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Stories from August 21, 2025

Minneapolis woman, 79, hurt by gunfire block away from home

Minneapolis woman, 79, hurt by gunfire block away from home

A 79-year-old Minneapolis woman is recovering after she was shot from a block away over the weekend while inside her home. Officers arrested two suspects Wednesday in St. Paul.
by Matt Sepic

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Review: Soft-serve beer makes its debut and s'mores abound

Review: Soft-serve beer makes its debut and s'mores abound

This year’s roster of new Minnesota State Fair foods includes a wide variety of new foods and drinks to sample. And as she’s done every year, food writer Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl was out there bright and early on the first day to try every single new offering.
by Emily Bright and Ngoc Bui

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Minnesota DFL rescinds Minneapolis mayoral endorsement

Minnesota DFL rescinds Minneapolis mayoral endorsement

The Minnesota DFL is rescinding its endorsement of State Sen. Omar Fateh in the Minneapolis Mayor’s race after a committee found problems with the endorsement process held earlier this summer. The party will not endorse a candidate in the race.
by Peter Cox and Cait Kelley

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Scattered showers into Friday; October preview this weekend

Scattered showers into Friday; October preview this weekend

A few spotty showers are possible Friday. Then, the coldest air mass so far this season pushes into Minnesota this weekend.
by Paul Huttner

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Lights out for fireflies? Climate change, pesticides and light pollution threaten lightning bug population

Lights out for fireflies? Climate change, pesticides and light pollution threaten lightning bug population

MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner talked with journalist Eric Berger about the declining population rate for fireflies across the country.
by Paul Huttner and Matthew Alvarez

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Thousands head to Minnesota State Fair opening day

Gates opened for the Great Minnesota Get-Together Thursday morning, kicking off the annual 12-day run of the fair. Final defendant in Feeding Our Future juror bribe plot pleads guilty
by Emily Reese

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Trump says he's going on patrol in DC with the National Guard

Trump says he's going on patrol in DC with the National Guard

President Trump says he wants to see for himself how National Guard soldiers and police officers are cracking down on what he has described as rampant crime in Washington, D.C.
by Franco Ordoñez

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Final defendant in Feeding Our Future juror bribe plot pleads guilty

Final defendant in Feeding Our Future juror bribe plot pleads guilty

Said Farah, a defendant in the first Feeding Our Future trial who was found not guilty in the underlying fraud case, pleaded guilty on Thursday to trying to bribe a juror.
by Matt Sepic

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Iowa Democrats consider bringing back lead off caucuses, even if it means going 'rogue' in 2028

Iowa Democrats consider bringing back lead off caucuses, even if it means going 'rogue' in 2028

Iowa’s state party officials say it was a mistake that the party’s 2024 nominating calendar forced them to ditch the five-decade, first-in-the-nation caucus where community members publicly signal their support for a candidate.
by The Associated Press

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Behind the scenes with the MPR News politics team

Behind the scenes with the MPR News politics team

It has been a historic year in state politics and MPR News political reporters have covered it all. They join Minnesota Now live from the fair with a peek inside their work.
by Nina Moini and Ellie Roth

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Minn. joins challenge to federal investigators' demands for information on transgender patients

Minn. joins challenge to federal investigators' demands for information on transgender patients

When the U.S. Justice Department sought information from doctors and clinics that provide gender-affirming care for young transgender patients, officials weren’t just asking for policies. They also demanded information about individual patients.
by The Associated Press

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Shakopee’s new venue name announced, Mystic Lake Amphitheater to open next summer

Shakopee’s new venue name announced, Mystic Lake Amphitheater to open next summer

Live Nation announced the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has purchased the naming rights to its new outdoor music venue south of the Twin Cities. Mystic Lake Amphitheater is expected to open in 2026.
by Melissa Olson

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Morning Announcements for Aug. 21

Morning Announcements for Aug. 21

These are the Morning Announcements for Thursday, Aug. 21. Tell us what you’re celebrating!
by MPR News Staff

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A day in the life of WeeWee the chiweenie, a traveling stunt dog

A day in the life of WeeWee the chiweenie, a traveling stunt dog

People have traveled from every corner of Minnesota and beyond to the state fair to show their animals, from fancy pigeons to dairy cows. But there are also animals that put on a show, like WeeWee the Chi-Weenie.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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A Russian airstrike hits a U.S. factory in western Ukraine

A Russian airstrike hits a U.S. factory in western Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a Russian cruise missile hit a U.S. electronics plant in the far west of Ukraine. The strike was part of an overnight barrage of more than 600 drones and missiles.
by Greg Myre

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Russia hammers Ukraine with drones and missiles as peace efforts drag on

Russia hammers Ukraine with drones and missiles as peace efforts drag on

The Ukrainian Air Force says Russia has launched a major aerial attack on Ukraine, firing 574 drones and 40 missiles. The attack has targeted western regions, killing at least one person and injuring 15 others. 
by The Associated Press

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Are ‘COVID kindergartners’ ready for school?

Are ‘COVID kindergartners’ ready for school?

More than 3.6 million children born in 2020 amid the COVID-19 global pandemic are walking into elementary schools across the country this fall.
by Vanessa Romo

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Warm, muggy Thursday; weekend may bring coolest August temps in 8 years

Warm, muggy Thursday; weekend may bring coolest August temps in 8 years

Thursday will be warm and muggy with sunshine. A cold front touches off showers and storms northwest to southeast late Thursday into Friday morning. Fall-like air moves in this weekend. 
by Sven Sundgaard

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Wright County’s Malorie Thorson crowned 72nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way

Wright County’s Malorie Thorson crowned 72nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way

A 20-year-old college student from Waverly was crowned the 72nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way on Wednesday, the night before the Minnesota State Fair began. The winner, Malorie Thorson, studies dairy production at South Dakota State University.
by Regina Medina

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Rain or shine, they keep strumming at the Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival 

Rain or shine, they keep strumming at the Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival 

An unexpected sight — and sound — was created in the middle of the Lake County Fairgrounds when over 375 musicians joined the annual Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival for four days of ukulele fun and community.
by Anika Besst

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Art Hounds: Creative pies, wood carvings and clay critters

Art Hounds: Creative pies, wood carvings and clay critters

Art Hounds recommend the Creative Activities building at the Minnesota State Fair, “… good dog …” and Sporalia World Clay Critter Workshop.
by Max Sparber

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One civilian injured in crash with D.C. National Guard military vehicle

One civilian injured in crash with D.C. National Guard military vehicle

The military vehicle, which is designed to withstand explosive attacks, collided with a “civilian vehicle” just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
by Luke Garrett

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