Rochester News

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

In southeast Minnesota, transmission line for green energy raises environmental concerns
A massive expansion of the electricity grid through southern Minnesota has local landowners and conservationists worried about the impact on wildlife, ground water and the land. Utilities say the project is necessary to expand the reach of renewable energy produced in the upper Midwest.
Rochester event to use headscarves for storytelling, connection among Minnesota women
For years, Rose McGee has gathered Minnesota women together to share about their lives, backgrounds and style, with headscarves as a common thread. She’s organizing a Headscarf Story Circle in Rochester, happening Saturday.
‘Usual Minnesota’: March snowstorm pummels Rochester, Twin Cities get less
After days of 50-degree weather the past few weeks, deep down, some Minnesotans knew the state was in for another blast which came over the weekend. Rochester was in the region hit hardest by a late-winter snowstorm.
Mayo Clinic performed record number of solid organ transplants in 2025
Mayo performed more solid organ transplants last year than ever before. The clinic and hospital system credits its commitment to research and new technology and the generosity of its organ donors.
The Minnesota BCA is investigating after a Rochester police officer fatally shot a man Wednesday night. The man had reportedly been experiencing a mental health crisis, and police said he grabbed an officer’s gun.
Mayo Clinic earned $1.5 billion profit in 2025, but is still below average in charity care
Rochester-based Mayo Clinic reports that 2025 was another strong year financially, as the giant medical care provider earned a profit of $1.5 billion. And while it substantially increased spending on charity care, Mayo still lags far behind its peers in providing financial assistance to patients in need.