MinnPost

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MinnPost is thrilled to announce that we’re partnering with the national nonprofit @city_bureau to reimagine its award-winning Documenters program for the Twin Cities! Find out more at the link in our bio. 📝 #twincitiesdocumenters #documenters #participatoryjournalism

The Senate passed its omnibus bill on gun control May 4, sending it to the House for consideration. The bill is likely to fail on a party-line vote unless a GOP lawmaker flips on the issue.  Still, the dozens of protesters who gathered at the Capitol on Thursday made one thing clear: they want a vote anyway.  “Minnesota constituents and voters deserve to know where their representative sits on this issue,” said Maggiy Emery, executive director of Protect Minnesota, one of the groups that sent protesters to the Capitol. Story by Cleo Krejci Video captured by Ellen Schmidt and edited by Lydia Moran #mnleg #guncontrol #minnesota #localnews #gunviolenceprevention

To create his sound gardens, JG Everest visits a nature site and composes music that fits with the surrounding environment. After a few weeks of visits, he places spatial speakers throughout the site to create an immersive soundscape. So far, research on the benefits of sound gardens is anecdotal. But Everest describing listeners becoming more relaxed, attuned to their senses and even moved to tears. Story by Maddie Robinson Video by Taylor Canas #mnart #mnartist #soundgarden #mnmusic #soundscapes

On a spring afternoon in downtown Duluth, Missy Jellison parked a large white van across the street from the sheltered entrance to the city’s bus terminal. She stepped onto the sidewalk, brushed her brown hair off her shoulders, and assessed the scene.  The area attracts people in crisis – some were resting alongside buildings, others were stepping out of a nearby pub. So Jellison came prepared. Her van was packed with medical supplies, safe drug-use kits, hepatitis C tests, clean socks and snacks. It didn’t take long to spot Dorothy, William and their mutt puppy, Peanut. As the trio ambled down Michigan Street, Jellison approached them. Casually, she inquired about their living situation, if they needed clean syringes and if they had a supply of Narcan to reverse potentially fatal overdoses. If they needed anything, she said, they could visit Harm Reduction Sisters, the nonprofit nearby where Jellison works. Staffers like Jellison consider themselves front-line responders in a region that has struggled mightily with addiction and poverty. In St. Louis County – the Duluth area north to the Canadian border – about 7% of adults need treatment for substance use disorder, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. In the Twin Cities metro, the rate is only slightly higher at 8%.  But despite what they see as clear successes, leaders in the harm reduction movement worry that policymakers are turning back the clock on addiction treatment to a time before the opioid crisis carved its deadly path across the nation. By threatening key harm reduction practices and pushing an all-or-nothing, abstinence-based approach to addiction, lives could be lost, they say.  In the second of three stories produced as part of the Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach U.S. Fellowship, MinnPost mental health and addiction columnist Andy Steiner (with visuals by Ellen Schmidt) reports on a Duluth provider of harm reduction services and its uncertain future. #harmreduction #northernminnesota #minnesotanews #substanceuserecovery #harmreductionsisters

We’re answering YOUR questions this week as the end of the legislative session quickly approaches. Curious about something else? Let us know! #mnleg #hcmc #assaultweaponsban #minnesota #localnews

Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Steve Sack publishes every Thursday on MinnPost. Swipe to see his latest works. You can read more about Sack and his comeback at the link in our bio. Subscribe at MinnPost.com/newsletters to never miss a new toon. #stevesack #editorialcartoon #politicalcartoon #cartoonist #minnesotacartoonists

Tom Siler worked professionally as a musician for years when he decided to take piano lessons about 10 years ago. The band lifestyle had grown tiresome, lugging equipment to venues and taking home paltry paychecks. “It just became clear that the best way to progress musically would be to do something that I could do on my own, on my own schedule, and practice as much as I like, because I like to practice,” he said. In Artscape this week, @sheilaregan profiles several Minnesotans who have taken up playing new musical instruments later in life. About 63% of Minnesotans say they’re involved in the arts in their everyday lives, compared to only 49% nationally. For some, it’s a later-in-life leap encouraged by the state’s vibrant arts community. Read more at the link in our bio. 🎹 Story by Sheila Regan Video by Taylor Canas #mnartists #mnmusic #minnesotamusic #minnesotamakers #minnesotaartist

Discussions around a proposed copper-nickel mine in Aitkin County near McGregor echo themes playing out for the Twin Metals’ copper-nickel proposal near the Boundary Waters, which recently cleared a federal hurdle. Tribal and environmental groups are pushing back against both projects, calling for stronger protections on pristine water sources, while mining backers insist that the projects can be done safely. But there’s at least one big difference: the proposed copper-nickel mine in Aitkin County is much farther along in the process. Starting in July, the DNR will open a public comment period for Minnesotans to weigh in on the project. Read more at the link in our bio. 📝 Brian Arola 📸 Ellen Schmidt #northernmn #bwca #mining #tamarackmine #millelacs

The Minnesota Senate passed a ban on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines Monday afternoon. But it is highly unlikely the measure will pass the split House and become law. Thank you to the follower who submitted a question about this topic. Follow @minnpost for more state gov coverage and visit minnpost.com/category/state-government #mnleg #assaultweaponsban #minnesota #breakingnews

State gov reporter @minnpostmatthew wants to know: What are you wondering about Minnesota’s government right now? Here’s what happened this week: 🔵 In his final State of State address on Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz shifted focus from recent tragedies to accomplishments of the 2023/24 DFL trifecta. The governor did not dwell on Minnesota’s recent elevation to the national stage, and was 99.99% free of Trump bashing. 🔵 Clergy, health care workers ramp up calls to fund HCMC as the end of the legislative session draws near. (by Maddie Robinson) 🔵 Minnesota could soon join Indiana and Tennessee in banning crypto kiosks. What are they? (by Cleo Krejci) 🔵 IT systems for delivering public benefits are outdated. Minnesota has its counties operate eligibility and benefits for Medicaid and SNAP, and the technology these counties use is embarrassingly old. It may also lead to social services fraud. Can the Legislature agree on a fix? 🔵 Minnesota’s Office of Inspector General needs Trump’s approval to probe Medicaid. Find all our state gov coverage: minnpost.com/category/state-governmernt #mnleg #minnstagram #minnesota #stategovernment

An AI-powered app pulls in bill text, news coverage and committee schedules from the Minnesota Legislature and presents them to users in plain-language summaries. @shadibushra explores the risks and benefits of using AI in this context. Read his story at the link in our bio. #mnleg #civiceducation #minnesota #news