#upper-midwest

#upper-midwest

Growing up, I expected to live the fast-paced life of a performer. I'm a Jersey girl with a New York City spirit. My dreams were set on being a principal actor on Broadway.

"Tucked in south central Wisconsin, just 3.5 hours north of Chicago and 1.5 hours from Milwaukee, Green Lake has earned the nickname of the 'Hamptons of the Midwest.' Families have been summering there since the 1800s, when the shoreline was dotted with a handful of rustic resorts."

Poplar Bluff, Missouri. The study found that the annual cost of living in this small town, also known as the "Gateway to the Ozarks," is $32,941, while the median household income is $42,035. Poplar Bluff's violent crime rate is 0.372, and its property crime rate is 2.111 per 1,000 residents. According to Redfin, the median home price here is just under $142,000, which is about $281,000 below the national median.

Set dramatically on the westernmost tip of Lake Superior, Minnesota's northern hub tells stories of grit and grandeur. Over the years, the city has transformed from a rough-and-tumble logging and mining outpost into a destination for both outdoor enthusiasts and culture seekers, completing one of America's great urban renewal stories.

Residents in Minnesota spend $579 a month on average for groceries, according to the study. The data also reflects local wages and shows that residents of Minnesota pay the lowest percentage of their overall spending on groceries at 6.4%. The lowest grocery bills were in West Virginia, averaging $505 a month, however lower wages mean West Virginians spent 8.7% of their money on groceries overall.

The North Dakota State Bison (18-5, 8-0 Summit League) will look to continue an eight-game winning streak when they visit the South Dakota Coyotes (12-11, 4-4 Summit League) on January 31, 2026 at Sanford Coyote Sports Center. In its most recent game, North Dakota State beat Oral Roberts on Saturday, 86-58. Its leading scorer was Tay Smith with 24 points.

Ah, Midwestern food. There's something so incredibly comforting about seeing a butter cow at a state fair or digging into a hotdish. But there's more to Midwestern food than meets the eye, and I'll bet anyone who hasn't grown up in the Heartland can't ace all 15 of these questions about the region's most iconic dishes. But, hey, prove me wrong and try for yourself!

The recent tensions between local authorities in Minnesota and the immigration enforcement agencies of the Trump administration, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are not merely the stance of rebellious cities or states. They are the latest manifestation of a dispute as old as the nation itself: the resistance of local power against a federal center that periodically attempts to govern by imposition. To interpret what is happening today in Minneapolis and its consequences as an isolated episode of immigration policy is to remain on the surface.

"Stand up for America," Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, implored on Saturday, after federal agents shot to death another one of his constituents. "Recognize that your children will ask you what side you were on. Your grandchildren will ask you what you did to act to prevent this from happening again-to make sure that the foundational elements of our democracy were rock solid. What did you do to protect your city? What did you do to protect your nation?"

A 2024 simulation found US civil war could be triggered by clashes between state and federal law enforcement. US federal immigration raids continue in Minnesota, and the operation has set the stage for a standoff between state officials and the federal government. Governor Tim Walz has readied Minnesota's national guard, while the Pentagon has ordered troops to be on standby. A 2024 University of Pennsylvania simulation warned that similar state-federal standoffs could escalate into broader armed conflict.

The killings in Minneapolis of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have been compared to the murder of George Floyd, because they all happened within a few miles of one another, and because of the outrage they inspired. There's an important difference, though: In 2020 the United States was in turmoil, but it was still a state of law. Floyd's death was followed by investigation, trial, and verdict-by justice. The Minneapolis Police Department was held accountable and ultimately made to reform.