Recent content from Jeff Hargarten
In Minnesota, attacks against police are on the rise, especially in domestic assault calls
Reported assaults against police in Minnesota are up 160% from 10 years ago, driven in part by dangerous domestic disturbance calls like the one that ended with two officers and a medic shot to death in Burnsville this week.
In Minneapolis, police staffing levels continued to drop in 2023. So did crime.
Criminologists say police staffing is only one factor in a vast and complicated universe of what drives crime trends in the U.S.
Violent crime begins to ebb in St. Paul after pandemic surge
City leaders hope youth-focused initiatives will contribute further to the slowdown in crime.
Minnesota nitrate contamination shows little sign of going away, despite years of effort
Minnesota has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to reduce nitrate contamination of drinking water and rivers. The progress so far is negligible.
Minneapolis police staff levels hit historic lows amid struggle for recruitment, retention
With 585 sworn officers, the city holds one of the lowest ratios of officers to citizens among many major American cities.
After three violent years, crime is dropping in Minneapolis
Violent crime — murder, aggravated assault, rape and robbery — is down 12% overall from last year to its lowest point of the 2020s so far, the data show. Only a record-breaking surge in auto thefts bucks the pattern.
As St. Paul reins in car thefts, Minneapolis faces record surge
About 4,700 vehicles were reported stolen across Minneapolis so far this year, averaging 24 a day — a 70% increase from this time last year.
How popular is your name in Minnesota?
Track the popularity of any first name in Minnesota over the past century.
How the COVID-19 pandemic has changed Minnesotans' lives
The pandemic caused abrupt and unusual shifts at home, at work, shopping, traveling and more. Life isn't completely back to pre-pandemic normal — and maybe it never will be.
Does Minnesota have more forests than its neighbors?
The state's immense forests once made it a lumber milling giant.