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We asked MPR News reporters and producers what they consider their most memorable work as we close out 2025. 

The roar of souped-up engines filled the air in Glyndon last weekend, as Minnesota’s oldest drag racing strip reopened after a three year hiatus. Brothers Chuck and Kyle Rolie formed Rolie Racing to bring drag racing back to Interstate Raceway, where their grandfather once raced.

‘Burn ‘em!’: The deafening roar of drag racing returns to Minnesota’s oldest strip

In a fire station tucked just blocks from downtown Minneapolis, a crew of four is reshaping a narrative that predates them by generations: Who gets to be the one answering the call?

Minneapolis’ first all-Native American fire crew is redefining what public safety looks like

The St. Paul Saints and St. Paul Colored Gophers played ball in the early 1900s at a tiny ballpark near the Capitol called the Pillbox. The Colored Gophers were a vital piece of Black baseball history nationally. A local historian is lobbying now for a public commemoration of the site.

Minnesota baseball lovers make a pitch to honor bygone ballpark, 2 historic St. Paul teams

Low milk prices are pushing some dairy farmers to develop a friendly side hustle.

As milk prices dropped, these Minnesota farmers brought their cows out to cuddle

Newly released University of Minnesota research finds wakesurfing in water that’s too shallow can damage lake quality. The study could revive calls for statewide restrictions and may churn the debate over the state’s changing lake culture.



In new U study, questions resurface over wakesurfing’s impact on Minnesota lakes

For decades, people living with disabilities have hit the slopes at Welch Village ski resort. They ski, they snowboard and enjoy being outside — all as students in the Courage Kenny adaptive ski program through Allina Health. 

At Welch Village, people living with disability learn courage through skiing

Graphic designer and activist Terresa Hardaway created the bold “Stop Killing Black People” typeface as a protest tool during the George Floyd uprising, turning expressive, hand-drawn lettering into a widely distributed visual language of abolition that rejected commercialization and embraced mutual aid.



‘Stop Killing Black People’: How a Minneapolis designer branded a movement

Minnesota has layers of state laws and procedures designed to prevent inappropriate relationships between teachers and students. The case of one former Eagan educator raises questions about how well that system works.

Teacher showed ‘predatory grooming behaviors’ with Eagan High girls, police detective concluded

After the mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School that killed two children in August, the church’s new pastor found himself navigating the grief of his congregation and the spiritual questions of children around life, death and God.

At Annunciation Church, lessons in grief, resiliency and the spiritual lives of children

It’s been more than five months since Davis Moturi was allegedly shot and wounded by his neighbor in Minneapolis. Moturi, who is Black, says the shooting was preceded by numerous racist and violent threats by his white neighbor who is now in custody. 

Davis Moturi reflects on failed pleas to Minneapolis police that led to him being shot in his own yard

Several former Red Lake High School students, with the support of a former teacher, say it’s time to publicly memorialize those who lost their lives during a shooting at the school 20 years ago. They intend to honor those affected by the tragedy.

20 years later, lives affected by the school shooting in Red Lake will be memorialized

For a mother and daughter duo from the Lower Sioux Indian Community, creating star quilts as gifts is what brings them together.

A traditional gift: Mother and daughter share a bond through crafting star quilts

Five years after George Floyd’s killing set off nights of destruction, vacant lots and broken buildings remain along Lake Street and other Minneapolis business districts. Some business owners say money woes and city zoning rules have made it hard to rebuild.



Red tape, rising costs slow efforts to rebuild businesses burned after Floyd’s murder

Across the Twin Cities, ICE agents and activists are playing a high stakes cat-and-mouse game. The goal is to make their job as difficult as possible and protect their immigrant neighbors.



‘Tinted windows and out-of-state plates’: How ICE watchers look for agents in their neighborhoods

In 2023, Minnesota lawmakers passed legislation authorizing religious institutions to provide permanent housing to chronically homeless or extremely low-income people. Two area churches have built nine tiny homes.



Tiny houses provide a home for those struggling with housing instability

A thriving beginner women’s hockey team in Duluth called the “Motherpuckers” teaches the game in a supportive, welcoming and low-pressure environment.



‘Motherpuckers’ teach women’s hockey with joy and inclusion, and a little irreverence

An odd-looking, prehistoric species of fish appears to be making a comeback in Minnesota. The paddlefish — named for its paddle-shaped snout–is a threatened species here, but now, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeing higher populations of paddlefish.

The odd-looking, prehistoric Paddlefish is making a comeback in Minnesota rivers

The Reasonable Doubts are a band of nine current and retired judges and justices. Nearly every weekend in St. Cloud, they trade gavels for guitar picks as a stress reliever. 

Minnesota judges find joy in jamming, and a break from the stress of the bench

MPR News found problems tied to inspections and local political pressures that leave low-income renters in potential danger across greater Minnesota. In Bemidji, those problems have pushed their way to the surface.

Inspection shortfalls, political pressures leave low-income renters vulnerable in greater Minnesota

Minnesota recently required all schools to have a cell phone policy, and lawmakers are considering a total ban in schools. Some schools say restrictions are already helping.

‘I love it’: How a ‘Log-Off Lunch’ helps high schoolers break away from phones

Schmidt family fair follow

An unexpected sight — and sound — was created in the middle of the Lake County Fairgrounds when over 375 musicians joined the annual Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival for four days of ukulele fun and community.



Rain or shine, they keep strumming at the Silver Creek International Ukulele Carnival

Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval, Ben Hovlabd, Tom Baker | MPR News

Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

Four firefighters pose in front of a fire engine.

Kerem Yücel | MPR News

Courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library

Quinci Schmidt and her brother, Caleb Scherber

Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval | MPR News

Ben Hovland | MPR News

Tom Baker for MPR News

A woman shows a large black and white poster

Carly Danek for MPR News

Erica Dischino for MPR News

Regina Medina | MPR News

Derek Montgomery for MPR News

Jackson Forderer for MPR News

the Reasonable Doubts, a band made of current and retired judges and justices.

MPR News journalists share 23 of their most memorable stories from 2025

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