October 31, 2017 - MPR’s Dan Kraker looks into the ongoing battle to control sea lamprey in the Great Lakes. It was one of the earliest aquatic nonnative species to invade the U.S., long before zebra mussels and Asian carp garnered headlines. Its also been one of the most destructive, wiping out lake trout populations.
December 4, 2017 - On All Things Considered, Steven John interviews Sophia Vuelo, a lawyer of Hmong descent, on becoming a Minnesota judge. Vuelo discusses the need for diversity in the court system.
April 11, 2018 - As part of Water Month at MPR, Chu Xiong of St. Paul shares his love for fishing and how it connects to Hmong culture. Xiong also expresses the importance of respecting nature as resource.
August 14, 2018 - MPR’s Dan Kraker reports on unprecedented algae bloom along the South Shore of Lake Superior. Researchers are trying to figure out the cause. They suspect the bloom may be related to recent historic heavy rains and flooding that washed tons of sediment into the lake. Researchers expect to see more periodic algae blooms in Lake Superior, in part because of that increased water temperature, an effect of climate change.
September 14, 2018 - In the stage adaption of Mary Shelley’s classic story, the monster and his creator wrestle with timeless questions at the Gutherie Theater.
November 2, 2018 - On the 20th anniversary of his surprise win in the Minnesota governor’s race in 1998, former Governor Jesse Ventura sits down with MPR’s Tom Crann to reflect on his time in office. Ventura discusses his legacy, accomplishments, frustrations, and mistakes in the political arena.
December 24, 2018 - MPR Host Angela Davis talks with Minnesota chef Yia Vang about food traditions. Vang describes his "Hmong Hot Dish."
March 6, 2019 - On this episode of Appetites, MPR’s Tom Crann talks with chef Yia Vang about Hmong food and his latest project in a residency at Sociable Cider Werks in northeast Minneapolis. Historically, Hmong people as an indigenous group moved around Southeast Asia to find quality farmlands. Vang says that aspect of the culture and history of the Hmong people is why the food can't be tied to a specific product, technique or style.
March 8, 2019 - MPR’s Dan Kraker visits an area about a quarter-mile offshore from Duluth's Leif Erikson Park, where a hearty band of volunteers have carved a skating rink unlike any other on the frozen surface of Lake Superior. It is an increasing rarity, as warmer winters over the past few decades have resulted in substantially less ice cover.
August 16, 2019 - In the early 2000s, Hmong Americans from Minneapolis and St. Paul flocked to Walnut Grove in southwestern Minnesota. The city is best known for its hero, Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote about life in the town. The Hmong immigrants were drawn to farmland, jobs at local factories, and the slower pace of life. That influx of newcomers helped keep Walnut Grove’s main drag alive. But a generation in, the Hmong Americans who came to the region are facing a challenge familiar to other rural Americans…How do you give young people a reason to stay?