2024′s biggest stories and most memorable Minnesota moments

In 2024, Minnesotans craved stories that were uniquely, well, Minnesotan. Luckily that is our specialty. You read stories about the local legends who bring pride to our home state. Readers wanted to know more about the outside world, like why dams flood or why they should get outside to look up at the sky for comets or auroras.

We came together to mourn the lives of Minnesota first responders and no matter where we stood, to see how one of our own fared in one of the biggest elections of our time.

An early morning shooting that claimed the life of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson shocked the American public and rippled across Minnesota, where the health care giant’s offices are based.

Let’s look at nine of the biggest Minnesota stories and moments of 2024.

Olympian Suni Lee brings home three medals.

St. Paul’s Suni Lee took home three medals during the Summer Olympics in Paris. Lee, 21, has now won six career Olympic medals. Her triumph came after the gymnast struggled through two kidney ailments that derailed her training and had her worried her gymnastics career was over.

Gov. Tim Walz ran for vice president.

Minnesota’s governor took a spot on the national stage this summer when Vice President Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate. The country got a taste of the “Minnesota Dad” vibes that reminds some of us of our own Midwestern loved ones. But the Trump-Vance ticket’s win meant that Minnesota did not continue its propensity to produce vice presidents.

The Polhad family is considering selling the Twins.

The Polhad family, longtime owners of the Minnesota Twins, announced in October that they are exploring selling the team. A sale, which could net Carl Pohlad’s three sons and seven grandchildren more than $1.5 billion, typically takes about six months.

UnitedHealthcare shooting and manhunt

A hooded gunman who was lying in wait for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson shot and killed the executive outside a New York hotel in November in what police said appeared to be a “brazen, targeted attack” that captivated the nation for days as a multi-state manhunt took place. It ended days later when a McDonald’s employee called in a potential sighting, leading to the arrest of Luigi Mangione, 26, who pleaded not guilty to murder and terrorism charges in late December.

The Mankato-area Rapidan dam flooded.

The Rapidan Dam in Mankato filled with rising and rushing waters in June. Officials initially thought the dam was in danger of failure, but the dam, built in 1910, held. The flood raised questions about the future of that dam, and other dams, that often no longer produce electricity.

First responders in Minnesota faced attacks in the line of duty.

Attacks against police officers in the line of duty are on the rise in Minnesota, with reported assaults against police in Minnesota up 160% from 10 years ago. In February, two Burnsville police officers and a Fire Department medic were fatally shot. In May, Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell was shot and killed while attempting to render aid to a man believed to be wounded.

Northern lights frenzy takes over the state.

In 2024 the NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center said geomagnetic storms would occur more often with the sun near the peak of its 11-year solar cycle. That meant Minnesotans had more opportunities than normal years to search for the aurora — with some nights so bright the lights could be seen from the Twin Cities.

Timothée Chalamet stars in Bob Dylan’s biopic ‘A Complete Unknown’

Timothée Chalamet visited Minnesota at least twice in 2024. In January, he was spotted in Hibbing and Duluth preparing for his role in the biopic where he plays legendary Minnesota native Bob Dylan. He stopped by Dylan’s alma mater, Hibbing High School, where he visited with students in the drama department. In December, he attended a screening of the film at The Main Cinema in Minneapolis.

Everyone watches women’s sports in Minnesota

In 2024, Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, the Minnesota Lynx went to the WNBA finals and the state’s first women’s sports bar, called A Bar of their Own, opened in Minneapolis’ Seward neighborhood.