Photos of the year: The Star Tribune's best from 2022

A warm summer evening brought storm clouds over the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and a rain delay for the Twins at nearby Target Field.

Alex Kormann, Star Tribune

Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown went airborne over the Vikings' Patrick Peterson in the first quarter of their Sept. 25 matchup at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. St. Brown was trying to set the NFL mark with his ninth game in a row with at least eight receptions, but he turned an ankle in the first half and was "limited" to six catches for 73 yards. The Vikings went on to win 28-24.

Jerry Holt, Star Tribune

Donzell Dixson adjusted the bow on his daughter, Lexington, 2, as they tentatively made their way onto the dance floor during the 9th Annual Father Daughter Dance at the Earle Brown Community Center in Brooklyn Center. After skipping last year due to the pandemic, more than 500 people attended the 9th Annual Father Daughter Dance, a community-sponsored, formal, elegant and fun-filled evening for girls ages 5 years and over and the special men in their lives. It focuses on the importance of fathers and their daughters having strong and healthy relationships.

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

After two years of broadcasting the State of the State address remotely, Gov. Tim Walz returned to the Capitol to hold April's speech in the Minnesota House chamber. In his fourth such address, Walz made a plea for unity before Democratic and Republican legislators: "We need to come up with solutions, and then we need to get results for the people of Minnesota."

Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune

Chilly late September overnight temperatures produced frost over much of Minnesota and left a foggy scene along Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, making for a calm but striking runway for a blue heron taking flight. It was the first time this fall that the temperatures flirted with freezing, with a low of 37. It wouldn't be long before the herons — and the temperatures — headed south.

David Joles, Star Tribune

Principal Salma Hussein began her first day at Gideon Pond Elementary School in Burnsville by greeting pupils and their parents — in English and Somali. She recalled how much it would have meant to her to see someone who shares her background leading one of her schools. "I want, for these little ones, to have that much sooner," said Hussein.

Elizabeth Flores, Star Tribune

Hundreds gathered to honor Deshaun Hill Jr., the teen shot in north Minneapolis in February. The funeral procession made a stop at North Community High School, where his casket was moved to a horse-drawn carriage for the journey to Crystal Lake Cemetery. Said his uncle, Anton Walker: "He was more than just a football player. ... He was like a son to me. He was a star in our family, too. He's a star in our hearts."

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

Tensions might have been high before the Section 2 Class 4A championship game, but the Chanhassen Storm took it in stride before facing Shakopee at Miller Park in Eden Prairie. The Storm went on to outlast the Sabres 11-10 in dramatic fashion, rallying twice from large deficits in the game's final three innings. The team went on to the state tournament, where they lost in the first two rounds.

Reneé Jones Schneider, Star Tribune

Larissa LeTourneau performs with Northern Fire Dynamic at Powderhorn Park.

Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Animikii Skjefte, a sixth grade student at Justice Page Middle School, drew a crosshair on his forehead during a student walkout and march to protest gun violence outside U.S. Bank Stadium.

Alex Kormann, Star Tribune

Riders walk to to the starting gate under a rainbow during opening night at Canterbury Park.

Reneé Jones Schneider, Star Tribune

It might not be into home plate, but former Twins standout Joe Mauer enjoyed a different kind of sliding with son Chip on opening day of the Minnesota State Fair. After two years in the shadows of COVID-19, the Great Minnesota Get-Together was back, with the traffic snarls to prove it. Although it wasn't quite the record-setting pace of 2019, this year's 12-day event drew more than 1.8 million visitors.

Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Troy Chang, 9, watches cartoons from his hospital bed after recovering from COVID-19 and being extubated two days earlier, as his mom Linda cleans him up at HCMC.

Reneé Jones Schneider, Star Tribune

William Cedergren, 4, pushes Nate Redig, 4, and Ayla Woods, 3, on a tire swing before the start if the school day at Ruby Ranch in Pemberton, Minn. Ashley Rehder, the owner of Ruby Ranch, was a teacher in the Mankato Public School System before growing disillusioned with the direction of schooling. Rehder does not believe that children should adhere to an unchanging strict schedule. She also thinks that constant use of technology screens is not beneficial and that children should learn and spend most of their time outdoors. With these principles in mind, Redher quit her job and opened a preschool on her farm, starting in the 2021-22 school year.

Alex Kormann, Star Tribune

John Bergman awaited his turn during the championship game of the North Star Croquet Association's Egnash Cup Croquet Tournament at Summit Overlook Park in St. Paul.

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

USA Olympian Suni Lee smiles as she gives a hug to Mary Romoser, her grade school science teacher, during a back-to-school donation event with Amazon to donate $50,000 in school supplies for STEM programs to her alma mater, Battle Creek Elementary School. Lee took time to visit with and sign autographs for students and her former teachers at the school.

Anthony Soufflé, Star Tribune

Ray Muse covers his face with his hands as tears flowed from his eyes. Muse prayed at a shrine for his daughter Debra Ann, who died just before her 16th birthday in a horrific car crash following a carjacking and high-speed chase with police .

