Stories from July 22, 2025

Minneapolis officer who killed Amir Locke will finish leading use of force training next month
Sgt. Mark Hanneman — the officer who was promoted months after fatally shooting 22-year-old Amir Locke in 2022 and now leads use-of-force training — will see that training through to its completion, said Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
2 Highs members convicted of racketeering, fentanyl sales
A jury in Minneapolis Tuesday convicted two members of the Highs gang of racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Robert Lesure, 23, and Cortez Blakemore, 35, are among 13 Highs members convicted in four back-to-back trials that were part of a federal anti-gang effort.
State Sen. Bruce Anderson will be interred at Fort Snelling National Cemetery next week. Anderson died unexpectedly Monday at age 75. Hundreds of Essentia clinic workers in northern and central Minnesota will go back to work Wednesday after a two-week strike.
President Trump indicates he'll let Fed Chair Jerome Powell serve out his term
President Donald Trump seemed willing to allow Jerome Powell to complete his term as chair of the Federal Reserve — at least for now. His comment comes as he and his administration continue to attack Powell.
Q&A: With ‘Chunkadelic,’ Nur-D doubles down on joy and resistance
Minnesota rapper Nur-D discusses his new album “Chunkadelic,” a genre-blending, deeply personal project born from a Reddit insult, exploring joy, resistance and staying true to himself in a conformist industry.
Hundreds of clinic workers at Essentia Health locations across northern and central Minnesota will return to work Wednesday, after two weeks on strike. Essentia and the striking workers added more bargaining dates to the calendar, but did not reach contracts for nurses.
Expert explains how federal officials will decide whether Vance Boelter will receive the death penalty
It’s been more than 100 years since Minnesota’s last state execution. The state abolished capital punishment in 1911. Federal prosecutors have not sought the death penalty in a Minnesota-based case since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.
Closure of Midway Cub Foods puts damper on neighborhood revitalization efforts
Cub Foods in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood announced it will close on August 2. City and neighborhood leaders hope it creates an opportunity to redevelop the block which has several vacant buildings.
Heat advisory south; storms and flood risk north
A heat advisory covers much of southern Minnesota including the Twin Cities area; strongest storms favor northern and central Minnesota.
Bloomington Police said 40 vehicles were damaged in two hotel parking lots, and officials in Minneapolis said they responded to reports that more than 70 vehicles were vandalized.
UN says booming solar, wind and other green energy hits global tipping point for ever lower costs
The United Nations reports a global shift toward renewable energy, calling it a "positive tipping point." Tuesday's U.N. reports reveal that 92.5 percent of new electricity capacity in 2022 came from renewables, with wind and solar leading the way.
Lawsuit challenges restrictions on Head Start for kids in the U.S. illegally
A coalition of 21 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administration’s restrictions on social services for immigrants in the country illegally, including the federal preschool program Head Start, health clinics and adult education.
They came to the U.S. to attend middle school. Then the immigration crackdown began.
One dreams of becoming a lawyer. The other imagines a career as an FBI agent. Over a year at Andersen Middle School in Minneapolis, two students from Mexico and Ecuador reached milestones and faced new barriers to their future in the U.S.
A creek with atomic waste from WWII is linked to increased cancer risk
A new study in JAMA shows how proximity to Coldwater Creek, where nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project was improperly stored, affected cancer rates over the decades.
Coca-Cola says it will use ‘U.S. cane sugar’ in a new drink offering
Coca-Cola’s move comes a week after President Trump said he had been talking to the soft drink giant about using cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup in its signature drink.
Morning Announcements for July 21 and 22
These are the Morning Announcements for Monday, July 21 and Tuesday, July 22. Tell us what you’re celebrating!
Finding purpose: Steve Grove on rediscovering the Midwest
MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Steve Grove, CEO and publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune and author of the new book, “How I Found Myself in the Midwest.”
Uncertainty continues for Fever and Caitlin Clark as her healthy teammates carry their playoff hopes
The Indiana Fever thought Caitlin Clark’s return might solve their wild first-half ride. They were getting healthy, beating good teams and starting to meet expectations. Then the two-time All-Star got hurt again in the final minute of last Tuesday’s game at Connecticut.
A longtime Republican Minnesota state Senator has died. Bruce Anderson, who represented Buffalo — first in the House and, up until his death, the Senate — has died at the age of 75.
Hot and humid with more storm chances
Tuesday and Wednesday will be hot and humid across southern Minnesota. The steamy air will continue to generate storm chances through Wednesday night. 
35 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act - celebrating the success and concern
It was 35 years ago this month that the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. Across the U.S., it’s being marked with festivals and parades — and concern due to recent Medicaid cuts.
Flagbearer: Minnesota Iranian artist wins national visual arts prize
Minnesota-based Iranian artist Ziba Rajabi has won the inaugural $20,000 DAG Prize for Visual Arts to create “Kotál,” a large-scale fabric installation rooted in Persian mourning rituals that honors women who died pursuing freedom and continues her exploration of grief, memory and cultural displacement.
Environmental, conservation groups apply pressure on nitrate contamination in southeast Minnesota
Environmental groups and concerned well owners in southeast Minnesota hope a lawsuit against the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Agriculture will open up the rulemaking process for manure and commercial fertilizer.
Riot guns and revolution: How a bloody 1934 workers strike in Minneapolis catalyzed the nation
A landmark 1934 Minneapolis strike made the city a union town and influenced national labor law. It was an outcome that seemed all but impossible in the first part of the decade.
The Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis reopens ahead of schedule
Restoration work was completed early on the landmark bridge in Minneapolis. State and local leaders held a celebratory ribbon cutting Monday afternoon.