Stories from December 5, 2025

‘Tinted windows and out-of-state plates’: How ICE watchers look for agents in their neighborhoods
Across the Twin Cities, ICE agents and activists are playing a high stakes cat-and-mouse game. The goal is to make their job as difficult as possible and protect their immigrant neighbors.
Weekend clipper prompts advisories as cold air moves in
A surge of cold air arrives Friday night, setting the stage for a chilly weekend across the region. Southern Minnesota may see another half foot of snow as a quick-hitting clipper system sweeps through the region late Saturday.
After no-prison plea deal in Hennepin County, feds charge man tied to multiple rapes
Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged a Minneapolis man in connection with a string of sexual assaults including of a 15-year-old girl. Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, 28, avoided prison as part of a plea deal with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and allegedly raped his latest victim while on probation.
Frank Gehry, the most celebrated architect of his time, dies at 96
Groundbreaking architect Frank Gehry who was behind the acclaimed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles has died. Gehry received architecture’s top honor, the Pritzker Prize, in 1989. He was 96.
The Supreme Court will decide whether Trump's birthright citizenship order violates the Constitution
The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s order on birthright citizenship. The Republican president's order says children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily aren't American citizens.
Appeals court hands Trump a victory, OK'ing firings of two independent agency heads
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2 to 1 that President Donald Trump's firings of Democratic members of the Merit Systems Protection Board and the National Labor Relations Board were lawful.
Catherine Newman’s witty, warm and wary Rocky returns in ‘Wreck’
If you devoured Catherine Newman’s 2024 novel “Sandwich,” you’ll love her just released sequel, “Wreck.” Newman joins Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas for a laughter-soaked conversation that covers parenthood, aging, mortality and the peculiarities of a long and enduring marriage.
U.S. vaccine advisers say not all babies need a hepatitis B shot at birth
A federal vaccine advisory committee has voted to end a longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth.
Traffic congestion hits a record high, spreading to more hours of the week
If it seems like traffic is getting worse where you live, that’s because it probably is. After dropping during the COVID-19 pandemic, congestion climbed to record levels in 2024, researchers say.
Randle scores 28 as the Timberwolves beat the Pelicans again on a quiet night for Edwards
Julius Randle had 28 points and nine rebounds, carrying Minnesota on a quiet night from Anthony Edwards, and the Timberwolves beat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-116 on Thursday night.
The World Cup draw is here. Here’s why it matters — and how it will work
FIFA is about to determine which teams all 48 participating countries in the FIFA World Cup 2026 will face in the group phase of the tournament, which the U.S., Canada and Mexico are co-hosting.
Dozens of religious leaders from a wide variety of faith traditions gathered in Minneapolis last night to denounce President Trump’s disparaging comments about Minnesota’s Somali community. Earlier this week, Trump made the remarks in response to a question about fraud in taxpayer-funded social service programs in Minnesota.
Minnesota Wild lose 4-1 to the Calgary Flames
Dustin Wolf made 26 saves, Jonathan Huberdeau ended a scoring drought and the Calgary Flames beat the surging Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Thursday night. The Flames handed the Wild their first regulation loss since Nov. 6. Minnesota was 10-0-2 during the run.
How a Carleton College alum went from Northfield to ‘Saturday Night Live’
Claire McFadden, a Carleton College graduate, talked with MPR News about how she got started in comedy, her decision to pursue it as a career, and how her time in Minnesota prepared her for this highly coveted opportunity.
MN Shortlist: Winter stories, warmer rooms — 6 picks for Dec. 5–Dec. 11
December arrives like a season that knows it’s putting on a show. The city fills with borrowed memories, holiday oddities, local stories and a little frost for dramatic effect. This week’s picks slip right into that cast, where familiar traditions get re-staged and the past refuses to stay backstage.
Climate change is reshaping Minnesota winters
In Minnesota, climate change is most evident in winter. Reporter Kristoffer Tigue explained that the state is experiencing warmer winters, an increase in precipitation and melting. Tigue wrote about the many ways Minnesotans are seeing climate change — from warmer falls, to a lack of foliage color and wildfire smoke.
South St. Paul history teacher mourns demolition of stockyard landmark
The Armour Gates that stood in South St. Paul for over a hundred years are coming down despite efforts to save them. Social studies teacher Mark Westpfahl got his students involved in the push for preservation.