Melanie Sommer
Online News Editor
Minnesota Public Radio
msommer@mpr.org
Melanie Sommer joined Minnesota Public Radio in 1995, as a manager of Minnesota Public Radio's news department. She became one of Minnesota Public Radio's two online news editors in November 2000. She came to Minnesota Public Radio from Wisconsin Public Radio in Madison, Wisconsin, where she worked for eight years as morning host and news anchor, and was news director for two years. Sommer and her husband live in the Twin Cities area with their three daughters, even though they remain diehard cheeseheads.
Melanie Sommer Feature Archive
The Sherburne County sheriff says deputies shot and killed a person outside the government center in Elk River Friday, after the individual pulled out a handgun.
(10/02/2009)
The University of Minnesota filed suit against the Metropolitan Council today over its concerns about the proposed Central Corridor light rail line going through campus.
(09/22/2009)
Seven schools in Minnesota have been designated 2009 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
(09/15/2009)
The California sea lion was the star of the "Sparky Show" at the Como Zoo from 1981 up until his retirement in 2001.
(08/04/2009)
Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg said today he is ending his campaign for Congress in Minnesota's 6th District. This would have been his third attempt to unseat Republican incumbent Michele Bachmann.
(08/04/2009)
The St. Paul school board will appoint a district administrator as interim superintendent to run the school system once Meria Carstarphen leaves the post for a new job.
(04/17/2009)
The Minnesota Historical Society said today it may lay off nearly 100 employees, cut the hours of another 220, and close some historic sites in the state as a result of cuts in its state funding and the poor economy.
(04/16/2009)
Minnesota author Bill Holm has died. Holm, who was also an English professor at Southwest Minnesota State University, was 65.
(02/26/2009)
White Bear Lake has been a vacation destination for decades. Locals and out-of-staters alike have built homes and resorts there, sailed boats and fished off her shores. Here's a look back.
(01/22/2009)
The Minnesota Vikings say they still have 11,000 tickets left to sell for their Sunday afternoon playoff game, to avoid a local television blackout. The NFL has extended the deadline by a day.
(12/31/2008)
John McCain says Republicans will suspend
most of the activities planned for Monday's opening of their national convention because of the threat of Hurricane Gustav.
(08/31/2008)
The Winona bridge over the Mississippi River will reopen to most traffic on Saturday morning. It was closed abruptly 10 days ago when inspectors found rust and corrosion in gusset plates at several locations of the bridge.
(06/12/2008)
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks is recovering from a pulmonary embolism and a blood clot in his leg, which he experienced while hiking on a family vacation in Washington State.
(05/30/2008)
Gov. Tim Pawlenty has imposed a hiring freeze on most state agencies, due to concerns over the state's projected budget deficit.
(02/19/2008)
Rissa Amen-Reif, the Mankato college student who was struck and killed by a car after attending a sorority party in November, had a blood alcohol level of .06 percent, below the legal level of intoxication, according to the State Patrol.
(01/22/2008)