Renee Cooper

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Reporter @KSTP | Former Investigative Lead @WCIA3, @KXMB | 2x Eric Sevareid Award-winning journalist | @uofsc grad l Choose kindness & the truth.

Articles

53 Minnesota communities find elevated manganese levels in drinking water

2 days ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

53 Minnesota communities have elevated levels of the chemical element manganese in their drinking water, according to the latest data from state health officials. It’s an improvement from the 67 communities whose test results showed high levels two years ago, after the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) began recommending the tests. Dave Hokanson, assistant manager for MDH’s Drinking Water Protection Section, said, “That number could go up” as additional systems implement testing for manganese.
$10 million for first-of-its-kind 'community care hub' among undecided funding requests headed into final week of Minnesota legislative session

3 days ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

A nearly $10 million request from a metro-based area agency on aging is among the funding requests that hung in the balance Sunday as Minnesota lawmakers approach the final week of the 2025 legislative session.
St. Paul Public Works: Complaints of copper-robbed streetlights down 60% in 2025; winter backlog remains

1 week ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

Amid a continued sizable backlog of repair requests for copper-robbed streetlights, St. Paul Public Works confirmed it did not renew a request to the city council in 2024 that gave the department an extra half-million dollars to deal with the years-long outage surge.
Farmers, shoppers feel the pinch as Mill City Farmers Market opens for season on Saturday

1 week ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

Several farmers and shoppers said their wallets were continuing to feel a pinch this year, and they said it’s important to put their money toward supporting local businesses. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has been tracking the cost of everyday living, something that has been a top concern for many Minnesotans, and lowering the cost of groceries was one of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises.
'No one was listening': Bill aims to keep large-scale data centers out of residential areas amid Farmington neighbor concerns

2 weeks ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

Concern over plans for a massive and controversial data center in the City of Farmington has made it to the State Capitol. A group of residents in Farmington recently sued the city as it moves forward with Denver-based development company Tract’s plans to build a more than 340-acre facility on the city’s east side, comprising several warehouse-sized buildings full of computing equipment to store digital data.
1 month after home destroyed in plane crash, Brooklyn Park family rebuilding from rubble

2 weeks ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

Homeowners reflect on destruction a month after plane crashLooking through a windowless pane upon the month-old wreckage of their Brooklyn Park home, Ken Tobacman and Mary Butler watched as remnants of their home appeared in the rubble. “So you look at the rubble, and it’s indistinguishable. And then you keep looking at it, and it starts to take shape,” Butler said on Tuesday. “Every time we come here, I find another piece of wreckage that looks familiar,” Tobacman added.
Brooklyn Park unveils 'first-of-its-kind' youth violence prevention team

2 weeks ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

Brooklyn Park unveiled a first-of-its-kind youth violence prevention team on Monday. The Community Intervention Team was established last year and has hit the ground running in the last couple of months, according to Community Intervention Manager LaTreasure Dickson. “As you know, intervention and law enforcement don’t usually live in the same house, and so this is the first of its kind that we know of,” Dickson said.
Mound among cities requesting state funds to filter 'high levels' of manganese from drinking water

3 weeks ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

People in the City of Mound have expressed concerns for years about unsafe levels of a chemical called manganese in their drinking water. Some level of manganese is healthy, but exposure to elevated levels can cause neurological issues, especially for infants and older adults, according to an advisory from the City of Mound. These two cities are far from alone.
Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place dishes up 350 Easter meals, overcomes 'financial distress' facing 'vast majority of nonprofits'

3 weeks ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

Staff and volunteers serving up Easter lunches on Sunday at the Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place campus were a well-oiled machine. About 350 people were served for the holiday meal. Generally, they dish up roughly 300 plates per meal, or about a thousand a day, a spokesperson said. This year, the holiday tradition was shadowed by a financial pinch facing non-profits across the country.
Future first responders take on first-of-its-kind mass casualty incident training

3 weeks ago | kstp.com | Renee Cooper |Renée Cooper

Young people considering a career as police officers, firefighters and EMTs responded to a staged four-vehicle pile-up involving a school bus in the parking lot of Hennepin Technical College in Eden Prairie on Saturday. They’re called “explorers.”Minnesota Fire Exploring Association President Kate McKay said it was the first time they’ve carried out a mock mass casualty incident with police, EMS and fire explorers together as they would be in reality.

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Renée Cooper @ReneeEliCooper

22 Apr 25

In his annual State of the City address, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter shared his strategy to revitalize a shuttered downtown, and he stuck around to take some questions about that plan. @KSTP https://t.co/5gYMRMI6Gk

Renée Cooper @ReneeEliCooper

16 Apr 25

For what it's worth -- and in all contexts: The "freedom of assembly and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances" are among the fundamental freedoms/rights enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Renée Cooper @ReneeEliCooper

16 Apr 25

The wife of a Marshall, MN father is fighting the ICE detention of her 33-year-old husband whose student visa was revoked 3 weeks ago. She and their attorney believe it's linked to his participation in police protests following George Floyd's murder.@KSTP https://t.co/AJrRLkxYQA

Renee Cooper

Articles

53 Minnesota communities find elevated manganese levels in drinking water

$10 million for first-of-its-kind 'community care hub' among undecided funding requests headed into final week of Minnesota legislative session

St. Paul Public Works: Complaints of copper-robbed streetlights down 60% in 2025; winter backlog remains

Farmers, shoppers feel the pinch as Mill City Farmers Market opens for season on Saturday

'No one was listening': Bill aims to keep large-scale data centers out of residential areas amid Farmington neighbor concerns

1 month after home destroyed in plane crash, Brooklyn Park family rebuilding from rubble

Brooklyn Park unveils 'first-of-its-kind' youth violence prevention team

Mound among cities requesting state funds to filter 'high levels' of manganese from drinking water

Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place dishes up 350 Easter meals, overcomes 'financial distress' facing 'vast majority of nonprofits'

Future first responders take on first-of-its-kind mass casualty incident training

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