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.
September 13, 2007 - Ramadan's daylight fasting restrictions can represent a particular sacrifice to Muslims in Minnesota because of our northern latitude.
September 21, 2007 - The Oromo an ethnic group from Ethiopia. Some 10,000 to 15,000 live in Minnesota, which is one of the largest populations in the country.
October 11, 2007 - A member of Minnesota's Supreme Court says he's stepping down in January to return to private practice. Justice Sam Hanson told the governor this afternoon that he'll be returning to his former Minneapolis law firm, Briggs and Morgan.
November 19, 2007 - As we head into Thanksgiving many of us dust off that copy of Grandma's stuffing recipe and try to re-create our Great Aunt's pumpkin pie. Some family recipes may have gotten lost over the past years. It's these misplaced recipes that are at the center of Christopher Kimball's new book "American's Best Lost Recipes." Kimball is the founder and editor of "Cooks Illustrated" magazine. Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham spoke with Christopher Kimball.
November 23, 2007 - The humanitarian crisis in Somalia is worsening. But a growing insurgency against those forces is promoting firefights and assassinations throughout the city. Aired on November 23, 2007.
December 7, 2007 - Pakou Hang was just days old when her family immigrated to the United States in 1976. They were part of the first wave of Hmong refugees to come to the United States. Now, the family has lived here far longer than they lived in Laos, and Pakou Hang fits in quite well in her community. She recently ran for a seat on the St. Paul City Council, but challenges still remain as an immigrant living in America, as demonstrated through this interview with her mother, Phoua Hang.
December 10, 2007 - Decorah, Iowa is a town less than 20 miles from the Minnesota border. It is the home of Luther College and the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, which is the largest museum in the country devoted to a single immigrant ethnic group. With the Iowa caucus less than a month away, Cathy Wurzer looks into the history of this small Mid-western town.
December 12, 2007 - Today is the one year anniversary of a federal immigration raid on the Swift meatpacking plant in Worthington. Officers arrested 239 illegal immigrants in the southwest Minnesota city. It was part of a nationwide action. Latinos in Worthington say they're still recovering from the raid. Other people say the raid didn't go far enough.
December 17, 2007 - Minneapolis police officials say a raid carried out at the wrong house on the city's northside this weekend was the result of faulty information from an informant. Shots were exchanged between the homeowner and police. No one was seriously hurt.
December 24, 2007 - A former immigration official has started a new career, on the other side of the issue. He now helpsby working with a law firm to build a division focused on helping employers comply with immigration laws