MINNESOTA

Xcel Energy says it will start to power down its nuclear plant in Monticello several weeks earlier than planned after more radioactive water leaked out of the facility.

Minnesota is moving to strengthen the state’s protections for children and their families who come for gender-affirming care by making itself a “trans refuge state,” bucking a national backlash against transgender rights.

The Bloomington Police Department in Minnesota arrested 23 men who responded to a phony prostitution ad, and warned the suspects with lyrics from an R. Kelly song.

"Daily Show" guest host Al Franken poked fun at New York City's attempt to rebrand itself by replacing its classic logo, "I Heart NY," with "We Heart  NYC."

A highway crew found human remains in a tote along the shores of Millie Lacs Lake in Minnesota, and police said they have a person of interest in custody.

Minnesota residents that want to create a paid family and medical leave system in the state rallied at the state's Capitol on Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz spoke to the supporters.

As maddening as transgender ideology can be on this side of the pond, the USA stands as a reminder that things could be so much worse. Minnesota’s Democratic Lieutenant Governor has given full-throated support for an executive order aimed at protecting access to “gender affirming care” such as sex changes and puberty blockers. “When our children tell us who they are”, she said, “it is our job as grown-ups to listen and to believe them. That’s what it means to be a good parent”.

Minnesota's House passed a bill that will make Minnesota a refugee for patients from restrictive states seeking abortions. The bill will also protect providers who serve the patients.

Minnesota's House passed legislation that shields its health-care providers and out-of-state patients from states that punish seeking or providing abortion.

The four Minnesota freshmen recruited by Lindsay Whalen all decided their loyalty to the home-state program was stronger than the disappointment of seeing their leader — and Gophers legend — depart. Now that they've got a new head coach, Amaya Battle, Mara Braun, Nia Holloway and Mallory Heyer are feeling even better about staying. When Dawn Plitzuweit was introduced as Whalen's successor at a news conference at the team's practice facility on Monday, the heralded quartet was in attendance as part of a healthy turnout from the current roster.

The 400,000 gallon leak of water containing tritium occurred in November 2022, but the general public was not notified until last week. Officials said the leak is contained and poses no public danger.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, currently serving an over two-decade sentence for the killing of George Floyd, has pleaded guilty to two tax evasion counts.

While Xcel Energy reported the leak of water containing tritium to state and federal authorities in late November, the spill was not made public until Thursday.

Champlin, Minnesota, police officer Daniel Irish is suing a Hennepin County sheriff's deputy after being bitten by his K-9 following a vehicle pursuit.

A bill to give Minnesota students free lunch and breakfast was approved by the state Senate. The program is expected to cost the state $400 million in a two-year period.

The roof at Duluth, Minnesota's Miller Hall Mall partially collapsed under the weight of several inches of snow Tuesday morning. No injuries were reported.

Ten more people have been charged for their roles in a scheme which defrauded a federal program to provide low-income children food; more than $250 million was stolen.

Ten more people have been charged in connection with a scheme to steal more than $250 million from a federal program designed to provide meals to low-income children in Minnesota, federal prosecutors said Monday. A total of 60 people have now been charged in the conspiracy, in which authorities say a group of people took advantage of rules that were relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic and falsely claimed they were providing food to children. Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said in September that the conspiracy was the largest pandemic-related fraud scheme to date.

A college baseball fan caught flak on social media for failing to give a foul ball to a kid who raced for it in the eighth inning of a game between West Virginia and Minnesota.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Bud Grant, who led the Minnesota vikings to four Super Bowl appearances, passed away on Saturday morning, the team announced. He was 95.

A Minnesota man was charged Friday with fatally beating an elderly man previously convicted of child sexual assault, who he believed had stalked his young daughter in the past. Levi Axtell, 27, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Lawrence V. Scully, 77, who was beaten to death Wednesday at his home in Grand Marais. A criminal complaint filed Friday said Axtell killed Scully with a shovel and a moose antler and then drove to the Cook County Sheriff's office and confessed, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Three people were found with fatal gunshot wounds in a Minnesota township home on Sunday. The person of interest was found dead suspect found dead at another location.

In states where they flipped legislatures and the governor's office in November, Democrats are advancing long-stalled gun safety bills.

ESPN commentator Sage Steele condemned a recent decision by a Minnesota state court to force USA Powerlifting to permit male athletes to compete against females.

Two teens drove an allegedly stolen car off an overpass in Minnesota to escape police. They suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Three people were found dead from gunshot wounds in Fish Lake Township, Minnesota, 45 miles north of Minneapolis. Police believe the attack was premeditated.

