Finding Minnesota: Deputy's UFO Encounter
Every now and then, someone calls 911 about mysterious objects in the sky. Most can be explained away as atmospheric conditions or aircraft -- or sometimes just too much whiskey.
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Every now and then, someone calls 911 about mysterious objects in the sky. Most can be explained away as atmospheric conditions or aircraft -- or sometimes just too much whiskey.
A twisted, gnarly old cedar tree has inspired centuries of wonder and mystery in far northeastern Minnesota. The solitary tree, which locals nicknamed, "The Witch Tree," has long been growing out of a rock on tribal land along the rugged shoreline of Lake Superior.
Scarecrows might not always be effective at keeping birds away, but for one Minnesota business, they've been effective at drawing humans in.
Our state has thousands of miles of outdoor trails for walking, running, biking and cross-country skiing. Now, though, you can also do upper body exercises along a path in Brainerd, in what used to be one of the trashiest parts of town.
Now that it is cooling off, we are starting to see more bursts of red, yellow and orange outside. While many people hop in the car to check out the colors along the roads and highways, there is another vantage point from a national scenic riverway that draws thousands of people each fall.
Even with the reputation of being friendly and honest, most Minnesotans are still a little cautious in terms of how much they trust people. That is why a well-stocked indoor farmers market near Sauk Centre seems unusual in 2015. It is virtually unsupervised, unlocked and unprotected, 24 hours a day.
For the tenth straight year, the Miron family of Chisago County has a large field carved up for adventure. It's the Shafer Corn Maze, a 12-acre puzzle that can feel like a trap.
Visit the heart of Mankato this year and you will likely encounter a farmer and his dog, a pony -- and even Godzilla. But most of those characters will be gone after a year, to be replaced by new ones. They are part of the community's efforts to revitalize the area's City Center by placing sizable artworks along some of the busiest streets.
Years before Minnesota would become a state, early settlers arrived in the bluffs region and saw potential along Big Trout Creek. They started building Pickwick Mill in the 1850s.
Duluth Grill, with produce gardens in its parking lot, is an unlikely success story, drawing national attention and $4.7 million in annual sales.
Thousands of families head to Duluth every year to visit the historic Glensheen Mansion. July and August are the busiest months at the mansion, and more than 84 percent of Glensheen's income comes from tours.
You've heard the expression, "Go big or go home." About an hour north of the metro, there's a home where sculptors stay for weeks or months at a time and definitely get the chance to "go big."
When they heard kids saying, "There's nothing to do around here," some educators and parents of small children in southern Minnesota couldn't exactly disagree. So about ten years ago, they started laying the groundwork for what is now the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota.
The owner of L J's Ye Old Wash in Spring Grove is providing his own unique spin for those waiting on the spin cycle. Lucky Volkenant, 72, has spent years covering the walls and ceiling of his laundromat with dolls.
A superhero has been protecting a northern Minnesota resort for 36 years, but he hasn't aged much. He actually looks as young now as ever.
The Minneapolis "tulip house" is in bloom yet again after the house was sold last fall.
Clouds remain throughout Sunday in Minnesota as the wind picks up with gusts up to 20 mph by the afternoon.
Police say the plane crashed near 62nd and Florida avenues in Brooklyn Park around noon Saturday, shortly after taking off from the nearby Crystal Airport.
Clouds will linger throughout Saturday with the high temperatures reaching in the low 60s.
Law enforcement agencies are looking for an incarcerated man who fled from a community work crew in Plymouth, Minnesota, on Friday, according to the state's Department of Corrections.
Clouds remain throughout Sunday in Minnesota as the wind picks up with gusts up to 20 mph by the afternoon.
Clouds will linger throughout Saturday with the high temperatures reaching in the low 60s.
A Minnesota family is finally welcoming home U.S Army Captain Willibald C. Bianchi, a war hero they waited more than 80 years to find.
Flooding at Gooseberry Falls State Park in Lake County, Minnesota, has made some trails in the area inaccessible.
