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Only 44% of students were proficient in math, down 11 percentage points from 2019, and 53% were proficient in reading, down 7 points from two years ago. Students didn't take the tests last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health officials on Friday reported 1,912 more COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths, as the seven-day average positivity rate creeps up to 6.2%.
Should I eat inside at a restaurant? Should my kids wear a mask? Should I go to the State Fair? Every day, we're making decisions with COVID on the mind.
With COVID-19 cases rising, WCCO wondered if Minnesota political leaders would still go to the fair. The answer is yes.
Hundreds of students in Albert Lea Area Schools are in quarantine after three dozen people tested positive for COVID-19 in the first five days of the school year.
There are two new locations in the Twin Cities metro area. In St. Paul, the Roy Wilkins Auditorium is reopening as a COVID-19 testing site. And in Bloomington, a site is opening at the former DMV on Logan Avenue South.
Minneapolis' flagship theater is joining the growing list of venues that will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend performances.
Overall, the latest figures of those hospitalized show 165 Minnesotans in ICU with COVID, compared to fewer than 20 about six weeks ago. So far, 642,288 have tested positive for COVID in Minnesota since the start of the pandemic, and there have been 7,793 deaths.
Hospital ICU bed capacity in the Twin Cities is above 97%. It's even more crowded outside intensive care units.
Delta Air Lines says employees who are not vaccinated for COVID-19 will be subject to a $200 monthly surcharge beginning this fall, citing costs for hospitalization.
The policy goes into effect Sept. 20, when the orchestra's season begins.
According to the latest figures from the Minnesota Department of Health, 97.5% of ICU beds in the metro area are currently in use. The situation is almost as bad in southeastern Minnesota, where only eight beds are still open.
While a number of music venues are requiring proof of vaccination for concert-goers, that's not the case at Mystic Lake Casino.
Minnesota is bringing its $100 COVID-19 vaccine incentive program to the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
As debates over masks and vaccines mark the beginning of a new school year, one Minnesota family is opening up about their heartbreaking loss from the pandemic.
Police say two people were injured, one of them critically, during a shooting Tuesday afternoon in south Minneapolis.
Dan Lommen placed a message on the restaurant's sign reading, "Weed shop, children don't mix. Respect! GV."
Before closing their doors, a 26-person Bloomington, Minnesota, church congregation did one final good deed for 300,000 others.
A teenager was severely injured Monday evening after falling nearly 20 stories inside an abandoned grain elevator in Minneapolis.
Police in a northern Twin Cities suburb say a missing woman and her two children have been found safe.
The mother of a man charged in the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy in southern Minnesota is now facing criminal charges herself after allegedly helping her son evade arrest.
The race for Congress in Minnesota's Second District is getting heated. On Tuesday, candidates faced off at Farmfest in Morgan.
As Minnesota continues to feel the aftershock of a federal immigration surge that sparked protests, traumatized families, devastated businesses and left two of its residents dead, the Department of Homeland Security is set to expand its presence in the state in a new capacity.
A 62-year-old motorist is injured after a train crashed into a vehicle that stalled on the tracks in Randall, Minnesota, early Friday, according to the Morrison County Sheriff's Office.
A judge on Monday sentenced a Minnesota school bus driver to three years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material, court records show.
Two people were injured when a small plane crashed in western Wisconsin early Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.
According to the Eau Claire Fire Department, Bryce Jungbluth, 27, suffered a medical emergency after his shift on July 26.
A judge sided with the Wisconsin Elections Commission Wednesday, ruling that state law does not allow absentee voters to change their ballot after it has been returned — a setback for Democrats amid a scrambled governor's primary field.
Barnes withdrew from the Democratic primary less than two weeks before the Aug. 11 election, on the same day a newspaper reported it had asked him about allegations of inappropriate behavior reviewed by the state party.
Passing trains and scenic bluffs are a big part of Buffalo County, Wisconsin, but in the middle of it all is a garden where creativity and flowers grow together, all courtesy of a man named Herman Rusch.
