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Stories from May 8, 2025

Minnesota disabilities advocates push back on plan to restore school seclusion rooms

Minnesota disabilities advocates push back on plan to restore school seclusion rooms

In 2023, Minnesota banned the use of school seclusion rooms for children in kindergarten through third grade. A proposal in the state Senate now would repeal the ban. Critics say seclusion is an inappropriate disciplinary approach to use on young children.
by Kyra Miles

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MN Shortlist: May 8-14 Mid West Music Fest, Hygge Happy Hour

MN Shortlist: May 8-14 Mid West Music Fest, Hygge Happy Hour

MN Shortlist is your weekly curated roundup of recommended events from MPR News, highlighting standout performances, exhibits and gatherings around the region. This week's list includes Mid West Music Fest, Hygge Happy Hour and the St. Croix River Pottery Tour.
by Anika Besst, Jacob Aloi and Alex V. Cipolle

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Minnesota Senate passes bill to establish Office of Inspector General

Minnesota Senate passes bill to establish Office of Inspector General

A Senate bill, which passed 60 to 7, will establish an office that will keep track of state spending and will also track money that moves through private entities.
by Peter Cox

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‘It’s a very big deal’: Benedictine monk on election of first American pope

‘It’s a very big deal’: Benedictine monk on election of first American pope

Father Nickolas Becker, an assistant professor of theology at College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University as well as the graduate School of Theology and Seminary, shared why the election of Pope Leo XIV is notable.
by Tom Crann and Gretchen Brown

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Catholics react to pope news; U of M talks Trump administration grant funding cuts

Local Catholics are excited about the election of Pope Leo XIV from Chicago. "We have a pope! An American!" said Joan McLeod and Gailyn Ryan. The University of Minnesota says it has lost more than 70 federal grants totaling more than $22 million in Trump administration budget cuts and that it does not know what's coming next. And the first Republican contender has entered the 2026 Minnesota governor's race.
by Emily Reese

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Trump asks Supreme Court to allow him to end humanitarian parole for 500,000 people from 4 countries

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow him to end humanitarian parole for 500,000 people from 4 countries

President Donald Trump's administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow it to end humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from four countries, setting them up for potential deportation.
by The Associated Press

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Talking Volumes: Peter Geye on ‘A Lesser Light’

Talking Volumes: Peter Geye on ‘A Lesser Light’

Talking Volumes hit the road and headed to Duluth to talk with Minnesota author Peter Geye about his new novel, “A Lesser Light,” which is set along the North Shore of Lake Superior.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Robert Prevost, first pope from U.S. in history of the Catholic Church, takes the name Leo XIV

Robert Prevost, first pope from U.S. in history of the Catholic Church, takes the name Leo XIV

Cardinal Robert Prevost, a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, has been elected the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV. 
by The Associated Press

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Americans are already seeing Trump's tariffs kick in. They sent in receipts to prove it

Americans are already seeing Trump's tariffs kick in. They sent in receipts to prove it

There's new tariffs on almost everything that is imported. Some of that increased cost is being eaten by exporters in other countries, but a lot of the higher prices are being picked up by Americans, who are seeing it in their receipts.
by Emily Feng

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AmeriCorps at risk: What federal cuts mean for Minnesota

AmeriCorps at risk: What federal cuts mean for Minnesota

What happens when public service disappears? With major cuts to national volunteer programs, Minnesotan communities could lose support. MPR News host Angela Davis talks about what AmeriCorps participants do, and why their work matters. 
by Angela Davis and Nikhil Kumaran

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80 years after VE Day a veteran says, ‘I hope people will see the futility of it all’

80 years after VE Day a veteran says, ‘I hope people will see the futility of it all’

Army veteran Harry Miller was stationed in Germany when the Nazis surrendered. Upon hearing the news, he recalls that American troops went to sleep or shook hands. “And some just couldn’t believe it.”
by Joe Hernandez

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Warriors will rely on the Jimmy-Buddy show to help stay afloat vs. Wolves with Curry out

Warriors will rely on the Jimmy-Buddy show to help stay afloat vs. Wolves with Curry out

Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield delivered in their own ways the both-ends-of-the-floor production necessary for Golden State to fend off Minnesota for a Game 1 victory after star Stephen Curry went down with a strained left hamstring early in the second quarter. Butler pitched in 20 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and sound defense.
by The Associated Press

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Conservation groups gather at Minnesota Capitol to protest mining in the BWCA

Conservation groups plan to gather at the Minnesota Capitol Thursday to rally in support of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The supporters want to prevent mining in the area and will advocate for legislation to protect public lands. The Minnesota House has passed an energy bill that keeps spending flat for electricity and home weatherization programs in the state’s next two-year budget.
by Phil Picardi

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Buxton and Bader hit big homers as Twins top Orioles 5-2

Buxton and Bader hit big homers as Twins top Orioles 5-2

Byron Buxton homered for a third straight game and Harrison Bader had a pinch-hit homer to lift the Minnesota Twins to a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles for their fourth consecutive victory.
by The Associated Press

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Coolish Thursday before heating up Friday

Coolish Thursday before heating up Friday

While cooler than earlier in the week, temperatures will still be slightly above normal Thursday. Highs in the 80s are back Friday into next week. 
by Sven Sundgaard

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No pope chosen as black smoke billows from Sistine Chapel

No pope chosen as black smoke billows from Sistine Chapel

Black smoke has again poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the second or third ballots of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church. The smoke appeared just before noon in the Vatican after morning voting sessions to elect a successor to Pope Francis.
by The Associated Press

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Viral video of racial slur incident sparks calls for legal action in Rochester

Viral video of racial slur incident sparks calls for legal action in Rochester

In a video that’s gained national attention, a Rochester woman called a Somali American child a racial slur on a playground at a public park. Leaders of the Black and Somali American communities in Rochester are calling for legal action in the wake of the incident.
by Catharine Richert

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Poll: Americans wary about the president taking unconventional actions

Poll: Americans wary about the president taking unconventional actions

A new poll finds that Americans strongly prefer that the president achieves his political goals through conventional, sometimes slow, procedures. Republicans are more supportive than Democrats of unconventional presidential actions.
by Craig Helmstetter and Eric Plutzer

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Art Hounds: Somali dance traditions, sculptural books and raw photography

Art Hounds: Somali dance traditions, sculptural books and raw photography

This week, Art Hounds highlight a youth dance showcase of Somali folk traditions, a sculptural retrospective that blends books and architecture and a photographic call to face homelessness head-on.
by Emily Bright

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In Crosslake, governor’s fishing opener spotlights lethal impact of lead tackle to Minnesota’s loons

In Crosslake, governor’s fishing opener spotlights lethal impact of lead tackle to Minnesota’s loons

One of the biggest threats loons face is poisoning from swallowing lead sinkers, lures and jigs. Yet efforts to ban lead tackle in Minnesota have repeatedly failed and convincing anglers to voluntarily switch out their lead tackle for non-toxic alternatives has been a slow process.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Trump administration plans to deport migrants to Libya

Trump administration plans to deport migrants to Libya

A U.S. official has confirmed to NPR that the Trump administration is planning to deport migrants to Libya, but a federal judge blocked any deportations there without due process.
by Kate Bartlett

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