A worker on a boom truck that was trying to help a commercial vehicle move through a western Minnesota intersection was thrown from the bucket Thursday afternoon, officials say.
Two Minnesotans were killed in a motorcycle crash Wednesday evening in western Wisconsin.
Matthew Keirans used William Woods's identity for decades, then manipulated police into prosecuting Woods, who spent 428 days in jail and 147 days in a mental hospital before DNA evidence proved his innocence.
Dozens of former employees are now suing their former bosses after they were all abruptly laid off from a metal fabrication plant in western Wisconsin.
Officials say more than 100 homes were damaged and one person was injured in a "significant tornado outbreak" across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa on Friday.
A woman was found dead at a complex on the Mississippi River in Winona County, Minnesota, on Wednesday morning.
Bobby Rogers once came to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to sketch and study; now he leads its design and editorial work, shaping what visitors see and experience.
Moses Cooper, who has cerebral palsy, met running partner Mark Hulsey through My Team Triumph Minnesota two years ago and the pair qualified for the Boston Marathon at Grandma's Marathon last summer.
Mackenzie Reed, head custodian at Shakopee East Middle School, has painted large-scale murals throughout the building she once attended as a student, creating a more welcoming space for current students.
Kristi comes to the Salvation Army not only to get food, but to shine her light. She talks with and encourages people waiting in line.
The way Mary Hernandez describes it, the effort to keep families off the street in Shakopee, Minnesota, is like trying to keep your head above water.
The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district at a +3 for Democratic candidates, which means in recent presidential elections, Democrats have held a narrow 3-point edge.
CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang was sitting next to President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner when the chaos unfolded.
These are decisive days in Minnesota's Second Congressional District. It is the only open district in the entire state because the incumbent, Angie Craig, is running for U.S. Senate. Minnesota state Rep. Kaela Berg is running as a Democrat and spoke with Esme Murphy on WCCO Sunday Morning at 10:30 a.m.
A California man is under arrest after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington. CBS News Correspondent Wendy Gillette reports on President Trump and the First Lady's safe evacuation.
The suspect was identified to CBS News by law enforcement sources as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California.
Some Trader Joe's shoppers will get a payout after a lawsuit alleged that the retailer's customer receipts put shoppers at risk of ID theft.
The bill would provide an average refund increase of $171 to homeowners after sharp property tax increases across the state this year.
The bills aim to close what supporters call a gambling law loophole, allowing for these prediction markets to flourish with no regulations.
It's a bittersweet changing of kegs and hands in northeast Minneapolis as HeadFlyer Brewing issued a permanent last call on Sunday.
Minnesota continues to beat the national gas price average, but there are still ways to save in the metro area.
The suspect was identified to CBS News by law enforcement sources as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement agencies are looking for an incarcerated man who fled from a community work crew in Plymouth, Minnesota, on Friday, according to the state's Department of Corrections.
The mother of the victim of a fatal shooting at a housing complex in Edina, Minnesota, on Wednesday is speaking out.
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Maplewood, Minnesota, was arrested in Illinois Friday, the morning after the killing, police said.
State lawmakers across the U.S. are increasing security measures as political violence rises.
Minnesota lawmakers are calling for the humanitarian release of a woman detained earlier this year amid Operation Metro Surge who is suffering from a tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst.
For more than 50 years, Steve Nesseth has answered the call, not for the recognition, but because for him service is simply a way of life.
The media we consume and how long we spend consuming it can impact our mental health. In a world where screens are scrutinized, what is the worst kind of screen time?
National Nurses United warns Hennepin County Medical Center could close following federal health care cuts under H.R. 1, threatening care across Minnesota and the Midwest.
Hundreds of nursing home workers from across the Twin Cities are on strike Monday.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
A previously unreleased song is one of many ways Prince is being honored a decade after his death.
Bobby Rogers once came to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to sketch and study; now he leads its design and editorial work, shaping what visitors see and experience.
A video game is helping people experience the Ojibwe culture in a new way.
At Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, a new production is using the stage to explore the impact of immigration and displacement.
