Rochester News

Stay informed about Rochester news with local stories, breaking news and more from MPR News, your hub for the latest updates in Austin, Winona and across southeast Minnesota.

Rochester NAACP says police misidentified family of child called racial slur in viral video
The Rochester branch of the NAACP started a fundraiser for the family. The organization’s president said Monday that no funds have been disbursed yet and that police have connected him to the affected family.
Mayo Clinic changes name of its DEI office citing ‘recent national events’
In a notice to employees this week, Mayo Clinic says its Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity will now be known as the Office of Belonging. Mayo officials say the institution’s commitment to health equity remains the same.
Road projects aim to ease congestion along Twin Cities freeway, Rochester interchange
Road construction season is getting underway across Minnesota with work on a couple of major projects starting this week and next. That includes adding driving lanes to a well-traveled Twin Cities freeway and major changes to a busy interchange near Rochester.
Raccoon survives encounter with electrical transformer in Rochester
Nearly seven years after the MPR raccoon survived its high-wire adventure on the side of a St. Paul skyscraper — another Minnesota raccoon has beaten the odds to escape a life-threatening predicament.
In Rochester, a new program helps students’ families avoid eviction
In many cases, the cycle of homelessness can start with an eviction. Kids with unstable housing struggle to learn in school. So a new program in Rochester is preventing evictions from ever happening to kids and their families.
Rochester police say burglars targeting Asian victims
The Rochester Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that the burglars targeted five homes, mainly in the northwestern part of the city, between Nov. 13 and Dec. 3. All of the victims are of Asian descent.