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.
Minnesota
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 inOpinion
License plate readers can help keep our communities safe this summerÂ
Sanneh Foundation executive director Tony Sanneh makes the case for license plate reader cameras as a practical public safety tool that can help law enforcement respond faster, deter crime and protect communities during the busy summer months.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Natasha Howard returns to Minnesota for a full-circle moment
Natasha Howard has returned to Minnesota, where she won her first WNBA championship in 2017, signing as a free agent and immediately becoming one of the Lynx’s most impactful contributors alongside fellow free agent addition Nia Coffey.
Posted inYouth Financial Education
Financial foundations: Distinguishing needs vs. wants
Sponsored by JPMorgan Chase. The second installment of MSR’s Youth Financial Education Series explores the difference between needs and wants through the experience of 25-year-old Alexis Harmon, who is using the 50/30/20 rule to build toward homeownership and financial stability.
Posted inDigital Editions
MSR Digital Edition 45 for June 11 – June 17, 2026
The MSR Digital Edition 45 for June 11 – June 17, 2026 is now live. Explore community news, sports, arts, and events. Edition 45, Volume 92.
Posted inPolitics
The Convention Hall and the Kitchen Table
Hamline University political science professor David Schultz builds a median voter index scoring 12 contested issues to show that Minnesota’s center-left voter sits at 60, while the DFL scores 80 and the Minnesota GOP scores 23, explaining why Republicans have not won a statewide race in two decades.
Posted inMusic
Minneapolis Showed Up for Prince at the Celebration 2026 Block Party and Sing Along
Emmanuel Duncan recaps the Prince Celebration 2026 Block Party and Sing Along, which brought fans, neighbors and music lovers together in downtown Minneapolis for a free celebration of one of the most iconic artists the world has ever known.
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 inEvents
The Black Parachute Is Giving Away Free Journals for Black Men Across the Twin Cities
The Black Parachute founder Josh Cobb is bringing free guided journals and mental wellness resources directly to Black men across the Twin Cities through a series of pop-up events this summer, with stops at Juneteenth celebrations and community events through August.
Posted inEvents
ART BQ Returns June 16 at MLK Recreation Center in St. Paul
825 Arts is hosting a free ART BQ pop-up on June 16 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center in St. Paul, featuring a community forum on neighborhood tax dollars, food from Gravy Babies, Plant Bingo and 3-on-3 basketball.
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 inBlack Business Spotlight
How one St. Paul makeup artist built her business from the ground up after high school
Black Business Spotlight: Makeup artist Kelexis McKinley built Slayage By Keke over 11 years from experimenting in the mirror after high school into a storefront beauty studio on University Avenue in St. Paul.SUBTITLE
Black Business Spotlight: Makeup artist Kelexis McKinley spent 11 years building Slayage By Keke from a home glam room to a storefront
Posted inThe Prep Scene
Fitzgerald got his flowers
MSR sports columnist Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald reflects on accepting a Southside Hall of Fame award on behalf of Charles Hallman and witnessing Larry Fitzgerald Sr. receive his flowers in person, just weeks before Fitzgerald’s passing at age 71.
Posted inEvents
Minneapolis Celebrates 612 Day on Friday, June 12
612 Day returns on Friday, June 12, with two ways to celebrate Minneapolis culture and community, including a festival at the Cabooze and a free family event at George Floyd Square.
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 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 inLocal & State
Trump DOJ tried to surveil Minnesota journalists. A judge said no.Â
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.