Biden, Harris and Walz attend funeral of Democratic lawmaker assassinated in Minnesota alongside her husband

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Dokken: Rescued Kittson County bear cubs are doing well at wildlife rehab facility

Earlier this month, I wrote about two orphaned bear cubs that were rescued in Kittson County by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Bobby Stringer, Thief River Falls, and Kittson County sheriff’s deputies. The cubs’...

Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Announces 2025 Climate Initiative Grantees

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation on June 27 announced the seventy-four recipients of its 2025 Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI) grants, totaling $3.4 million. The foundation, which to date has distributed more than $17.5 million among 249...

Go Local to Save the Environment

As the Trump Administration dismantles federal environmental protections and strips the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its capacity to do its job, local governments are emerging as frontline defenders against dangerous and unchecked...

Gevo subsidiary announces agreement with Minnesota Soybean Processors to track and verify sustainable agriculture attributes

Melissa Hortman’s Loss a Blow to Minnesota Energy Policy, Shared Values

Democratic speaker, legislator, and public servant Melissa Hortman’s murder on June 14, 2025—at the hands of a political assassin—shook Minnesotans to their core. Just hours after the news broke, tens of thousands of people went ahead with a...

As Hortmans lie in state, thousands of Minnesotans line up to pay respects

A woman prays before the caskets as Melissa and Mark Hortman lie in state, along with their dog Gilbert Friday, June 27, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman on Friday was...

'Outdoor School for All' grant program becomes law in Minnesota

Gov. Tim Walz signed the Minnesota Outdoor School For All act into law, establishing a statewide grant program to expand access to overnight outdoor education for students in fourth through 12th grades. The law allocates $848,000 to support...

Top California Winery Releases Cool Climate Chardonnay And Pinot Noir Wines

Hawaii getty As the sun glistened off the crystalline, turquoise-colored water, it consumed the young man with its sheer exquisite transparency, knocking the wind out of him as he couldn't fully imagine its effect on him, as the pictures couldn't...

Only 30% of Minneapolis parks are considered fully accessible. Advocates want that to improve.

And next year, the Park Board is scheduled to launch an ambitious, public database listing ADA amenities at every park, so users can plan their trips before they go. The goal is to meet the new “digital accessibility” rule of the ADA, which looks...

Q&A: NEON’s Warren McLean on investments in north Minneapolis

The African American Leadership Forum and its community partners are hitting the ground running with an ambitious plan to bring $1.5 billion worth of investment to north Minneapolis over the next 10 years. The Northside Forward plan, introduced...

Killed ex-Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman lies in state alongside husband and dog

Melissa and Mark Hortman, and their dog Gilbert, lay in state in the Minnesota state capitol rotunda on Friday. Their wooden caskets, and Gilbert’s golden urn with pawprints on it, were surrounded by trees and ferns, a nod to the greenery Melissa,...

Killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman’s beloved dog, Gilbert, lays in state with her and her spouse

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Lake Superior Day filled with appreciation and education

For the third Sunday of July, the community in Superior, Wisconsin, shows its appreciation for the great lake with Lake Superior Day. For this day, the Lake Superior National Estuary and Research Reserves coordinated with seventeen local...

Toxic blue-green algae blooms are sprouting up in Minnesota lakes

A number of Minnesota cities have reported blue-green algae blooms this summer, causing the temporary closing of some beaches. Blue-green algae is bacteria that can be toxic for both humans and pets. "We have a lot packed into this park so on a...

Reader's View: Protect Minnesota resources from data centers

Hermantown officials seem to be stonewalling residents over an issue that could affect citizens around the region. The Star Tribune reported on May 21 that residents have been trying to get information about a proposed development in the...

Why Is BlackRock Gunning to Take Over a Minnesota Electric Utility?

Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with a donation of any size. Who will own our energy future? There’s a battle playing out in northern Minnesota with major ramifications for this question. It...

Trump’s plan to strip protections from federal forests affects 62K acres in Minnesota

However, most types of timber found in Minnesota’s roadless areas are “not extremely valuable, since they tend to be low-productivity sites near the BWCAW, growing on rocky terrain and swamps,” said Frelich.Timber in these areas are also largely...

Local environmental steward Dune Lankard honored with James Beard award 

Dune Lankard, founder of the Native Conservancy, received the James Beard Impact Award in ceremonies in Chicago on June 15 – an honor accorded to individuals who make significant strides toward building equitable, sustainable food systems. His...

Why Is BlackRock Gunning to Take Over a Minnesota Electric Utility?

Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with a donation of any size. Who will own our energy future? There’s a battle playing out in northern Minnesota with major ramifications for this question. It...