Lifestyle
Rides get three rounds of inspections, including an initial inspection when they're trucked in and assembled on the fairgrounds, a daily inspection by ride operators and a utility inspection by state electrical inspectors, said general manager Jerry Hammer.
Follow the astronomical phenomenon's journey across America along with NPR journalists and others experiencing the eclipse.
Monday's total eclipse will cast a shadow that will race through 14 states, entering near Lincoln City, Ore., at 1:16 p.m. EDT, moving diagonally across the heartland over Casper, Wyo., Carbondale, Ill., and Nashville, Tenn., and then exiting near Charleston, S.C., at 2:47 p.m. EDT.
Xcel says it is planning for Monday's solar eclipse the same way it does for a storm or cloud cover, but it's actually easier to prepare for the eclipse since the timing is known.
The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, featuring the likeness of Josias King, has stood at the foot of Summit Avenue since 1903, but more than a century of Minnesota weather has taken its toll.
This will be the United States' first coast-to-coast solar eclipse since 1918. Plus: Things to know, places to watch and how to keep your eyes safe.
The aging generation is having a rude awakening: No one wants their stuff. Downsizing can spark difficult conversations and hurt feelings. How can families best tackle it?
As rents rise, Portland is making it easier for homeowners to build small houses in their backyard and enable people who would be priced out to stay.
Nextdoor and other social websites are winning fans in Minnesota and across the country using digital tools to help mobilize people within their neighborhoods. But those stronger ties can also bring problems neighbors didn't bank on.
The Earth won't enjoy total solar eclipses forever because the moon is moving farther away, so it looks smaller and smaller over time.
Scientists will focus on the sun, but they will also examine what happens to Earth's weather, to space weather, and to animals and plants on Earth as the moon totally blocks out the sun. The moon's shadow will sweep along a narrow path, from Oregon to South Carolina.
Technology is fundamentally changing how we deal with death, memorials and human remains. One of the latest examples: A startup offers a smartphone-connected urn where ashes are used to grow a tree.
Workers who have to face customers endure a disproportionate share of abuse, which can include sexual harassment and bullying.
A weeklong camp focused on young teens teaches everything from goose calling to prairie ecology and shooting. Waterfowl hunters see it as a path to reviving a tradition long in decline in Minnesota.
The Minnesota State Capitol is open again after four years of renovations, and Minnesotans are celebrating with a three-day party.
MnDOT plans to shut the key ramp for two weeks, starting Sunday night -- earlier than expected. The agency initially said it would shut it down on Tuesday.
Archaeologists will start the process by digging for walls from three old milling sites, which will be incorporated in the park's design.
Catch-and-release angling for the popular sport fish resumes on Friday at 6 a.m.
It seems nothing is safe from fake news this year, not even the annual astronomical event. This year's Perseid show will be at its peak Saturday night into Sunday.
Being miserably bored is no fun, and it's a feeling animals can develop, too, including in zoos, labs -- and our own homes -- says anthropologist Barbara J. King.