How do you decide which locally made product rises above the rest in a state known for products ranging from medical devices to all-terrain vehicles and even SPAM? You let the people decide.

The MRZR, a versatile military vehicle built by Polaris in Roseau, Minn., was crowned the winner of the 2025 “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” manufacturing competition on Oct. 7, 2025. (Courtesy of Minnesota Chamber of Commerce)

Votes have been tallied and Polaris’ MRZR was announced Tuesday as the winner of the second annual Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota contest, hosted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and BMO.

“It has been incredible to watch (the MRZR) advance week after week and seeing it named the winner is a proud moment for all of us,” said a spokesperson for Polaris in a statement. “Being recognized as the ‘Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota’ is not just about the MRZR. It is about the people who build it, the mission it serves, and the pride we have in Minnesota manufacturing.”

Announced at the 2025 Manufacturers’ Summit, the MRZR outlasted the competition over the course of five weeks of matchups, which started with 64 products and drew tens of thousands of votes from across the state.

“This contest captured the imagination of Minnesotans across the state, shining a spotlight on the pride we share in our manufacturers and the incredible things they build,” said Doug Loon, president and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, in a news release. “Polaris is a spectacular reflection of that strength and ingenuity.”

About the winner

Built on a dedicated military line in Roseau, the MRZR is a versatile military vehicle with blackout lighting, collapsible roll cages for helicopter transport and an Arctic kit that can withstand -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

First launched in 2012, MRZRs have been used in every U.S. military branch and more than 50 allied forces worldwide.

A military version of Polaris’ RZR, the driving force behind the MRZR came from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as it was designed for U.S. Special Forces to navigate Afghanistan’s rugged terrain.

“The MRZR’s origin … speaks to its purpose and impact, making it a natural fit for this recognition,” Polaris said. “That kind of origin story, combined with the innovation and purpose behind it, made the MRZR a natural choice.”

Competition to return

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If your favorite product didn’t win this year, don’t lose hope. The manufacturing competition will return next year to crown its third winner, the chamber announced.

“Manufacturing is one of the largest and most dynamic sectors of Minnesota’s economy – employing more than 300,000 people and driving innovation across every corner of the state,” said Jennifer Byers, vice president of Grassroots and Chamber Relations at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, in the release.

The diversity of Minnesota manufacturing is encapsulated in the competition’s first two winners: This year’s all-terrain military vehicle and last year’s Scotch Magic Tape from 3M Co.

Nominations for the third annual “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” competition are expected to open next summer.

A “Purple Rain” is going to fall another week.

Hennepin Arts announced Tuesday that producers have added a week of performances of the Prince jukebox musical, which opens in previews Oct. 16 and now runs through Nov. 23 at Minneapolis’ State Theatre. This will be the only extension for the musical, which makes its world premiere before heading to Broadway.

Tickets for the new dates are on sale now through Ticketmaster.

Newcomer musician/songwriter Kris Kollins will play the Kid, aka a semi-autobiographical version of Prince, while Rachel Webb was cast as his love interest, Apollonia.

Based on Prince’s landmark 1984 film, the musical features a story, music and lyrics by Prince; a book by two-time Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, based on the original screenplay by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn; choreography by Ebony Williams; and direction by Tony Award-nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz.

Tony Award winner Jason Michael Webb is the production’s music supervisor and will also provide musical arrangements and orchestrations for the production. Longtime Prince music collaborators Bobby Z and Morris Hayes will serve as music advisers.

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Hle Thao started at Indecomm Global Services as an account specialist in 2007 and went on to receive two promotions. But after sloughing off during work hours, he was fired in early 2023.

An Indecomm internal audit then uncovered that Thao had used a “dummy account” to embezzle at least $384,000 from the St. Paul company over several years, prosecutors say.

Hle Thao (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Thao, 41, of Maplewood, was charged last week in Ramsey County District Court with five counts of theft by swindle. He’s been released from jail on his own recognizance ahead of a Nov. 29 first appearance on the charges. An attorney is not listed in his court file.

New Jersey-based Indecomm Global Services provides technology and business services for the mortgage industry. At its office along Energy Park Drive, Thao was promoted to a lead accountant position in 2011 and assistant controller three years later.

