mostread2016
Here are the 15 most-read Minnesota news stories on StarTribune.com over the past year.
Aftermath of fatal Falcon Heights officer-involved shooting on video
A man identified by relatives as Philando Castile, 32, a St. Paul schools employee, died Wednesday night at HCMC. The shooting followed a traffic stop in Falcon Heights. On the video, Castile is slumped next to a woman, his T-shirt soaked with blood.
Prince died amid frantic plans for drug addiction treatment
Singer's representatives had called Dr. Howard Kornfeld, a national expert, over a "grave medical emergency." A meeting was planned for what turned out to be the day after star died.
Jacob Wetterling's remains found on a farm
Danny Heinrich, a suspect in Jacob's disappearance 27 years ago, provided authorities with information about the location.
Heinrich confesses to abducting, killing Jacob Wetterling that day
After Danny Heinrich's detailed, horrifying courtroom confession on how he kidnapped and killed Jacob, Patty Wetterling said, "It's incredibly painful to know his last days, his last minutes."
Twin Cities, world show love for Prince's purple majesty
Hours after learning about the pop star's death Thursday morning at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, fans around the world took to social media to pay their respects to Prince and his music. Thursday night, thousands gathered in downtown Minneapolis to remember the legend who was one of them.
Mall of America takes bold stand by closing on Thanksgiving
The Mall of America's 520-plus stores will have the option to open on the holiday, but mall executives expect that most will decide to remain closed.
Will the real Stephen Colbert stand up? Four ways he'll succeed on CBS' 'Late Show'
The new face of CBS late night tries to drop the mask of "truthiness" that made him famous.
Oral history: Prince's life, as told by the people who knew him best
An oral history compiled by the Star Tribune staff in 2004, when the man behind the "Minneapolis sound" was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Graphic video shows aftermath of shooting by police officer in Falcon Heights
The disturbing video was posted originally to Facebook and shared more than tens of thousands of times.
Appeals court overturns verdict in Ventura defamation case
The appeals court threw out the $1.35 million awarded to Jesse Ventura for "unjust enrichment." It ordered the district court to conduct a new trial on the $500,000 defamation judgment in favor of Ventura.
Child survives hanging at Mpls. day care; female suspect flees
A 16-month-old boy was hanged in a day care Friday morning by a woman in a residential block of south Minneapolis, and she then fled and threatened to jump from a freeway overpass, according to authorities.
5-year-old girl reported missing found dead; man under arrest
Authorities found Alayna Ertl's body near Motley, Minn., in Cass County. The man who was sought along with her as part of an Amber Alert has been arrested.
Chilling video shows Brooklyn Park officer's struggle for his life
The assault was caught on the squad car's video camera and presented as evidence in the trial.
Why I tell everyone to leave Minneapolis
Dreaming of Portland? Or San Francisco? Or New York? Nora McInerny Purmort has some advice for you: Go.
Fentanyl pills seized from Paisley Park were mislabeled
Level of fentanyl found in musician's body was so great no one could have survived it.
2016: Iraq, Afghan vets may have their own Agent Orange
While it took nearly three decades for the U.S. government to eventually link Agent Orange, the defoliant used in Vietnam, to cancer, President Obama has pledged quick action to make determinations about the effect of the burn pits on perhaps as many as 60,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.