Minnesota News

MPR News is your go-to source for Minnesota news and stories.

From local stories from your Minnesota neighbors to breaking news updates across the state, we have you covered.

St. Olaf College students work as EMTs, helping fill ambulance worker shortage
St. Olaf College is offering a rural health training program for its undergrad students to work as EMTs and as CNAs at nursing homes in southeast Minnesota. Students who participate complete training and then are hired by the city to work in the ambulance or nursing home.
Amid dangerous cold, dozens of Minnesota school districts cancel classes Friday
Some Minnesota school districts made the move to online learning Thursday, as what could be the coldest weather in at least five years started descending on the region. More districts announced plans to close Friday — including Anoka-Hennepin and St. Paul.
U.S. House votes to repeal ban on mining near Boundary Waters
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to overturn a 20-year ban on mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The vote could pave the way for Twin Metals Minnesota to re-apply for state and federal permits to open a proposed underground copper nickel mine outside Ely. The resolution now heads to the U.S. Senate.
10 Minnesota chefs and restaurants named James Beard Awards semifinalists
The list includes two Minnesotans in the category of outstanding chef and four for best chef in the Midwest. The James Beard Awards are among the restaurant industry’s most prestigious honors.
As ICE tactics draw Minneapolis protests, people in greater Minnesota offer nuanced views
Two weeks after a federal ice agent shot and killed Renee Macklin Good in Minneapolis, we take the pulse of how folks in outstate Minnesota are feeling about the immigration enforcement actions and the protests against them. For many, they see the issues not as black and white or red and blue, but as shades of gray and nuanced.
Trump administration scales back threats to cut off funding to Minnesota ag programs
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins had previously announced that nearly $130 million in federal funds for Minnesota would be paused, citing alleged fraud in the state. Now, the USDA is allowing some of that funding to go through.
Bovino defends immigration surge tactics, deflects questions of abuse
This story includes live updates from Jan. 20, 2026: U.S. Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino blamed “anarchists” along with Walz and Frey during a press conference on Tuesday for the violence that’s gripped the state for the past six weeks.
Christian leaders urge protecting worshippers’ rights after protesters interrupt service
Several faith leaders are urgently calling for protecting the rights of worshippers while also expressing compassion for migrants. That's after a group of anti-immigration enforcement protesters disrupted Sunday service at a Southern Baptist church in St. Paul.
U.S. citizen says ICE removed him from his Minnesota home in his underwear after warrantless search
Federal immigration agents detained a U.S. citizen in Minnesota at gunpoint without a warrant. That's according to ChongLy “Scott” Thao, who says agents forced open his door, entered with guns drawn and led him outside in his underwear in freezing conditions.