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.

As St. Paul voters back rent control, developers pause projects
Last week, St. Paul voters headed to the polls to approve a rent control measure that caps rent increases at 3 percent per year.
Carbon markets drive research in soil carbon storage
A growing number of agri-businesses are offering to pay farmers for practices that store carbon in the soil. But the cost of accurately measuring carbon in fields might be keeping farmers out of the market. Researchers are trying to improve the process.
Democrats are seeking largest-ever investment in affordable housing
The biggest problem facing the housing market is that there just aren't enough homes for people to buy or rent. In the aftermath of the housing market collapse and financial crisis more than a decade ago, about half of home-building companies went out of business.
For first time, MnDOT puts up signs recognizing treaty boundaries
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is installing 12 signs to mark the boundaries of a treaty signed in 1854 by three tribal nations and the U.S. government.
Minnesota’s first all-women pro esports team wants to reshape gaming culture
The five-member VersionX team is looking to level the playing field in an industry dominated by men. Many female gamers have opted out of professional play due to online harassment and sexism. But VersionX players hope to reshape gaming culture and prove that there’s room for everyone in the sport.
How Jacob Frey won reelection
Jacob Frey’s opponents identified their strategy to defeat the incumbent mayor: don’t rank him. But thousands of voters didn’t listen. Not only did Frey collect the most first-choice votes — 43 percent — but another 9 percent of voters ranked him as their second choice, and 7.5 percent as their third choice. The result: another term for Frey.
St. Paul enacts some of nation’s toughest tobacco restrictions
The city of St. Paul passed sweeping new tobacco restrictions that set a minimum $10 price on a pack of cigarettes and packs of smokeless tobacco. They also ban discounts and coupons for any tobacco products, including vaping liquid. 
Fight for police reform will continue despite fall of ballot measure
Minneapolis voters may have rejected a ballot initiative to restructure public safety in the city, but longtime advocates for police accountability — some of whom opposed the amendment — say their fight isn’t over yet.
Renters' advocates cheer Twin Cities voters' approval of rent control measures
It’s now illegal in St. Paul for residential landlords to raise their rent by more than 3 percent a year, after voters on Tuesday approved a rent control measure that’s among the strictest in the country. By the same margin, Minneapolis voters approved a ballot question that opens the door to rent control in that city.
For the first time, the majority of Minneapolis City Council members will be people of color
In the first Minneapolis City Council election since the murder of George Floyd last year, new candidates won seven races. The 13-member council, the most diverse in the city’s history, will immediately confront crucial questions about public safety, rent stabilization and government structure.