After officials in Minnesota's capital city announced they would shut down encampments for those experiencing homelessness, the City Council approved more than $1 million to expand capacity at local shelters.
The city of St. Paul, Minnesota, is taking a stand and closing encampments amid growing concerns.
Baseball fans might remember the Metrodome's iconic blue seats, and now in Atwater, Minnesota, spectators can once again grab a blue seat and watch a game.
Tucked away in the Midway neighborhood in St. Paul is a community treasure many have come to love and respect.
What started as a small fundraiser following one of Joe's surgeries at Gillette Children's has grown into a community tradition that has raised nearly $100,000 for the hospital.
The race for Congress in Minnesota's Second District is getting heated. On Tuesday, candidates faced off at Farmfest in Morgan.
Federal authorities arrested a man who appeared to be monitoring security-planning activities at Trump National Golf Club in LA County ahead of the president's Southern California visit.
They were forgotten fighters. Now, 50-years later, a group of Hmong and Lao Minnesota veterans is finally being recognized by the state .
The Second Congressional District is the only open district in Minnesota this fall.
Mike Lindell is stepping down as CEO of MyPillow to focus on his campaign for governor of Minnesota, the company announced Tuesday.
Parents will be digging deeper into their wallets this back-to-school season.
Get ready to watch movies and television with clarity like never before. That's how industry experts are describing the latest TV technology now on sale exclusively at Best Buy.
A lottery player in Minnesota won a jackpot of more than $34 million last week, a record for the Lotto America game in the state.
The lawsuit accuses Loon of using "kid-friendly characters" to promote its vapes in flavors such as Cotton Candy, Strawberry Popsicle, Banana Taffy and Blue Razz Slushy.
A Wisconsin family lost their ten-month-old daughter after she swallowed a water bead. They blame Target and the water bead manufacturer for her death.
The mother of a man charged in the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy in southern Minnesota is now facing criminal charges herself after allegedly helping her son evade arrest.
Police say two people were injured, one of them critically, during a shooting Tuesday afternoon in south Minneapolis.
It's been 18 months, but the pain is as fresh as ever for the Twin Cities community of West Tonka. Lilyana "Lily" Loycano, 11, was killed while riding to school with her family. A distracted driver was charged in that crash.
The Hennepin County attorney is asking the governor of Texas to sign the extradition paperwork for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting a man in the leg in north Minneapolis in January, according to a letter sent by Mary Moriarty.
A judge on Monday sentenced a Minnesota school bus driver to three years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material, court records show.
The system uses light tracing and more than 1,500 data points to create a personalized treatment plan.
Two Michigan residents who had "significant underlying health conditions" have died after contracting cyclosporiasis, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.
Researchers are studying whether GLP-1s could help veterans living with alcohol use disorder. The Minneapolis VA Health Care System is one of 18 VA sites across the United States participating in the new clinical trial testing semaglutide as a potential treatment for AUD.
Since May, more than 11,000 cases of illness caused by the parasite cyclospora have been reported in 41 states. This comes after the Trump administration drastically cut FDA and CDC staff, prompting one expert to call this summer's outbreaks "a national wake-up call."
The CDC will not renew a federal grant that provided the Aliveness Project roughly $450,000 a year for HIV testing, PrEP referrals and community outreach across Minnesota.
Ariana Grande had been due to star alongside her "Wicked" co-star Jonathan Bailey in a production of "Sunday in the Park with George" in 2027.
Vincent Pastore played Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on all six seasons of "The Sopranos," which aired from 1999 to 2007.
WWE's SummerSlam will have two nights of bouts and matches inside U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. But before that, SummerSlam is setting up shop inside the Minneapolis Convention Center.
It's another action-packed weekend in Minnesota, with wrestling, county fairs, beagle races and more on the schedule.
Academy Award-winning Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash.
The Minnesota Twins have joined fellow Major League Baseball teams like the Mets and the Brewers by adding an official dance team.
