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Minnesota lawmakers are wading into a debate over access to footage caught on police body cameras. A law enforcement-backed proposal to put strict limits on who sees body camera videos was introduced Thursday in the House. A Senate version isn't far behind.
Abortion opponents say a new Republican majority in the Minnesota House could help them out this year. They're undeterred by a governor who says he doesn't see himself signing any new abortion restrictions. Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life has three legislative priorities this year.
A flood aid package meant to assist more than half of Minnesota counties hit with severe flooding cleared the Minnesota Senate on Thursday.
Minnesota lawmakers are caught in a dust-up over office space at the State Capitol, and it's threatening to delay the massive Capitol restoration now underway. The three-year, $272 million project is on time and on budget. But the tenants in the new building -- including the governor, the Senate, the House and the attorney general -- cannot come to agreement over how much space they will control.
Minnesota lawmakers moved Tuesday to set up swift approval of tax deductions and credits affecting thousands of people and business owners getting ready to file 2014 forms. Tax committees in the House and Senate advanced legislation that lines Minnesota's code up with some recent federal changes. Final votes in each chamber could come later this week, sending the bill to a supportive Gov. Mark Dayton before personal income tax filing season begins next week.
Minnesota's state band rehearses in a basement cafeteria, stores its music in a hard-to-reach closet and can't afford a marimba. But it could get some official appreciation if a pair of state House bills quietly introduced Thursday become law. A group of DFL lawmakers wants to throw the band $50,000 over the next two years and guarantee free rehearsal space.
Keith Downey says he plans to run for re-election as chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota.
Free vocational college tuition for Minnesota high school graduates? Student-loan forgiveness for working in specialized fields or rural communities? Tax breaks for the mining and timber industries? A prohibition on performance bonuses for Minnesota health exchange executives?
An interesting new idea from some Minnesota lawmakers this year: Cancel next year's legislative session. The "No Session 2016" movement began the first hour of the first day of the 2015 legislature, when top leaders revealed that they're talking about it.
A wave of senior citizens and slow growth in Minnesota's working-age population will force the state to focus on improving education and productivity in its workforce in the coming decades, state experts told lawmakers Wednesday. More collaboration between businesses and the public sector, especially in rural Minnesota, could help train and retain young workers to thrive in an aging state, speakers at the One Minnesota legislative conference said.
A retired English teacher will help set Republicans' agenda for making changes to the state's schools. Rep. Sondra Erickson, a Princeton Republican who retired from teaching in 2000, said school districts have been dizzied by new rules and policies after three elections that shifted control of state government.
The next chief sergeant-at-arms of the Minnesota House will have something most recent predecessors lacked: A law enforcement background.
A Minnesota House staff member who began as a chamber page 36 years ago is on the verge of becoming its chief clerk.
One of the top environmental issues in the legislative session that opens in January could be how best to protect Minnesota's wetlands. The GOP takeover of the Minnesota House has changed the landscape for the environment and natural resources at the Capitol. Republican leaders have given a strong signal of their priorities by restructuring the committees that will deal with those issues.
Rep. Kurt Daudt was in the WCCO-TV studio to talk with Esme Murphy on Sunday morning.
The fall election produced Minnesota's lowest voter turnout since 1986, according to results certified Tuesday. Final figures for this November's election put participation at 50.5 percent of eligible voters. That's the smallest percentage since 48 percent voted in the 1986 election.
uesday's election exposed electoral challenges for both Democrats and Republicans moving forward. Democrats suffered all but one of their majority-costing statehouse losses in districts outside the Twin Cities and their suburbs.
The one-time car salesman from Crown became the GOP's most powerful leader after taking Republicans from minority status to a 72-seat majority in the Minnesota House. Rep. Kurt Daudt, 41, becomes the second-most powerful politician in Minnesota, behind Gov. Mark Dayton. "It is the greatest honor of my life to be elected to be the next speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives," Daudt said.
DFLers in the Minnesota House have elected Rep. Paul Thissen of Minneapolis as their new minority leader. Thissen had been House speaker. But with Republicans winning control of the Minnesota House in Tuesday's elections, Democrats are returning to minority status in that chamber.
Minnesota voters gave Gov. Dayton a solid re-election victory. But unlike the last two years of Democratic dominance, Dayton's fresh reality is a new Republican majority in the Minnesota House. "I'm proud to say that Democrats' total control of state government in Minnesota is over," said Rep. Kurt Daudt, the House minority leader. Exuberant Republicans will take back the House they lost just two years ago. That's when they battled Gov. Dayton to a budget standoff, and a 17-day government shutdown -- the longest in U.S. history.
There will be competition among Republicans for who leads the party's new House majority. Minority Leader Kurt Daudt of Crown and former Majority Leader Matt Dean of Dellwood both say they're running to be House speaker when the Legislature returns to action. They are asking for support from the 72-member caucus, which meets Friday to pick its leadership.
Minnesota House Republicans will come into next year's legislative session with a majority and a tiny bit of breathing room.
Republicans have grabbed control of the Minnesota House and broken up the Democrats' short run of one-party rule at the Capitol. House Speaker Paul Thissen conceded early Wednesday that Democrats had lost control of the chamber.
Election Day arrived in Minnesota with Democrats feeling good about sweeping the biggest races in the state — for governor and U.S. Senate — and perhaps all of the statewide offices. But the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party was fighting a rear-guard action to hang on to the Minnesota House, with plenty of incumbents at risk and Republicans needing just seven seats to bring back divided government for the first time since 2012.
Control of the Minnesota House hinged Tuesday on fewer than two dozen races where loads of money fed fierce contests between the Democrats in charge and the Republicans looking to take over.
Defender Lee Stecklein and forward Grace Zumwinkle are staying put in Minnesota after the PWHL's Frost re-signed both players.
Sunday marks one year since a politically motivated attack killed former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and seriously injured state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. As Minnesotans begin reflecting on the shocking day, many are choosing to remember how the Hortmans lived.
Minneapolis resident Davis Moturi was shot outside his home in 2024. The shooting happened after more than a year of harassment and 38 calls to 911. A lawsuit filed earlier this month claims the couple that sold him and his wife their south Minneapolis home didn't protect them.
The U.S. military has killed Niño Guerrero, the alleged leader of Venezuela-based gang Tren de Aragua, President Trump announced Friday.
Thousands of providers who were cut off from Medicaid billing can once again receive funds, at least for now, as the Minnesota Department of Human Services navigates a revalidation process drawing bipartisan criticism.
Minneapolis resident Davis Moturi was shot outside his home in 2024. The shooting happened after more than a year of harassment and 38 calls to 911. A lawsuit filed earlier this month claims the couple that sold him and his wife their south Minneapolis home didn't protect them.
Schools in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, are ending the year on a high note after a tumultuous time during Operation Metro Surge.
Before Melissa Hortman was elected to the Legislature and later became speaker of the Minnesota House, she began her career fresh out of law school at a local legal aid office. In her short time doing that work, one family said she made a generational impact on them.
About 28 cities submitted their interest to U.S. Soccer as part of the bidding process. Minneapolis was chosen as one of the 14 finalists.
The University of Minnesota has renamed the sports complex at its Minneapolis campus from Williams Arena to The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation says an exploding population of mayflies could cause serious trouble for drivers in southeast Minnesota.
Saturday and Sunday will be breezy and cool in the Twin Cities as crisp Canadian air settles in.
Two men on a Minnesota trail helped rescue a missing woman who had been stuck in the mud for three days.
School's out, summer's here, and if you're heading to the lake on Highway 10, you may just stumble upon hidden treasure.
Two women were involved in a deadly head-on crash Tuesday night in Chisago City, Minnesota.
A man serving a life sentence in a Wisconsin prison for killing six hunters during a confrontation over trespassing in 2004 has died, officials said.
Two women were involved in a deadly head-on crash Tuesday night in Chisago City, Minnesota.
Attorneys for Salah Sarsour, president of Wisconsin's largest mosque, told a federal judge he has lost 30 pounds and is not receiving consistent medical care for Type 2 diabetes while held in an Indiana jail.
