Minnesota Today®

Most Minnesota schools start classes Tuesday, but some got permission to start earlier

Most Minnesota schools are having their first day of classes Tuesday, but a few dozen got permission to start early this year. For 40 years, Minnesota law has required schools to start classes after Labor Day. But in 2025, state lawmakers agreed that this year’s later-than-normal Labor Day was reason enough to give school districts the temporary flexibility to decide their own start times.

Back-to-school season means back to riding the big yellow bus. But as Minnesota sees record high diesel prices, school bus operations are juggling more costs to get students to the classroom.

North Dakota is banning some forms of kratom and is regulating others. People use the drug recreationally and to help with pain. But it has various side effects and kratom-related calls to North Dakota’s Poison Control center tripled last year.

GoFundMe pages have been created to support at least two people who were critically injured last week in a mass shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building. Investigators say three were killed in the shooting, including the shooter. Several people were injured, including Minneapolis police officers.

Minnesota is losing hospital-based labor and delivery units at a faster rate than most other states, especially in rural areas, according to new data from the University of Minnesota's Rural Health Research Center.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport could land a new international nonstop route. Mexican ultra-low-cost airline Volaris filed a proposal to the Department of Transportation to operate flights between MSP and Guadalajara just a little over two weeks ago. That's according to the Minneapolis, St. Paul Business Journal.

Should Minnesota let schools start whenever they want? Late Labor Day rekindles debate

Rising diesel prices burn through school and bus operator budgets

GoFundMe campaigns created to help victims of Minneapolis apartment building shooting

Minnesota is losing hospital obstetrics units faster than most states, new data finds