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Every Friday some of the best reporters in Minnesota dig into one important local story. Host Melissa Townsend brings her distinct curiosity and humor to these weekly deep-dive conversations with jour... more
FAQs about Essential Minnesota:How many episodes does Essential Minnesota have?The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.
February 20, 2026Three shootings, two deaths, zero cooperationAs Operation Metro Surge ends in Minnesota, massive legal questions remain. Our reporters explain how state leaders are faced with finding a way around the federal government to hold the immigration agents who killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti accountable....more24minPlay
February 12, 2026Minnesotans in HidingEven with the announcement that Operation Metro Surge is coming to an end, many Minnesotans are still in hiding. Our reporters visit with one family who has been wondering when it will be safe to come out again. ...more21minPlay
February 09, 2026Comparing Notes: Lessons from the ICE surge in ChicagoBefore Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, there was Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. Chicago Tribune reporter Greg Pratt describes how it started, the similarities between Minneapolis and Chicago, and finally, how it ended....more20minPlay
February 06, 2026Tackled, shackled and then what?We find out what is happening inside the ICE detainment facility in Minneapolis and what people have to do to be set free....more25minPlay
January 29, 2026Is Minnesota a sanctuary state and can its jails be opened to ICE?Reporters in Minneapolis fact check federal officials' claims that violence across the metro is caused by state and local officials who have declared Minnesota a sanctuary state and won’t open its jails to ICE. What does the law say? ...more21minPlay
January 29, 2026The escalation of Operation Metro Surge and the shooting of Renee GoodIn three stories that happened over three months, reporters in Minneapolis track the escalation of the ICE and Border Patrol surge from November 2025 to January 2026, when ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good....more36minPlay
January 29, 2026The Minnesota gun law that’s workingAmid the ongoing debate over gun control laws, our investigative reporter digs into the stories of "what could have been" if the state's red flag gun law wasn't in place. ...more18minPlay
January 29, 2026The man leading Annunciation School after a mass shootingAt the first all-school assembly after a mass shooting in August 2025, our reporter sees firsthand how Principal Matt DeBoer is creating a space for hundreds of children to move forward with humor, compassion and stuffies....more21minPlay
January 29, 2026The religious background of alleged assassin Vance BoelterAfter a statewide manhunt in June 2025 Vance Boelter was arrested for the murder of state rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shooting of state rep. John Hoffman and his wife. Could Boelter’s religious beliefs have something to do with it? Two investigative reporters uncover his past to find out....more27minPlay
January 29, 2026Introducing Essential MinnesotaHost Melissa Townsend introduces this new, smart and funny weekly news show from the Minnesota Star Tribune where local journalist dig deep into the stories that matter to the midwest U.S. and beyond. ...more1minPlay
FAQs about Essential Minnesota:How many episodes does Essential Minnesota have?The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.