The 50th Annual Winfield Awards will honor 20 St. Paul student-athletes of color on Sunday, May 31, at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront Hotel, with Baseball Hall of Famer and St. Paul Central alum Dave Winfield as keynote speaker.
St Paul
Posted inOn the Radar
Caring through art: How ‘artivist’ Esther Callahan cultivates Black creative spaces
Twin Cities artivist and curator Esther Callahan shares how she transformed personal trauma into a lifelong mission of healing, launching The BLK Collectors to uplift Black artists and investors.
Posted inDigital Editions
MSR Digital Edition 42 for May 21 -May 27, 2026
The MSR Digital Edition 42 for May 21 – May 27, 2026 is now live. Explore community news, sports, arts, and events. Edition 42, Volume 92.
Posted inEducation
Damenica Ellis – 2026 MSR Grad
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder congratulates staff writer and On the Radar host Damenica Ellis on her graduation from Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Journalism and Film.
Posted inLocal & State
Minnesota Adds $59 Million in Opioid Settlement Funds as Gaps Remain
Minnesota will receive an additional $59 million in opioid settlement funding from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, but community organizations serving Black Minnesotans say questions remain about whether funds are reaching the communities most impacted.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Black-led Arise Community Credit Union works to expand financial access for all
Black Business Spotlight: Arise Community Credit Union, founded through the Association for Black Economic Power in response to George Floyd’s murder, is building a community-rooted financial institution designed to serve residents historically excluded from traditional banking.
Posted inSports
Playworks brings 1,000 young leaders to Saints Park for End-of-Year Celebration
Nearly 1,000 Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota elementary school students gathered at the St. Paul Saints ballpark to celebrate their participation in the Playworks Minnesota Youth Leadership Program, which serves more than 25,000 students statewide.
Posted inEvents
Minnesota Selected to Host the 2028 NFL Draft
Minnesota has been selected to host the 2028 NFL Draft, bringing one of the biggest events in sports to downtown Minneapolis and U.S. Bank Stadium in partnership with the Minnesota Vikings and local community partners.
Posted inHealth + Wellness
U of M Expert Says Hantavirus Risk Is Low, While Nurse Has Concerns and Elder Combats Distrust
A University of Minnesota infectious disease expert says the risk of a widespread hantavirus outbreak remains low, but a frontline nurse and the Cultural Wellness Center director say preparedness, consistent information and community trust are critical.
Posted inFirst Educator
Preventing summer reading loss at home
Dr. Artika Tyner offers practical strategies for parents and caregivers to prevent summer slide and keep children reading and learning throughout the summer months.
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 inLocal & State
Judge Orders Trump Administration to Hand Over Unredacted Documents in Case Against 39 Activists
A federal judge ordered prosecutors to turn over unredacted discovery documents in the case against the 39, as defense attorneys argued nearly every name of law enforcement officers and witnesses had been redacted, making a legal defense functionally impossible.
Posted inOn the Radar
Kprecia Ambers uses digital art to foster representation and connection
North Minneapolis native Kprecia Ambers is transforming the world of digital illustration. Through her brand, KP Inspires, she creates soulful artwork designed to foster representation, celebrate Black beauty, and bring warmth into everyday home spaces.
Posted inTwins/MLB
LaTroy Hawkins: From the Mound to the Dugout
LaTroy Hawkins, now in his first season as the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen coach, is the franchise’s first Black bullpen coach in history and the first Black pitching coach since 2018, bringing a 21-year playing career and a hard-earned college degree to his new role.
Posted inBlacklight On Sports
Erick Goodlow on Golf, Legacy, and Leaving Corporate After 30 Years at Medtronic
On this episode of Blacklight on Sports, host Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald sits down with Erick Goodlow, co-founder of Fairway Foundation and architectural firm Formula, whose two lives span 25 years of youth golf access and building the only fully Black-owned architecture firm in the Midwest.
Posted inOn the Radar
Emmy Award-Winning Artist PaviElle French Is Rooted in Rondo and Building for the Future
On the Radar host Damenica Ellis sits down with Emmy-winning Rondo native PaviElle French for a deep conversation about grief, sovereignty, community, and decades of creative work rooted in the heart of Black Minnesota.
Posted inBusiness
Golden Thyme marks one year under new stewardship, carrying Rondo’s legacy forward
Golden Thyme Restaurant and Bar on Selby Avenue marked one year under new leadership with a community celebration that brought generations of Rondo residents together for food, music and reflection.
Posted inDigital Editions
MSR Digital Edition 41 for May 14 -May 20, 2026
The MSR Digital Edition 41 for May 14 – May 20, 2026 is now live. Explore community news, sports, arts, and events. Edition 41, Volume 92.
Posted inPolitics
Civil rights groups fight back as Trump policies target Black voters, Muslim communities
CAIR-Minnesota hosted Somali American Solidarity Day at the State Capitol as the organization announced it is representing a Minnesota labor organizer whose phone and books were seized by federal agents, while the NAACP fights Tennessee’s gerrymandered congressional map in court.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Urban Lights Music continues legacy as one of the Twin Cities’ last Black-owned record stores
Urban Lights Music, one of the last Black-owned record stores in the Twin Cities, has survived 32 years on University Avenue in St. Paul through industry shifts, the pandemic, civil unrest and construction by staying rooted in community and culture.