Minnesota Public Radio

RIP Steve Kramer of the Wallets (1953-2013)

Steve Kramer, frontman for the genre-defying Twin Cities group the Wallets, has died. He was found in his hotel room Saturday while attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. He was 59.Kramer and the Wallets released two original albums via Twin/Tone in the mid-'80s, including the cele ... More >>

Twin Cities Year in Music 2012

From P.O.S. to Prince to Polica, 2012 was a golden year in Minnesota music

Critics' Picks: The Who, Titus Andronicus, Rogue Valley, and more

Picked to Click 2012

After hundreds of ballots and votes, the best of the best new bands have been chosen

Picked to Click 2012: #1. The Chalice

#1. The Chalice: 83 points "Our ladies' nights are really dope," asserts the Chalice's queen-bee rapper, Lizzo. "We get together and drink. That's how it started -- with red wine. If it were liquor, it wouldn't get done. Making tracks, turning tracks into a song, and turning tracks into a banger is ... More >>

Michael Freeman steps up attack on Voter ID amendment [VIDEO]

Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman stepped up his opposition to the Voter ID amendment today, deriding the Republican-backed measure as an expensive answer to a problem that doesn't exist. SEE ALSO: College students favor voter ID amendment that could disenfranchise 70 percent of them Wisc ... More >>

Gray wolf advocates to protest DNR over hunting season

See Also:Howling for Wolves putting up anti-wolf hunt billboards Wolf hunting season opposed by 80 percent of DNR survey respondents Minnesota's wolf hunting season begins November Opponents of the Legislature-mandated hunting season for Minnesota's formerly endangered gray wolf plan to protest o ... More >>

Minnesota Stars CEO optimistic Vikings stadium deal isn't a death knell

See also: Vikings stadium receives final approval from Minneapolis City Council on 7-6 vote Vikings stadium bill receives final legislative approval; Mpls City Council vote last step For Minnesota soccer fans, Zygi Wilf might be the Grim Reaper. As part of the Vikings stadium deal, the football ... More >>

Rock the Garden Festival 2012 lineup

The tenth installment of Rock the Garden, the Walker Art Center and 89.3 the Current's yearly outdoor music festival, is coming on Saturday, June 16. And the lineup is now officially public!Updated: The tickets are all sold!One of the notable acts this year is the wild and oh-so-colorful Merrill Gar ... More >>

Native Mob member to deputy: You're going to get f*cked up

A self-proclaimed Native Mob gang member was convicted of making terroristic threats to a Cass County Sheriff's Deputy this week, and could face up to three years in prison. Robert Joseph Jones, a 31-year-old with a lengthy criminal history, told the deputy he planned to find out where he lived, an ... More >>

Honeydogs frontman Adam Levy reveals the heartbreak of son's suicide

Daniel Levy, 21, took his own life in January

Dessa at the Fitzgerald Theater, 10/28/11

Photos by Stacy Schwartz​DessaOctober 28, 2011Fitzgerald Theater, St. PaulDessa's CD-release party at the Fitzgerald Theater on Friday night was about as far from a rap show as you could get. Backed by an excellent chamber group and back-up singers, and with her Doomtree pals tucked neatly into on ... More >>

Michele Bachmann cancels Minneapolis town hall, holds top-secret fundraiser

Michele Bachmann zipped in and out of town last night.​Michele Bachmann was in Minn--Oh, she's gone. Did you see her? She was just here a minute ago!Well, anyway, reports are that Bachmann passed through town last night, though you needed a little whip-out money to find her behind closed doors. Or ... More >>

Michele Bachmann's former staff says her campaign team is "rude, dishonest and cruel"

Michele Bachmann is not aware that everyone is running away from her campaign.​Michele Bachmann's New Hampshire campaign staffers all quit, despite Bachmann's curious attempt to deny this fact. Now, those same staffers -- the "Concord Five," perhaps? -- have released a bridge-torching letter confi ... More >>

Joe Arwood, U.S. Senate candidate, has $7,000, no chance

Joe Arwood has enough money to buy an old Honda or a new suit.​Joe Arwood is a Republican candidate for Amy Klobuchar's U.S. Senate seat. To describe Arwood as a potential "dark horse" candidate is an insult to both darkness and horses. At this point, it's safe to think of Arwood as a no-hoper.Tha ... More >>

Michele Bachmann, on phone call with Donald Trump, accidentally endorses Occupy Wall Street

Michele Bachmann, Donald Trump: Press star-three and reach for the stars.​Michele Bachmann held her surprise-party tele-townhall with Donald Trump last night, allowing the two of them to show off their finest skills. Trump, as is well known, is probably the hardest blowing blowhard in American pol ... More >>

Tim Pawlenty: "That may be the first nice thing anybody at City Pages has ever said about me" [AUDIO]

What, Tim, was it something we wrote?​Tim Pawlenty marked his glorious return to Minnesota with an appearance to the Minnesota Public Radio , where he sat in for a full show with the state's most lovable voice, Gary Eichten.During yesterday's broadcast, Pawlenty opened up about his failed presiden ... More >>

Standard & Poor's downgrades Minnesota's credit rating

Mark Dayton and Majority Leader Kurt Zellers: We're screwed, let's shake on it.​Standard & Poor's is the third of the big three credit ratings agencies to knock down Minnesota's score. In the last three month, the "big three" have been taking big chunks out of Minnesota's financial reputation ... More >>

Star Tribune: We didn't "spike" hit-and-run op-ed critical of Amy Senser, it's "still under consideration"

Scott Gillespie, Strib opinions editor, says he didn't spike Anna Prasomphol's piece.​Amy Senser is getting a lot of criticism for the hit-and-run accident that killed Anouone Phanthavong, and yesterday, figures in the local media came up for some criticism too. The harsh feedback came thanks to a ... More >>

