Ben Hovland
Photos, bikes, news.
Visual journalist at @mprnews.org
- Reposted by Ben HovlandMy @mprnews.org colleague & I rode along with observers after the Twin Cities surge at the start of December, well before most national publications came to town. It was really necessary to get at what ICE is really doing on the ground & how people are opposing it. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
- Nice night for a skate in Minneapolis
- Hi it’s me, your cyclist-turned-ice-skater here to tell you wild ice conditions on Bde Maka Ska are phenomenal right now. Go skate it if you can!
- Reposted by Ben HovlandFYI: If you have news tips regarding ICE activity in the Twin Cities, especially if you have friends or relatives who have been detained, please contact me securely on Signal.
- Reposted by Ben HovlandWitch’s Hat in Tower Hill Park
- I’ve never seen overhead aurora in the middle of Minneapolis as bright as I saw tonight. Here are a few more photos with my nice camera (Canon R6, 16-35mm f2.8, 6400iso, 0.8”) slightly edited for contrast and clarity. The shimmering corona was absolutely stunning. #mnwx
- The dancing lights were even bright enough for video!
- Reposted by Ben HovlandNorthern lights are out! The view just after 7p this evening at Eagle Lake near Norwood Young America, west of the Twin Cities
- Back with some full moon photos for your viewing pleasure. The full Buck Moon rises next to the historic Gold Medal Flour sign in Minneapolis on Thursday. Taken at 400mm from the Hennepin Ave bridge. #mnwx
- Birds and a bike in northeast Minneapolis.
- Weekly bike post, Crosby Regional Park edition.
- OK bike nerds, ice skating season is over. Have some pics from Stupor Bowl last Saturday. By my count, it’s been seven years since the last truly snowy edition of the event.
- Ice skate sunset patrol on Lake of the Isles with my pal Raven. #mnwx
- Sorry bike bsky, this is still an ice skating account.
- OK I’ll bite. If you feel like it, quote this with a pic of a BRIDGE.
- Sorry cyclists, this is an ice skating account now
- Nordic ice skating on Lake Harriet kinda rips #mnwx
- Hundreds celebrated the winter solstice tonight with a lantern-lit parade through south Minneapolis with puppets from In the Heart of the Beast Theatre. After a snowy singalong around bonfires in the park, revelers returned to the theatre for hot soup and more musical performances.
- I managed to mash out a few words that went on @mprnews.org tonight, you can read them via the link below. Always a privilege to share photos of the artists and community members that make my corner of the city so special. www.mprnews.org/story/2024/1...
- Winter fans, rejoice — finally seeing plowable snow in the Twin Cities. A few weather features from my bike ride around town this morning for @mprnews.org: #mnwx
- A view of Marshall Avenue and the Mississippi River on my ride this morning. #mnwx #MSPcyclecast
- Reposted by Ben HovlandI am working on a story about the job hunt in Minnesota and the Midwest and what experiences people are having. Are you someone who has recently been laid off, looking for a new job or beginning the job search for the first time? DM me here.
- Tom isn't here for a long time, but he's here for a good time. The 22-week-old turkey got a tour of the Capitol's steps after appearing at a presser with Gov. Tim Walz & members of Minnesota's agriculture industry on Tuesday.
- Walz boasted that MN is the nation's leading turkey producer at the traditional Thanksgiving-week event. He & other officials weighed-in on questions about potential tariffs under the incoming Trump administration. Walz also said he had no regrets about his VP run with Kamala Harris.
- After Walz and other officials finished fielding questions, it was Tom's turn in the spotlight. The nearly 42-pound bird wasn't super talkative, though @mprnews.org's @claymasters.bsky.social tried his best.
- And finally, just to be clear, Tom the turkey did *not* receive a pardon yesterday. Minnesota, apparently, doesn't partake in that tradition. He's back in Hutchinson, Minn., with his owner Paisley VonBerge (center, first photo) to be processed for Thanksgiving dinner for her family. Godspeed, Tom.
- This week's coverage highlights include a trans pride-themed bolo tie worn by Theo Casio during a Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil at the MN Capitol. “To remember those people in this setting, it’s loud in ways that we need it to be because those lives should have never been lost," Casio said.
- Community members & state leaders held a moment of silence for 2 trans women, Liara Kaylee Tsai & Savannah Ryan Williams, killed within the year. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said the Walz administration will stand with the community as the federal government’s leadership changes.
- Kat Rohn, executive director of OutFront MN, said in the face of tragedies the state’s trans communities are persevering. "We are beautiful, we are tenacious, and we will not be erased," Rohn said.
- Hear more from Theo Casio and Kat Rohn in this video, edited by @mprnews.org video producer @anneguttridge.bsky.social: (Sorry for the outside link — thanks for your patience as we get our Bluesky workflow ironed out) www.instagram.com/mprnews/reel...
- Last week, I accompanied folks at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge who keep count of migrating sandhill cranes. If you've never heard the call of a sandhill crane, it's worth clicking through to Kirsti Marohn's story on MPR News just for the listen: www.mprnews.org/story/2024/1...
- My white whale. The full Beaver Moon rises above the Witch’s Hat in Minneapolis on Friday.
- This week's highlight was sharing the reflections of Nudieland mass shooting victims as one of the teen defendants took a plea deal in court. It's a heavy read, but well worth it if you have the time and headspace. www.mprnews.org/story/2024/1...
- Reposted by Ben Hovlandby popular demand (one person suggested this) here's a starter pack of MSP journalists and news outlets on bluesky. just yell at me if i missed you or your org! go.bsky.app/DdAVgKiat://did:plc:moianrmdee277ymwf456nxgk/app.bsky.graph.starterpack/3lahq7pmlbj2c
