Recent content from Richard Chin
Who's playing with pricey, souped-up, super-fast Nerf blasters? Adults
Members of Minnesota's Nerf community collect and modify toys so that they can shoot a foam dart at more than 100 miles per hour.
Minnesota's state band — one of the last in the country — celebrates 125 years
The Minnesota State Band will give a free anniversary concert.
Gun and purse bingo fundraisers grow in popularity in Minnesota
The bingo events have taken in thousands of dollars for nonprofit organizations, cancer research, town festivals, hunting teams and more.
When will those huge piles of snow melt? Try June
Our particularly long and snowy winter has resulted in particularly big and ugly snow piles, like the massive mound at the Eden Prairie Center topped…
When will the snow and ice melt away? It could be a while
The remnants of the biggest piles might last until June.
From juvenile delinquent to rock and roll photographer
Minnesotan Fred Case was a colorful counterculture character and had the pictures to prove it.
The image that captures our long, long winter in Minnesota
Prank or performance art piece, it's attracted a lot of social media love.
Which is Minnesota's most famous animal? Dan Patch? Babe the Blue Ox? The Hamm's bear?
Candidates for the title of Minnesota's most famous finned, furry or four-legged fauna range from aquatic creatures to woodland rodents to cool campus cats.
The ancient tradition of 'beer poking' is surging in popularity in Minnesota
Sticking a red hot poker into your favorite brew yields "the beer equivalent of s'mores."
A massive Minneapolis model of the Millennium Falcon is fated for destruction
The nonprofit workspace Leonardo's Basement has to move, and its massive, kid-built starship is too big and heavy to come along.
When their St. Paul sidewalk was blocked by a mountain of snow, they dug a tunnel
Instead of a pedestrian bridge, they made a pedestrian snow tunnel.
A Minnesota field guide to snow shovels: Which one's best?
Here's how to pick the right shovel, from the classic to the crack-jumper, back-saver or the plow.
Earliest color photos of St. Paul Winter Carnival make their way back to Minnesota
Pre-Kodachrome photos from 1940 reveal a bygone spectacle.
![Joseph Sobota looks at artifacts Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022 inside Carver County Historical Society in Waconia, Minn. ] ALEX KORMANN • alex.kormann@st](https://chorus.stimg.co/24323759/merlin_69493057.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Why you should go to a Minnesota county museum, says man who has been to (nearly) all
Where else can you encounter everything from a woolly mammoth tusk to a UNIVAC computer?
New Cheetos Duster lets you add that unique flavor (and color) to all your food
Instead of licking Cheetos dust off your fingers, you could be sprinkling it on your food.
What the Dickens? Researchers say Scrooge-like transformations can happen in real life
Sudden, enduring change for the better may not be humbug.
Bald eagles believed to have been poisoned near Inver Grove Heights landfill
The University of Minnesota Raptor Center is caring for 10 sick eagles in critical condition.
Thomas George Neadle, who played the pipe organ for worshipers and moviegoers, dies at 80
Neadle took up the pipe organ as a teenager and never gave it up.
What are turkey giblets and gizzards, and what are you supposed to do with them?
And why are they gift-wrapped in paper or plastic like something of value?
It's a wild life: Meet the latest generation of Minnesota's adventurers
They're young, diverse and up for a challenge.
Great Northern winter festival will be celebration of art and outdoors
The Great Northern announces a lineup that ranges from art installations to cold-water immersion.
A Howl-aween treat: Winners of the Star Tribune Halloween Pet Costume Contest
We've got a spooktacular lineup of cuteness.
The Minnesota Daily ends regular print publication after 120 years
The U-M student publication is seeing growth in digital readership.
TPT's new show encourages diverse communities to try outdoor adventures
Host Chance York, a rapper and yoga instructor, is an athletic everyman willing to try anything.
Film discovered in a camera after 80 years reveals a surprise — and a Minnesota mystery
A photographer wants to reunite a forgotten photograph with the family of a sailor.
Need a new place to relax? The Twin Cities is getting a communal bath house
This is a place where you can have a traditional schvitz and a soak.
The Star Tribune Halloween Pet Costume Contest is back
We're looking for Howl-oween's best-dressed pets.
Severe weather cancels State Fair grandstand show, knocks out power
The Minnesota State Fair shut down rides on the Mighty Midway and Adventure Park, canceled the grandstand concert, closed the free stages and told guests…
Think you know the Minnesota State Fair? The Info Booth Ladies know it all.
You've got questions about the Great Minnesota Get-Together. They've heard them all.
Born with severe disabilities, Ellen Hicks led full and happy life
She was a ward of the state all of her life, but she was always surrounded by people who loved and valued her.
Lost a tree? Here's how to beautify the stump
You might have to live with that tree stump for a while, so why not make something of it?
St. Paul lawyer hosts 'indie music for indie kids' radio show from his basement
Bill Childs has hosted the syndicated weekly show "Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child" for nearly 17 years.
Summer bucket list? There's still plenty of sweet fun left before it's over
Here are 12 activities to make the most of the warm weather before it's too late.
What really beats the heat? We separate the myths from the reality
Does drinking hot coffee, wearing seersucker or firing up the swamp cooler really work?
Pair for the course: Mpls. couple are big-time when it comes to mini-golf
They design mini-golf holes, review mini-courses around the country and are serious mini-golf competitors.