Lady Godiva, a senior cat with an impressive survival story who spent nearly her entire life outdoors, will be available soon for adoption into a loving home in Minnesota.

St. Paul community leader Rev. Darryl Spence is sounding the alarm on the growing amount of violence in schools as parents and teachers ask for reform.

Margo Biestuzheva and her mother left behind everything they knew after fleeing their homeland, but a hockey team has helped them feel at home in Minneapolis.

Magic, an adorable tri-colored short haired tabby cat, was found emaciated outside a shelter in Minnesota and has since made a remarkable recovery. She's in need of a new home.

The Minnesota Senate has voted to make it harder for thieves to sell stolen catalytic converters, a crime that has skyrocketed across the country in recent years.

The female eagle was incubating two eggs before one broke, wildlife officials said.

Increasingly, high school students are rethinking the value of college. Yet earning a degree is almost always worthwhile, research shows.

There are a number of state-level efforts to expand voting access to people with prior felony convictions. One measure is on the governor's desk in Minnesota.

Police in St. Paul, Minnesota have released the identities of the two men shot during a shooting after a celebration of life over the weekend. Three others were injured.

The forecasted budget surplus in Minnesota landed at $17.5 billion. The forecast still accounts for over $100 million that the legislature has already spent.

Kirill Kaprizov scored with 20 seconds left in overtime, completing a natural hat trick and lifting the Minnesota Wild past the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2.

Two men were killed and three other people were injured in a second shooting outside a funeral in St. Paul, Minnesota, this weekend. The St. Paul Police Department said all five people were shot in a parking lot shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday during an altercation after a celebration-of-life event. Saturday's shooting came one day after three teens were shot and injured at a funeral reception for a Harding High School student who had been fatally stabbed at school two weeks earlier.

Ralph Apmann, a 58-year-old convicted murderer who has been on the run since skipping out on his trial earlier this month, was found dead Friday in Minneapolis, police said.

Police in St. Paul, Minnesota are working to find out who shot five people after a celebration of life. Two of the victims have died, and have not been identified.

The incident comes just a day after three teens were wounded in a drive-by shooting at a funeral reception in St. Paul.

Major winter storms continue to hit parts of the U.S. — upending travel, closing roads, and leaving thousands of households in the dark.

The NHL-leading Boston Bruins have acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals.

The Midwest and Northern Plains have been hit with heavy snow and strong winds this week, cancelling school and leaving thousands without power.

A 'Driver's License for All' bill passed in the Minnesota Senate that would allow non-citizens residing in the state to obtain driver's licenses.

The St. Paul, Minnesota police department released body camera footage showing the moment a man holding a 16-inch knife was shot by officers.

Storm chaser Aaron Jayjack is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the city digs out of as much snow as possible and prepares for even more with a major winter storm closing in on the area on Feb. 22.

Forecasters say it will feature heavy snow, ice, frigid temperatures and howling winds.

Fire officials in Minnesota are crediting the heroic actions of a passerby with helping save sleeping occupants in a house that caught fire Sunday night.

Two people with knowledge of the matter say Russell Westbrook could make his debut with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday once he clears waivers.

The Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin were hit by a massive winter storm system that brought three days of blizzards and sub-zero temperatures.

A plan currently navigating through the Minnesota Legislature would mandate that most employers provide paid sick leave to all of their employees.

Julissa Thaler, 29, of Minnesota was sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of her six-year-old son, Eli Hart, who was found in her car trunk with nine bullet wounds.

Julissa Thaler was convicted last week of first-degree murder in the October 2022 death of Eli Hart, who prosecutors said was shot nine times by his mother as he sat in his booster seat.

Ralph Apmann, 58, is being sought around the Twin Cities metro area in Minneapolis after he was convicted of second-degree murder but never showed up for his trial.

Started by Cambodian refugees who had fled the Khmer Rouge’s killing fields four decades ago, the Buddhist temple of Watt Munisotaram has evolved into a majestic structure with golden spires dominating the snow-covered Minnesota farmland.

The Minnesota Vikings have fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell in an unsurprising decision on the veteran coach after a dismal finish by his defense.

A man wanted in connection with a murder in Minnesota was arrested in Forest, according to the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.

A suspect wanted in connection with a fatal shooting at the Mall of America in December was arrested in Georgia on Tuesday.

A person familiar with the negotiations says Carlos Correa has agreed to a $200 million, six-year contract that keeps him with the Minnesota Twins after failing to complete deals with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants.

Democrats took full control of state government as the Minnesota Legislature convened for its 2023 session Tuesday.

Police say five people have been arrested in a fatal shooting at Minnesota's Mall of America that sent the sprawling commercial center into lockdown on one of the final days of the holiday shopping season.