Yandy Diaz homered as part of a four-run third inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 to complete a three-game series sweep.
The left knee of Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards remained structurally intact when he was injured during Game 4 of his team's Western Conference first-round playoff series, but he is likely to miss multiple weeks, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points, stepping up after leg injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo with the highest-scoring playoff performance by a reserve in 50 years, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 112-96 on Saturday night.
Matt Boldy scored on a deflection with 28.9 seconds left in the first overtime and the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Saturday in Game 4 to tie the first-round NHL playoff series.
David Martinez scored early in the first half and that was all Hugo Lloris needed as Los Angeles FC ended Minnesota United's four-match winning streak with a 1-0 victory on Saturday.
The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district at a +3 for Democratic candidates, which means in recent presidential elections, Democrats have held a narrow 3-point edge.
From the controversies to the name-calling to bathhouse proposals to perhaps not renewing Police Chief Brian O'Hara's contract, it seems the Minneapolis City Council is always giving us something to talk about.
From the controversies to the name-calling to bathhouse proposals to perhaps not renewing Police Chief Brian O'Hara's contract, it seems the Minneapolis City Council is always giving us something to talk about.
Both the DFL and GOP nominating conventions are the last weekend in May 7, and voting for the Aug. 11 primary begins in June.
Minnesota's hospitals are facing a growing financial crisis amid higher costs, fewer insured patients, shuttering clinics and federal Medicaid cuts.
When you think of masterful, memorable works of art, grain elevators don't typically come to mind. But in towns across the country, including in Minnesota, they're becoming an unlikely canvas for creativity.
At Arnie Lillo's Creations in Blue Earth County, you can visit a metal-scaled version of the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge. The works of art have taken on a shape of their own.
It's one of the largest musky hatcheries in the entire world. John Lauritsen shows us how the Spooner hatchery keeps fish healthy and anglers happy.
Shattuck-St. Mary's is more than a hockey school, but hockey has helped put the school on the map. They have banners and big names to prove it, though the real evidence lies with a man called Rooster.
Opening Day for the Minnesota Twins is almost here. And across town, the St. Paul Saints are getting ready for their season, too, with some added history.
The media we consume and how long we spend consuming it can impact our mental health. In a world where screens are scrutinized, what is the worst kind of screen time?
The pet insurance industry is relatively new, and experts say that's partly why there's a low number of policies, but it is growing.
The popular afternoon pick-me-up in a cup is like a super food, supplement and medicine cure-all.
One of the biggest obstacles to exercising can be finding enough time to work out. WCCO explores whether upping the intensity can give someone the same benefits in a shorter amount of time.
Filing your taxes can be stressful. But daydreaming about how to spend that refund makes it worthwhile.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Tuesday night.
A look at the newest addition to the polar bear population at St. Paul, Minnesota's Como Zoo.
From food shelves to school programs, our team is proud to serve where it matters most.
The Minnesota State Fair has unveiled its new food, drinks and vendors for 2025.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says there is a chance for severe weather tomorrow in Minnesota.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says widespread rain will move in tonight and stick around into Monday.
WCCO meteorologist Adam Del Rosso says highs reach the mid 60s today thanks to some southerly winds gusting up to 20 mph.
Clouds remain throughout Sunday in Minnesota as the wind picks up with gusts up to 20 mph by the afternoon.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says there is a chance for severe weather tomorrow in Minnesota.
Minnesota will be on center stage in just five years, playing host to a world fair. But not your typical world fair! As photojournalist Joe Van Ryn and Conor Wight report, Expo 2031 will help bridge the gap between people and nature.
It's been a springtime tradition for years. The Minneapolis tulip house is in bloom yet again after an uncertain future when the house sold last fall. WCCO's Marielle Mohs caught up with the new owner, who stepped into an undertaking that has given her a new purpose.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says widespread rain will move in tonight and stick around into Monday.
Starting a business isn't easy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, out of new businesses in the U.S., around 35% make it to the 10-year mark.