Recent content from Rachel Hutton
Minnesotans rejoice that daily routines are about to return
An indoor mask-wearing mandate will end no later than July 1 and COVID-19 restrictions on business and social gatherings will end May 28 under a plan that Gov. Tim Walz hailed Thursday as a path to a "great summer" for Minnesota.
How a Twin Cities blogger made millions off clickbait
TikTok star's company made millions off internet nonsense.
Oprah praises Minneapolis activist Nekima Levy Armstrong for justice work
The talk show host sent flowers to the Minneapolis woman who helped turn George Floyd's killing into a global conversation.
How and when should you talk to your kids about race?
A Minnesota Children's Museum virtual discussion and new MPR podcast offer tips on how to address racism.
Reports shows Americans gained weight during pandemic
With so many people spending their days kitchen-adjacent, readily indulging in fat- and carb-laden comfort foods, the "quarantine 15" was expected early in the pandemic.But…
Will Minnesotans 'revenge shop' to get back at COVID?
After a year at home, vaccines and anticipated outings bring shoppers back to the stores.
Scott King, founder of Red Dragonfly Press, dies at 56
He was an engineer early in his career, as well as a naturalist who documented his encounters with camera and pen, and the author of several books on insects.
Can we keep the positive life changes we made during the pandemic?
Some Minnesotans would like to continue the routines the pandemic helped them establish.
Why Minnesotans rank No. 1 in Zoom fatigue
Perhaps because of our famed reserve, we lead the nation in tweeting our hatred for virtual meetings.
Pandemic predictor Michael Osterholm gives us science and the hope to cope with it
Michael Osterholm warned of a global pandemic more than a decade ago. Now he's getting us through it with science — and heart.
COVID spurs a move, a divorce and a career change
These Minnesotans are embracing the changes the pandemic has brought to their lives.
Minnesota grandparents go viral on TikTok for their COVID-themed songs
The grandkids taught this Edina couple to use TikTok. Now their singing parodies have gone viral.
Adult Minnesotans have rediscovered the comfort of snow pants: 'Warmth is cool'
Adults embraced snow pants this winter, and wondered why they gave up the warmth they knew as kids.
Rose Bayuk, Army nurse and nursing home director, dies at 105
Rose Bayuk was a feisty 5-footer who, at 104, still hosted near-weekly dinner parties for her large circle of family and friends.The former Army nurse…
Daughter's death drives Minneapolis woman to fight 'fire' of teen suicide
After her 13-year-old daughter took her own life, a Minneapolis mom devoted herself to addressing the teen suicide epidemic at its roots.
The art (and science) of making outdoor ice rinks in Minnesota
Minneapolis rink-makers wield fire hoses and flood boxes, shovel ice shavings, and fight frost boils to provide smooth ice.
Together in life and death: Couples battle coronavirus
As COVID-19 has ravaged the elderly, couples who have spent nearly a lifetime together are dying together — days, sometimes hours apart. For some families, the losses are even more painful because a vaccine was almost within reach.
Minnesota photographers offer comfort through funeral and remembrance photography
Funeral photography, while still rare, is growing in the age of COVID as families seek new ways to remember.
Tide overs and rain checks: How to cope with changes to your holiday tradition
Modified and postponed plans can still tap the surprising benefits we get from rituals.
Food, music and big names come to Great Northern Festival for 2021
A new executive and artistic director adds culinary, cultural, and artistic programming.
Minneapolis' Sweets Kendamas sells the hottest quarantine toy you've never heard of
A Minneapolis man is fueling the global craze for the hottest quarantine toy you've never heard of.
Minnesota's expanded Great Northern festival is a 'bright light' for the winter ahead
Here’s something else the pandemic has put in short supply: things to look forward to. So this year’s Great Northern (Jan. 28 through…
Are Minnesotans becoming wimps about winter?
Even as our winters "shrink and warm," we're complaining more.
