Macalester College’s $88 million residence hall and welcome center, currently under construction at Grand Avenue and Macalester Street in St. Paul, will add 224 beds, create a new front door to campus and include a geothermal system designed to expand to additional buildings.
Alaysia Lane
Posted inLocal & State
IWMF Honors Minneapolis Journalist Georgia Fort with Courage in Journalism Award
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.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Advocates Question Safety of HERC Incinerator Amid PFAS Concerns and EPA Lawsuit
Environmental advocates are renewing debate over Hennepin County’s waste incinerator, raising concerns about PFAS emissions, federal rollbacks of pollution standards and unequal health risks for communities near the facility in North Minneapolis.
Posted inBusiness
NEON Launches $22 Million Collective Kitchens Hub, Giving Food Entrepreneurs Room to Grow
The Northside Economic Opportunity Network celebrated the grand opening of NEON Collective Kitchens, a 25,000-square-foot commercial kitchen and food business incubator on West Broadway designed to help North Minneapolis food entrepreneurs scale their businesses.
Posted inLocal & State
Minnesota Adds $59 Million in Opioid Settlement Funds as Gaps Remain
Minnesota will receive an additional $59 million in opioid settlement funding from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, but community organizations serving Black Minnesotans say questions remain about whether funds are reaching the communities most impacted.
Posted inBusiness
Elam named 40 Under 40, B Suite for Black professionals in Minnesota
The B Suite helps Black professionals in Minnesota build community, connections and career opportunities.
Posted inBlack History
Pilgrim Baptist remains faithful to legacy and mission
Pilgrim Baptist Church Minnesota history traces its founding by freedom seekers in 1863 and its lasting role as a spiritual and civic anchor in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood.
Posted inEducation
Trump freezes MN child care funds; providers strapped
A Minnesota child care funding freeze could disrupt care for thousands of children as providers warn of closures, layoffs, and family instability.
Posted inLocal & State
Man released from ICE custody a second time after warrantless arrest
A Minneapolis man was released from ICE custody after a federal judge ruled his warrantless home arrest unconstitutional, raising serious civil rights concerns.
Posted inSpecial Edition - Echoes of Unity
Fighting the good fight: Nekima Levy Armstrong on justice and unity
In the Echoes of Unity Special Edition, Nekima Levy Armstrong explains why unity requires courage, accountability, and collective action.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Hunger strike escalates opposition to HERC pollution
The Zero Burn Coalition announced a hunger strike as part of an escalating push for HERC incinerator closure in North Minneapolis.
Posted inSpecial Edition - Echoes of Unity
Bobby Joe Champion: Minnesota’s first Black senate president, called to serve
In the Echoes of Unity Special Edition, Sen. Bobby Joe Champion reflects on community, service, and the shared responsibility that defines true leadership.
Posted inLocal & State
Frog Tree Farm celebrates Black legacy, Fourth Annual Harvest event
Black joy and agricultural resistance were at the heart of the fourth annual “We Are the Harvest: A Sankofa Celebration of Black Legacy & Joy,” co-hosted by Frog Tree Farm and Three Rivers Park District. Minnesota’s oldest multigenerational Black-owned farm, run by Peace Mitchell and Michael Birchard, partnered with the district to expand the event […]
Posted inEducation
Deaf and hard-of-hearing Black men face steep graduation challenges
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — When Antonio “Toni” Heckstall arrived at Gallaudet University as a freshman in 2016, he quickly realized the transition would be challenging. The word “turbulent” best described his experience as he adjusted to the dynamics of a predominantly Deaf university. As a hard-of-hearing student with partial hearing loss, he was transitioning from mainstream […]