Stories from October 22, 2025

After contentious zoning approval, Hermantown now delays controversial data center's permits
The small northern Minnesota city tabled consideration of the two permits after a group opposing the proposed data center filed a petition asking for additional environmental review of the controversial project.
As St. Paul pushes for local control of assault weapons, Colorado offers a case study
Under state law, Minnesota cities can’t regulate guns. St. Paul city leaders today are introducing an assault weapon ban anyway. Colorado recently lifted the state’s preemption law and, afterward, the city of Boulder took action.
Immigrant rights group calls for removing pregnant women from detention
Women taken into custody by U.S. immigration agents while pregnant say they received inadequate care in a letter Wednesday that calls on the Trump administration to stop holding expectant mothers in federal detention facilities.
Blue Earth hospital offers hope amid nationwide rural maternity ward closures
Hospital labor and delivery units are closing all across the country, most notably in rural areas where care providers are already few and far between. But a couple of rural hospitals in Minnesota are doing the opposite: they're expanding.
USDA is reopening some 2,100 offices to help farmers access $3B in aid despite the ongoing shutdown
The Agriculture Department will reopen about 2,100 county offices all across the country Thursday despite the ongoing government shutdown to help farmers and ranchers get access to $3 billion of aid from existing programs.
Reversing peanut advice prevented tens of thousands of allergy cases, researchers say
A decade ago, research said giving young children peanut products can prevent allergies. A new study says that, 10 years later, tens of thousands of U.S. children have avoided allergies as a result.
‘Going to get tougher’: Tribes grapple with ongoing government shutdown
The United States is 20 days into the third-longest federal government shutdown in history and Indian Country is bracing for an unstable future ahead as reserve funding for many tribes could begin to dry up.
Government shutdown delays energy assistance funds for low-income Minnesotans
A federally funded program that provides hundreds of dollars to households for energy bills is without funding during the government shutdown. However, a Minnesota official said that people should still apply to make sure they’re covered when that funding frees up.
Minnesota cities can't regulate guns. St. Paul is introducing an assault weapon ban anyway
St. Paul city leaders are expected introduce a gun ordinance Wednesday, as part of an ongoing push from several Minnesota cities to get the state to repeal a law that prevents stricter municipal gun laws.
Minn. Supreme Court rules USA Powerlifting discriminated against transgender weightlifter
In an opinion released Wednesday morning, the Minnesota Supreme Court largely sided with a transgender weightlifter who sued USA Powerlifting after the organization banned her from competing in its women’s division.
Misty Copeland will take to the ballet stage one last time, before hanging up her pointe shoes
Misty Copeland is taking one last passionate spin on the ballet stage before saying goodbye. The 43-year-old ballerina was the first and only Black female principal dancer in the company's 75-year history, and helped bring diverse audiences to the American Ballet Theatre stage.
Judge agrees to extend block on Guard deployment in Chicago while awaiting Supreme Court ruling
As the U.S. Supreme Court weighs whether to clear the way for the National Guard in Chicago, a federal judge on Wednesday agreed to extend a two-week block on Guard deployment in the Chicago area by 30 days.
Life after the kids move out: How to cope with the emotional challenges of an empty nest
MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks about the emotional mix of pride, grief, and rediscovery that comes with an empty nest — and how to find balance and meaning in this new stage of life.
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century
More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year.
Trump pick to lead watchdog agency withdraws after offensive text messages revealed
President Trump’s pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening after his offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted.
Minneapolis police have arrested a person suspected of throwing two Molotov cocktails into an ice cream shop. It happened at Fletcher’s Ice Cream and Cafe on East Hennepin Avenue. No one was hurt.
Cool, breezy with decreasing clouds Wednesday
Winds and clouds will slowly decrease Wednesday. Northeastern Minnesota will see some lingering showers. Afternoon highs will reach the low 50s south but Wednesday night will be frosty for most.
Ojibwe artist George Morrison’s family relishes his first solo exhibit at The Met
A few dozen Minnesotans traveled to New York to celebrate Ojibwe painter George Morrison, as the Metropolitan Museum of Art unveiled his first solo exhibition and placed the Minnesota-born artist among the giants of American modernism.
Ag loan defaults are climbing in Minnesota. The programs meant to help are under strain
Trade wars, low commodity prices and rising costs are pushing farmers’ credit to the limit. A growing number of Minnesota farmers are defaulting on their bank loans, according to a program that helps them.
Good gourd! These Midwesterners are raising giant pumpkins that weigh as much as a car
Giant pumpkins can top the scales at more than 2,000 pounds — and caring for these behemoths is often a full-time job. But for some growers in the central U.S., the dream of raising a world record-setting pumpkin is a tantalizing prospect.