A unique new space in Fergus Falls lets artists and entrepreneurs experiment with turning plastic waste into nearly anything they can imagine. County officials hope the space will spark creative ideas — and educate more people about recycling.
- Northwestern Minnesota Counties make innovative bet on recycling
- Keep recycling Some say financial challenges in the industry could spur innovation
- Plastic pollution Here's what you can do about it
House and Senate negotiations on a public safety bill focused on police accountability proposals Thursday during a conference committee meeting that included testimony from families touched by recent fatal police encounters.
- Wright's killing Deadly traffic stop renews focus on policing laws
- In police debate at Minnesota Capitol Echoes from past ring anew
For more than a year, Minnesota has been operating under some level of restrictions, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. But soon, most of those restrictions will be lifted. Here’s what you need to know.
- #AskMPRNews What do you want to know about the new timeline for restrictions?
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 57 percent of staff in skilled nursing homes statewide have their shots, and a somewhat smaller percentage — 48 percent — of workers in assisted living facilities are vaccinated.
- Biden administration looks for help With next phase of pitching COVID vaccines
- Get vaccinated How to get a COVID vaccine in Minnesota
Within the next week or so, Minnesota lawmakers will decide whether law enforcement officers in the state must change how they do their jobs. While many ideas are on the table, some people involved in similar debates over the years have low expectations.
On May 5 as part of KERA’s On Our Minds initiative, Syeda Hasan hosts Call to Mind Live: How Child Poverty Shapes Mental Health, a Well Beings Virtual Tour Event.
Community members and experts explore how the mental health of children and teens is affected by poverty. When basic needs aren’t met, what happens to well-being? How are low-income kids in Texas faring during the COVID-19 pandemic, the worst economic disaster in recent memory? And how does economic insecurity during childhood inform decision making into adulthood? We'll explore all this and more during a free in-depth, live virtual discussion.
Register now and join Call to Mind for this FREE online event in collaboration with KERA Wednesday, May 5 at 12 noon CT.
Six-year-old Jase Nelson and his mom, Michelle, sat down together this week to look at a class picture from kindergarten last year. Jase wanted to remember one classmate in particular.
“I played with her last year,” the now-first grader at Marshall’s Park Side Elementary School said. “At recess, she will want to play tag or she would want to play with me. She was a little shy. She would like to take pictures.”
It was a bittersweet memory that left Jase crying, and Michelle trying to help comfort her child through her own grief.
“She had lots of friends,” Jase said. “She would be nice.”
Last Sunday, Jase’s kindergarten classmate — a little girl, 6 years old like him — died from complications of COVID-19.
More from MPR News
Community organizers and longtime residents see the beginnings of a gentrification wave they worry may leave many low-income residents with nowhere to go. Some see rent stabilization as the answer, but not everyone’s on board.
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- At the Capitol Legislature divided over end to COVID-19 eviction rule
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House and Senate negotiators have begun their search for compromises while top leaders aim to make the overarching deal they’ll need to draw the Legislature’s session to a close.
- Deadline looms $1 billion to bridge for Minn. lawmakers
- Law enforcement Walz, Democrats insist on police changes
Only one vaccine has been authorized for kids as young as 16, a group that’s behind much of Minnesota’s COVID-19 spread. But instead of waiting for a vaccine, one Twin Cities family jumped on an early opportunity to participate in vaccine research.
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- Fauci Vaccines for kids as young as first graders could be authorized by September
- MPR News with Kerri Miller Kids, COVID-19 and vaccines
