May 28, 2008 - University Avenue, the proposed route of the Central Corridor light rail line, has a colorful past that is still evolving. Four MPR reporters look at the past and the future of Minneapolis-St. Paul’s University Avenue. Story titles include “The view from Prospect Park,” “The Car Culture,” “An Entertainment Destination,” and “Immigrants Always Welcome.”
July 31, 2008 - It's not every day that civic planners ask a shaman to chase away lingering spirits from a redevelopment parcel, but that was the scene in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood. The city of St. Paul purchased the site of the old Hmong Funeral Home. Before they call in the bulldozers, they allowed a traditional Hmong healer to give it one final blessing.
April 24, 2009 - MPR’s Laura Yuen profiles Somali activist Omar Jamal, who has both supporters and detractors inside his own community. Yuen tracks Jamal's media footprint and has this profile.
May 29, 2009 - MPR’s Laura Yuen reports on the multiple killings of young Somali men in the Twin Cities, and the fight to stop the violence. The slayings represent a tragic irony for a community that escaped the bloodshed and clan warfare of its home country.
January 11, 2010 - MPR’s Tim Nelson reports on how the Karen have adopted Minnesota as their new home, 10 years after the first of the Karen escaped the oppressive regime that rules Myanmar, and began to immigrate to the Twin Cities.
January 26, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Civil War Kids: Young Somalis in Minnesota,” MPR’s Laura Yuen reports on how many young Somali-Americans are struggling with mental illness tied to war experiences, and the efforts to provide assistance to them.
January 27, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Civil War Kids: Young Somalis in Minnesota,” MPR’s Laura Yuen reports on how countless young Somalis in Minnesota are succeeding, despite grim statistics in their community.
June 16, 2010 - Minnesota poet Philip Bryant has some words of comfort for the residents of the Gulf Coast in the face of the undersea oil gusher. Bryant, who teaches English at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, has seen hope return after a disaster.
August 9, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Austin at a Crossroads: 25 years after the Hormel strike,” MPR’s Elizabeth Baier profiles Austin, 25 years after the Hormel labor strike that tore apart the town. Baier reports on the changes that took place in the aftermath of 1985 strike, including the reliance on immigrant workers, which some long-time Austin residents struggle with.
August 10, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Austin at a Crossroads: 25 years after the Hormel strike,” MPR’s Elizabeth Baier profiles Austin, 25 years after the Hormel labor strike that tore apart the town. Baier reports on the experience of Latino immigrants in Austin.