Minnesota Today

Two people were injured Monday when a suspected tornado touched down and caused significant damage north of Detroit Lakes. The Becker County Sheriff's Office says those injuries were not life-threatening.

Minnesota's new paid family and medical leave program is now a full six months old. The volume of signups was high when the program went live in January because many families who welcomed a new baby during the prior year could apply. The state expected the numbers to level off.

A small wildfire that ignited on Thursday in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is now fully contained.

The city of St. Paul is notifying over 12,000 staff and residents their personal data might have been accessed during a cyber attack in July of last year.

Authorities across Minnesota report at least three people drowned over the Fourth of July weekend. And Dozens of hospice nurses at Allina Health held a one-day strike on Monday.

Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Severe flooding in some parts of southern and southeastern Minnesota has closed several roads and highways in the area.

Flash flooding closed Interstate 90 between Austin and Dexter for several hours this morning. It is now partially reopened, and MnDOT hopes to have the highway fully reopened this evening.

The U.S. has decided not to renew a key trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. The decision plunges Minnesota's agriculture industry into uncertainty.

Lawmakers grilled the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ leader Wednesday about the agency’s process for revalidating Medicaid providers.

Oral arguments are set Thursday morning in three lawsuits challenging Minnesota's ban on prediction markets. In May, Minnesota became the first state to outlaw prediction markets, which allow users to bet on everything from sports to current events. Supporters of the ban say the markets are unregulated gambling platforms.

Fourteen people facing federal charges for protesting ICE in Minnesota pleaded not guilty in federal court today.

And Minnesota's attorney general's office won't enforce a new law requiring warning labels for social media sites while a lawsuit plays out.

Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

More than a dozen people facing conspiracy charges in connection with anti-ICE protests are expected back in Minneapolis federal court Wednesday afternoon.

A Minnesota Senate committee will meet Wednesday to discuss the Department of Human Services' revalidation process. The process triggered the agency to disenroll some providers.

Leaders in three rural Minnesota counties are giving rave reviews to a pilot program aimed at improving emergency medical response time. They are testing out “sprint medics” — paramedics who respond to calls in a pick up truck equipped with advanced life support gear, instead of an ambulance.

The Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship is welcome news for many Minnesota families. The justices ruled in favor of the longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship to nearly anyone born on U.S. soil.

Also today, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld laws in other states that bar transgender students from participating in school sports. Minnesota officials say the state likely won’t have to change course on rules that allow trans students to join sports that don't match their sex at birth.

Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.

Tuesday is expected to be another day of scorching and dangerous heat across much of Minnesota. And Minnesotans are trying to cool off any way they can, from going swimming at their local pools or beaches to staying indoors with iced drinks.

As heat builds across Minnesota this week, animal experts are urging pet owners to watch closely for signs their pets may be overheating. Pets can suffer heat stroke just like people.

Advocates for children with disabilities in Minnesota say they’re concerned about federal changes to the Department of Education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guarantees disabled students access to an equitable public education, remains unchanged.

Minnesota candidates are highlighting tough financial times in their own lives to connect with voters on affordability. In ads and speeches, statewide candidates are reflecting on growing up in poverty. Democrats and Republicans alike have pulled from their early memories to connect on affordability. They’re commit to making changes to bring down costs.

An employee at an adult foster care home in central Minnesota is dead after a stabbing last weekend. On Saturday evening, police responded to a report of an assault at St. Luke's Home in Cold Spring, southwest of St. Cloud. It's operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud and serves adults with developmental disabilities.

Minnesotans seek relief at pools, cooling centers as dangerous heat grips state

Minnesota candidates stress tough phases in own lives to connect with voters on affordability

Minnesota advocates worry about disability rights with move of federal special education office

Cold Spring group home employee stabbed to death

Tornado sirens sounded earlier today in parts of central and northern Minnesota as a line of destructive storms swept across the region.

There were no immediate confirmed reports of tornado touchdowns in Minnesota. But the storms produced wind gusts of 75 miles per hour and dropped half-dollar-size hail at Wadena just after 11 a.m. Hundreds of homes and businesses are without power across the state.

Some Minneapolis light rail riders will have to adjust to bus travel this summer. Metro Transit shut down the entire Blue Line and the Minneapolis portion of the green line — starting today.

Those stories and more in today’s evening update from MPR News. Hosted by Emily Reese. Music by Gary Meister.