Local News - Minnesota Public Radio

A protest Friday afternoon briefly shut down the Minnesota Capitol this afternoon.

School work isn't the only thing on students minds this fall. College officials say students are working longer hours to pay their tuition bills.

Minnesota Public Radio captures a panoramic view of the curiosities at the Minnesota State Fair.

For the first time in two years, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty doesn't have to field any questions about being John McCain's running mate.

Some Louisiana delegates are already in the Twin Cities; others are waiting to decide whether to come, as Hurricane Gustav aims for their state.

The NTSB said Friday the draft report will identify the probable cause of the collapse and include safety recommendations to prevent future disasters.

Garrison Keillor joins Midday live at the State Fair on the stage at Carousel Park. Keillor is coming out with a new book, "Liberty: A Novel of Lake Wobegon."

A barista who said he was fired from a Starbucks coffee shop at the Mall of America for helping to organize fellow workers into a union has been given his job back.

Back in Minnesota after the Democratic Natinoal Convention in Denver, Democrat Amy Klobuchar, the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate in Minnesota, joins Midday live at the State Fair at the Carousel Park Stage.

A new comedy show is built around the idea that laughter is the best medicine, no matter which candidate you're voting for this November.

Midmorning discusses media coverage of the Democratic National Convention, candidates and politics, particularly on the web.

John McCain has tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate. A formal announcement is expected shortly at a campaign rally in swing-state Ohio.

Hurricane Gustav could alter plans for next week's Republican National Convention in St. Paul, if the potential hurricane ends up hitting the Gulf Coast.

The public anxiously awaits Senator McCain's selection as his number two, though pollsters suggest that on voting day, his choice doesn't have that much of an impact.

Drop the "presumptive." Barack Obama is now officially the Democratic Party's nominee for president. One hundred screaming Minn. democrats enthusiastically welcomed Obama to the stage last night in Invesco Field.

Two anti-poverty protesters who organized an outdoor encampment on Harriet Island in St. Paul were arrested Thursday night after they refused to clear the park. The arrests were peaceful, and the camp shut down quietly.

Since Katrina, which struck New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, the public pays closer attention to how its government copes with hurricanes. Fumble the response again and the Democrats will pounce, especially given that Gustav could make landfall in the midst of the Republican National Convention, which opens Monday in St. Paul, Minn.

Long before Denver, the drum roll of history began: If Barack Obama could capture the Democratic nomination, he would deliver the biggest speech of his life exactly 45 years after Martin Luther King Jr.'s immortal "I Have a Dream" address.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was not chosen by presidential candidate John McCain to be his running mate. Instead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Pawlenty hosted his weekly radio show from the Minnesota State Fair this morning.