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.
News
Timely national, state, and local articles, including profile stories from an African American perspective.
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.
Posted inLocal & State
Rest in Power: Larry Fitzgerald Sr., MSR Sportswriter and Champion of Black Athletes, Dead at 71
Larry Fitzgerald Sr., beloved Minnesota sportswriter and longtime Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder columnist who spent more than 45 years advocating for Black athletes and coaches, has died at age 71.
Posted inSports
From Rondo to Cooperstown: St. Paul Honors David Winfield With Bronze
A bronze statue of Baseball Hall of Famer David Winfield now stands at Toni Stone Field in St. Paul, honoring the Rondo native and 22-year MLB veteran who credits his upbringing in the heart of St. Paul’s Black community as the foundation for everything that followed.
Posted inLocal & State
DOJ Announces $90 Million Medicaid Fraud Indictment in Minneapolis as Acting AG No-Shows
Federal prosecutors announced indictments against 15 people accused of defrauding Minnesota’s Medicaid program of $90 million, as RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz joined DOJ officials at a Minneapolis press conference while the acting attorney general was in Washington defending a fund for Trump allies.
Posted inNational
Automatic draft registration raises questions among young Americans
s the federal government moves toward automatically registering men ages 18 to 25 for the Selective Service, young Americans are expressing confusion, concern and questions about government authority, privacy and what it means to have no say in the process.
Posted inMSR In the News
Perry Talks 2026 Brought Together Powerful Voices at George Floyd Square
The 2026 Perry Talks symposium brought together Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, MSR CEO Tracey Williams-Dillard and other distinguished voices near George Floyd Square for a timely conversation on racial justice and First Amendment rights during the Rise & Remember Festival.
Posted inGeorge Floyd Square
Six years later, George Floyd’s memory stands strong at 38th and Chicago
Six years after George Floyd’s murder, family members, activists and community leaders gathered at 38th and Chicago to remember, invest in the next generation and refuse to let the world forget what happened here.
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara Resigns After Interfering With Investigation
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara resigned Tuesday, May 26, after an investigation found he had interfered with a probe into his own conduct by deleting a contact from his city-issued phone to shield evidence from investigators.
Posted inEducation
Rising to the Bar: Minnesota’s Next Generation of Black Lawyers Won’t Back Down
Seven Black law graduates from the University of Minnesota, Mitchell Hamline and St. Thomas are entering the legal profession with purpose, carrying lived experience and a commitment to representing communities that have historically gone without.
Posted inLocal & State
100 Years of Service and Legacy: Honoring Dr. John M. Warren Sr.
Dr. John M. Warren Sr., one of the first African American podiatrists in Minnesota and a WWII Navy veteran, celebrated his 100th birthday on May 2, 2026, surrounded by family and friends in New Hope.
Posted inNews
Lynx home opener
The Minnesota Lynx dropped their 91-90 home opener to the Atlanta Dream on May 9 at Target Center, as guards Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride lead a 3-2 squad averaging big numbers early in the 2026 WNBA season.