Bail has been denied for a Minnesota man authorities say was amassing an arsenal of guns to use against police before his arrest, and had idolized the person who killed five people at a gay nightclub in Colorado last month.

Jared Goff threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, leading the surging Detroit Lions to a 34-23 win over the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings.

At least 13 bald eagles were likely poisoned by scavenging the carcasses of euthanized animals that were improperly disposed of at a Minnesota landfill and three of the majestic birds have died.

The Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis says it will toughen its trespassing policies as part of a settlement with the family of a boy who was severely injured when a man with a history of causing disturbances at the mall threw him from a third-floor balcony.

The Minnesota Supreme Court hears oral arguments Wednesday on an attempt by environmental groups to cancel a key permit for the long-stalled PolyMet copper-nickel mine.

Hokies move to 7-1 this season.

Thanksgiving will be filled with food and winning football teams.

Singer Mimi Parker has died.

Changes are coming to state capitols across the country.

Control of state government hangs in the balance in Minnesota, one of the few Midwest states where Democrats have had the upper hand in recent years.

A North Dakota judge says he'll keep the state’s ban on abortion from taking effect because there's a "substantial probability” that a constitutional challenge to the law will succeed in court.

Republican challenger Scott Jensen launched sharp attacks against Gov. Tim Walz over his handling of the violent unrest that followed the police killing of George Floyd.

A horticulture teacher from Minnesota has set a new U.S. record for the heaviest pumpkin after raising a giant gourd weighing 2,560 pounds.

UnitedHealth Group says it has completed its acquisition of Change Healthcare, closing the roughly $8 billion deal a couple weeks after a judge rejected a challenge from regulators.

Keith Ellison gave up a safe seat in Congress to run for Minnesota attorney general, saying it was his best chance to push back against the policies of Donald Trump.

In-person voting for the midterm elections has started in Minnesota, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming, in a landscape that has changed since the pandemic drove a shift to mail balloting in the 2020 presidential contest.

Federal authorities have charged 48 people in what they're calling the largest pandemic-related fraud scheme yet uncovered.

Wild rice, or manoomin in Ojibwe, is sacred to Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region because it’s part of their creation story and because for centuries, even a handful made a difference between life and starvation during harsh winters.

Bird flu has returned to the Midwest earlier than authorities expected after a lull of several months.

Derek Chauvin has been moved from a Minnesota state prison where he was often held in solitary confinement to a medium-security federal prison in Arizona, where the former police officer convicted in George Floyd’s killing may be held under less restrictive conditions.

The Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association is resuming its Dream Gap barnstorming tour for a fourth consecutive year.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has tested positive for COVID-19 and won't play in the team’s first preseason game.

Minnesota Republican Brad Finstad has been sworn as the newest member of the U.S. House.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Republican challenger Scott Jensen scored easy victories Tuesday in their primaries to set the stage for their fall matchup in Minnesota’s top race this fall.

Cavan Biggio hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and Whit Merrifield scored on an overturned call to lead the Blue Jays to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins and split the four-game series.

Police in Minnesota confirm three gunshots were fired at the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis, but say no one appears to have been hurt.

A 52-year-old Minnesota man was charged Monday with killing a teenager and stabbing four other people in a dispute that allegedly began with a lost cellphone during a weekend tubing excursion on a western Wisconsin river.

The owner and operator of North Dakota’s lone abortion clinic says a judge’s ruling that will delay the closing of the state's lone abortion clinic should provide more than enough time for her to move it a few miles away to Minnesota.

North Dakota’s only abortion clinic is preparing for what could be its final day of performing procedures.

A judge has scheduled sentencing this week for a former Minneapolis police officer convicted of violating George Floyd’s civil rights.

UnitedHealth Group hiked its 2022 forecast Friday after riding both growing health insurance enrollment and its newer care-providing businesses to a better-than-expected second quarter.

The implications of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade are reverberating nationwide as states reemerge as the new battlefields for abortion rights.

Now that former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to federal prison, attention turns to the fates of three fellow ex-cops.

The Minnesota Twins dodged a sweep by cooling off the Cleveland Guardians in a 1-0 win.

A judge has rescheduled the state trial for two former Minneapolis police officers in George Floyd’s killing to Oct. 24 to resolve dueling requests for a new trial date.

Minnesota prosecutors and a defense attorney for one of two former Minneapolis police officers who still face a state trial in George Floyd’s killing have made dueling requests for a new trial date.

The AL Central-leading Twins start a home series against the AL East-leading Yankees with their rotation in a dire situation.

To the Super Bowl winner goes the spoils of opening the entire schedule at home.