Latest Minnesota Headlines

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

Minnesota Orders Enbridge to Pay $3M for Groundwater Leak

Sep 20 2021 // Minnesota regulators have ordered Enbridge to pay more than $3 million for allegedly violating state environmental law by piercing a groundwater aquifer during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline replacement.The state...

67% of Northern Minnesota Wildfire Contained

Sep 13 2021 // Authorities said on Sept. 12 that a vast majority of the Greenwood Lake wildfire in northern Minnesota is contained, one month after lighting ignited the blaze in the Superior National Forest.The U.S. Forest Service...

Minnesota Company to Pay $65K to Settle Religious Discrimination Lawsuit

Sep 9 2021 // Federal employment officials say a Minnesota debt collector has settled a lawsuit alleging the company fired Christian employee after he refused to be fingerprinted due to his religious beliefs.AscensionPoint Recovery...

Bears Emerge as Threat in Fight Against Minnesota Wildfire

Sep 1 2021 // Officials leading the fight against wildfires in northeastern Minnesota warned Aug. 30 about a new threat: bears attracted by generous donations of food and other supplies.“Donations have far out-stripped our need...

Minnesota Tops 300 Pre-Labor Day Traffic Deaths

Aug 31 2021 // Minnesota reached 300 traffic accident deaths before Labor Day for the first time in more than a decade, prompting state public safety officials to issue a plea for people to slow down.The state reported its 300th fatality...

Homes, Outbuildings Burned in Minnesota Blaze

Aug 27 2021 // Dozens of homes, cabins and outbuildings have been destroyed or damaged in northeastern Minnesota as the state’s largest wildfire continues burning uncontained, according to Superior National Forest...

Forest Service: Lightning Caused Minnesota Wildfire

Aug 23 2021 // A wildfire in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota has grown to 6 1/4 square miles (16 square kilometers), but U.S. Forest Service officials said on Aug. 19 that it grew little overnight. The Forest...

Wildfire Grows to 5 Square Miles in Northeastern Minnesota

Aug 19 2021 // A wildfire in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota has grown to 5 square miles (13 square kilometers) as hot, dry and windy conditions persist, officials said.U.S. Forest Service and other crews have been...

Dozens of Homes Evacuated as Minnesota Wildfire Spreads

Aug 18 2021 // Dozens of residences have been evacuated as a wildfire in northeastern Minnesota continues to spread, according to the U.S. Forest Service.The fire in the Superior National Forest near Greenwood Lake had expanded to about...

Crews Battle ‘Rapidly Growing’ Wildfire in Northern Minnesota

Aug 17 2021 // Fire crews in northeastern Minnesota battled a “rapidly growing” wildfire Sunday, adding to a list of wildfires in the region that has prompted Gov. Tim Walz to authorize the National Guard to assist in...

Insurance Fraud Referrals Up by 11% in Minnesota in 2020

Aug 16 2021 // The number of insurance fraud investigations in Minnesota in 2020 rose by 11% compared with 2019, according to the state’s primary law enforcement agency focused on white collar crime.The Minnesota Commerce Fraud...

Court: Minnesota Healthcare Provider Must Pay $483K in Back Wages, Damages

Aug 10 2021 // The U.S. Department of Labor reached an agreement in which a Minnesota healthcare provider will pay more than $480,000 to settle wage violation allegations. U.S. District Court Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright on Aug. 5 approved...

Minnesota Restaurant Workers Shortchanged During COVID Awarded $230K

Aug 9 2021 // Employees of a Minneapolis, Minnesota, restaurant group will receive money they were denied after the company laid off workers during the COVID-19 shutdowns without giving them their final paychecks.A settlement completed...

Minnesota Governor Supports Relief for Drought-Stricken Farms

Aug 6 2021 // Gov. Tim Walz and a top state lawmakers say they will support an emergency financial relief package for farmers in Minnesota, where most of the state is in a severe or extreme drought.Walz says he would support an aid...

People Moves: Dreier Now Leading Minnesota Insurance Division; O’Brien Joins Kansas Insurance Agents Group’s Executive Committee

Aug 4 2021 // Julia Dreier has been appointed to lead the Minnesota Commerce Insurance Division.Drier brings extensive knowledge and experience with Minnesota’s insurance industry. She has experience working at both the federal...

Family of Boy Thrown From Balcony Sues Minnesota’s Mall of America

Jul 30 2021 // The family of a boy who was thrown off a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in April 2019 has filed a lawsuit accusing the mall of failing to provide proper security.The complaint filed says the mall and its...

Homeownership Study of Minnesota’s Twin Cities Shows Increase in Rentals

Jul 26 2021 // A new study found that between 2005 and 2020, the percentage of single family rentals increased by over 10% in North Minneapolis, Southeast Como and parts of St. Paul, with Southeast Como’s rentals changing due, in...

72% of Minnesota in Severe Drought

Jul 23 2021 // The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows 72% of Minnesota is currently experiencing severe drought — a big jump from a week earlier, when 52% of the state was considered to be in severe drought. Minnesota Public Radio News...

Minnesota Leaves Condo Inspections Up to Property Owners

Jul 15 2021 // Some local building inspectors in Minnesota are fielding questions from residents worried about the safety of their condo buildings following the collapse of a tower in Surfside, Florida, in June.In Minnesota, there is no...

Officials Link Cases of Legionnaires’ Disease to Minnesota Hotel Spa

Jul 13 2021 // State health officials are investigating cases of Legionnaires’ disease linked to an Albert Lea, Minn., hotel.Early evidence suggests the source of the respiratory disease may be the spa at the at the Ramada by...