Trey Mewes
Rochester reporter
RochesterTrey Mewes joined the Star Tribune in 2022 as our Rochester correspondent. He has spent more than 10 years reporting on southern Minnesota, first at the Austin Daily Herald, and more recently at the Mankato Free Press. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, with a double major in journalism and history. He is a Minnesota native who grew up in the southern part of the Cities. He enjoys hiking, pop culture, video games and basketball.
Latest from Trey Mewes
After nitrate lawsuit, Minnesota opens farm fertilizer rule for public comment
Environmental advocates want more standards to help reduce nitrate pollution across Minnesota.
February 18, 2026
Editor's Pick
Minnesota farms face labor shortage as workers fear federal immigration action
Agriculture leaders say some farms might not survive the season since migrant workers might avoid the state.
February 16, 2026
Jury sides with Mayo Clinic in prominent physician’s lawsuit over alleged silencing during COVID
Dr. Michael Joyner sued the clinic in 2023, claiming he was retaliated against for public criticism of the federal government.
February 13, 2026
![Dr. Michael Joyner talks with a colleague in the lab. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Dr. Michael Joyner conducts a study simulating less oxygen in the blood and it's effects on a left shift patient in the Human Physiology Research Lab at the Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus in Rochester on Monday, June 4, 2018. Dr. Joyner is a Mayo Clinic expert on the limits of human performance and has written extensively on elite athletic performance.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/CRCPNC4U6CPUOW4UX22O6YV5BM.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
Rochester splits on supporting Minnesota's ICE lawsuit
The City Council voted 4-3 to file a legal brief supporting Minnesota’s case to remove federal agents from the state
February 3, 2026
Advertisement
What’s it like to live in Minnesota right now? Life in the shadow of ICE.
We asked people how their lives have changed, or not changed.
February 3, 2026
Rochester on the verge of a residential construction boom, experts say
The city hopes for another $1 billion in construction again this year, as national builders have descended.
January 28, 2026
With ICE surge spreading across state, rumors and anxiety grow in greater Minnesota
Reports of federal agents conducting arrests has some residents on edge in cities and rural communities.
January 14, 2026
Walz got his start in Mankato. Here’s how his Minnesota hometown is reacting to his decision not to run
The governor first ran for office while teaching high school geography in Mankato.
January 5, 2026
Advertisement
40 years ago, Hormel workers walked off the job. Austin would never be the same.
Austin’s slaughterhouse workers nearly went on strike again this summer, four decades after the Hormel strike that divided a city.
December 29, 2025
Mayor, council clash over Rochester’s plans for sports complex
The City Council’s decision to move forward with an outdoor sports complex has drawn the ire of DFL lawmakers.
December 23, 2025
Stewartville holds vigil for the families of a gunman and his victim
Residents are embracing the families of a 19-year-old gunman and the high school wrestler he shot Friday.
December 18, 2025
As ICE intensifies Minnesota surge, Republicans see Trump delivering on immigration promise
Minnesota Republicans say that Trump supporters backed him in no small part over vows to address immigration, though some in the party have pushed back on the president’s derogatory remarks about Somali Americans.
December 16, 2025
Advertisement