He was fired in February 2023 for “excessive absenteeism, including for being unreachable” when he was supposed to be working online from home, the complaint says.

The audit showed Thao had created a bogus account — “Pitney Bowes Reserve” — within Indecomm’s software that manages and pays vendors.

The account didn’t raise red flags because Indecomm made “legitimate” payments to several Pitney Bowes accounts, the complaint says.

Thao directed Indecomm payments to his personal Wells Fargo bank account through the fake account, the complaint says.

“The audit further uncovered other transfers of Indecomm funds and payments to other accounts that Thao appears to have owned and/or controlled,” the complaint alleges.

An attorney for Indecomm spoke with Thao by phone and told him the audit showed he had misdirected hundreds of thousands of dollars to his accounts. When the attorney suggested the amount was about $650,000, Thao responded by saying it was “around” that figure, the complaint says.

Thao went on to say during the phone call that he began diverting funds at a time when Indecomm was “not providing him with enough resources or support,” the complaint reads. He added that he spent the funds and did not have money to repay his former employer.

The charges reflect $384,700 that Thao diverted into his Wells Fargo account between Oct. 1, 2020, and March 31, 2023. They do not include funds that Thao transferred into the bank account “through this embezzlement scheme” prior to October 2020, or to his other accounts, the complaint says.

Court records show that Thao was sued by Synchrony Bank in May for a $4,311 outstanding balance on a credit card he was issued on Jan. 26, 2023, just days before he was fired by Indecomm. A June judgement ordered Thao to repay the balance, as well as incurred interest and fees.

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By JIM VERTUNO, Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The trials for the two former school police officers facing charges over the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, will be delayed, and one will be moved out of the city where the attack occurred, their lawyers said Tuesday.

Former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo and officer Adrian Gonzales have pleaded not guilty to dozens of counts of child endangerment and abandonment in connection with the massacre at Robb Elementary School. Both men were set to stand trial on Oct. 20.

Gonzales’ trial will be moved to a January start in Corpus Christi, about 200 miles from the school, attorney Nico LaHood said Tuesday. Judge Sid Harle confirmed the agreement for a change of venue for Gonzales, but said no formal order had been filed yet.

Arredondo’s trial is also on hold because of a pending federal lawsuit by local prosecutors that seeks to compel testimony from Border Patrol agents who were on the scene that day. The lawsuit seeks federal court help because a state court cannot compel the agents to testify on matters that relate to their official duties.

Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment.

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Teenage gunman Salvador Ramos stormed into the school on May 24, 2022, killing 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. The attack is notorious also for the law enforcement response that saw more than 370 responding officers from several local, state and federal agencies wait more than an hour to confront and kill the gunman.

Multiple reports from state and federal officials have laid bare cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers.

Arredondo and Gonzales are the only responding officers to face charges from that day. Only Gonzales sought to move his trial out of Uvalde, a city of about 15,000 people. Although both men were originally scheduled for trial the same day, they have separate legal teams.

“We have reviewed all evidence provided to us, by the government, and we have not seen anything that supports the charges against Mr. Gonzales,” LaHood said.

Arredondo’s defense team wants to keep his trial in the city where the attack occurred.

“I think I’ve got a case that screams for a complete exoneration. I believe the people in Uvalde are going to be the most invested and determined to get to the bottom of the facts,” Arredondo’s attorney Paul Looney said.

Arredondo’s case has been held up by the federal lawsuit seeking testimony from the three U.S. Border Patrol agents, two of whom were part of the tactical team that killed Ramos.

That lawsuit claims the federal agents’ testimony could be vital to prosecuting Arredondo. His lawyers believe the testimony could be just as valuable in defending him. Arredondo, who has been identified as the on-scene incident commander that day, has long said he’s been scapegoated for law enforcement’s failures at the school.

The Border Patrol agents gave statements early in the state investigation into the shooting. In a court filing on Monday, the agency confirmed that it refused to allow the agents to testify before a grand jury or at trial.

Looney would not predict when Arredondo might go to trial.

“We don’t have any clue when we’ll be able to try that case. Border Patrol is trying to withhold critical witnesses,” Looney said.