When Minnesota was a new state, thousands of settlers arrived, many of them from Europe. But in recent decades, the state has attracted large numbers of Hmong and Somali refugees. There are also thousands of people from India, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Mexico and the People’s Republic of China living in Minnesota.
The state has become more racially diverse in the last 10 years, and demographers said that's especially true among children. About 83 percent of Minnesotans were white, non-Hispanic for the 2010 census, compared to 88 percent in 2000.
August 17, 2000 - The location of a proposed Hiawatha light rail station in Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside neighborhood has placed business owners at odds with residents, and public housing dwellers at odds with their neighbors. Originally the station would have been located some distance from Cedar Avenue, farther from businesses and bus connections. A new redesign places the station closer to pedestrians and commerce, but residents of a nearby public housing complex say the station would be right in their front yard. Wednesday's public hearing gave residents a chance to try and influence the final choice. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.
August 28, 2000 - When Minnesota's Reform Party broke away to become the Independence party last spring, self-employed software developer and political newcomer Jim Gibson seemed assured of being its lone candidate for U.S. Senate. But in the meantime a more competitive primary race materialized within the party. Environmental activist Leslie Davis has joined the fray, as has Buford Johnson, a former party official and military veteran. And while the candidates in the D-F-L have similar views on many of the issues, the Independence party candidates have run more idiosyncratic -- if low-profile -- campaigns. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil has this report.
August 28, 2000 - A new state law that takes effect next year will make Minnesota the first state to require welfare and health care case workers to report illegal immigrants to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Legislators who wrote the bill say the policy will discourage immigrants from entering Minnesota illegally and gaining access to state welfare services. Critics say the law targets all immigrants, including those in Minnesota legally. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports
August 30, 2000 -
September 1, 2000 - Minneapolis resident Jose Filonel Mendoza lost a 12-year legal battle with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which last week notified him that barring an act of Congress he's being deported to his native Philippines in September. The agency says Mendoza engaged in a sham marriage to evade immigration law in the early 1980's. Since that time, however, Mendoza has remarried, had two children, and -- he says -- been a model citizen. Members of his family's church in Plymouth held a prayer vigil Thursday, protesting his planned deportation. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.
September 6, 2000 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports on the opening of more than a dozen new charter schools in Minnesota, bringing the state's total to 64. This year's batch of schools includes some that are targeting specific racial and ethnic groups -- an approach that worries some education leaders.
September 7, 2000 - A new study says that undocumented immigrants play a critical role in Minnesota's economy. The study was sponsored by a Hispanic advocacy group and supported by the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs. Researchers estimate that undocumented workers contribute 3.8 billion dollars to the state's economy each year. Jim Kielkopf is an economist and the author of the study. He says his numbers are based on interviews with insiders in several key industries.
September 8, 2000 - Saint Paul will throw a party tomorrow (Sat) for its newest park, which is also one of its oldest parks. A fourteen million dollar face lift of Harriet Island Regional Park has revived a century old gathering place on the Mississippi River. The park renovation - combined with this summer's news that new housing and jobs are coming to the river flats - is creating a new momentum for Saint Paul's West Side. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
October 6, 2000 - A Minneapolis apartment building which has been a magnet for criminal activity is undergoing a facelift. 1818 Park Avenue South has new owners and many new tenants. And, with the help of the city's Weed and Seed program, neighborhood residents are hopeful that the building will no longer be a trouble spot. MPR's Brandt Williams reports.
October 12, 2000 - The banking practice called "microlending" started nearly 30 years ago in Bangladesh as a way to help the poorest people in developing countries find their way out of poverty. Now some Minnesotans are focusing on microlending and how it can help women in the state's minority communities.