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"For families with kids on the spectrum, sometimes it's difficult for them. They have behaviors, they have triggers. Sometimes they don't know how to communicate their emotions and feelings, which is very tough for them," said Beyond the Spectrum's Ayub Elmi.
In March, Rachel Sands was helping her dad move some cows when a steer got spooked and stepped on her chest, which stopped her heart.
"It's just really incredible how somebody living with high-functioning autism can go from practicing the piano at 2 years old to getting all this national and international attention," said Joe Bigalke said.
At We Win Institute, it's all about learning what you can be, what you love to do, and who you are. And that is a purpose-filled mission.
"I see friends. I see family. I see people who I've struggled with. All walks of life, all genders, all races. But there is a common thread. We have that experience with the criminal legal system," said Antonio Williams, a former inmate-turned author.
Larson is the lone survivor of all units that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.
The program is called HCMC Talent Garden. The goal is to plant seed on interest in youth of color to pursue healthcare.
Camp True Friends, a camp for people who use wheelchairs or learn differently, was going to have to turn hundreds of campers away due to the ongoing shortage of personal care assistants.
If someone asks for their services, the Hovland family rounds up the herd in a trailer and brings them to the site. They put up an electric fence to keep the goats in and predators out. It's like a traveling band with a big appetite.
"My friends were ding-dong-ditching those cameras and I was like, 'You know what, how about I go say something nice, maybe they need to hear it'," he said, admitting he had never done something quite like what he was about to do.
Sophia Nohre, of Alexandria, was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease. And even though she's broken over 100 bones, she says nothing could stop her from pursuing her passion.
Teresa De Young's mission has been in progress since 2018. Her son is diagnosed with Down syndrome, and she told WCCO last year, "When you see Will play with his sister or his peers, he's always five steps behind."
Judy Yaeger-Jones is fighting a terminal illness, and while some people make a wish to go to Disney World or Hawaii, Yaeger-Jones' dream was to ride a Harley.
A longtime Subway employee and grandmother got the surprise of a lifetime this week.
There's nothing quite like feeling the wind in your hair on a bike ride.
Former DFL leader Kari Dziedzic passes away.
Winter fun in Minnesota is stalled until temperatures drop.
After more than 40 years on the job, one of our favorite WCCO photographers is getting ready to retire.
The menu offers plenty of options, but fans of the Red Dragon say they'll miss how the restaurant really nourished their souls.
A DFL state representative-elect said Friday he will not appeal a judge's ruling that he is ineligible to hold the office because he did not meet residency requirements for the district.
A 19-year-old woman has been charged in a northern Minnesota school bus crash that sent 12 students to the hospital.
The Piney-Pinecreek Border Airport has a unique claim to fame — its runway straddles the border of the U.S. and Canada.
A 43-year-old man who's a registered sex offender is back in custody after cutting off his electronic ankle monitor and escaping a Rochester treatment facility earlier this week.
A big rig holding tens of thousands of pounds of milk overturned in Stearns County on Christmas Day.
An auto body shop in Waverly, Minnesota has been deemed a total loss after a fire broke out on Christmas Day.
Authorities in western Wisconsin say a correctional officer died after a suspected drunken driver struck his vehicle on Christmas Eve.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says it identified a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A, or H5N1, in Burnett County.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has finally selected a new leader for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The Centers for Disease Control says no person-to-person transmission has been detected and the risk to the general public remains low.
The man was flown to a hospital in Minnesota, but the department gave no word on his condition. No one else was hurt.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Svetlana Vold immediately thought of her mom's teachings and looked to give back to her old Ukrainian neighbors who were suffering.
Volunteers at St. Paul's Union Gospel Mission served up hundreds of Christmas Day meals during a free lunch on Wednesday.
The Salvation Army says it's a proven fact that donations decline when the bells aren't ringing. Fewer volunteers mean fewer rings and fewer dollars raised.
Dan Reed is on a campaign to get more people to become donors. The more people he can register, the higher up he gets on the transplant list.
Army veteran Delphine Littlewolf and her 7-year-old son Curtis have been living in her compact car for six months.
Former DFL leader Kari Dziedzic passes away.
A DFL state representative-elect said Friday he will not appeal a judge's ruling that he is ineligible to hold the office because he did not meet residency requirements for the district.
A new bipartisan law to curb hazing on college and university campuses has been signed into law.
Mary Murphy, who represented the Arrowhead for 46 years at the Minnesota Capitol, died on Christmas Day, according to DFL Party leaders.
Here's what to know about the United States' involvement with building and operating the Panama Canal.
The menu offers plenty of options, but fans of the Red Dragon say they'll miss how the restaurant really nourished their souls.
St. Paul police say they caught two suspected porch pirates red-handed on Christmas week in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood.
Leftovers are in the fridge and the presents under the tree are unwrapped. But what if Santa didn't get your wish list just right?
The Mega Millions jackpot is valued at $1 billion for the drawing on Christmas Eve
The rush was on Tuesday as shoppers grabbed last-minute essentials at Mall of America, just hours before Christmas Day.
A 19-year-old woman has been charged in a northern Minnesota school bus crash that sent 12 students to the hospital.
St. Paul police say they caught two suspected porch pirates red-handed on Christmas week in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood.
A 43-year-old man who's a registered sex offender is back in custody after cutting off his electronic ankle monitor and escaping a Rochester treatment facility earlier this week.
