Minneapolis

A new multimedia studio that offers kids a hands-on learning experience is opening in Minneapolis. Inside the Whittier Recreation Center is one of three Spark’d Studios locations, with the other two being at Powderhorn and Harrison Rec Centers. Students have the opportunity to explore different programs and equipment including a green screen wall, DJ controllers, editing softwares and more. The Minneapolis Parks and Rec Board says it also plans to add Spark’d Studios to Luxton Recreation Center, Phillips Community Center and Graco Park. Students interested in checking out Spark’d Studios can visit Monday through Friday at 3 p.m.

A cougar was spotted wandering around in Minneapolis this week. The City of Minneapolis issued an alert on Tuesday, saying the cougar was recently spotted near Kenwood Park. Officials say there's concern the large cat might be using the Cedar Lake trail system near the Lake of the Isles. Neighbors found tracks in the snow, a full day after the cougar was first spotted on home security footage. The DNR says it’s evidence that the cat remains in the area.

A cougar was hit and killed on Interstate 394 in Minneapolis on Wednesday. A video, shared on social media by Nathan Kmetz, shows a cougar near the median of westbound I-394 and an SUV with heavy damage to its front. The Minnesota State Patrol told FOX 9 that at about 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 6, troopers responded to a single-vehicle crash at I-394 and Theodore Wirth Parkway in Minneapolis. The driver, a 53-year-old man, hit the cougar, then swerved and hit the concrete barrier. He wasn't hurt. "The cougar was killed upon impact," the Minnesota State Patrol said. "The DNR has possession of the cougar and the investigation is ongoing." (This video is looped.)

For more than a decade, Hopewell Music Cooperative North has been making sure North Minneapolis residents have access to music education, but the organization is losing its home at the end of the month.

A cougar spotted in Minneapolis on Monday continues to show evidence that it is still in the city on Tuesday. FOX 9’s Courtney Godfrey has an update.

Home security cameras captured footage of a cougar prowling through the Lowry Hill neighborhood early Monday morning.

The Minneapolis City Council Policy and Government Oversight Committee voted 3-3 to deny works compensation claims from three Minneapolis police officers. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard reports.

The Minneapolis City Council Policy and Government Oversight Committee voted 3-3 to deny workers compensation claims from MPD officers Logan Johansson, Peter Brazeau, and Andrew Braun. On a 4-2 vote, they will forward all three to the full council without recommendation.