Curious Minnesota
Listen: Does the Mississippi River really begin at Lake Itasca?
Host Eric Roper digs into the science and history behind the Mighty Mississippi's headwaters.
Curious Minnesota
Where did suburban streetcar lines run and why were they removed?
The expansive Twin Cities streetcar network once reached from Lake Minnetonka to Stillwater.
Curious Minnesota
What are the top five immigrant groups in Minnesota?
The origin countries of Minnesota's foreign-born population has changed significantly in the last three decades.
Curious Minnesota
![The Minneapolis skyline is locked in an icy shroud Friday in Minneapolis, seen from the Stone Arch Bridge. ]](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/FD5T5YMKX4LZ5QGZMWXIYSNINE.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Is Minnesota cloudier in winter, or does it just seem that way?
Just last year, Minnesota recorded its gloomiest January in 57 years, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
Curious Minnesota
What's the best place, time to see the northern lights in Minnesota?
Although the lights can be seen any time of year, spring and fall, especially September and March, are the best chances to see the northern lights in Minnesota.
Curious Minnesota
How safe is it, really, to walk on Minnesota's iced-over lakes?
"The standard answer is, really, ice is never 100% safe," said a DNR recreation safety coordinator. And early- and late-season ice is the most unpredictable.
Curious Minnesota
Listen: Why did Minneapolis tear down its biggest train station?
Minneapolis' two primary train stations met very different fates in the 1970s.
Curious Minnesota
Why did Minneapolis tear down its biggest train station?
Minneapolis' two train stations met very different fates in the 1970s.
Curious Minnesota
What happens to the de-icing fluid sprayed on planes at MSP airport?
Due to our cold winters, MSP is one of the busiest airports in the country for de-icing operations. Delta uses more than 1 million gallons of fluid each season.
Curious Minnesota
What does it take to become a police officer in Minnesota?
In light of recent issues with police officer conduct, one reader wanted to know what kind of training law enforcement officers get in the state.
Curious Minnesota
Listen: How Ford made millions of windows from St. Paul sand
For part of the 20th century, Ford Motor Co. relied heavily on sand mined from beneath its plant in St. Paul to make windows for its cars.
Curious Minnesota
Why does I-35E through St. Paul have a 45-mph speed limit?
The lower speed limit on the "35E Parkway" stems from a battle that began decades ago.
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.
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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.
