Minneapolis independent journalist Georgia Fort, founder of BLCK Press and facing federal felony charges for her coverage of a St. Paul protest, has been named a 2026 Courage in Journalism Award recipient by the International Women’s Media Foundation.
Local & State
A space for original local news with an emphasis on stories pertaining to African Americans
Posted inLocal & State
Operation Metro Surge Left Nearly $700 Million in Damage. For Some, the Cost Was Everything.
A sweeping new report estimates Operation Metro Surge inflicted nearly $700 million in economic damage on Minneapolis, with businesses losing $445 million in revenue, workers losing $152 million in wages and three people dead, as Daniel Hernandez prepares to close his third Colonial Market.
Posted inLocal & State
St. Paul Unveils Statue Honoring William Godette, the City’s First African American Firefighter
St. Paul unveiled a new statue honoring William and Alfred Godette, the city’s pioneering Black firefighters, inside the William and Alfred Godette Memorial Building, with artist Seitu Jones creating a piece designed to ensure every person who walks through the doors stands in their shadows.
Posted inPolitics
Minneapolis City Council Rejects Mayor Frey’s Decision to Award Agape Exclusive Development Rights for the People’s Way
The Minneapolis City Council voted 10-2-1 to reject Mayor Jacob Frey’s decision to award Agape Movement exclusive development rights for the People’s Way project at George Floyd Square, following community opposition that had been known since April 2025.
Posted inPolitics
Federal bill could gut state protections for kids on social media
Contributing writer Anya Armentrout examines how social media harms Black youth disproportionately, why Minnesota’s new Stop the Harms Act matters and why advocates fear the federal KIDS Act would gut state-level protections that actually have teeth.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Turning Point celebrates 50 years of culturally specific care
Turning Point, Inc. MN, a North Minneapolis substance abuse treatment center serving the African American community with a culturally specific approach, celebrated its 50th anniversary this week, having served more than 25,000 clients since 1976.
Posted inLocal & State
118 Men at Rush City Prison Launch Canteen Strike, Demand Meeting With DOC Central Office
One hundred and eighteen men incarcerated at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Rush City have launched a peaceful canteen strike and are calling on Department of Corrections officials to come to the prison directly to address what they describe as extreme and violent conditions of confinement.
Posted inProfiles In Power
Nico Woods is building Black political infrastructure from the ground up
At 36, South Minneapolis native Nico Woods is building a sustainable political infrastructure for Black communities through Victory of the People, connecting more than 200 young people to political opportunities and developing a pipeline of future leaders.
Posted inLocal & State
Fitz was my best friend in Minnesota
Contributing writer Ray Richardson shares a deeply personal tribute to Larry Fitzgerald Sr., his best friend in Minnesota for more than 30 years, tracing their connection from a Williams Arena media room in 1990 to Super Bowl press boxes and a lifetime of shared memories.
Posted inLocal & State
Bush Foundation Announces 30 Bold Leaders as 2026 Bush Fellows
The Bush Foundation has named its 2026 Bush Fellows, celebrating 30 leaders across the region who are ready to take their leadership to the next level with up to $150,000 each to support a self-designed plan of up to two years.
Posted inLocal & State
Trump DOJ tried to surveil Minnesota journalists. A judge said no.
The Trump Justice Department twice tried and failed to obtain search warrants for the YouTube accounts of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, with a federal judge rejecting all five applications and ordering them unsealed after finding the government failed to disclose a key press freedom law.
Posted inLocal & State
Larry Fitzgerald Sr., a trusted voice in Twin Cities sports, dies at 71
Larry Fitzgerald Sr., the beloved Minnesota sports journalist and MSR columnist who spent nearly five decades as a trusted voice for Black athletes and coaches, has died at age 71. Tributes from across the sports world honored a pioneer, trailblazer and door opener.
Posted inLocal & State
Families outraged after GOP delegates honor Chauvin at State Convention
Families of Black men killed by police are outraged after Minnesota Republican delegates held a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin at the state GOP convention in Duluth, with Courteney Ross, Valerie Castile and Toshira Garroway all speaking out.
Posted inHome Ownership
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Is Hosting Free Homeownership Info Sessions This Summer
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is hosting free monthly Homeownership Information Sessions starting this summer, giving prospective buyers a chance to learn about the program, ask questions and explore whether Habitat homeownership is the right path for them.
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis Launches Citywide 2026 Summer Safety Plan
The City of Minneapolis has announced a coordinated Summer Safety Plan covering enforcement, prevention, community engagement and major event coordination, with Operation Safe Summer kicking off June 1 through 6.
Posted inLocal & State
Celebration of Life Services Announced for Larry Fitzgerald Sr. “The Original”
The family of Larry Fitzgerald Sr. has announced visitation on Friday, June 12 and a funeral service on Saturday, June 13 in Minneapolis to honor the beloved MSR sportswriter known to many as “The Original.”
Posted inArts + Culture
Pangea World Theater Secures Permanent Home, Expanding Lake Street Arts Corridor
Pangea World Theater has acquired 3020 Minnehaha Ave., securing a permanent home near the former Third Precinct as one of the only immigrant-owned businesses to rebuild in the area following the 2020 unrest.
Posted inLocal & State
Twenty Graduates Complete Minneapolis Fire Department’s EMS Pathways Academy
Twenty people graduated from the Minneapolis Fire Department’s EMS Pathways Academy on May 22, with 16 of the 20 graduates being people of color, reflecting the program’s commitment to diversifying the department’s ranks.
Posted inLocal & State
Twin Cities honored with JFK Profile in Courage Award for resisting Metro Surge
The people of the Twin Cities received the 2026 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on May 31, honored for risking their lives to protect neighbors and immigrant community members during Operation Metro Surge.
Posted inLocal & State
“Modern-day slavery:” How Minnesota’s prison labor pipeline begins before conviction
Over 40% of Minnesota’s pre-trial jail population is Black, and once convicted, many are funneled into prison work programs paying as little as 50 cents an hour. The End Slavery Minnesota Coalition says it is not rehabilitation. It is exploitation.