Jerry Holt, Star Tribune

A boardwalk stretches through the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary, more than 500 acres of wetland and upland. The community has been working for decades to create and restore the protected open space to its natural state. Part of the Anoka Sand Plain, the native wetland has become a regional attraction and an environmental classroom with more than 300 native species making the area their home.

Brian Peterson, Star Tribune

LaTonya Black practiced restorative yoga with granddaughter Inara Gold Black and members of Mothers Against Community Gun Violence, which LaTonya started after her daughter, Nia Black, was killed two years ago. The practice teaches how self-care can help process grief and recharge emotional batteries.

Jerry Holt, Star Tribune

Eebbers, a bomb-sniffing dog with the Transportation Security Administration at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for 10 years — and the TSA's Cutest Canine — retired this summer, along with his handler, Jean Carney. "I want him to enjoy his last few years just being a dog," she said. The vizsla-Labrador mix was off to a good start as his "Do Not Pet" harness was removed.

Richard Tsong-Taatarii, Star Tribune

Tory Hart and fiancee Josie Josephson hold the urn containing the remains of slain 6-year old Eli Hart before releasing balloons during a celebration of life for Hart at the Randolph High School football field. Hart's mother, Julissa Thaler, is charged with second-degree murder in his shooting death.

Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune

More than 45,000 people came together to celebrate Eid at the Super Eid even at US Bank Stadium. A fourth prayer was added to the event due to the number of attendees.

Shari Gross, Star Tribune

Tim Torgerson, Bob Timmons and Dan Winga climb a hill past Forestville Cemetery in southeast Minnesota.

Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune

Legendary local pianist Cornbread Harris plays his weekly jazz gig at Palmer's Bar in Minneapolis.

Richard Tsong-Taatarii, Star Tribune

A special Star Tribune report examined how Minnesota is forging a path for humans and wolves to coexist. Stebbins, a gray wolf at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, walked through a patch of light this spring.

Anthony Soufflé, Star Tribune

With an eye toward diversity, the St. Paul Police Academy graduated 55 recruits earlier this year — about half from underrepresented communities. Among them, the St. Paul Police Department says 20 are bilingual and two speak three languages. Newly minted officers Feven Berhane, Kristina Ijomah and Liza Rakoczy prepare to take a photo after the ceremony, a culmination of four months of training.

Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune

A win is so much sweeter when celebrated with friends. The Hill-Murray boys' hockey team rushed the boards by the student section after their 5-0 win over rival White Bear Lake in the Class 2A Section 4 Championship at Aldrich Ice Arena in Maplewood. That earned the Pioneers a trip to the state tournament — their 32nd — where they finished third, ending their season with a 25-5-1 record.

Alex Kormann, Star Tribune

The morning sun penetrates heavy fog as golfers play an early round at Hiawatha Golf Club.

David Joles, Star Tribune

Medical student Chris Tadros adjusts his hair after Dr. Sheilagh Maguiness gave him his white coat during the University of Minnesota Medical School's annual White Coat Ceremony for the class of 2026 at the Northrop Memorial Auditorium on the University campus in Minneapolis. The Class of 2026 on the Twin Cities Campus includes 167 students, with half of them Black, Indigenous and people of color.

Anthony Soufflé, Star Tribune

Over nearly two decades, Osmo Vänskä has taken the Minnesota Orchestra to the world's most fabled concert halls, with stops in Cuba, South Africa and even the Grammy Awards along the way. "Now it's time for someone else," he said as he prepared to step down following three sold-out concerts in June. "This orchestra is not like a boat going where the winds are blowing. They know where they are going."

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

Tiffany Farrier, owner of the state's first halal-certified farm Kandi Acres, returns one of her escaped goats back to a pen.

Anthony Soufflé, Star Tribune

Curator John Odell handed Tony Oliva's plaque to Liam Delaney, left, for installation in the hall with the other inductees at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

Governor Tim Walz and Skeeter Burroughs marching band instructor, clapped along as the University of Minnesota marching band played the Minnesota Rouser at the conclusion of a memorial service for former Vice President Walter Mondale at Northrop Auditorium on Sunday, May 1, 2022 in Minneapolis. ] GLEN STUBBE • glen.stubbe@startribune.com

Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune

A dozen Star Tribune journalists fanned out across Minneapolis to document a late summer night, finding a vibrant and resilient city. Among their stops: Boom Island Park, where Naema Ali and her cousins posed for a selfie after a family picnic.

Mark Vancleave, Star Tribune

A Polish cockerel shown by Michelle Ulvin of Stacy stands for a portrait Monday, Aug. 29, 2022 in the Poultry Barn at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, Minn. ] ANTHONY SOUFFLE • anthony.souffle@startribune.com

Anthony Soufflé, Star Tribune

Photos of the year: The Star Tribune's best from 2022

Photo & Video Staff