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There's a unique landmark in downtown Minneapolis that many people see but few can fully appreciate. It's a five-story mural on the side of a building near 10th and Marquette featuring oversized musical notes.
Minnesota has its share of ghost towns that people abandoned for one reason or another. When the last person leaves, though, it's not always the end of the story. Take, for example, the place that likes to call itself "the biggest little town in the world." Emmaville, Minn. northeast of Park Rapids, Minn., is back from the dead – at least for now.
When planning a summer road trip around Minnesota this year, consider checking out the world's largest lutefisk, ball of twine or floating loon. They're among the many unique roadside attractions waiting for those willing to stray off the main highway. Seth Hardmeyer, 31, grew up traveling Minnesota's back roads in his parents' station wagon. Now, he's made it a year-round hobby.
Sometimes kids need a secret hideaway to escape the worries of the world. The lucky ones have a treehouse to climb into and let their imaginations go. It turns out, big kids can rent their own secluded hideout in the trees of Wadena.
When families decide to bring home an animal, they often go for cute and cuddly. But the creature living in one Minnesota home can be demanding and difficult.
Wishing for warmer weather hasn't brought much change, so maybe goats, beer poking and even a kidnapping can help. The city of New Ulm has two big festivals on the last Saturday before Lent, designed to hasten the arrival of spring.
Radio listeners in central Minnesota occasionally hear a voice that's so unexpected and so unconventional, they have to stop and listen. It's the sweet, grandmotherly voice of Lenore Olson, selling shoes and boots just a few weeks before her 90th birthday.
As we travel around Minnesota, it's nice to find some sweet little surprises. For example, you could say Mr. B Chocolates in Willmar puts the "candy" in Kandiyohi County.
At a time when most drivers become more cautious and more attentive to their brakes, there are others who prefer to hit the gas. They're the ones who create race tracks on frozen lakes so they can take slippery turns over and over again.
The element of surprise is part of any drama or comedy at the theater, but what's unusual is when the performers on stage are surprised and unaware of what's happening next.
With more than 10,000 lakes, Minnesota has thousands of lakeside bars and restaurants. This time of year, though, there's a bar in west-central Minnesota that's actually on a lake. It's known as Hillbillies Ice Hole, and it's on the northern end of Lake Lida, about 300 yards from the public access point.
Hotel chains provide a lot of options for those vacationing in Minnesota, but many people prefer the Northwoods-style lodges with unique local features.
A few nights from now, many of us will raise a glass and toast the arrival of 2014. Few places in Minnesota have welcomed as many new years as a bar in North St. Paul.
If all you see outside now are lifeless fields of brown and white, you're not looking closely enough. Naturalist Matt Schuth is ready to lead dozens of visitors on a long walk through the woods at the Arboretum on Nov. 28.
Santa Claus is well-known for making house calls on Christmas Eve, but there's one Minnesota neighborhood where Santa greets kids for an entire month. He has a homemade workshop in Kelley Archer's front yard at 4124 Elmwood Circle in St. Bonifacius.
Fifteen years ago, former Minneapolis firefighter Jake LaFerriere turned one of his darkest days into a tradition that now brings holiday cheer to some of Minnesota's most vulnerable patients.
Friday is the big liftoff day for travel at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
A shelter-in-place order has been lifted and a man is in custody after an incident in Nowthen, Minnesota, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office said Friday afternoon.
David Hann, the ex-chair of the state's Republican Party and former minority leader in the Minnesota Senate, is joining the race for Democrat Tina Smith's U.S. Senate seat.
A retired Twin Cities police officer was killed while helping a driver stuck on an icy road early Monday morning.
David Hann, the ex-chair of the state's Republican Party and former minority leader in the Minnesota Senate, is joining the race for Democrat Tina Smith's U.S. Senate seat.
A retired Twin Cities police officer was killed while helping a driver stuck on an icy road early Monday morning.
Roughly a dozen schools in the state had announced they were either closed or delayed for Friday classes, following Thursday's snow and Friday's bitter cold.
Road conditions across Minnesota are rapidly deteriorating as a winter storm moves through the state Thursday.
Several Minnesota schools have already closed on Thursday in anticipation of winter weather in the state, with many more planning to end classes early.
The U.S. Justice Department has sued three states, including Illinois and Wisconsin, and D.C. for not turning over requested voter information to the Trump administration.