President Trump was in western Wisconsin Friday afternoon to host a roundtable on farming at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls.
A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday on whether to throw out former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan's felony obstruction conviction, postponing her sentencing indefinitely while he considers the matter.
On the Lake Harriet shoreline in Minneapolis Saturday evening, dozens of children picked up a fishing rod for the first time.
Hours after the announcement, community members were eager to learn more about the one challenged with leading the most scrutinized police department in the country.
Created by Freedom Reads, a nonprofit organization in Connecticut, the Inside Literary Prize is the first major U.S. book award decided exclusively by incarcerated readers.
A 23-year-old man from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, faces a criminal vehicular homicide charge after prosecutors say he hit and killed a person on a highway, then fled.
Quincy Street isn't just at the center of Art-A-Whirl, it's at the heart of the Arts District in northeast Minneapolis. The road itself, however, is falling apart. And the only thing bumpier than the exposed brick is the reaction to the city's plans to fix it.
The U.S. military has killed Niño Guerrero, the alleged leader of Venezuela-based gang Tren de Aragua, President Trump announced Friday.
Thousands of providers who were cut off from Medicaid billing can once again receive funds, at least for now, as the Minnesota Department of Human Services navigates a revalidation process drawing bipartisan criticism.
Before Melissa Hortman was elected to the Legislature and later became speaker of the Minnesota House, she began her career fresh out of law school at a local legal aid office. In her short time doing that work, one family said she made a generational impact on them.
Before Melissa Hortman was elected to the Legislature and later became speaker of the Minnesota House, she began her career fresh out of law school at a local legal aid office. In her short time doing that work, one family said she made a generational impact on them.
Politicians are pointing fingers as the state grapples with an ongoing fraud crisis. Right now, Medicaid providers are trying to navigate getting recertified and paid.
Target is voluntarily recalling two types of baby wipes due to concerns that the products may be contaminated with bacteria that may cause "serious and life-threatening infections," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday.
The dream of a woman in Minnesota started with excitement, but quickly unraveled into loss after she said she fell victim to a scheme that targeted more than 30 Spanish speakers.
For years, it was all hands on deck; a business model buoyed by a bevy of free time that sent sales surging in a way never before seen. But as Minnesota enters lake season, outdoor sales for boats, jet skis and more have almost dropped anchor.
Jester Concepts' Monday announcement noted that Borough will mark its remaining five weeks of service through June 27 with events celebrating the restaurant's history, and it encouraged customers to reserve tables during the final weeks.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has issued a consumer advisory for four products produced by Milkjam Creamery, an ice cream shop in Minneapolis, due to "the potential presence of metal fragments," the state agency said.
A man serving a life sentence in a Wisconsin prison for killing six hunters during a confrontation over trespassing in 2004 has died, officials said.
The suspect, Victor Mata Villarreal, was wanted for attempted murder of a police officer after shooting at law enforcement during a vehicle chase earlier this week, officials said.
Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman's family released a statement Thursday afternoon addressing Vance Boelter's change of plea in federal court, saying that "there is not justice when our family and our state will never truly heal."
The state-level case against Vance Boelter — the man who pleaded guilty in federal court to shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses — will continue, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Thursday afternoon.
Eat Street businesses in south Minneapolis are back open Wednesday after several had to shelter in place during Tuesday's standoff.
Minnesotans weathered the third air quality alert triggered by ozone of the year Monday. If two more happen, it will tie the yearly record.
HCMC in Minneapolis got what they wanted, a large financial boost from lawmakers, and now the leaders of Minnesota's busiest trauma hospital say they'll put their money where their mouths are and get to work restructuring finances.
The studio also incorporates balance and cognitive training to help clients maintain stability and coordination as they age.
Minnesota officials say they have completed a review of almost 5,600 "high-risk Medicaid providers," part of an effort to stave off the federal government's freezing of $2 billion in funding.
Minnesota state officials are feeling pressure from the federal government, working to revalidate thousands of Medicaid providers who operate in programs that are at high-risk for fraud.
