Minnesota Now

Researchers at the University of Minnesota in Duluth recently unveiled a new kind of tree after 20 years of research. The “InnovaTree” is a cottonwood-poplar hybrid that can grow up to eight feet per year, which is remarkably fast for a tree. That means it could be taller than a two-story house in just a few years.

The scientists behind the new tree see it as a possible quick solution to getting shade in residential areas and removing toxins from soil. Jeff Jackson is a University of Minnesota extension educator who has been working on the new tree. He joined Minnesota Now to talk about how the new “InnovaTree” could shape the future.

Brandon Pinney, from New Hope, Minnesota moved to Lahaina three and a half years ago. He is one of the many with a story of survival. He talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

A mass shooting at a punk rock show in Minneapolis has left a tight-knit arts community in mourning. We hear more about that from a community member.

A Minnesotan living in Maui is here to talk about surviving the catastrophic wildfire last week. He describes the scene to us.

Nearly half a million Minnesotans are foreign-born. A new citizenship law might affect immigrants trying to become citizens of Minnesota.

And ballet fans, this one is for you — an organization is getting dance classes to Minnesotans not traditionally welcomed in the art form. We get more on that from an organizer.

Ballet fans out there will recognize the name Misty Copeland – the first African American principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater. Copeland began her ballet career at 13 with a free class at her local gym.

Emilia Garrido Vásquez is hoping to give more young people a chance to fall in love with ballet — an artform that has traditionally been focused on white Europeans with many barriers to entry. She is leading three days of no-cost, bilingual dance classes for children aged 7 to 9 who belong to communities that are underrepresented in the ballet world. The program is called “Ballet Explorers,” and those interested can sign up here.

In Minnesota, nearly half a million people, or one in 12, are foreign-born. And that number is growing every year, as people come to our state in search of a better life.

And for those who settle here, becoming a citizen of the United States is no easy task. To even qualify, most immigrants have to first be a permanent resident for at least 5 years. After that, comes filling out complicated forms, learning a new language, and taking classes... and one of the final steps, the citizenship test. Right now the federal government is piloting some big changes to the test. U.S. authorities say the test was due for an update after 15 years. But there are worries the changes could hurt test takers of lower levels of English proficiency.

To explain possible changes and their impacts, Mya Shaftel, an English as a second language and citizenship class teacher with Literacy Minnesota, spoke with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

A friend has identified August Golden as the man killed in a mass shooting at a Minneapolis punk show on Friday night.

Alex Stillman owns a local business called Outta Wax that presses vinyl records. Stillman was at the show and talked about Golden, what she saw and how this will impact the community.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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It's the question that we keep asking each other and you can’t answer it. I think a lot of us are still reeling and in shock with what's happening and just trying to support each other, but relatively okay.

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  1 dead, 6 injured after mass shooting at Minneapolis punk show
  
  


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  Latest Best friend mourns bandmate killed in Minneapolis punk show mass shooting
  
  

He was just a beautiful human who joined our community in the last couple of years to be closer to friends, but I didn't know him before he moved here. But just based on our common interests, and love for this specific DIY ethos and every kind of art that comes along with it, I knew immediately that we would be close friends.

I think that's kind of how it is in our community is. We take people in quickly, because it's easy to pass these judgments when you know you have the same ethos.

I mean, this is a long-standing strong hold space from even beyond. Before it became Nudieland, it had been a place in our community where artists have met and and lived and I have been going to events in that space for over a decade.

I absolutely will continue to go to these spaces in the future. I think yeah, there definitely needs to be some conversations about how to make people feel comfortable. But I think also these spaces create a place for healing and they always have and I think people will continue to want to be a part of these spaces.

Yeah, internationally, we have received words. I mean, a lot of this is a tight-knit community where a lot of us know each other personally. And even if you don't know each other personally, you understand what the spaces mean. And we've had international outcry. A situation like this has never been seen in in our community before and it comes as an absolute shock.

Yeah, I think a lot of us are drawing parallels between what happened to us in the summer of the uprising and having that trauma be brought up again. I don't know how many times you can hug your friends in the middle of the night and thank them and tell them that you're happy that they're alive.

Inflation in the Twin Cities is at just one percent, according to new data the Bureau of Labor Statistics released this morning.

Inflation in the Twin Cities is at just one percent, new data shows. A University of Minnesota medical student and EMT spent the last two months behind the front lines in Ukraine as a combat medic. School starts in just a few weeks, and some school districts are struggling to find staff. Plus, we hear another story of kindness in our latest "Thank You, Stranger" installment.

MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer talked with Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson about the latest in Minnesota sports.

24-year-old Sergey Karachenets had no military experience, but wanted to give back to the country where he was born.