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Minnesota warning as springs polluted with pesticides, analysis reveals

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Minnesota warning as springs polluted with pesticides, analysis reveals


Pesticides have been found in high concentrations in ground and surface water sources in Minnesota, not only posing a risk to local wildlife but possibly also contaminating drinking water for many of the state’s residents.

In a new study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, Arnold and colleagues from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources collected water samples from 15 natural springs and 75 unique wells across 13 Minnesota counties between 2019 and 2022. Samples were included from both urban and rural areas as well as water sources at various depths.

What they found was that water in natural springs were particularly susceptible to contamination with these insecticides.

Over 450,000 tons of pesticides are used in the U.S. every year, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Not only can these chemicals seep into surrounding ecosystems and affect plants and animals, but they may also harm human health.

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Photo of a worker measuring out pesticide chemicals with an inset of a glass of spring water. Spring water samples showed particularly high levels of insecticide contamination when tested.

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The health impacts of these chemicals depend on the types of pesticide used, but several common agricultural chemicals have been associated with developmental and hormonal disruptions, as well as neurotoxic effects. Other studies have suggested that exposure to these chemicals may be as bad as smoking when it comes to increasing our risk of certain types of cancers. However, it is unclear how much exposure is required to see these effects.

Insecticides are a class of pesticide that target insects in both agriculture and urban pest control. Due to their widespread nature, these chemicals not only end up as residues on our food, but can also get swept away into surrounding lakes, rivers, and groundwater systems.

“We use so many of these chemicals in Minnesota. Basically, every corn and soybean seed is treated before planting,” Bill Arnold, a professor in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, said in a statement. “Many of these chemicals can be purchased at a local hardware store that can be used for spraying fruit trees, flea and tick control for your pets, and eliminating bedbugs.”

“We were surprised by the high levels of the chemical detected in the natural springs and in some cases the chemicals were observed at much deeper levels in wells than we expected going into this project,” Arnold said.

“Oftentimes people think a natural spring has water that is safe to drink. That’s not necessarily true, it depends on how deep that water is sourced.”

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In light of these findings, the research team is working with county and state agencies to include insecticides in water treatment monitoring lists and to improve the treatment of stormwater in urban environments to facilitate the removal of the chemical pollutants.

Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

References

Gerken, J., Vincent, G. T., Zapata, D., Barron, I. G., & Zapata, I. (2024). Comprehensive assessment of pesticide use patterns and increased cancer risk. Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcacs.2024.1368086

Goedjen, G. J., Capel, P. D., Barry, J. D., & Arnold, W. A. (2024). Occurrence and distribution of neonicotinoids and fiproles within groundwater in Minnesota: Effects of lithology, land use and geography. The Science of the Total Environment, 176411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176411

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Utah Mammoth take down Minnesota 5-2 to end the Wild’s winning streak at 6

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Utah Mammoth take down Minnesota 5-2 to end the Wild’s winning streak at 6



The Wild were taken down by the Utah Mammoth 5-2 on Friday night to end Minnesota’s winning streak at six games. 

Lawson Crouse scored twice and U.S. Olympian Clayton Keller had a goal and two assists for Utah.

Logan Cooley and Barrett Hayton also scored and Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves to help the Mammoth rebound from a 4-2 home loss to NHL-leading Colorado on Wednesday night in their return from the Olympic break. Utah began the night in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

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U.S. Olympian Matt Boldy scored and assisted on Kirill Kaprizov’s goal for Minnesota. Second behind Central Division-rival Colorado in the West, the Wild are 9-2-1 in their last 12. They beat the Avalanche 5-2 on Thursday night in Denver.

Cooley opened the scoring with a short-handed goal with 6:37 left in the first period. The former University of Minnesota star got the puck on the right side off a deflection and put a shot between Wallstedt’s legs for his 15th goal.

Keller scored his 18th at 4:26 of the second. Nick Schmaltz forced a turnover on a forecheck and fed Keller on the right side.

Crouse made it 3-0 at 7:49 of the second. He came down the middle, took a pass from Keller and beat Wallstedt with a backhander.

Kaprizov countered for Minnesota on a power play with 5:57 left in the second. He has 33 goals this season.

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Hayton made it 4-1 on a power play at 1:19 of the third, and Crouse added his 16th of the season on a tip with 7:12 to go.

Boldy got his 35th of the season with 5:57 remaining.

Up next

Wild: Host St. Louis on Sunday.

Mammoth: Host Chicago on Sunday.

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Shorthanded Clippers can’t keep pace with Anthony Edwards and Minnesota

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Shorthanded Clippers can’t keep pace with Anthony Edwards and Minnesota


Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, Donte DiVincenzo added 18 and the surging Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Clippers 94-88 on Thursday night.

Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 12 points and Rudy Gobert had 13 rebounds to help the Timberwolves improve to 5-1 since Feb. 9 and 3-1 since the All-Star break.

Edwards, returning to the site of the All-Star Game, where he was the MVP, was 12 for 24 from the floor and sealed the victory with a step-back three-pointer over two defenders for a 92-88 lead with 42.9 seconds left.

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Minnesota improved to 2-0 on a three-game trip.

Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 14 for the Clippers, who struggled from the outset with a season-low 38 points in the first half. Kris Dunn had 11 points for the Clippers (27-31), who have lost three consecutive games for the first time since December.

The Clippers struggled on offense without star Kawhi Leonard, out because of ankle soreness. The Clippers shot 40.5% from the floor, including 18.2% (four for 22) in the second quarter. Minnesota shot 43.4% in the game.

The Timberwolves (37-23) scored just 15 points in the second quarter and still topped the Clippers, who had 11. Minnesota led 44-38 at halftime behind 12 points from DiVincenzo and 11 from Edwards.

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The Clippers led by six in the third quarter and were up 68-63 heading into the fourth. Edwards’ drive and reverse layup put the Timberwolves up for good at 76-74 with 7:40 remaining.

The Clippers pulled within one three times in the last 2½ minutes, but Edwards answered each time. He scored the Timberwolves’ last nine points.

Up next for Clippers: vs. New Orleans on Sunday night.

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Church congregant filed lawsuit against alleged Minnesota church protesters

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Church congregant filed lawsuit against alleged Minnesota church protesters


A St. Paul church member has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a group of individuals, including journalist Don Lemon and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, unlawfully disrupted service last month as part of a coordinated political demonstration.

The complaint, filed by Ann Doucette in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota, alleges that a Jan. 18 demonstration at Cities Church interfered with her ability to worship and caused her to suffer damages, including emotional distress and trauma.

In addition to the former CNN anchor and Armstrong, the complaint names journalist Georgia Fort and activists Will Kelly, Jerome Richardson, Trahern Crews and Jamael Lundy. It also names St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Allen.

Doucette and seven of the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Doucette filed the complaint without the representation of an attorney. In an emailed statement to NBC News, Crews denied the lawsuit’s allegations “with empathy and compassion.”

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The lawsuit accuses the group of civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting, intentional infliction of emotional distress, interference with religious exercise and trespassing.

“As a result of Defendants’ actions, the worship service was disrupted, congregants experienced fear and distress, and Plaintiff’s ability to freely exercise her religion in a private place of worship was unlawfully interfered with,” the lawsuit states.

All eight defendants are also facing federal charges for conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom at a place of worship and for interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom. Lemon has pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying outside the court, “I wanted to say this isn’t just about me, this is about all journalists, especially in the United States.”

Fort, Crews and Lundy were released on bond and entered not guilty pleas, according to The Associated Press.

Don Lemon reporting from an anti-ICE demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn.@TheDonLemonShow via YouTube

This is the latest legal action tied to protests in the Twin Cities, where tensions remain over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

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According to the lawsuit, the demonstrators engaged in “coordinated conduct” by organizing meetings ahead of the “Operation Pullup” protest and promoting it on social media.

The lawsuit alleges that on the morning of Jan. 18, a coordinated group of individuals entered Cities Church, halting the worship service, and chanting “‘ICE Out!’ and ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!’” while obstructing aisles. Protesters could allegedly be seen “confronting the pastor and congregants in a menacing manner,” the lawsuit says, noting that their chanting and “aggressive gestures” caused “severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma” and caused children “terror.”

Demonstrators gathered at the church because they said its pastor, David Easterwood, was the acting director of an ICE field office in the city, the lawsuit says.

Lemon was arrested in January in California and accused of violating federal civil rights law after covering the protest on Jan. 18. He was released on a personal recognizance bond before a federal grand jury in Minnesota returned the indictment against Lemon and eight co-defendants, all of whom are also named in Doucette’s lawsuit.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, Cities Church protest arraignment, St. Paul, Minn., February 2026
Nekima Levy Armstrong in St. Paul, Minn., on Feb. 13.Carlos Gonzalez / Star Tribune via Getty Images

In the lawsuit, Doucette alleges that Lemon specifically livestreamed the protest, “noting congregants’ fear and distress, and appeared to take satisfaction in the disruption.”

Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney and activist, was also arrested for her participation in the St. Paul protest. Her arrest drew national attention after the White House shared on social media doctored photos where she appeared to be crying.

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