Minnesota Lynx guard Maya Caldwell has navigated waivings, overseas stints and four WNBA clubs in five years on a journey built on faith, perseverance and a belief that she is right where she is supposed to be.
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Posted inOn the Radar
iLLism’s Emanuel and Fancy Are Building Community Through Music, Art, and the Legacy Building
Sponsored by: Hubbs Center – Adult Basic Education – On the Radar host Damenica Ellis sits down with iLLism duo Emanuel and Fancy to discuss their journey from solo artists to community builders, the Legacy Building, the Creative Freedom Fund and what is coming next including Soul of the Southside and Fancy’s debut children’s book.
Posted inWhat's Hot
MSR What’s Hot This Weekend | June 5–7
MSR’s What’s Hot roundup for June 5-7 features a heels dance class, R&B slow jams night, a free Prince Celebration block party, the Edina Art Fair and Pastafest by Travail.
Posted inThe Prep Scene
50th Annual Winfield Awards
The 50th Annual Winfield Awards honored 20 student athletes from 10 St. Paul high schools on June 1 at the Intercontinental St. Paul-Riverfront Hotel, with Baseball Hall of Famer David Winfield serving as keynote speaker.
Posted inEducation
A Howard scholar’s account of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting
Howard University junior and WHCA scholar Madison Maynard was in the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when shots rang out. This is her account of the night that changed everything and confirmed her calling as a journalist.
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The Purposed Parent: Sister Duo Delivers Essential Prenatal and Postpartum Support
Nigerian American sisters Praise and Peace Olowokere founded The Purposed Parent in 2022 to provide culturally competent prenatal and postpartum support for Twin Cities families, with a mission rooted in reducing Black maternal and infant mortality.
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 inAnother View
Royce and Kaelen: Working their way back to the show
Royce Lewis is working to rediscover his game after a demotion to the St. Paul Saints, while top prospect Kaelen Culpepper is making a case for a promotion, and the two Black teammates are leaning on each other along the way.
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 inBest of Black Businesses
Nominations Are Now Open for the 2026 Best of Black Business Awards
Nominations are now open for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder’s Second Annual Best of Black Business Awards. Submit your favorites across five categories through June 30, 2026, with winners celebrated at a live ceremony on Nov. 7.
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 inPolitics
Kendall Qualls wins GOP endorsement for governor
Minnesota Republican convention delegates held a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin, the officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, on the sixth anniversary of Floyd’s death, as Army veteran Kendall Qualls won the GOP endorsement for governor.
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 inEducation
Professors reflect on Black progress, and what the next decade demands
Black academics Dr. Walter Greason and Dr. Artika Tyner offer a sobering, nuanced and at times hopeful assessment of where Black communities in Minnesota and across the country stand today and where they are headed over the next decade.
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 inOn the Radar
iLLism: The South Minneapolis Duo Building a Creative Legacy
Twin Cities hip-hop duo iLLism, consisting of husband-and-wife creators Fancy and Emmanuel Duncan, have evolved from a successful musical act into powerful community builders. Through CRWN Media, the Legacy Building, and the Soul of the Southside festival, they are actively rewriting the narrative for local creatives.