December 20, 2004 - With thousands of Hmong, Somali and Latino immigrants moving to Minnesota every year, Saint Mary's University in Winona is hoping more will consider going to college. The university is offering a course in the English language at its Twin Cities campus. Michelle Yener, the director of the English Language Academy, says there are a couple of reasons why immigrants aren't going to college after high school.
January 3, 2005 - The resettlement process for Hmong refugees will take longer than expected. Officials say it will last until June.
January 21, 2005 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Eric Nesheim, executive director of the Minnesota Literacy Council, about social service agencies struggling to keep up with the demand for services in an era of budget shortfalls.
January 28, 2005 - MPR’s Jeff Horwich interviews Dr. Harry Hull, a state epidemiologist, about the State Department temporarily Hmong resettlement after a case of Tuberculosis was identified in one refugee already in Minnesota. Four more refugees are suspected of having TB and are undergoing more testing.
May 13, 2005 - MPR’s Toni Randolph explores The Illusion Theater’s latest production "Undesirable Elements: Ten Years Later." The downtown Minneapolis theater explores the mixed reception immigrants and other minorities have received upon arriving to the U.S.
June 1, 2005 - All Things Considered’s Tom Cran talks with Mo Chang, the charter school liaison and special project coordinator for St. Paul Public Schools, about the closure of Wat Tham Krabok and what life was like in the camp. As a child, Chang lived in Thai refugee camps. In 2004, she was part of a group that traveled with St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly to learn more about life at Wat Tham Krabok.
July 19, 2005 - Kasit Piromya, Thailand's ambassador to the United States, visited with St. Paul mayor Randy Kelly and Twin Cities area business groups to talk about health care and the medical device industry. Ambassador Piromya says Minnesota medical products can help Thailand achieve some long-term goals.
September 30, 2005 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann talks with Abdisalam Adam, a community specialist with the St. Paul Public School district, about a group of teachers, librarians, parents and social service providers meeting to discuss some alternative curriculums that would more closely reflect the culture of the students in the room.
October 21, 2005 - The two candidates for mayor of Minneapolis debated public safety, economic development and affordable housing last night at the Minneapolis Urban League on the city's north side. Mayor R.T. Rybak and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin disagreed on progress being made to diversify the city's police force. McLaughlin says Rybak is not meeting diversity standards set out by a federal mediation agreement. He says Rybak should be doing more to hire black, latino and asian officers.
October 26, 2005 - Minnesota will likely see more refugees from Somalia, Burma and Nepal in the coming year, while the number of Hmong refugees is expected to decline. That's according to resettlement organizations in the state. The groups made their projections after President Bush announced the United States would accept up to 70-thousand refugees between now and September 2006. Patti Hurd of Lutheran Social Services says her organization expects to help resettle about one-thousand refugees in the next year. Heard says they differ from other immigrants.