Minnesota's food shelves get one-time $5M funding boost
Minnesota food shelves are feeling grateful for new funding.
Beret Leone is a native Minnesotan who joined the WCCO team as a reporter in September 2022 - and she's thrilled be back home in the Twin Cities! Beret grew up in Chaska and graduated from Bethel University.
Before WCCO, Beret spent four and a half years working as a reporter, and eventually a weekend anchor/producer at KTTC in Rochester, Minnesota. In her time there, she covered everything from presidential visits, unsolved crime cases to devastating severe weather in NE Iowa. Beret also did investigative work, some prompting action from Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. Over the years her storytelling earned her several awards from the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalism and several Emmy nominations.
Beret has a big family and is the youngest of five kids. That family has now multiplied with spouses and lots of nieces and nephews. Surprisingly, everyone lives within a 20 minute radius.
When she's not on deadline, she loves to spend time with family and friends, sing (musical theatre nerd here) and be active.
Minnesota food shelves are feeling grateful for new funding.
Since its start, Free Guitars 4 Kids has given away about 2,500 guitars to kids in underserved communities across the country.
Minnesota leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz, gathered on Tuesday at Xcel Energy's Sherco Solar plant near St. Cloud to celebrate a milestone in the state's shift toward carbon-free electricity.
On Monday, 100% of Park Tavern's profits will go towards the Kristina Folkerts Memorial Fund.
Beyond raking to avoid snow mold, Nokomis Hardware Owner/Operator Carolyn Faacks suggests looking for spots mice can get in and filling them before temperatures plummet.
The Minneapolis City Council voted 9-3 in favor of a proposal on Thursday that establishes a citywide labor standards board, a move that worries some small business owners.
The Hennepin County Jail has been granted another extension to slash nearly 20% of its population, moving back the Thursday deadline another three weeks.
The city of St. Paul is wiping out nearly $40 million in resident medical debt.
Dozens of veterans, from all branches, and their family members were honored with music and a color guard. State and federal leaders — including Gov. Tim Walz — also gave speeches.
Like it or not, winter is just around the corner. After a brown season last year, some Minnesotans are keeping their fingers crossed.
Retired Hugo Navy veteran Danial Daloia helps fellow veterans, first responders, health care professionals, dispatchers and more master the art form of woodworking. But it's more than that — to Daloia and his students, it's a form of therapy.
Election officials are "cautiously optimistic" Minnesota can regain its national lead in voter turnout.
"Please help us get the word out that in Minnesota anyone on probation, parole, supervised release, work release, etc; has the right to vote," Voter Outreach Director Melanie Hazelip said.
Veteran homelessness is now considered rare, brief and non-reoccurring in Minnesota's most populous county.
Communities across the state of Minnesota are celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday.