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.
July 5, 2006 - An Iraqi and Paraguayan's unique collaboration is producing a play in the Twin Cities about the Iraqi experience before and after the war. The story is based on true experiences by one of the playwrights, who grew up under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship.
June 23, 2006 - In Minneapolis, La Clinica en Lake is well-known as a convenient health care clinic with a bilingual and bi-cultural approach. It serves 52-hundred patients, which is not surprising since the Spanish-speaking population in Minnesota has increased 21 percent since 2000. But now, the clinic is closing, and patients have to find another place to go. Minnesota Public Radio's Ambar Espinoza has the story.
June 12, 2006 - Life in the U.S. can be hard for a new immigrant. It's even more difficult when they can't read or write in their own language. This is a common story for many Latin American immigrants from impoverished backgrounds with little education. Minnesota Public Radio's Ambar Espinoza has the story of one man's struggle to learn to read and write in two languages.
June 12, 2006 - An organization specializing in making Spanish as a first language speakers literate is struggling to find funding. Although most people don't believe this is a big issue, the founder claims that dozens of Latinos have come to her asking to learn how to read in Spanish before learning to speak and read English. She also says that there is a direct correlation between literacy in Spanish and success in learning English.