Defenders of a Wisconsin judge found guilty of felony obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal officers are raising alarms about judicial independence and say they hope the conviction will be overturned on appeal.
The Minnesota Attorney General's Office says Menards, the Wisconsin-based home improvement retailer, has reached a $4.25 million settlement with several states to "resolve claims" of deceptive marketing practices in its popular "11% Rebate Program," and pandemic-era price gouging.
A Wisconsin woman who almost killed her sixth-grade classmate to please horror villain Slender Man and then fled a group home won't fight the state's attempt to revoke her release privileges.
Defense attorneys and prosecutors are starting to select the jurors who will decide whether a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a Mexican immigrant dodge federal officers broke the law.
Many people who serve in the U.S. military find it hard to ask for assistance when they've been trained to help and serve others.
Food Bank Eatery in North Minneapolis provides free meals for children, who may have little to eat after the pause of SNAP benefits for many in the community.
Firefighters are continuing a 44-year tradition that happens every year north of the Twin Cities.
It was a scary moment in the Twin Cities over the weekend, as a trailer hauling sled dogs turned over on Interstate 494 in Minnetonka.
On Sunday, members of Minnesota's Somali community spoke out against President Trump's social media post calling for an end to temporary protected status.
Federal prosecutors said the total fraud in Minnesota's Medicaid programs could be as much as $9 billion, but DFL Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials disputed that the amount of taxpayer money stolen is that high.
Federal prosecutors say the fraud in Minnesota could total several billions of dollars as criminal charges mount. But Gov. Tim Walz, DFL-Minnesota, and state officials dispute it's that high. Caroline Cummings heard from the governor and others in his administration Friday for the first time since new indictments came down Thursday.
The airstrikes on ISIS targets are being conducted in response to the killing of two U.S. Army soldiers and an civilian contractor by a lone terrorist in Palmyra, Syria.
Defenders of a Wisconsin judge found guilty of felony obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal officers are raising alarms about judicial independence and say they hope the conviction will be overturned on appeal.
David Hann, the ex-chair of the state's Republican Party and former minority leader in the Minnesota Senate, is joining the race for Democrat Tina Smith's U.S. Senate seat.
Buy now, pay later is becoming more popular for shoppers this holiday season.
The Minnesota Attorney General's Office says Menards, the Wisconsin-based home improvement retailer, has reached a $4.25 million settlement with several states to "resolve claims" of deceptive marketing practices in its popular "11% Rebate Program," and pandemic-era price gouging.
The holidays are upon us, and in the town of Kellogg, Minnesota, you'll find a toy store unlike any other.
When we do winter weather stories, there's always that one line people use: cold, snow, ice — it's just what happens here. And this week, Ticket King president Michael Nowakowski said that same idea kind of applies to Minnesota Vikings ticket prices.
Thanksgiving is a big day for the farmers who raise the centerpiece of Americans' dinner tables on the last Thursday of November. But in Minnesota, the nation's top turkey producer, the work doesn't stop once the national holiday ends.
Defenders of a Wisconsin judge found guilty of felony obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal officers are raising alarms about judicial independence and say they hope the conviction will be overturned on appeal.
Officials say the same gunman who opened fire at Brown University also killed an MIT professor two days later. Here's what we know about the suspect, who was found dead Thursday night.
The Brown University shooting suspect was found dead in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire. Authorities believe he is also responsible for killing an MIT professor.
A top prosecutor suggested on Thursday that the total amount of fraud in Minnesota could be $9 billion or more.
Two days after the shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, MIT professor Nuno Loureiro was shot to death at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The Minnesota Athletic Trainers Association says of the middle and high schools they know of, only 49% have an athletic trainer providing some level of service.
From 2021 to 2025, Smart Therapy Center submitted claims totaling $31.8 million across all Minnesota Department of Human Services programs, according to that data. But the provider was only approved for a fraction of those payments.
The family of a Minnesota Vikings player who died at training camp from heat exhaustion in 2001 is still fighting to protect others.
A Twin Cities metro area school shifted to e-learning after a flu outbreak impacted nearly a quarter of its students. A senior epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health said flu season is "definitely picking up."
Officials at the Ramsey-Washington Recycling and Energy Center in Newport, Minnesota, say local hospitals are sending over dangerous waste and putting the facility's workers at risk.