John Boehner's ritzy Minnesota golf fundraiser: Is it even happening? [UPDATE]

U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner will have lunch with you for $1,000. Maybe.​Will John Boehner be hitting the fairway with mega-rich donors in Wayzata today? Maybe. Minnesota Public Radio obtained a copy of an invite last week to a Boehner fundraiser scheduled for today at Spring Hill Gol ... More >>

Shutdown could end today

Dayton's very special session will begin at 3 p.m.​Mark Dayton has called for a special session of the legislature to meet at 3 p.m. this afternoon. With a fast-track vote, Minnesota's shutdown might be over before happy hour. The legislature will try to pass all nine budget bills and Dayton's req ... More >>

Queer in the Twin Cities

Eight important local LGBT leaders

17 ways to celebrate Bob Dylan's 70th birthday in Minnesota

​Minnesota's most famous expatriate and one of the most respected songwriters of our time, Bob Dylan, is celebrating his 70th birthday today. How do you honor the man who has received every honor in the world? We thought of a few ways you could pay your respects today.

U of M president skirted the details on Troubled Waters fiasco

"Troubled Waters" e-mails detail the story behind the public fiasco.​In response to Minnesota Data Practice Act requests, the University of Minnesota unloaded a deluge of e-mails on reporters over the weekend related to the college's decision to cancel the "Troubled Waters" documentary last mo ... More >>

Picked to Click 2010: Complete list of ballots

​We had 108 local music scene peeps participate in this year's Picked to Click poll. Below, you can judge -- er, "peruse" the ballots of each and every one of our voters, along with descriptions of their contributions to the local scene. For more on Picked to Click, check out this year's issue, al ... More >>

The Big Time: F. Scott Fitzgerald features Patricia Hampl

​People living in the Twin Cities are lucky to have so many events around town that indulge in old-fashioned fun. The Mighty Wurlitzer before a movie at the Heights or swing dancing in the Wabasha Street Caves are just a few examples. When thinking of prominent partiers from the past though, w ... More >>

Tom Emmer fights to a tie in latest governor's race poll

Mark Dayton and Tom Emmer are even in a new state-wide poll.​Republican Tom Emmer has consistently trailed his Democratic opponents in governor's polls over the past few months. And lately he's been the butt of attacks over his drunken driving convictions and his support from Target. So today ... More >>

Peter Erlinder reportedly attempted suicide in Rwandan jail cell

Peter Erlinder is accused of denying the Rwandan genocide​The New York Times is reporting that William Mitchell College law professor Peter Erlinder attempted suicide in his Rwandan jail cell, where he is being held for allegedly denying that country's genocide. Police said they found Erlinde ... More >>

Neil Gaiman's speaking fee attacked by Star Tribune

Neil Gaiman: Worth $45,000?​Sandman author Neil Gaiman is under attack by the Minneapolis Star Tribune for charging $45,000 for a recent speaking engagement at a Stillwater public library. Under the headline, "One author: $45,000 for an afternoon," the newspaper questioned the  hefty ... More >>

Immigrant rights marchers clog Minneapolis

Photo: fibonacciblueImmigrant rights activists took to city streets on Saturday​The local backlash against Arizona's controversial new anti-immigrant law got loud and crowded over the weekend when about 2,000 marchers clogged downtown Minneapolis to express their outrage at the legislation. T ... More >>

Tim Pawlenty denied health care lawsuit

​Almost before the ink was dry on President Barack Obama's signature making it the law of the land, the health care reform package passed by Congress was challenged in two separate federal lawsuits by 15 Republican governors; 14 were led by Florida's attorney general and Virginia's AG filed a ... More >>

Jim Gradishar, NorShor Experience strip club owner, commits suicide

His business partner Eric Ringsred wanted locals to think of the theater as a classy Las Vegas club rather than a scummy dive.

The Current talks to Gimme Noise about their five year anniversary

Mary Lucia, Mark Wheat, and Jim McGuinn sit down to reflect on how far the station has come in five short years.

Air America, Franken's launching pad, goes out of business

The "Kennedy seat" in the senate goes to a Republican, health care reform dies, and now this. It's a bad week for liberals.

Kelliher and DFL fined for violating campaign law

Margaret Anderson Kelliher's campaign for governor and the DFL party are getting a $24,000 slap on the wrist.

The Year in Music: P.O.S., Solid Gold, and Owl City break through

Losses include the Suburbs' Bruce Allen, Dinkytowner, and Myth

When alleged Ponzi schemers feel remorse

Petters sent flowers two years ago to Deanna Coleman, one of his associates that blew the whistle on his business practices last year.

Minneapolis mayoral candidates play "Where's Rybak?"

You probably haven't noticed, but Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is up for reelection next month. We don't think Rybak even knows about it.

Chris Coleman will NOT run for Governor

Could it be that the man finally realized he's exceedingly boring?

Pawlenty rewords his 10th Amendment statement to save himself

Pawlenty stepped back from that comment so he sounded slightly more logical.

Pawlenty suggests asserting state sovereignty in health care debate

During a tele-town hall organized by the Republican Governors Association, Pawlenty said asserting state sovereignty would be a possibility to reject the bill in Minnesota.

Franken draws U.S. map from memory... and remembers Alaska and Hawaii!

Sen. Al Franken pulled out his familiar, but still impressive, trick at he Minnesota State Fair last week.

Tornado strikes stretch of S. Minneapolis, tedious cleanup begins

The storm came through in just minutes with no warning, lifting large trees and their roots from the ground and tipping them into yards, houses and streets.

The Education of Sharon Sayles Belton

No party endorsement, a disastrous primary, and an opponent who attracts wealthy liberals: Can Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton revive her reelection campaign?

Great Noodles, Hold the Poetry