November 25, 2004 - Hmong leaders in Minnesota are grappling with unwanted attention on the Hmong community because a hunter who is Hmong killed six other hunters last Sunday. Chai Vang said in a police statement that he shot the white hunters after they taunted him with racial slurs. Vang's story does not match the statement of one of the shooting survivors who said no such language was used. Ilean Her is Executive Director of the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans.
November 25, 2004 - The suspect in the Wisconsin hunter shootings, Chai Vang, said in a police statement that he shot the white hunters because they were taunting him with racial slurs. Vang is a 6 year old Hmong immigrant who lives in St. Paul. Vang's story does not match the statement of one of the shooting survivors who said no such language was used. Wameng Moua is the editor of Hmong Today.
November 27, 2004 - There's a big party going on right now at River Centre in St. Paul. It's the Hmong New Year...and for the Hmong a New Year's Eve party means traditional costumes, dancing, singing and most importantly family. Dao Bay of the Lao Family Community of Minnesota is one of the organizers of celebration and speaks with MPR’s Stephine Curtis on how they determined when it is the new year.
November 29, 2004 - Chuck Quirmbach of Wisconsin Public Radio reports that formal charges may come for the St. Paul man accused of killing six hunters and wounding two others in Wisconsin. In Milwaukee, Chai Vang's defense lawyers talked about their hope for a fair trial in Wisconsin's Northwoods. They also brought forward Vang's eldest daughter to talk about her father.
November 29, 2004 - One of the lawyers representing the St.Paul man accused of killing six Wisconsin deer hunters last week says the Hmong community regrets the losses suffered by families involved. James Mentkowski is one of three attorneys representing Chai Vang. Mentkowski spoke at a news conference in Milwaukee yesterday.
November 29, 2004 - Rice Lake area residents today buried the last two hunters killed in the northwestern Wisconsin hunter shootings. Funerals for 55-year old Dennis Drew and 27-year old Jessica Willers were held in Dobie and Rice Lake. Also today, the St. Paul man accused in the shootings was charged with six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of attempted homicide. Chai Vang remains in the Sawyer County Jail with an initial court appearance scheduled for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Minnesota State Senator Mee Moua, who like Vang is Hmong, says her office is getting numerous phone calls about incidents of white hunters harassing Hmong hunters.
November 30, 2004 - Two survivors of a shooting that killed six hunters say no one in the group pointed a gun at a Minnesota man before he started shooting. That's according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. The complaint charges Chai Vang, of St. Paul, with killing the six hunters and trying to kill two others. The two survivors have told investigators Vang fired the first shot after a dispute over a tree stand on private land. Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager didn't want to comment on most aspects of the case.
December 6, 2004 - MPR’s Perry Finelli interviews Dr. Pat Walker, medical director at the Center for International Health at Regions Hospital, about mass health screening clinics for new refugees.
December 10, 2004 - In this State of the Arts segment, MPR’s Marianne Comb profiles Outward Spiral Theatre Company, the only Twin Cities theater dedicated to producing shows by and about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered people. After a couple of poorly attended seasons, the theater is wondering whether the GLBT community needs it anymore.
December 13, 2004 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on a Minnesota Community Project study regarding Minnesotan’s attitudes on immigrants. The majority of the people involved in the study expressed favorable attitudes toward immigration. However, the authors say they're particularly dismayed over data showing a streak of hostility toward immigrants - especially by people living in the outer ring suburbs. The study's authors say those attitudes go against Minnesota's tradition of tolerance and acceptance of newcomers.