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.
November 9, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports on a southern Minnesota landmark that has returned to its lofty pedestal in New Ulm. A crane lifted Hermann the German, all 32-feet of him, into place. The copper statue was taken down about a year and a half ago to repair more than one hundred years of wear.
November 9, 2004 - A Minnesota Citizens League report on higher education released today says the state is ill-prepared to handle the changing and expanding demographics of low income, immigrant and minority students. The report urges state leaders to make short and long term reforms to ensure Minnesota maintains its high quality of life by investing in a highly educated workforce.
November 15, 2004 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports that St. Paul School District officials say 600 Hmong refugee students have enrolled since the beginning of the school year, and hundreds more could still arrive in the coming weeks.
November 16, 2004 - Amid the campaign flurry leading up to the election, al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden emerged on a videotape warning that Muslims around the world won't stand for a continuation of American policy in the Middle East. Commentator Ahmad Tharwat suggests that American Muslims should look to a different leader for their inspiration.
November 25, 2004 - Census numbers show the number of immigrants to Minnesota has declined since September 11th, 2001. However a very small component, the number of people seeking political asylum, has rebounded. People who win political asylum in the United States are seeking sanctuary from violent regimes in their homeland. The asylum granted a man now living in Minnesota saved his life. Now he's waiting for word that his wife and son can join him. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.
November 30, 2004 - The Hennepin County Attorney's office has charged five men with second degree murder for the recent homicide of a young Somali woman in Minneapolis. They say the men, who are all Somalis, shot the woman over an illegal drug, a mild stimulant called khat. Some Somalis say the chewing of khat leaves is widespread and socially acceptable within their culture. However, law enforcement officials say khat, like other illicit drugs, opens the door for violence and other crime. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports:
November 30, 2004 - Mexico plans to open up a consulate in St. Paul sometime early next year. City, state and Mexican officials made the announcement today.
December 9, 2004 - A commissioner from the Federal Communications Commission is in the Twin Cities today
December 10, 2004 - MPR’s David Molpus interviews Cheryl Thomas, who runs Women's Human Rights Program at the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. Thomas discusses the domestic violence facing women in immigrant communities here in Minnesota.
December 10, 2004 - Recent elections have hinted at it, and now a new study backs up the notion that Minnesota's legendary progressive politics have changed. The report by the "Minnesota Community Project" found that many Minnesotans are deeply skeptical about state government and think the state wastes their hard-earned tax dollars on programs that don't benefit them personally. Instead, they want government to get back to the basics like roads and education. These views are strongest in the state's fastest growing counties - the so-called exurbs that make up the outermost ring of the Twin Cities suburbs. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports.