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.
June 23, 2006 - U.S. Immigration officials spent nearly $200-thousand dollars last year on their failed attempt to fly Minnesotan Keyse Jama back to his native Somalia. Jama's case set a precedent when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Jama and other deportees could be sent to countries like Somalia that lack a functioning government. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
June 27, 2006 - For the first time in a decade, Congress is taking up a massive telecommunications bill. One of its provisions would make it easier for telephone companies to offer subscription television service to cable customers. Phone companies like Qwest and the big cable companies like Comcast and time Warner are all lobbying to make sure they retain as many advantages as possible in the final bill. But some small players are concerned they could suffer in the process. Community television stations say they've got much to lose if the bill becomes law. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.
June 30, 2006 - It's been almost a month since hardline Islamists overthrew warlords in Somalia's capital Mogadishu. The militia, known as the Supreme Islamic Courts Council is a grassroots organization. However the US says at least one of its leaders has ties to a terrorist organization. The Courts Union now claims authority over all of Somalia. That's over the protests of the internationally recognized Transitional Federal Government. Over 14 thousand displaced Somalis live in Minnesota. Many Somalis in the metro-area support the Islamic Courts. They are closely watching the situation because it may have an impact on their own futures. Minnesota Public Radio's Sea Stachura explains why.
July 7, 2006 - In Minnesota's first district, near Rochester, the race for a seat in the House of Representatives is heating up. Republican Gil Gutknecht has held the seat since 1994 but Rochester recently has leaned Democratic.
July 21, 2006 - Tensions are growing in the Horn of Africa, today, as Ethiopian troops entered Somalia and started moving towards the country's capital. Somalia's top Islamic leader called for a holy war against Ethiopia to drive the troops out. The "Coalition of Islamic Courts" is Somalia's most powerful military group and it is credited for bringing stability to parts of the country formerly dominated by warlords. But the Islamic courts are at odds with Somalia's internationally-recognized transitional government, which has less military power but a close relationship with Ethiopia. Minnesota has the largest population of Somalis in the United States, so the effects are felt here.
July 21, 2006 - As many as 85,000 illegal immigrants make Minnesota their home, including many who have crossed the border into the U.S. from Mexico. This is the story of one of them. We'll call her Maria even though that's not her real name because Minnesota Public Radio News has agreed to protect her identity. Maria is 20 years old and came to Minnesota illegally five years ago. She lives with her family in the Twin Cities. She is watching closely as Congress debates whether to crack down on illegal immigrants or give them opportunities to stay in this country.
July 27, 2006 - East African immigrants are organizing a gathering in St. Paul today. They hope to air concerns and insights that will improve the plight of their people still living in Ethiopia. The conference focuses mainly on human rights violations by the government against the Oromo people. Minnesota is believed to be home to the largest concentration of Oromos in the United States. They have established a base camp of sorts to speak out against abuses in a way they can't in their homeland. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
August 2, 2006 - Somalia's interim government is backed by Europe and the US, but it is nearly powerless. And it continues to unravel. Four more government ministers resigned today, just the latest of dozens to resign in the past few weeks. They're protesting the government's reluctance to work with the Supreme Islamic Courts Union. That's the full name of the Islamists who control Somalia's capitol, Mogadishu. They took over from US-backed warlords there in June.
August 8, 2006 - After an especially violent week in Minneapolis comes the timely open of a new academy at St. Cloud State University. More than 40 people are the first students being trained on how to help people deal with being the victims of a major crime.
August 8, 2006 - Latino immigrants are often healthier when they arrive in the United States than they are five years later. There's a significant body of research that shows their health begins to decline rapidly as they assimilate into an American culture where fast food and junk food are cheap and filling. Minnesota Public Radio's Ambar Espinoza spotlights how a new environment can affect Latin American immigrants.