Think your piano is grand? These Minnesotans make room for massive pipe organs in their homes
If you want to rattle the windows, nothing beats "the king of instruments."
NASA to auction house: We want our cockroaches back
The sale of the historic Minnesota moon dust cockroaches is put on hold.
Give your dog its day with these pampering Minnesota experiences
From pool parties to portraits, here's how Minnesotans are treating their pooches.
Tuesday is the longest day of the year. Don't get all Minnesotan and start counting down to winter.
Uh-oh, the days are getting shorter from this point on.
You can buy moon dust from 1969's Apollo 11 landing — eaten by cockroaches
NASA asked a University of Minnesota professor to conduct an experiment, and now the contents of the bugs' stomachs is up for auction.
These three Minnesotans, among the last of the World War II vets, are a fading link to history
The last of the Greatest Generation are the ultimate survivors.
Olympian and Afton native Jessie Diggins getting married on Sunday
The Olympic medalist and World Cup champion in cross country skiing will be marrying her longtime boyfriend on a farm in the Twin Cities area.
Hundreds rally in St. Paul as part of wave of abortion rights protests
Planned Parenthood gathering seeks to call attention to U.S. Supreme Court's expected move to reverse landmark decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
Whom to call if your dog needs a date to your wedding
Pet wedding attendants help your best friend be a part of the big event.
Fading 'ghost ads' of the Twin Cities are preserved in a new book
Decades-old messages painted on brick walls touting pop, beer, banks and farm implements are an evocative, bygone part of the urban landscape.
50 years of Mpls.St.Paul magazine
The magazine presents a retrospective of its coverage over the decades.
Becoming a hybrid worker? Here are some suggestions on how to do it
Being in the office only one day of the week won't be the same as the old Monday through Friday grind.
Did Minnesota Orchestra conductor really ink $75 million deal to work for Netflix?
Announcement about Osmo Vänskä's plans for streaming shows about Finnish folk legends is another April Fool's Day surprise.
A convention just for e-bikes wheels into Twin Cities
You can test-ride electric bicycles, including one sold under the Harley-Davidson brand.
Welcome home celebration set for cross-country skiing champ Jessie Diggins
The public is invited to the event on April 2 in Afton.
![Artist Linda Christensen carved Laura Grimm’s bust out of a solid block of butter in the Dairy Building at the 2018 Minnesota State Fair. ] ANTHONY](https://chorus.stimg.co/23306582/merlin_51160514.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Butter carver confessional: A memoir of the longtime Minnesota State Fair butter sculptor
Linda Christensen carved Big Bird and David Letterman, was on a first-name basis with plenty of princesses and was courted by reality TV.
For the first time in 70 years, Nazi propaganda posters on display at St. Olaf museum
The exhibit deals with the ethical questions arising from conserving these wartime artifacts.
How amateur sleuths solved the mystery of 100-year-old south Minneapolis toilet cover
Plumber Otto Johnson took pride in his work. Homeowner Alan Peters wanted it remembered.
From Green Bay to Green Day, celebrate St. Patrick's Day with our quiz about all things green
This multiple-choice test about our favorite hue at this time of year won't leave you jaded.
Discouraged from using his Latino name as a pop star, Minneapolis barber never stopped making music
Carlos Mendoza became a Marine, a barber and business owner and Twin Cities musician — all under his own name.
A Minnesotan who knew little about her Scandinavian roots won a Swedish reality TV show
Minneapolis writer Sally Franson won small screen fame and a priceless connection to family.
Succotash, hubbub and plankton: They're among the words Minnesotans love to say
From blather to bituminous, readers share the words that tickle their ears and minds.
![Dr. Michael Joyner poses for a photo in the courtyard of Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus in Rochester. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startr](https://chorus.stimg.co/23210510/merlin_63724603.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
How a Mayo Clinic human performance expert watches the Winter Olympics
A doctor and sports expert savors the athleticism and artistry in the world-best performances on snow and ice.
Original 'Bambi' was not a children's story, says a Minnesota folklore expert
The novel on which the Disney movie was based dealt with loss, loneliness and racism.
How did we become so sarcastic?
We're so awash in sarcasm that researchers and government agencies are studying it. While it may make us sound smart, it's a tricky way to communicate.
Want to make a New Year's promise you can keep? Try these 11 Low Effort Resolutions
Need an emotional boost as we head into what could be another tough year? Make a resolution you know you can achieve.
A high flier from Minnesota is on the path to space
Minneapolis native Anil Menon is a doctor, pilot and an Air Force officer. Now he's going to be an astronaut.
Harry Nordstrom, longtime Carleton College music professor, dies
He was an accomplished violinist who taught generations of students
The lazy person's humorous guide to last-minute DIY Christmas gifts
How to save Christmas even if you're a cheap, lazy, inept procrastinator.
Minnesota's typewriter fans are still clacking after all these years
The beloved mechanical devices were the original word processors.
Minnesota mom turns deceased daughter's kindness into children's book
"The Everybody Club" has this message: "Include everyone, learn and you'll have fun."
Dust off the VCR: Free video lending libraries hit the Twin Cities
Lending boxes called Free Blockbuster are sprouting up in the Twin Cities for people to share DVDs, VHS tapes and nostalgic movie nights.
Get ready to say 'awwww': Winners of the annual Halloween pet costume contest
These cute pets have tricks and treats.
Make yourself happy by reminding yourself you're going to die
The ancient tradition of thinking about one's mortality comes to the digital age.
