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.
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.”
February 5, 2008 - MPR’s Laura Yuen visits International Market, a no-frills Asian shopping bazaar in St. Paul, which attracts thousands of customers a day. Now, the owner of International Market wants to expand his business into a tourist destination. He's asking the city of St. Paul for 2-million-dollars in tax breaks to complete his dream. But first, he may need to improve his reputation with city inspectors and some tenants.