A seven-month MnDOT reconstruction project on East Seventh Street in St. Paul is threatening the survival of dozens of immigrant- and minority-owned businesses on the East Side corridor, with $5,000 grants covering just one month of a seven-month impact.
St Paul
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 inLocal & State
St. Paul Unveils Statue Honoring William Godette, the City’s First African American Firefighter
St. Paul unveiled a new statue honoring William and Alfred Godette, the city’s pioneering Black firefighters, inside the William and Alfred Godette Memorial Building, with artist Seitu Jones creating a piece designed to ensure every person who walks through the doors stands in their shadows.
Posted inEvents
Your Guide to Juneteenth 2026 Events Across Minnesota
From Soul of the Southside in Minneapolis to Opal’s Walk for Freedom in St. Paul and celebrations in St. Cloud, Winona, Marshall and beyond, here is your comprehensive guide to Juneteenth 2026 events across Minnesota.
Posted inEvents
Movie on the Farm: Watch Farming While Black Under the Stars This Juneteenth
Frogtown Farm is hosting a free outdoor screening of Farming While Black on June 19 at Frogtown Park and Farm in St. Paul, inviting the community to gather under the evening sky this Juneteenth to reflect on Black land stewardship, food sovereignty and liberation.
Posted inEvents
The 28th Annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival Returns June 19-20 With Free Performances All Weekend
The 28th Annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival brings world-class talent to Mears Park and more than 18 St. Paul venues on June 19 and 20, with all performances free and open to the public in the Lowertown neighborhood of downtown St. Paul.
Posted inPolitics
Federal bill could gut state protections for kids on social media
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.
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 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 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 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 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.
Posted inFinance
Predatory Lending Is on the Rise, and Small Businesses Are Paying the Price
MEDA Vice President Adrian Ruddock warns that predatory lenders are targeting small businesses struggling in the wake of Operation Metro Surge and urges BIPOC entrepreneurs to seek trusted alternatives before signing anything.
Posted inYour Voice Matters
Your Voice Matters: The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Wants to Know What You Want to Read
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder has launched a Reader Survey and wants your feedback to help shape the future of our news coverage. The survey is open through June 22 and only takes a few minutes to complete.
Posted inEvents
Support a Black-Owned Creative Space at the Urban Lights DJ Night and Fundraiser on June 12
Urban Lights Music in St. Paul is hosting a DJ Night and Fundraiser on June 12 featuring an all-vinyl house, funk and disco set from MPLS House, vinyl giveaways and community connection to help keep a meaningful Black-owned creative space alive in the Twin Cities.