Stories from May 5, 2025

Eden Prairie educator and coach honored as Teacher of the Year
Known to her students as “Wally,” Linda Wallenberg is an English teacher at Eden Prairie High School. She is the first from her district to win the award and is being recognized for inspiring generations of students across her 49 years of teaching and coaching.
Marc-Andre Fleury has played his last NHL game, but retirement can wait a few more weeks
Marc-Andre Fleury has exited the NHL after 21 seasons in the net. He's eager for more family time and an end to the on-ice tributes while fully accepting at age 40 that he’s no longer at his best. He’s just not quite ready to completely call it quits.
A Minnesota Senate ethics panel has deadlocked along party lines and won't proceed with a complaint against DFL Senate President Bobby Joe Champion today. The Rochester police department says it's completed an investigation into a video posted on social media that featured a woman calling a child a racial slur at a local park.
‘Smashing our dreams’: NEA terminates grants for many Minnesota arts organizations
Several Minnesota arts organizations, including Penumbra Theatre and the Lakes Area Music Festival, have had their 2025 NEA grants abruptly terminated as the agency shifts its funding priorities to align with new federal directives restricting support for projects promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
New York Times wins 4 Pulitzers, New Yorker 3; Washington Post wins for coverage of Trump shooting
The New York Times won four Pulitzer Prizes and The New Yorker three for journalism in 2024. Prizes were awarded on Monday for reporting, photography and commentary that touched on issues including the war in Gaza, the fentanyl crisis and last summer’s assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.
Federal cuts could effectively end programs for Minnesotans with intellectual disabilities
Three programs that help Minnesotans with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live independently rely heavily on federal dollars. Those funds are on the chopping block.
Timberwolves playoff run: Everything to know about Minnesota’s basketball semifinals
The Minnesota Timberwolves are chasing their first-ever NBA Finals appearance. After knocking out the Lakers, they now face the Golden State Warriors Tuesday in Round 2. Many Wolves fans may be experiencing deja vu after the team’s failed attempt for this title last season against the Dallas Mavericks.
Trump says he will reopen Alcatraz for the 'most ruthless and violent' prisoners
The prison on a forbidding island off San Francisco was operated at a prohibitive cost. Now, President Trump says it's time to substantially enlarge and rebuild Alcatraz as a federal penitentiary.
Thinking outside the ‘daily concrete life’: How puppets and picture books create a sense of possibility
Minnesota artist Anne Sawyer, a puppeteer and educator, channels her lifelong love of storytelling and improvisation into a new children’s book about pollinators that blends science, imagination and playful creativity.
Indigenous people raise awareness about their missing and murdered
Indigenous people across North America are rallying to plead for sustained responses to violence in their communities. Monday is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. The FBI says it has about 4,300 open cases involving missing people, deaths and abuse that disproportionately affects Indian Country.
Graduation Regalia: More Native students get green light to wear tribal regalia this year
More Native students than ever before will graduate this year with regalia on their traditional caps and gowns as a growing number of states pass laws that allow beadwork, feathers, painting and other cultural adornments.
PWHL regular-season champion Montreal opts to open playoffs against 3rd-place Ottawa over Minnesota
The PWHL regular-season champion Montreal Victoire bucked the standings in selecting to open the playoffs facing the third-place Ottawa Charge. In making the announcement, general manager Danièle Sauvageau said the team followed a process that included consulting with her staff and players.
Credit card debt is adding up
More people are charging more things on credit cards and not paying the balance off every month. MPR News host Angela Davis talks about credit card debt — why it’s growing, who it affects and how to tackle it. 
Jury selection in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sex trafficking trial begins today
The trial for the rap mogul, who faces criminal charges for sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transporting to engage in prostitution, is underway. Opening statements are slated for May 12.
NIH cuts baby ’Safe to Sleep’ team. Here’s what parents should know
For three decades the NIH has led ‘Safe to Sleep,’ helping parents reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related injuries. The NIH cuts come as cases have been rising.
Twins rally for 2nd straight road win behind Harrison Bader’s tiebreaking double; beat Red Sox 5-4
Harrison Bader hit a go-ahead double off the Green Monster in the eighth inning, and the Minnesota Twins took the weekend series against the Boston Red Sox with a 5-4 victory. 
The man suspected of killing four people last week in Minneapolis is expected to make his first appearance Monday afternoon. And at the state Capitol over the weekend, demonstrators rallied for disability rights.
‘I'm one American story’: Minnesota author Kao Kalia Yang resists being ‘the Hmong voice’
Author Kao Kalia Yang resists being boxed in, both as the only '“Hmong voice” in literature and in a singular genre. The Minnesota author has written memoirs, fiction, picture books, and even an opera.
Fraud is a focus for Minnesota lawmakers this year. Here are measures they’re pitching to fix it
Following the Feeding Our Future nutrition aid scandal and others, fraud prevention has been top of mind at the state Capitol. With two weeks left in the legislative session, here’s what’s moving forward.
St. Paul City Council weighs plan to exempt more properties from rent control ordinance
Supporters of the proposed changes say they’re needed to spur much-needed housing development in the city, while opponents say it’s a misguided effort that would put more St. Paul residents at risk of being priced out of their homes.
Young girls often struggle with self-esteem. This Minnesota native is ready to help
Worried about the negative effects of cultural messages on her daughters, Missy Heilman started a nonprofit to teach girls to value themselves. BIO Girls is now active in 120 communities across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
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