Michaela Mahady, influential residential architect, dies at 68
Michaela Mahady’s journey to creating widely lauded art and architecture began in the summer of 1974, when she was a recent graduate of Macalester’s…
Fatal shooting in St. Paul brings city's homicide tally to 30
One person was fatally shot Saturday night near the State Capitol, according to St. Paul police.The shooting occurred near Rice Street and Sherburne Avenue, just…
Walz criticizes Senate GOP for not disclosing COVID cases
Republicans say no DFLers were exposed to members who had tested positive at caucus or special session.
Octogenarian hosts top Minnesota politicians on Eagan cable access show
In an era where elected officials speak in sound bites and tweets, an Eagan cable access show goes deep and stays civil.
Minneapolis author's experience with addiction and recovery inform a new novel
In his latest book, a Minnesota author uses his past to explore addiction and redemption.
Heated seats and fire pits help extend season for pandemic socializing
Minnesotans are turning to blankets, heaters and even electric furniture to warm their outdoor spaces for COVID-safe gatherings.
Holidazzle, Minneapolis' holiday market, goes virtual
Loring Park's annual holiday festival moves online.
A young mother, a cancer diagnosis and a year of grieving
When cancer hijacked a new mother's happily ever after, she planned a death as unconventional as her life. A year later, her husband is the father he never expected to be, carrying on her legacy.
Unicorn Riot's protest coverage brings global notice to the alternative media group
With immersive, on-the-ground social justice coverage, nonprofit incorporated in Minneapolis adds a different perspective.
Visiting one special tree is a new tradition for mourners at Minneapolis' Lakewood Cemetery
Hundreds of ribbons are tied to its branches to commemorate loved ones lost.
Former Minneapolis City Council Member Judy Corrao dies at 78
A dynamo of social and political worlds, she spent her life listening to others.
Specter of socially distant winter sends shivers through many in Minn.
On a sunny afternoon, Hawo Abdi was among the women in vibrant dresses and headscarves clustered near the entrance to Minneapolis’ Riverside Plaza apartments, chatting…
Minnesota State Fair's longtime butter sculptor gets ready to pass the knife
Longtime sculptor puts State Fair butter heads in the hands of her apprentice.
Social media campaign amplifies diverse Minnesota voices
#sharethemicmn invites local Black and brown women to "take over" social media accounts of an ally of another race.
Help for Minnesota parents comes in the form of kids' camp-in-a-box
Minnesota museums, nonprofits and stores are packaging up activity kits for home use. We tested some on real kids.
Couple flaunt swastika face masks at Walmart in southwestern Minnesota
At the request of the Marshall, Minn., store, the two were told they'll face arrest if they return there.
'One day at a time': To weather pandemic, learn how to bounce back
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the world's daily rhythms and sense of security.
Ivanka Trump to visit Duluth and Bloomington on Monday
U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt will join her.
Minnesota Children's Museum announces reopening plans
The St. Paul institution will soon offer ticketed reservations.
Lack of collective mourning shows way pandemic has altered grief
Though the country's pandemic casualties are now greater than those of World War I, the country has not acknowledged its millions of mourners with so much as a, "Sorry for your loss."
Minnesota's top waterski daredevils perform improbable stunts
On Thursday evenings in summer, spectators spread blankets on the banks of the Mississippi in northeast Minneapolis at a spot near Broadway Avenue, where the…
Mpls. therapists hope to heal communal pain: 'Let's try to build a bridge'
With weekly events, the couple aims to bring people together to share their perspectives and listen to one another, while incorporating exercises to calm the body and mind.
You don't have to play 'sidewalk chicken': Etiquette for social distancing while you walk
People are out walking in record numbers during the pandemic. Here's how to avoid pedestrian rage.
St. Paul professor helps discover prehistoric mammal in Madagascar
The chairman of Macalester's geology department helped discover a new mammal.
MIA Minnesota war hero accounted for, 75 years after D-Day
A Minnesota war hero killed on D-Day will finally be buried in Normandy.
Minnesota students show off prom finery even as the big event is canceled
With prom canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, high school juniors and seniors show off their formal-wear and share alternate plans for celebrating the rite of passage.
Minneapolis teacher takes in former student during pandemic
At the end of the day, the two take walks, eat dinner, watch a little TV and have nightly dance parties.
Stuck at home, Twin Cities kids publish their own neighborhood newspapers
No matter their angle or aesthetic, these newspapers are a source of community camaraderie.
Cooped up and clashing: How home-bound couples can cope
A therapist shares tips for how couples can maintain harmony even in close quarters.
Volunteers flock to preserve rare furniture at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
One day a year, arboretum staff and volunteers clean and preserve a rare collection of sculptural furniture.
Minnesotans find the upside of stay-at-home order: 'A glimpse of the family we once were'
In the midst of COVID-19 confinement, some Minnesotans are discovering what really matters.
Meet professor on quest to keep one of Minnesota's oldest languages alive
In Minnesota, the country's last stronghold of native Ojibwe speakers, Anton Treuer is racing to preserve knowledge.
Fundraiser provides hotel rooms for Minnesota health care providers
Those treating COVID-19 patients can get some rest and keep their families safe.
Minneapolis distiller donates hand sanitizer — and gets a surprise from his past
Minneapolis distiller donates hand sanitizer to a local soup kitchen — and realizes it fed him as a kid.
Hit Minnesota-grown podcast 'Wine & Crime' mixes murder, friendship, booze
Three Minnetonka H.S. alum talking taboo topics (and TMI) have become leaders in the true crime genre.
Graceful connector and amateur auto racer Marilyn Beddor dies at 86
Befitting the loving and beloved person she was, Beddor died on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day.
'Life in Minnesota' class tackles the nuances of 'Nice' for newcomers
The eight-week cultural orientation class helps immigrants and temporary residents navigate myriad American systems — legal, education, health care — and more.
Minnesota ice harvesting tradition has a cool history — and an uncertain future
Richardson Nature Center's annual ice harvest recalls a time when gathering ice cubes involved as much work as farming a crop.
They shared an abuser – now, two high-profile Twin Cities women are speaking out
Born of an unlikely friendship, a nonprofit formed by two Twin Cities women supports abuse survivors.
10 home design trends to try in 2020
Warmer colors, cheerful laundry rooms and bathroom seating are on the horizon, according to Houzz.
Twin Cities designers weigh in on home trends for 2020
Designers weigh in on the ways homeowners are personalizing and reinventing their spaces.
Bridal fair 'Wedding Guy' Bruce Vassar dies at 57
He left behind detailed instructions for his final mass, down to his favorite hymns and gladiola-filled floral arrangements.
Dayton's/Macy's elves, once abandoned, now reappear in Duluth holiday light display
The Bentleyville holiday light show reunites several figures from the beloved eighth-floor displays.
Zombies, Vikings and baby oil: Chefs get greased up for Travail Sexy Chef Calendar
Travail restaurant raises eyebrows and laughs with its seventh annual Sexy Chef Calendar.
3 easy DIY holiday decor ideas from a Minneapolis style blogger
Three festive crafts from local style blogger Erin Francois that you can make yourself.
Beyond books: Minnesota libraries find playful ways to remain relevant
Communities try novel approaches to engage readers, visitors
New book offers 'advice for living life and facing death'
"A Beginner's Guide to the End" helps people prepare for a life stage that many would prefer to deny.
On a small Mexican island, finding the Minnesota touch with a hometown hotelier
On Isla Mujeres, a St. Paul man pours on the hometown welcome.
Twin Cities square dance group has been doing the do-si-do for 40 years
Monday Night Square Dance has been the local epicenter of "old-time music, dance and raging hormones" for four decades.
Bloomington video gamer turns professional drone racer (yes, that's a career)
How a Bloomington video gamer turned his fine-motor skills into a career as a professional drone racer.
Found a Halloween costume online? There's a good chance it came from here.
If you've ever bought or rented a Halloween costume online, there's a good chance it came from here.
Val Swedberg, fabric store owner and beloved Byerlys sample lady, dies at 96
Rarely did her "social butterfly" mother visit anybody without something she'd made in hand, daughter Cindi Konitzer said.