Rookie Olivia Miles spearheaded an efficient offense with 28 points, Courtney Williams added 27, and the Minnesota Lynx won their 10th-straight game with a 108-100 win over the Indiana Fever.
A crowd of supporters and critics of Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham's stance on transgender participation in women's sports gathered around and inside Target Center as the Fever faced the Lynx in Minnesota.
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Randy Arozarena scored in the ninth inning on a groundout to first base from Cal Raleigh, and the Seattle Mariners snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.
Anders Dreyer scored from the penalty spot in the 64th minute as San Diego FC drew Minnesota United 1-1 on Saturday.
Minnesota's ban on AI "nudification" became law and Elon Musk isn't happy about it. He is suing the State of Minnesota, claiming the law violates free speech laws.
While the law is in effect, this issue is not over. The judge has set a preliminary injunction hearing for Aug. 19.
Earlier this month, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher prompted backlash when he said the Twin Cities has a Somali youth gang violence problem. Among his critics: Minneapolis City Council Vice President Jamal Osman.
Earlier this month, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher prompted backlash when he said the Twin Cities has a Somali youth gang violence problem. Fletcher played videos of what he said were Somali gunfights at a July 7 news conference and on his "Live on Patrol" Facebook page, which has over 140,000 followers.
In the past few years, one of Minnesota's fiercest primary battles has been in the 5th Congressional District, which has been held since 2018 by Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Passing trains and scenic bluffs are a big part of Buffalo County, Wisconsin, but in the middle of it all is a garden where creativity and flowers grow together, all courtesy of a man named Herman Rusch.
Thousands of pictures of Split Rock Lighthouse are taken each year. And oftentimes a little island appears in those photos. Ellingsen Island has developed a following of its own.
There's a scenic, nearly century-old spot in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where right now you'll find thousands of flowers in bloom.
Baseball fans might remember the Metrodome's iconic blue seats, and now in Atwater, Minnesota, spectators can once again grab a blue seat and watch a game.
It's a lake cruise in the middle of town, and there's more than pelicans on the Pelican Breeze tour in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
There's a certain elegance to the common loon. Its black and white plumage carries a gentle sheen of green as though dressed for a formal affair. Subtle colors that allow its piercing red eyes to steal your gaze.
Parents will be digging deeper into their wallets this back-to-school season.
Minnesotans have become quite familiar with drought in recent years. Not only how it affects the water supply, but also the rules that can come with it.
The issue is a major talking point ahead of the midterm elections. Do gas prices actually impact elections?
The U.S. House just voted to make daylight saving time permanent. In Good Question, Jeff Wagner explains how that could impact Minnesota and why our last attempt at getting rid of it failed.
The Minnesota State Fair has unveiled its new foods for 2026.
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.
WCCO meteorologist Chris Shaffer says it will be cool and comfy overnight.
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 Chris Shaffer says there will be plenty of sunshine the next few days.
Some comfortable, cool air will move into Minnesota on Tuesday evening, though it’ll warm up over the next few days.
Open the windows and enjoy some comfy air tonight. Cool and not humid, WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak reports.
WCCO meteorologist Chris Shaffer says it will be cool and comfy overnight.
The common loon is well known for its striking black and white plumage. In Good Question, Jeff Wagner investigates the third, and arguably most intense color beaming from the bird's eyes.
Minnesota is at the center of the latest food borne illness outbreak and health leaders say a popular chain is primarily to blame. Dozens of Minnesotans have gotten sick in a salmonella outbreak tied to tainted jalapeno peppers. Almost 90% said they recently ate at Chipotle. The news comes just a day after the first deaths tied to the Cyclospora outbreak were reported in Michigan. Ubah Ali talked to experts about what's behind the recent rise in foodborne illnesses.
WCCO meteorologist Chris Shaffer says there will be plenty of sunshine the next few days.
A story now about a small Bloomington church that no longer exists. Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield shows us how before closing their doors, a congregation of 26 people did one final good deed for 300,000 others.