There's plenty to do in Minnesota this weekend, including some major anniversary parties, Maple Grove's ever-popular Chalkfest and much more!
Anthony Head played librarian and mentor Rupert Giles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and recently appeared in "Ted Lasso."
Everywhere you look in downtown Minneapolis, people are sporting purple in honor of Prince.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is on the cover of Madden NFL 27, the first Bear ever to grace the primary cover of the massively popular video game.
Wednesday is the beginning of a five-day celebration of the icon we know, love and miss: Prince.
Defender Lee Stecklein and forward Grace Zumwinkle are staying put in Minnesota after the PWHL's Frost re-signed both players.
About 28 cities submitted their interest to U.S. Soccer as part of the bidding process. Minneapolis was chosen as one of the 14 finalists.
The University of Minnesota has renamed the sports complex at its Minneapolis campus from Williams Arena to The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
Committed to staging a legitimate competition for their starting quarterback position, at least during this less-urgent part of the offseason, the Vikings have divided the time in drills with the first team between Kyler Murray and incumbent J.J. McCarthy. That's the way they'll start training camp next month, too.
Ahead of the 2026 Special Olympics games, some young Special Olympians had an awesome Thursday on the court with the Minnesota Lynx.
After disputes about ballots and concerns about voting totals, businessman Kendall Qualls won the endorsement.
Minnesota's endorsing conventions are over, and the story of the weekend is the upset of House Speaker Lisa Demuth in the GOP governor's race.
Minnesota's election season officially kicks off this week as both major parties hold conventions to endorse candidates for governor and U.S. Senate, with competitive battles on the Republican side and clearer paths for Democrats.
Both parties begin the endorsement process today in Rochester and Duluth, with the August primary just two months away.
Friday, the Democratic and Republican parties begin the process of endorsing nominees for statewide offices.
School's out, summer's here, and if you're heading to the lake on Highway 10, you may just stumble upon hidden treasure.
Nearly 40 years ago, a building was sent over piece by piece from Norway to a farm in Chippewa County, Minnesota. It's one of the only stabburs in the United States.
Minneiska, Minnesota, is a small river town on Highway 61 near the Mississippi River, but at one point it was home to a castle.
The sign is 51 feet tall and 63 feet wide. And when it was built 85 years ago it was one of the largest neon signs in the entire country.
There's a place in Wabasha County, Minnesota, where people go wild for wildflowers.
Minnesotans weathered the third air quality alert triggered by ozone of the year Monday. If two more happen, it will tie the yearly record.
Milder winters mean more ticks survive to the following spring, and a southern species that can trigger a red meat allergy is now gaining ground in Minnesota as a result.
She didn't win her party's endorsement, but Republican Lisa Demuth plans to keep running for governor anyway. History shows that might actually work in her favor.
Cops are cracking down on a popular way to pedal around town.
If you're holding back on spending or worried about losing your job, you are not alone. U.S. consumer sentiment just hit an all-time low this month.
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.
The Twin Cities will be breezy and feature a few clouds on 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.
NEXT Weather meteorologist Mike Augustyniak says Twin Cities residents could see some rain showers on Friday night before a breezy Saturday.
Showers and storms could develop around dusk Friday and continue overnight.
Friday evening will be mostly sunny, breezy and dry, but storms may develop later.
The Twin Cities will be breezy and feature a few clouds on Saturday, according to NEXT Weather meteorologist Mike Augustyniak.
Sunday will mark one year since a politically motivated attack killed former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. As family, friends and Minnesotans reflect on the loss, many are choosing to remember the Hortmans for the way they lived. Ubah Ali explains how.
The U.S. men's national team is off to a great start in the World Cup. Mike Max speaks to excited fans at a watch party at Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis.
NEXT Weather meteorologist Mike Augustyniak says Twin Cities residents could see some rain showers on Friday night before a breezy Saturday.
From tragedies to triumphs, Frank Vascellaro has brought us Minnesota's biggest stories for two decades. WCCO reporters and anchors share some of their best memories of the seasoned journalist.