Greater Minnesota

Minnesota’s list of polluted waters grows, but some lakes, rivers reflect 'modest progress'
The state’s water bodies face a variety of pollution issues, including mercury from coal-fired power plants and industry, sulfate that can harm wild rice and “forever chemicals” that accumulate in fish. But some lakes, rivers and streams have logged improvements.
Forest Service proposes cutting refunds to reduce last minute Boundary Waters cancellations
A record number of people canceled BWCA permits last year, and many of them canceled too close to the entry dates for others to use them. Now officials are weighing whether to reduce refunds to discourage people from booking multiple permits.
A 12-year-old Minnesota girl caught a 30-inch trout, breaking her older sister's state record
A teenage girl from Maple Grove caught a 28.5-inch rainbow trout in a North Shore stream last summer, setting a new catch and release state record. Not to be outdone, her younger sister caught an even bigger trout this year, breaking that record.
When a Minnesota newspaper editor fell ill, the community kept the paper going
Dozens of people in Two Harbors have pitched into help keep the Lake County Press publishing as editor Kate “Kitty” Mayo battled ocular lymphoma, a rare and aggressive cancer.