Curious Minnesota
How did Minneapolis end up with a street named after a Persian king?
In the late 1800s, the population of Minneapolis was booming and city engineers sought to create alphabetical and numerical street grids that could be reliably navigated.
Curious Minnesota
Should you let your car run in the cold before driving it?
A reader wonders if it's really important to let your car warm up before driving in the cold. Also: Does it matter exactly how cold it is?
Curious Minnesota
Curious Minnesota
From bankrupt racetrack to aviation hub — what remains from MSP Airport's early days?
Planes have been flying at MSP — formerly Wold-Chamberlain Field — for roughly a century.
Curious Minnesota
Curious Minnesota
What happens at Camp Ripley, and how did it get its name?
For nearly a century, soldiers have prepared for war at a sprawling military training facility in central Minnesota.
Curious Minnesota
Was Charles Lindbergh a Nazi sympathizer?
Years after his famous transatlantic flight, the Minnesota native drew controversy for his remarks and actions preceding America's intervention in World War II.
Curious Minnesota
Were grizzly bears ever indigenous to Minnesota?
Long before grizzlies were driven into the mountains, they thrived in the plains, with their brown fur blending in almost perfectly with tall prairie grasses,
Curious Minnesota
Did Ford make millions of windows from sand mined beneath its plant?
Henry Ford chose the St. Paul site carefully. Minnesota was a central location, and the plant was sitting on a mine — not of gold, but of pure, white silica sand.
Curious Minnesota
Listen: How is Mississippi River water made safe to drink?
We visited Minneapolis' drinking water treatment facility to understand the complex process that makes river water safe to drink.
Listen: How cities make Mississippi River water safe to drink
We visited Minneapolis' drinking water treatment facility to understand the complex process that makes river water safe to drink.
Curious Minnesota
How are courts in Minnesota coping with the pandemic?
There were only five state jury trials in December, with COVID-19 protocols in place, but plenty of court hearings are happening, mostly remotely.
Curious Minnesota
When's the last time a Minn. Republican won a majority statewide?
You have to go back a full quarter century for the answer.
Curious Minnesota
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Why doesn't Minnesota charge a sales tax on clothing?
Minnesota is one of just a handful of states that does not charge sales tax on clothing — a bit of tax policy that's so well known that it attracts tourists.
Curious Minnesota
Why was I-94 built through St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood?
The highway connected Minneapolis and St. Paul, but its construction tore a hole through a thriving, historic Black neighborhood.
Curious Minnesota
Why does Minneapolis keep planting trees under power lines?
After a few years, the trees are pruned into "ridiculous V shapes" to keep them from hitting power lines, a Curious Minnesota reader points out.
Curious Minnesota
Listen: Will Minnesota join push toward a national popular vote?
Fifteen states have joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, but Minnesota isn't one of them. Host Eric Roper talks to reporter Torey van Oot about why.
Curious Minnesota
Why are car tabs more expensive in Minnesota?
The cost of annual motor vehicle registration varies wildly around the U.S. States use a variety of methods to calculate registration fees, including a vehicle's age, weight, value or a flat rate.
Curious Minnesota
Why is Minnesota the only mainland state with an abundance of wolves?
In October, federal wildlife officials announced they were delisting the wolf, removing endangered species protections.
Curious Minnesota
Will Minnesota join the push to switch to a national popular vote?
Coming off the 2020 presidential election, the conversation around the Electoral College continues to heat up.
Curious Minnesota
Is it legal to panhandle in the median of Minneapolis city streets?
The legality of panhandling on a median is a bit complicated. "Whether it's legal or not depends on how you conduct yourself," says Timothy Richards of the Minneapolis City Attorney's Office.
Curious Minnesota
Why does St. Paul leave alley snowplowing to its residents?
In St. Paul, many residents have to band together to hire plow drivers during the winter.
Curious Minnesota
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Listen: Why do so many Twin Cities mall names end in 'dale'?
Malls ending in the suffix "dale" are peppered across the Twin Cities. But why "dale"? Reporter John Ewoldt joins host Eric Roper to discuss the history of the Dales, starting with the landmark mall that started it all — Southdale.
Curious Minnesota
Are motorcycles allowed to be louder than cars in Minnesota?
Loud bikes are a pet peeve of many who say the unbridled mufflers make their bodies shake, hurt their ears and wake them from sleep.
Curious Minnesota
Listen to the Curious Minnesota podcast
What do you wonder about the people, places and culture of Minnesota? Listen to our community-driven reporting project, which invites listeners to ask questions that our newsroom researches and answers.
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Curious Minnesota
Curious Minnesota, a Star Tribune community-driven reporting project, puts readers' inquiries at the center of our newsroom's reporting.
