in a mudroom and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found dead in a bathroom next to a space heater. Authorities said Thursday that foul play isn’t suspected, but they haven’t disclosed how the couple died and said an investigation was ongoing.
by The Associated Press

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Trump shifts date for Canada and Mexico tariffs — again

Trump shifts date for Canada and Mexico tariffs — again

Little about how Trump discusses tariffs is normal — not only because he threatens tariffs on a weekly, even daily, basis, but also because it's often unclear if or when those tariffs will happen.
by Danielle Kurtzleben

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Minnesotan rehired after losing Forest Service job in Colorado

Minnesotan rehired after losing Forest Service job in Colorado

Emma Schultz, who is originally from Roseville, was terminated from her position — but a supervisor notified her over the phone that she had been terminated by mistake because her job had been deemed “mission critical.”
by Mathew Holding Eagle III

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Minnesota food shelves saw nearly 9 million visits in 2024

Minnesota food shelves saw nearly 9 million visits in 2024

The report shows food shelf visits increased by an average of 18.4 percent between 2023 and 2024 in Minnesota’s 87 counties last year. 
by Hannah Yang

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DFL, GOP team up on bills to battle absenteeism in Minnesota schools

DFL, GOP team up on bills to battle absenteeism in Minnesota schools

Minnesota lawmakers this week are moving forward on five bills aimed at addressing chronic absenteeism in Minnesota schools, and DFLers and Republicans are working together on policy solutions.  
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Minnesota cancer researchers face uncertainty amid sudden proposed changes to NIH funding rules

Minnesota cancer researchers face uncertainty amid sudden proposed changes to NIH funding rules

The Trump administration wants to cap NIH funding for indirect costs associated with medical research to a set 15 percent rate. The current rate at the University of Minnesota is 54 percent. The cap is not supposed to affect the research itself, but the university said the two cannot be separated.
by Erica Zurek

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Federal freeze on energy and climate funding causing concern, confusion in Minnesota

Federal freeze on energy and climate funding causing concern, confusion in Minnesota

Some of the money has been released since federal judges ordered the funding to be unfrozen. But weatherization programs and rebates for home efficiency upgrades are still on hold. State and local officials say a lack of communication has led to confusion and uncertainty.
by Dan Kraker

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Art Hounds recommend one-act plays, two generations of artists and art of the fjords

Art Hounds recommend one-act plays, two generations of artists and art of the fjords

Art Hounds recommend Theatre Du Mississippi’s One Act Play Festival, “Reflections and Conversations: Monica Rudquist and Jerry Rudquist” and the exhibit “Sund: Notes from the Sea.”
by Emily Bright

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Musk says federal workers should expect another round of ‘pulse check’ emails

Musk says federal workers should expect another round of ‘pulse check’ emails

President Trump warned federal workers who did not reply to recent emails asking them to describe “five things” they accomplished are “on the bubble” suggesting they are at risk of losing their jobs.
by Heidi Glenn

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NIH partially lifts freeze on funding process for medical research

NIH partially lifts freeze on funding process for medical research

Thousands of grant applications had been stalled when the Trump administration blocked the National Institutes of Health from posting notices to the Federal Register.
by Rob Stein

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Hennepin County reviewing deputies’ actions after video shows them punching man during arrest

Hennepin County reviewing deputies’ actions after video shows them punching man during arrest

The one-minute clip captures deputies yelling at the 34-year-old man to put his hand back and punching him in the head, while bystanders call out the use of force. One onlooker protests that the man is not resisting.
by Cari Spencer

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Minneapolis, St. Paul join lawsuit against president over immigration enforcement

Minneapolis, St. Paul join lawsuit against president over immigration enforcement

The White House argues St. Paul’s 2004 separation ordinance interferes with federal immigration enforcements, but St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said the city’s policy does not oppose lawful immigration enforcement.
by Chandra Colvin

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