Stories from July 21, 2025

Minnesota Lynx players make their mark during All-Star Weekend
Lynx star Napheesa Collier steered her team to the weekend's biggest prize. Meanwhile, two other Lynx stars, Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, created buzz with their 72-hour marathon live stream of the festivities.
Billy Joel says he's 'OK' and not 'deathly ill' after receiving brain disorder diagnosis
Billy Joel is doing much better, the “Piano Man” singer wants fans to know. In May, Joel canceled all upcoming concerts across North America and England after being diagnosed with fluid buildup in his brain that has affected his “hearing, vision and balance.”
Sen. Nicole Mitchell will resign her senate seat following her conviction on felony burglary charges. Mitchell announced through her attorneys Monday that she will give up her seat by early August. And a new study shows that Olmsted County does not have enough housing stock to meet demand.
WNBA All-Star's draw attention off court with Lynx duo 'StudBudz,' player salary conversation
Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman took viewers inside practices and parties, picking up more than 500,000 views and reaching 70,000 followers on their Twitch account.
How a north Minneapolis pet resource center is responding to higher costs for pet owners
The North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center is booked through August to help provide pet supplies to families. The organization has plans to expand into a larger space to help serve more people and their pets.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 'Cosby Show' actor, dies at 54 in Costa Rica drowning
Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has died at 54. He was known for playing Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show.” Costa Rican authorities report he drowned Sunday afternoon at Playa Cocles on the Caribbean coast.
New report looks at the many impacts of climate change to Great Lakes region
The report from the Environmental Law and Policy Center is an update to a 2019 assessment. Researchers found that the Great Lakes region is undergoing rapid environmental change, that will have serious impacts.  
What to know about a vulnerability being exploited on Microsoft SharePoint servers
Microsoft is issuing an emergency fix to close off a vulnerability in Microsoft’s SharePoint software that hackers have exploited to carry out widespread attacks on businesses and at least some federal agencies. 
Many beauty products have toxic ingredients. Newly proposed bills could change that
The “Safer Beauty Bill Package” would ban the most toxic ingredients in everyday cosmetics and create protections for the women of color and salon workers who are disproportionately exposed to them.
U.S. coffee drinkers and businesses will pay the price for Trump’s Brazil tariffs
President Donald Trump plans to levy a 50 percent tariff on all goods from Brazil — the source of about 30 percent of U.S. coffee imports. This looming tariff threat has sent shock waves through the U.S. coffee industry.
FOX Nation to stream Real American Freestyle wrestling events
FOX Nation has announced it will stream Real American Freestyle wrestling events, starting with RAF 01 on August 30 in Cleveland. A second event is planned for the fall. Hulk Hogan, the league's commissioner, says the partnership aims to bring freestyle wrestling to a wider audience. 
More Minnesotans are carrying debt into retirement
What do you do if you’re getting close to retirement age and have a lot of debt and little savings? MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the growing debt burden of older Americans. 
Trump has a welcome message for new citizens. It’s different from past presidents
Trump released his video message to newly naturalized citizens. He welcomes them to the “national family,” adding that they have a responsibility to “fiercely guard” and preserve American culture.
Lawyers for Harvard and Trump square off in court in Boston
With more than $2 billion dollars in federal research grants at stake, the two sides will argue before a federal judge as the university pushes back on the administration’s demands.
Appeals court says Locke family's wrongful death lawsuit against officer can move forward
Amir Locke was sleeping on his cousin’s couch in Minneapolis on the morning of Feb. 2, 2022, when a SWAT team burst into the room. Locke, who was not the person officers were looking for and was holding a firearm, was fatally shot by officer Mark Hanneman about eight seconds after police entered, according to the complaint. 
An appeals court has ruled a lawsuit against a Minneapolis police officer in the shooting death of Amir Locke can move forward. Minnesota political leaders are waiting to hear from state Sen. Nicole Mitchell. The Woodbury DFLer was convicted Friday on felony burglary charges after breaking into her stepmother's Detroit Lakes home in 2024. 
Alaska Airlines resumes operations after tech outage grounds all flights
Alaska Airlines says it has resumed operations following an undisclosed technical error affecting its entire system for approximately three hours. The carrier says in a social media post it experienced an IT outage that resulted in a temporary ground stop around 8 p.m. Pacific time Sunday.
Lewis hits 2 homers and Ryan strikes out 11 as Twins top Rockies to avert series sweep
Royce Lewis hit two home runs — his first career multihomer game — and Joe Ryan struck out 11 in seven innings as the Minnesota Twins beat the Colorado Rockies 7-1 to prevent a three-game sweep. Coming off his first All-Star appearance, Ryan gave up one run and five hits with no walks.
Minnesota man on a mission to save honeybees, shrink pesticide use
Steve Ellis is a nationally recognized expert in the business of bees. From his Grant County farms he’s fought for decades to protect them from what he believes are deadly pesticides harming their health. For him, beekeeping has always been more than a business.
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