Latest Minnesota Headlines

All the headlines from our Minnesota Topic Page, ordered by recency.

More than 5K Minnesota Motorists Cited for Using Cellphones While Driving

Oct 28 2019 // State officials say more than 5,000 citations have been issued to drivers in Minnesota since a hands-free law took effect in August. The new law makes it illegal to use a cellphone while driving. Department of Public...

Tornadoes, Damaging Winds Reported in Michigan, Minnesota

Sep 13 2019 // The National Weather Service says a tornado ripped through a cemetery in southeastern Minnesota.The EF-1 tornado with winds of 95 mph struck Woodlawn Cemetery in Winona early Wednesday. The tornado toppled trees and...

Midwest Economic Survey Suggests Little or No Growth on Horizon

Sep 4 2019 // An August survey of business supply managers suggested slow or no economic growth over the next several months in nine Midwest and Plains states, in part because of trade skirmishes, according to a newly released...

Wisconsin Man Wants State to Adopt Driver Hands-Free Cellphone Law

Aug 29 2019 // A Wisconsin man who spent three years lobbying Minnesota lawmakers to ban the use of cellphones or other electronic devices while driving said he wants his home state to adopt similar legislation.Thomas Goeltz lost his...

Holmes Murphy Adds Hughes to Minnesota Team

Aug 27 2019 // Independent insurance brokerage Holmes Murphy has welcomed Nate Hughes as account executive to the company’s growing Minneapolis, Minnesota, property/casualty team.Hughes joins Holmes Murphy through the merger with...

678 Citations in 1st Week of Minnesota’s Hands-Free Law

Aug 23 2019 // Minnesota Department of Public Safety officials say officers cited 678 drivers across the state during the first week of the new hands-free cellphone law. The Star Tribune reports that officers handed out 286 citations in...

Nation’s Excess & Surplus Market Reports 13% Growth Through Midyear

Aug 14 2019 // The nation’s excess and surplus lines insurance industry is growing almost 13 percent faster halfway through this year than it did last year at this time.Mid-year premium growth reported by the 15 excess and surplus...

Mendota, Mendakota Insurance Companies Relocate to Tennessee from Minnesota

Aug 10 2019 // Mendota Insurance Company and Mendakota Insurance Company have completed relocating their corporate headquarters and changing their state of domicile from Minnesota to Tennessee, according to a statement from the Tennessee...

Outlooks Revised to Positive for Minnesota Lawyers Mutual, MLM Risk Retention Group

Aug 2 2019 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” of Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Co.,...

Minnesota Law Requiring Drivers to Use Hands-Free Phones Now in Effect

Aug 2 2019 // A reminder to Minnesota motorists — keep your hands off your cellphone while driving.A new state law took effect Aug. 1 banning drivers from talking on the phone unless they are using a hands-free device. Officials say...

Minnesota City Seeking Study of Toxic Chemical After Refinery Blast

Jul 17 2019 // City leaders in Duluth, Minnesota, are taking steps to ensure that residents will be safe following the upcoming reconstruction of a refinery that exploded in neighboring Superior, Wisconsin.The Husky Energy oil refinery...

Holmes Murphy Welcomes Deibele to Employee Benefits Team in Minnesota

Jul 16 2019 // Holmes Murphy has added Brooks Deibele as regional market Leader for the company’s growing Minneapolis Employee Benefits team.Deibele joins Holmes Murphy from Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Minnesota, where he rose...

Minnesota Construction Workers’ Lawsuit Accuses Employer of Wage Theft

Jul 11 2019 // A group of Rochester, Minnesota-area construction workers are pursuing a wage theft claim, testing a new state law that aims to clamp down on companies that don’t pay for labor.Minnesota Department of Labor and...

Minnesota Safety Officials Building Awareness of New Hands-Free Cellphone Law

Jul 2 2019 // Minnesota safety officials are redoubling their efforts to make drivers aware of a state law that takes effect Aug 1 requiring that motorists use hands-free devices while phoning on the road. Department of Public Safety...

Hailstorm Destroys Thousands of Acres of Crops in Minnesota

Jul 1 2019 // Thousands of acres of corn and soybeans have been destroyed by a hailstorm that moved through southwest Minnesota. And, in some cases it’s too late in the season for farmers to replant. Agronomist Steve Michels at...

How Insys Bankruptcy Case Could Alter Fate of Thousands of Opioid Lawsuits

Jun 28 2019 // The fate of thousands of lawsuits seeking to hold drugmakers responsible for fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic hinges in part on a thorny legal question: Can a company can use a bankruptcy to stop lawsuits from cities and...

Insurance to Pay Most of Minnesota Diocese’s $34M Settlement with Abuse Victims

Jun 27 2019 // The Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota has reached a $34 million settlement in its bankruptcy case with 93 people who say they were sexually abused by priests and others, the diocese and an attorney representing survivors...

Aging Oil Pipelines Operated by Canada’s Enbridge Raise Fears over Great Lakes Spills

Jun 10 2019 // Fears about oil spills into the Great Lakes from two aging U.S. pipelines have flared, raising doubts about their future and creating fresh headaches for operator Enbridge Inc and the Canadian energy sector.Canada has...

Minnesota Supreme Court Malpractice Ruling Has Doctors Concerned

May 29 2019 // A recent ruling from the Minnesota Supreme Court saying doctors can be sued for malpractice even if they’re not directly treating a patient is causing angst in the state’s medical and legal communities.The high...

Minnesota Clergy Abuse Victims to Sue Vatican, Seek Abusers’ Names

May 15 2019 // Five men who say they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests when they were minors are planning to sue the Vatican and are demanding the names of thousands of predator priests they claim have been kept secret by...