Greater Minnesota

Wilderness closed: BWCA cleared of visitors amid increased fire danger
Dozens of Forest Service rangers are paddling their way through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area telling campers they need to leave, after the wilderness was closed over the weekend because of wildfires.
A summer tradition changes with the climate
Climate change is affecting everything from campers’ schedules to infrastructure needs to the kinds of trees on the property at Camp Mishawaka in Grand Rapids, Minn. And it isn’t alone; a major insurer of summer camps has pulled out of the business as camps on the coasts lose property to wildfires and hurricanes.
Census data forces Minnesota lawmakers to grapple with remap
New census data has given legislators tasked with redrawing Minnesota’s political map a lot to think about, and they only have a few months to agree or to punt the high-stakes job to the courts.
Census: Major changes for state demographics, politics
New U.S. census data shows the bulk of Minnesota’s population growth over the past decade took place in the Twin Cities metro, paralleled by an increase of Minnesotans of color.
Amid surge of visitors, resort country struggles to find workers
A severe labor shortage has forced some businesses to boost wages, scale back services or reduce hours during the peak of a busy summer tourist season.
Invasive starry stonewort found in Leech Lake
A company removing aquatic plants contacted the DNR when its staff suspected they found the invasive algae near a resort in Steamboat Bay.
Court sends PolyMet permit back to state environmental regulators
A state court on Monday sent a key air emissions permit for the planned PolyMet mine back to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, a setback in the company’s bid to open the state’s first copper-nickel mine.