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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 33 episodes available.
March 13, 2026We’re cooking up something big - back next weekWe don’t have a new episode for you this week because we are working on a deep dive mini-series unraveling the fraud scandals in Minnesota. We’ll tell the full story going back a decade and parse out what’s real, what’s rage bait and what people are doing to get us out of this mess. Come on back next week for that! ...more1minPlay
March 06, 2026The Sextortion "Pandemic" That’s Hitting MinnesotaIt starts as an online flirtation, escalates in intensity and ends in tragedy. The story of one family's experience and the local investigator determined to bring them justice....more25minPlay
February 27, 2026How a “meltdown” is impacting MinnesotaHalf of the lawyers at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Minnesota have left in the past year. We find out why and what that means for people involved in immigration, fraud and violent crime cases – including the case against an alleged assassin....more27minPlay
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
FAQs about Essential Minnesota:How many episodes does Essential Minnesota have?The podcast currently has 33 episodes available.