A journal exploring the history and culture of Minnesota communities. Inform these stories: mprnews.org/nsj
Latest episodes
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52 min
Is college getting more affordable?
Most Americans believe college is too expensive. In a Gallup poll released this summer, only 12 percent of U.S. adults say four-year colleges and universities provide an affordable…
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1 h 01
'We stay the course.' Minnesota historians react to the push to patriotize history
Last March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”It mandated a shift in how American history is portrayed in fed…
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1 h 02
'For such a time as this': Faith leaders reflect on the federal immigration surge
When federal agents surged into Minnesota in January, communities didn’t just face a legal issue. They faced a moral one. Faith leaders showed up. Churches became distribution hubs…
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58 min
Mistaken: Minnesota’s Korean adoptees grapple with confessed systemic corruption
Earlier this year, South Korea’s government admitted that widespread corruption had tainted hundreds of thousands of adoptions from its country. Babies who were thought to be orpha…
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4 min
From Budweiser to kimchi, a new book tells the stories behind immigrant and community recipes
While holding a can of Budweiser and tending to chicken thighs on a backyard grill, Natalia Mendez talks about their grandfather.“This is like a smell of my childhood,” Mendez says…
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1 h 17
North Star Journey Live: Is college still worth it?
Traditionally, a college degree has been seen as a ticket to a secure future.But not today. Thanks to soaring tuition costs and weighty student loans, many people are questioning t…
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49 min
Meet the poet laureate of Minneapolis: Junauda Petrus
MPR News host Angela Davis talks about the power of poetry with Junauda Petrus, the poet laureate for the city of Minneapolis. Junauda says poetry is “soul medicine” that can unite…
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47 min
How yoga and mindfulness can reduce the stress in your life
MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a Twin Cities rapper and mindfulness instructor who says yoga saved his life.
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4 min
Cartoons, culture and care: Latino artist creates bilingual mental health universe
Artist Rocky Casillas Aguirre has created a mental health universe populated by a ragtag cast of characters.Twitch is the protagonist. He’s bright orange, with big cartoon eyes and…
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47 min
Building community through boxing: Inside Element Gym with Dalton Outlaw
Across Minnesota, there are people working every day to strengthen their communities. Sometimes it starts with a small business. Sometimes, with a personal passion — and sometimes,…
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4 min
A traditional gift: Mother and daughter share a bond through crafting star quilts
82-year-old Ruby Leith Minkel and her daughter Carrie Minkel-Johnson live in the Lower Sioux Indian Community in southwest Minnesota. Together, they make star quilts as gifts for p…
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46 min
Power Pair: Sportscaster Lea B. Olsen and filmmaker Daniel Bergin
MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a brother and sister who are both award-winning storytellers. They talk about their work and how they support each other as part of our MPR Ne…
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47 min
St. Paul's new superintendent on the challenges in public education
Like most school districts in Minnesota, St. Paul Public Schools is facing a complicated set of challenges. Enrollment is up a bit this year, but the small increase follows years o…
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1 h 09
Five years after George Floyd: The healing and rebuilding that still need to happen
It was Memorial Day weekend, five years ago, when George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Bystanders recorded the nine-plus minutes that Chauvin calmly…
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1 h 03
From inside, out: Rebuilding a life after incarceration
About 4,500 people are released from Minnesota prisons each year. Many of them have spent years, if not decades, behind bars, separated from friends, family and community.What happ…
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47 min
Former police chief reflects on five years after George Floyd's murder
George Floyd's murder in 2020 led to calls to end police violence and racism. Five years later, advocates say not enough has changed. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Medaria…
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47 min
Creating work community with Alex West Steinman
When the norms and expectations of the workplace aren’t working for you, what do you do? If you’re Alex West Steinman, you create your own workplace. In 2017, West Steinman left a…
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4 min
Minnesota baseball lovers make a pitch to honor bygone ballpark, 2 historic St. Paul teams
Sitting on a frontage road perched above the interstate, hemmed by roads and nondescript government buildings near the Capitol, 12th and Robert streets in St. Paul isn’t much to lo…
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47 min
Representing immigrants in a time of policy changes
The Trump administration has proposed new executive orders and policies that are changing the lives of millions of immigrants. Dozens of international students have had their visas…
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58 min
Going backwards? Health care equity in Minnesota, five years after COVID
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated disparities within Minnesota's health care system that have existed for decades. Black, brown and Native Minnesotans died at a higher rate from th…