MPR News pictures of the year, April through June

1

Kasson, MN, USA — Minutes before her wedding to National Guard service member Brian Wunderlich, Margarita Jacobson has a heart-to-heart talk with her son (and ring bearer) Joseph Jacobson. The 8-year-old is fond of his soon-to-be stepfather and he was already nervous about the idea of Wunderlich being deployed. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

2

Wyoming, MN, USA — Matt Parker warms up for a mixed-martial arts fight in a makeshift locker room at Stars and Strikes Entertainment Center in Wyoming, Minn. Saturday, April 2, 2011. Parker was competing in Tour of Duty 3, a MMA event that was moved from Forest Lake to Wyoming after a Forest Lake ordinance prohibited the event to take place in the city. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo

3

Shakopee, MN, USA — First-graders, from left, Franciso Diaz Xique, Luke Wilts and Samira Ahmed chase one another on the playground at Red Oak Elementary School in Shakopee, Minn. Wednesday, April 6, 2011. Most of the region's population growth over the last decade occurred in second- and third-ring suburbs, led by Shakopee, which added 16,508 people. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo

4

Fargo, ND, USA — High school student Shaina Pfau looks up during a pause in a sandbag line on Thursday, April 7, 2011, in north Fargo. More than 1,500 students from Fargo and West Fargo help sandbag on Thursday. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo

5

Fargo-Moorhead, ND/MN, US — Floodwaters consume much of the Red River Valley in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota on Monday, April 11, 2011. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo

6

East Bethel, MN, USA — Staff officer Freddy Munoz dances with his daughters Emma, 7, left, and Esperanza, 6, during the Rum River Service Unit Girls Scouts dance in East Bethel, Minn. Friday, April 8, 2011. As Munoz is preparing for his second deployment with the National Guard, he and his wife are also preparing to legally adopt their daughters this year. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo

7

St. Francis, MN, USA — Freddy Munoz snuggles his daughter Emma in his arms at their home in St. Francis, Minn. Friday, March 11, 2011. Freddy Munoz says Emma is having a hard time dealing with his upcoming deployment, and Emma and her sister have been seeing a therapist regularly to help with the transition. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo

8

St. Paul, MN, USA — Madelyn Nelson, left, Nicki Price, and Tama Chakrabarty cheer as Gov. Mark Dayton addresses the crowd outside the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on April 14, 2011. The students were among the supporters at OutFront Minnesota's Lobby Day for LGBT Equality. "We want to fight for equality in our school and in the community," said Nelson. "We're here to be part of the bigger community fighting for gay rights." (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

9

Maple Plain, MN, USA — Animal chiropractor Kyla Awes adjusts Lola's spine using a quick thrust to improve alignment. Many of Awes' clients are competition horses. "They're athletes," says Awes. "What I'm trying to do is help the animal be its best. This is a natural therapy with very few side effects. And this can make a really big difference in their performance." (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

10

Minneapolis, MN, USA — Arts, science and engineering graduate students at the University of Minnesota's graduate school commencement on Friday, April 29, 2011. (MPR Photo/Tim Post) link to this photo

11

St. Paul, MN, USA — Gov. Mark Dayton attended a rainy goodbye ceremony for 2,400 Minnesota National Guard members at Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minn., on May 22, 2011. The soldiers are leaving to begin training for a one-year deployment overseas to support Operation New Dawn, which is the drawdown phase of the U.S. military operations in Iraq. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

12

Minneapolis, MN, USA — Simerng Soundora assesses damage to the rental property she owns on N. Logan Ave. in Minneapolis after a tornado ripped through the neighborhood on Monday, May 23, 2011. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo

13

Minneapolis, MN, USA — Surrounded by tornado damage, Laneik White, 4, plays with a hoola hoop as neighbors grill food for their Minneapolis neighbors on Monday, May 23, 2011. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo

14

Minneapolis, MN, USA — Bridget Voge and her daughter Adeline, 21 months, left, cool off with Anna Sexton and her daughter Mavie, 21 months, at the beach on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minn. Tuesday, June 7, 2011. (MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson) link to this photo

15

near White Earth, MN, USA — The breeding grounds for the majority of the world's Golden-winged Warblers are found in northern Minnesota, southern Manitoba and portions of Wisconsin. The small songbird begins its migration in early fall to winter in southern Central America and northern South America. (MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller) link to this photo