Recently in Local News Category

A 9-year-old boy died Friday evening after crashing his dirt bike at a tack in Anoka County.

Lt. Paul Lenzmeier, from the Anoka County Sheriff's Department told KARE 11 that Engler was found wearing the correct equipment for the sport and was an experienced motocross rider.

Investigators told Fox 9 that the boy's father, who is the assistant fire chief, arrived first and attempted to preform CPR, but did not succeed in reviving the 9-year-old.

Oake Grove Fire Chief Curt Hallerman told Fox 9, "We are trained, certainly, to save lives -- but to work on your own child, I think, is something that none of us could ever imagine."

Members from the Brooklyn Park community took part in a peace walk on Saturday evening in remembrance of the three victims from a homicide on April 9th.

Police told Fox 9 news that they believe the killing of 59-year-old DeLois Brown and her parents, James and Clover Bolden was not random, but have not made any arrests yet.

KSTP channel 5 news reported that the peace walk made a stop at the house where the murders took place.

Connie Anderson, a member of the walk, told Fox 9, "Our main reason for walking tonight is to be seeking the peace."

Protesters of the Occupy movement took to the streets of downtown Minneapolis Saturday night in efforts to revitalize the movement.

Police told the Star Tribune activists blocked streets and intersections while carrying tents and a canopy.

Lindsay Radford, KSTP news director, told the Pioneer Press one of their cameramen had his camera shoved to the ground and later sent to doctor for signs of whiplash.

As the night of protest concluded 12 protesters were booked by Minneapolis police for blocking traffic and for public nuisance offenses, reported the Star Tribune.

Students of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus held a candlelight vigil for late football player Gary Tinsley on Friday evening.

Tinsley's former teammates and students gathered in a crowed of about 200 for the vigil held by the Black Student Union outside of Roy Wilkins Hall, reported the Pioneer Press.

The Minnesota Daily reported attendees teared up as friends and family spoke of Tinsley.

University of Minnesota staff released to the Pioneer Press that Tinsley will be awarded his degree in business marketing and education posthumously.

Farmers in Minnesota show signs of planting a record acreage of corn this year.

Corn crops will cover an estimated 8.7 acres, which is up 7 percent from last year, reported The Startribune.

The Startribune also reported that the rise in the corn crop has lead to a 3 percent decrease in expected soybean acreage.

This shift in crop distribution has forced the expected acreage of spring wheat acres to fall 10 percent, reported The Pioneer Press.

A plan to upgrade the Prairie Island nuclear power facility has been stopped by Xcel Energy Inc. on Friday until the project in reassessed.

Forecasts of lower energy demands and the lower than expected cost of natural gas lead Xcel to have the project reevaluated by the state Public Utilities Commission.

The Pioneer Press reported that the benefit of the upgrade to customers has decreased from the originally proposed 164 megawatts of added capacity to 135 megawatts.

"The reason we are asking the question now is that we're at the point that if we were to continue, we would have to ramp up our spending," Laura McCarten, a vice president for Xcel's Minnesota regional operation, told the Startribune.

Masami Matsuda, the gardener who designed the Japanese garden in St. Paul's Como Park, died in February at 89.

A Buddhist ceremony will be held this week in Nagasaki to mark the 49th day after his death, JoAnn Blatchley told the Startribune.

This week in Nagasaki a ceremony will be held in honor of the 49th day after his death,

The garden was created as part of the first sister-city relationship established between Japan and the United States after World War II, the Startribune reported.

John Cowles Jr.,a Minneapolis newspaper owner and philanthropist died in his home in Minneapolis on March 17.

He died at 82 and had lung cancer, his son Jay Cowles told The Washington Post.

Cowles Jr. helped form Minneapolis into the city it is today by helping fund projects like the Metrodome and merging The Star and The Tribune into the Star Tribune.

As strong supporter of the art institutions in Minneapolis he helped raise $2.2 million to open the Guthrie Theater in 1963 with a production of "Hamlet," The New York Times reported.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak described Cowles Jr. as one of the most important civic figures in the last 50 years, reported the Star Tribune.

President of the University of Minnesota Eric Kaler suggested during his first state of the university address that a year-round academic calendar should be considered.

According to Mila Koumpilova of the Pioneer Press, Kaler also plans give all University employees a 2.5 percent raise.

Kaler proposed the year-round academic calendar will allow students to graduate sooner and increase the yearly revenue of tuition reported the Pioneer Press.

Skeptics of the switch site faculty numbers and students ability to make money at jobs over the summer as shortfalls to the idea reported Dina Elrashidy of the Minnesota Daily.

Hannah Smiltneek, a undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, told the Pioneer Press that year-round schooling would make it more challenging to get to know staff in a three year plan.

The annual Nobel Peace Prize forum held at Augsburg College highlighted local hip-hop artist Dessa on Friday March 2nd.

Dessa started her segment by conveying the powerful influence leaders in the Twin Cities hip-hop community have on community service reported Erik Thompson of City Pages.

Talking points consisted of homophobia, sexism and violence in hip-hop lyrics reported City Pages.

Coming from a musician who refuses to use or work with anyone who uses three slurs against women, gays or blacks said WCCO.

Dessa proclaimed that rappers do not have a different moral code than any other citizen and their ability as performers should not interfere with their morals said City Pages.