Despite legislative stalemates on pre-trial data collection and cash bail reform, Minnesota advocates push forward to address systemic racial disparities and expand healthcare access for incarcerated individuals.
Izzy Canizares
Posted inLocal & State
How a Fridley coffee shop lost half its staff over a Nintendo system and its plans to rebuild
When a dispute over a video game system pushed staff to walk out, it exposed months of tension over culture, communication, and workplace leadership at Fridley’s Clapping Monkey.
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis residents and local Spider-Man drive out Jake Lang, escorted by MPD, drawing outrage
When white supremacist Jake Lang brought his hate speech to Minneapolis City Hall, over 100 community members and one local ‘Spider-Man’, made sure he knew he wasn’t welcome. But as MPD shielded the far-right group, residents were left asking who the city actually protects.
Posted inPolitics
Beating the odds: Flanagan wins big in Minnesota, poised to make Senate history
Peggy Flanagan won Minnesota’s DFL Senate primary in a landslide despite being significantly outspent, positioning her to become the first Ojibwe U.S. senator in history. Contributing writer Izzy Canizares breaks down the race against Angie Craig and what it means for November.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Restriction of medical care among incarcerated people keeps treatment from those who need it
While Minnesota prisons have daily medical staff, county jails rely on a patchy network of private providers. The newly enacted Larry R. Hill Medical Reform Act aims to mandate prescription access, if county jails actually enforce it.
Posted inNews
Congresswomen visit inside Whipple’s detention facility before vans head to deportation flights
Reps. Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal detail ankle chains, overcrowded cells, and lack of transparency following a congressional visit to the Whipple Detention Center.
Posted inLocal & State
Medicaid disruptions are affecting healthcare providers and will disproportionately impact Black Minnesotans
State re-evaluations and IT login migrations have triggered payment delays and provider disenrollment’s across Minnesota’s Medicaid network, threatening essential care for the nearly 44% of Black Minnesotans under 65 who rely on public health coverage.
Posted inLocal & State
Skydio ‘first responder’ drone contract fails in Minneapolis City Council after weeks of resident opposition
Minneapolis’s proposed drone contract with Skydio failed in a 6-6 City Council vote, after residents packed protests citing surveillance concerns and the company’s ties to ICE and the Israeli military. Contributing writer Izzy Canizares has the full story.
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis community members speak out against proposed trial on “first responder” drones
Minneapolis City Council heard testimony on a proposed 75-day Skydio drone trial for MPD in the 4th precinct, with over 30 residents pushing back on surveillance concerns and Skydio’s ties to Israel and DHS. Izzy Canizares reports.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Justice reform bills stall again at the Capitol, the fight continues
The Pretrial Data Transparency Act failed to pass for the second year in a row in Minnesota, but the Minnesota Justice for All Coalition is not deterred, continuing to push for reforms in a system where 63% of Hennepin County’s jail population is Black.
Posted inLocal & State
Legal Rights Center Launches Hotline to Close Gap in Legal Defense for Low-Income Minnesotans
The Legal Rights Center has launched the First Defense Hotline, a 24/7 resource connecting Minneapolis arrestees with free legal counsel in the first hours after arrest, addressing the wealth gap in a legal system that too often leaves Black and brown Minnesotans without adequate representation.
Posted inLocal & State
Construction at George Floyd Square strains businesses, reshapes community landmarks
Construction has begun at 38th and Chicago Avenue, the site of George Floyd’s murder, and businesses and residents are already feeling the impact, with one Black business owner saying the first day left her shop completely inaccessible and questioning whether she will make it to the end of the month.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
HCMC secures $205 million in funding in a last-minute legislative bill
Governor Walz signed a health and human services bill securing $205 million in stabilization funding for Hennepin Healthcare Medical Center, which had been at risk of closure after eight years of operational losses, with 75% of its patients uninsured or on public insurance.
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.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
New South Minneapolis Clinic Promises to Make Healthcare More Accessible to Residents Regardless of Insurance
Southside Community Health Services has opened a new $30 million East Lake Street Clinic in South Minneapolis, offering medical, dental, vision and behavioral health services for residents with and without insurance in one of the city’s most underserved corridors.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
Residents Rally Behind HCMC, Which Finds State Funding Days Before End of Legislative Session
HCMC went from facing closure to securing a promised $205 million in state funding after a legislative deal brokered by Gov. Tim Walz, as residents and health care leaders rallied at a public forum hosted by Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Posted inPolitics
Clock ticks as MN gun bill stalls in House
A sweeping gun reform bill banning semi-automatic assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines passed the Minnesota Senate 34-33 on May 4, but faces an uncertain future in the House as the legislative session nears its end.
Posted inLocal & State
Gunfire, criticism and a walkout that never happened
A gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, forcing an evacuation and sparking criticism of Minnesota attendees including Mayor Jacob Frey for normalizing an administration that has repeatedly attacked the free press.
Posted inLocal & State
FBI raids more than 20 Minnesota daycares, but only five involve Medicaid fraud
The FBI raided 22 Minnesota childcare centers on April 28 in an ongoing fraud investigation, sparking a public dispute between federal and state officials and raising concerns from immigrant and refugee communities.
Posted inLocal & State
Bill targets cash bail’s racial disparity
Minnesota cash bail reform legislation would eliminate wealth-based detention in favor of an intentional release and detain approach as advocates say Black Minnesotans make up 36 percent of the pretrial jail population.