iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I expect most of the popular beaches to be picked-over this time of year on the North Shore of Lake Superior. But if you wade out 5-6 feet from shore you might see one of these guys staring up at you.

A person holds a red and white banded rock between their thumb and forefinger. It is a smooth, water-washed Lake Superior agate, the Minnesota state gemstone.

A person holds a smaller rock, this one with fainter banding. A slight purple tinge is visible beneath the surface.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

View of the severe-warned storm passing north of downtown Minneapolis about 10 minutes ago. Taken from the 24th St. pedestrian bridge over 35W. #mnwx

Dark storm clouds fly above the Minneapolis skyline. The interstate fills the bottom third of the frame.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Several edited photos from my storm chase in southern MN on Monday: 1. The Amboy tornado fully condensed 2. The same storm ~30 min later 3. Wide view showing the entire supercell base 4. Photographer Tim Evans capturing the storm before the tornado #mnwx

A dramatic storm cloud, backlit by the sunset

A wide view of a thunderstorm producing a skinny tornado in the center

A man crouches down in a field as he photographs a dramatic thunderstorm

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Video of the tornado we captured near Amboy, Minn., yesterday evening. Touchdown occurred just before 6:30 and it was on the ground for a little over 10 minutes before lifting. #mnwx

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Reposted by Ben Hovland

Jon Collins @jcollins.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

My @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...

mprnews.org

‘Tinted windows and out-of-state plates’: How ICE watchers look for agents in their neighborhoods

Across the Twin Cities, ICE agents and activists are playing a high stakes cat-and-mouse game. The goal is to make their job as difficult as possible and protect their immigrant neighbors.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Nice night for a skate in Minneapolis

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

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!

A silhouette of a person skating on a frozen lake. The sky is lit in a brilliant pink and purple sunset.

A wide shot of a frozen lake. Tiny figures are skating on it behind a row of upturned boats stored for the winter season.

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Reposted by Ben Hovland

Jon Collins @jcollins.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

FYI: 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.

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Reposted by Ben Hovland

Peter Wagenius @peterwagenius.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Witch’s Hat in Tower Hill Park

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

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

Silhouettes of people holding up their phones to photograph the aurora, which is shimmering in the sky above in green and reds.

The green and red corona of the aurora is seen in the sky above the outline of trees.

The green and red corona of the aurora is seen in the sky above a tennis court

The aurora glimmers above a school building and playground

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Reposted by Ben Hovland

Andrew Krueger @akpix.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Northern lights are out! The view just after 7p this evening at Eagle Lake near Norwood Young America, west of the Twin Cities

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

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

A large full moon, partially shrouded in clouds, rises above an orange neon sign atop a building. The sign reads “GOLD MEDAL FLOUR.”

A large full moon, partially shrouded in clouds, rises next to an orange neon sign atop a building. The sign reads “GOLD MEDAL FLOUR.”

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Birds and a bike in northeast Minneapolis.

A single heron flies toward a tree full of bird’s nests.

A great blue heron flies with a twig held in its beak. Its legs stretch out gracefully behind its body.

A heron stands in a nest while another passes it a twig with its beak.

A pink and white bicycle with drop handlebars next to a river, the Minneapolis skyline visible behind it. It is outfitted with white bar tape and saddle in the style of a 1990s Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Weekly bike post, Crosby Regional Park edition.

A person rides a fat tire bicycle along a snowy path through trees next to the Mississippi River. The sun, low on the horizon, casts long shadows on the ground.

A man balances while sitting on his bike, arm resting for stability on the handrail of a wooden bridge.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

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.

Hundreds of people run across a snowy field. They are wearing helmets, some ski goggles, and the downtown Minneapolis skyline is framed behind them.

A person riding a brakeless fixed gear bicycle performs a skid stop in the snow. Their spokes, rims, frame and drivetrain are covered in icy snow.

Three people smile as they sled down a hill at a checkpoint.

A person dismounts their bicycle at the finish of the Stupor Bowl.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Ice skate sunset patrol on Lake of the Isles with my pal Raven. #mnwx

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

OK I’ll bite. If you feel like it, quote this with a pic of a BRIDGE.

The 110-year-old Thebes, Ill. railroad bridge spanning the Mississippi River is framed below a composite image of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The photoshopped picture shows 20 separate phases of the eclipse, taken at 8 minute intervals, with the central phase depicting the sun’s corona during totality.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Sorry cyclists, this is an ice skating account now

A person pushes their friend on a yellow plastic dolphin ice skating trainer.

Ben takes a selfie of himself being pushed by his friend Erin who is learning to ice skate.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

Nordic ice skating on Lake Harriet kinda rips #mnwx

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

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.

A giant heron puppet leads dozens of people through a snowy park.

People hold lanterns and puppets as they sing together.

The facade of the historic Avalon Theatre in Minneapolis. People hold lanterns as they stand outside.

A wide angle view of a large group gathered in a park. They hold dozens of lanterns and large puppets.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

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 person pilots a snow plow on a sidewalk in front of a 33-foot tall silver loon statue.

A brown tabby cat sits on a front porch, snow falls in front of them. Above, a Minnesota state flag hangs from the awning.

Two orange snow plows drive down I-94, a wake of snow flowing off their curved plows.

Kids run through thick falling snow to catch a school bus, its lights flashing red.

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Reposted by Ben Hovland

Anika Besst @anikabesst.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

I 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.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

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.

A white turkey trots along the front steps of the Minnesota State Capitol. Two human men follow him.

A majestic turkey stands on the State Capitol's steps, white feathers slightly ruffled. We look up at him from an ant's eye view, the turkey's head framed against a partly cloudy sky.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

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.

Theo Casio shows off a handmade bolo tie by queer Métis beadworker Hunter Werner during a vigil honoring Transgender Day of Remembrance at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

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...

White cranes with black wing tips and red crested heads fly above a distant treeline, where a bald eagle is perched on a lone branch.

A person, slightly blurry, looks through a pair of binoculars and holds a clipboard. Waves of migrating cranes, their silhouettes barely visible, fly in the distance.

A close-up of gloved hands holding a clipboard as a person uses a purple mechanical pencil to write numbers on a sheet of paper.

Sandhill cranes stand in a backwater, a small group in the foreground and dozens more in the background. The pre-dawn sky glows pink above the trees.

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

My white whale. The full Beaver Moon rises above the Witch’s Hat in Minneapolis on Friday.

A large full moon is framed behind a conical water tower

A large full moon is framed above a conical water tower

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

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...

A person with dark hair and a thick sweater turns their head slightly to look at the camera, their shadow reflected on a white pillar behind them.

A person with long dark hair and glasses stands with their arms folded, looking into the camera. They stand in the hallway of a government courthouse building.

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Reposted by Ben Hovland

em cassel @biketrouble.bsky.social · 08/11/2024

by 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/DdAVgKi

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Ben Hovland @benjovland.bsky.social · 09/11/2024

Hi folks. Nice to see some familiar faces and some new ones. I’m not very active here, but maybe that will change? For those who don’t know, I’m a photojournalist at MPR News. How can I best serve you as a photographer? For now, here are a couple film photos I took this week:

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