St. Paul police say narcotics may have played a role in the death of a toddler on Christmas Day.
Agents found 30 brick-like packages of cocaine inside the backpacks, located in a wooded area in Washington near the U.S. border with Canada.
Minnesota health officials are warning of an outbreak of a highly contagious illness: norovirus.
According to the Minnesota Department of Education, only 46.5% of third graders in the state are reading proficiently.
Health experts are offering tips on creating a more nutritious diet as new year's resolutions are put into action.
Mental health is a topic that some might feel uncomfortable talking about. In St. Louis Park there's one event trying to change that.
Minneapolis has softened an ordinance that prohibited obstructing entrances and driveways to abortion clinics after anti-abortion activists sued to challenge it on free-speech grounds.
Baltimore's victory over Houston averaged 24.3 million viewers, while Kansas City's win at Pittsburgh averaged 24.1 million, according to early viewer figures released by Nielsen.
A judge ruled that a woman who says she was raped by Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs when she was 13 can proceed anonymously, for now, in her lawsuit against the rap moguls.
Hudson Meek, the 16-year-old actor known for his performance in the 2017 film "Baby Driver," died Dec. 21 in Alabama, authorities said.
Going to the movies has become a Christmas Day tradition for some Minnesotans.
Netflix will have one of its biggest days Wednesday since the site launched in 1998 when it airs two NFL games for the first time.
Watch an unforgettable moment during an Alexandria football game that brought the crowd to tears. Plus, a tough battle in boy’s basketball between Rockford and Zimmerman.
Defenseman Brock Faber scored a wraparound goal 35 seconds into overtime and the Minnesota Wild rallied from two goals down midway through the third period to beat the Dallas Stars 3-2.
Anthony Edwards made a step-back 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to cap a furious rally and lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 113-112 win over the Houston Rockets.
Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment was helped off the ice late in the first period of Friday night's game against the Minnesota Wild after being hit in the face by a puck.
Greg Gumbel, the renowned CBS Sports anchor and commentator, has died of cancer at the age of 78.
Esme Murphy talks with Congressman Pete Stauber, who hopes to see President Biden’s 20-year moratorium on new mining near the Boundary Waters reversed by President-elect Donald Trump.
President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to reverse President Biden's 20-year moratorium on new mining near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on his first day in office.
In this election, Klobuchar faired much better than all other Senate Democrats — she won by a significantly larger margin.
For Democrats the postmortem continues on why Vice President Kamala Harris and her Running mate Governor Tim Walz performed more poorly with almost every demographic than Joe Biden did in 2020. In Minnesota, Senator Amy Klobuchar did much better than Harris with some of those same groups.
As Election Day nears, experts say voters in Wisconsin and other battleground states will decide the 2024 presidential election winner.
The story behind the St. James Hotel is simple: 11 business owners needed a place for people to stay when they came to town. Likely none of them envisioned their establishment would one day end up on the National Register of Historic Places.
During the first week of December, Little Falls holds Christmas tours around town. It's a chance for historic buildings to deck their halls and spread their cheer.
Duluth is known for its scenic views across the city, but one location stands out from the rest.
One family's creative design in central Minnesota allows guests to sleep under the stars — at any time of year.
"Thomas Dambo, he believes the trolls really help us kind of shine a light on how we can take better care of the environment and be better to each other," said Stearns.
There are a lot of reasons to get distracted this time of year and to procrastinate.
It's a term that's being thrown around a lot these days. Some think it's a social thing, others a medical thing.
Every home has a distinct smell, and chances are your home smells just as strong to other people. Why can't we notice our own home's smell but we can notice everyone else's?
An important deadline is approaching, and we're not talking about Christmas shopping. End of semester exams are coming up for students of all ages.
Jeff Wagner dives into the cold-weather dating trend that has singles looking for love with a time limit.
Regions Hospital and Children's Minnesota share photos of their tiniest patients dressed to the nines for Halloween.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Thursday night due to the arrival of a severe geomagnetic storm.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Monday night.
Storms ripped through parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Thursday evening. There were several reports of tornadoes and trees were downed in the metro and beyond, including in Cottage Grove, Anoka, Champlin and Fridley.
A powerful thunderstorm tore through the grounds of the Minnesota State Fair on Monday night, delaying Tuesday's opening.
After a soggy Friday, the rain has wrapped up for the Twin Cities and will continue to lift northeast through the morning.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
WCCO meteorologist Adam Del Rosso has your latest forecast, including what you can expect for New Year's Eve.
Things will stay pretty mild as we head into the weekend. Temps will remain in the upper 30s to low 40s. As we head into the near year our temps do drop. Chris Shaffer breaks down what you need to know.
Despite the rain, we have remained in the upper 30s to lower 40s today. The temps will stay mild heading into the weekend. But as we head into 2025, our temps will start to drop. Chris Shaffer breaks down the timing of everything.
Here are your top digital morning headlines.
Interest in women's sports continues to grow globally. To speak on the matter, WCCO Saturday Mornings talks to Andrea Yoch, the co-found of Minnesota Aurora FC.
Still looking for something fun to do with the kids on New Year's Eve? Look no further! The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is hosting an event everyone in the family will love.
WCCO meteorologist Adam Del Rosso has your latest forecast, including what you can expect for New Year's Eve.
Boy's hockey season is heating up and an unforgettable girls basketball game between Eden Prairie and Eastview on this week's High School Sports Rally.