May 11, 2022 - MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reports on the tradition of spearing or netting fish on Minnesota lakes. Tribal members say the annual ritual of gathering fish through spearing or netting provides a vital food source for the community and preserves a cultural tradition. The spring harvest is an exercise of tribal treaty rights, and the result of a long-fought legal battle.
June 3, 2022 - MPR’s Dan Kraker reports on record water levels on Rainy Lake, where homes are flooding, docks are under 5 to 6 feet of water, and roads and campsites are closed along the Canadian border as residents continue to battle rising floodwaters.
June 17, 2022 - MPR’s Hannah Yang reports on Sharing Our Roots, a nonprofit group that creating a support system for beginning and newly emerging farmers and BIPOC farmers. It also teaches regenerative agriculture techniques while also addressing food insecurity within southern Minnesota.
June 21, 2022 - MPR’s Dan Kraker visits residents along Rainy Lake, as they battle extreme local flooding. Kraker talks with individuals about the monthslong emotional grind of battling the rising floodwaters.
June 22, 2022 - On this Appetites segment, a MPR’s Mecca Bos presents a story from the North Star Journey Project. Bos profiles Dream of Wild Health Farm in Hugo, Minnesota. It is one of the few Native-led farms in the Twin Cities, with a focus on the indigenous tradition of utilizing edible plants.
June 24, 2022 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann speaks with Jean Tretter, a founder of Twin Cities Pride; and Roxanne Anderson, founder of Power to the People, about the 50th anniversary of the Pride festival in the Twin Cities.
July 21, 2022 - Over decades, thousands of Native American children in Minnesota have been separated from relatives, adopted by white families, often growing up with no knowledge of their identity and culture. As part of our North Star Journey series, MPR’s Dan Gunderson shares the path one family is traveling to discover and understand a new identity.
August 11, 2022 - A milestone victory Tuesday night could send the first transgender person to Minnesota’s Legislature. MPR’s Brian Bakst interviews Leigh Finke, a video production company owner, who prevailed in her DFL primary for an open House seat in the St. Paul area. She’ll be the favorite heading into November’s election.
September 30, 2022 - MPR’s Tim Nelson profiles jazz pioneer Oscar Pettiford. Born 100 years ago and raised in Minnesota, Pettiford changed the sound of American music. He got his start on the stages of the Twin Cities, helping create a "Minneapolis sound" long before Prince. Pettiford’s innovations made him one of the most influential bass players of the bebop era. A century after his birth, that legacy endures.
November 17, 2022 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports that the lack of regulation of THC edibles in Minnesota is raising concerns. THC edibles surge in Minnesota, but safety rules are loose and regulators aren’t ready.