The special features interviews with Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry O'Connell and Mandy Patinkin.
The Oscars ceremony is moving to YouTube starting in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday.
The nearly 100-year-old cinema will close briefly after New Year's Day and reopen on Jan. 9 with a showing of Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother."
The story of "The Wizard of Oz " is 125 years old, yet still reinventing itself in all kinds of forms.
When the Minnesota Vikings host the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day, fans may want to have their gin and juice handy come halftime.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy each had a goal and two assists, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 for their sixth straight win.
The Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants are eliminated from playoff contention but see their Week 16 matchup as plenty meaningful with another chance for a young quarterback to play.
The Minnesota Athletic Trainers Association says of the middle and high schools they know of, only 49% have an athletic trainer providing some level of service.
In a long-awaited move, Minnesota Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett is returning to the franchise that drafted him.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead a balanced scoring attack and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-110 on Wednesday.
Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is calling for answers about the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities. She is also denouncing the president's attacks on the Somali community and herself. In Talking Points, Esme Murphy shows us how, for Omar, this is a familiar position to be in.
Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is calling for clarity about the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.
Fear and uncertainty continue in Minnesota's Somali communities as ICE continues its intensified focus on the Twin Cities.
Opposition to ICE actions is widespread among Democratic elected officials throughout the state, though nowhere more than in Minneapolis, home to the state's largest Somali population.
Minnesotans who welcomed a child this year were able to start applying this week to the state's new paid family and medical leave program to take time off in 2026.
Holiday lights are on full display across the state right now, and just south of the Twin Cities you'll find a Christmas light show that's been around for more than half a century.
The story begins years ago when the city acquired one of the T-38 Talon Thunderbird jets from the Air Force.
The holidays are upon us, and in the town of Kellogg, Minnesota, you'll find a toy store unlike any other.
With the holidays fast approaching, and lutefisk on the menu for many families, one Minnesota town has the distinction of being called the "Lutefisk Capital of the Country."
How would you like to own a former Cold War missile site? In Dakota County, Minnesota, there's a one-of-a-kind property that could be yours for the right price.
The story of "The Wizard of Oz " is 125 years old, yet still reinventing itself in all kinds of forms.
It's the time of year when we accumulate the most stuff. When we do, people often throw around the word "hoarding." But it turns out it's a frequently misunderstood term.
Why do we have oily or dry skin? A dermatologist explains the root cause and how it can change over time.
It is the food that is top of mind right now, but did you know more turkeys come from Minnesota than anywhere else in the country?
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnehaha, Minnetonka, Minnewaska, Minneota. Those are just some of the place names in "the Land of 10,000 Lakes" featuring "minne" as the first five letters.
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.
A suspect was taken into custody after an attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on June 1 in which there were 15 people and a dog who were victims. The suspect threw Molotov cocktails that burned some of the victims, who were part of a march for Israeli hostages.
Temperatures will rise late Friday and into Saturday, according to NEXT Weather meteorologist Mike Augustyniak.
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.
Our coating of snow will lock in weekend cold, but it will be quieter and milder all next week, WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak reports.
A few flurries later today, but snow will move in overnight and should be out around by the evening, WCCO meteorologist Joseph Dames reports.
Friday night brings a light wintry mix for central Minnesota and western Wisconsin, WCCO meteorologist Joseph Dames reports.
Temperatures will rise late Friday and into Saturday, according to NEXT Weather meteorologist Mike Augustyniak.
Every holiday season, firefighters in Minneapolis give their time and gifts to burn survivors. Photojournalist Ray Campos and Jeff Wagner introduce a man who started the yearly tradition at the Hennepin Healthcare Burn Center.
Minnesota is fifth in the nation for producing honey, with more than 100,000 bee colonies in the state. A new effort in Congress would compensate beekeepers for unfair trade practices. WCCO photojournalist Tony Peterson spoke with a beekeeper who is hoping for some sweet support.
Federal prosecutors say the fraud in Minnesota could total several billions of dollars as criminal charges mount. But Gov. Tim Walz, DFL-Minnesota, and state officials dispute it's that high. Caroline Cummings heard from the governor and others in his administration Friday for the first time since new indictments came down Thursday.
"Buy now, pay later" plans are becoming more popular for shoppers this holiday season. As Jason Rantala discovered, the pain could be coming later as well.