The city of St. Paul is looking to revitalize the greater east side neighborhood and it’s starting with a new name for its business district.

The “Bear Larp” district is the new identity for the business corridor at White Bear Avenue and Larpenteur Avenue. The Greater East Side Community Council is spearheading the project and its executive director Lisa Theis joined Minnesota Now to talk more about it.

A new effort has launched to provide support to Southeast Asian communities across the state navigating detainment and deportation.

"The Southeast Asian Defense Response Project" is a collaboration of four different organizations: ManForward, Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN), Immigration Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), and Transforming Generations.

They report that 2025 marked “the highest level of Hmong and Lao deportations in the last 15 years." Minnesota is home to some of the largest concentrations of various Southeast Asian groups, including Hmong, Lao, Karen, Vietnamese and Cambodian, among others.

Xay Yang, executive director of Transforming Generations, shared more about the project with host Nina Moini.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with a partner, there is a 24-hour statewide domestic and sexual violence hotline. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995. You can also call or text the Hmong Family Strengthening Helpline at (877) 740-4292.

For SEAFN’s 24/7 immigration assistance available in Hmong, Khmer, Vietnamese and Lao, call 1-(800) 251-1083. ILCM’s intake line can also be reached at 1-(800) 223-1368.

A group of parents from Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis are determined to push for change at the Capitol this session. More on their new coalition's mission. And we'll to talk to a state lawmaker introducing a bill to ban assault weapons in Minnesota.

The state has presented a roadmap for preventing and addressing fraud. We'll hear more about it.

And a 16-year-old asylum seeker is finally back in Minnesota after being apprehended last month by immigration agents and sent to Michigan.

Then to Worthington for the latest on how the federal surge of agents affected the small, southern Minnesota city, where almost half of the population is Hispanic or Latino.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Chorado” by Charles Lazarus and our Song of the Day was “Ferdy” by Sleeping Jesus.

Hockey fans may be feeling a little hoarse today. The Olympics wrapped with two wins for Team USA over Canada. Both games kept viewers on their toes, going into overtime with the U.S. beating a top rival 2-1, for both the men and women.

Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about this and other sports news are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

One Minnesota city now also looking towards recovery from the ICE surge is Worthington, in southern Minnesota. According to census data, 45 percent of the city’s population is Hispanic or Latino and 28 percent are foreign born. And the city has several immigrant-owned businesses.

Jaime Salinas is the CEO of Forward Worthington, which is the city’s chamber of commerce. He spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about the impact of ICE on the community and on local business.

A 16-year-old asylum seeker was apprehended by immigration agents in north Minneapolis last month. And unlike the thousands of people who were sent to the Whipple building, the Department of Homeland Security ended up sending him to a Christian youth shelter in Michigan.

Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Susan Du followed his story and spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about her reporting on the young asylum seeker.

As the legislative session kicks off this month, a group of Minneapolis parents are determined to drive change around gun violence in Minnesota.

Their children attend Annunciation Catholic School and were present during the mass shooting on August 27th. Two children were killed and 28 others injured.

As their community takes steps to heal, the parents also want to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are set to introduce a slate of legislation aimed at gun violence prevention, school safety and mental health resources. DFL State Rep. Emma Greenman will introduce an assault weapon ban on Tuesday. Rep. Greenman joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about the legislation.

A coalition of more than 20 mayors across Minnesota is calling on the state for help with recovery from the surge of federal agents in the last two months. We'll hear from the mayor of Brooklyn Center about the group's number one ask to state lawmakers.

It's been a week since border czar Tom Homan announced a plan to significantly reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota. But has that been the case on the ground? What data on flights out of MSP carrying detainees indicates.

Homan also claimed federal agents had located more than 3,000 supposedly missing unaccompanied children during the surge. A local expert breaks down what that might mean.

And we'll meet a Minnesota ER doctor consulting for the hit TV show “The Pitt.“

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Minneapolis Madness” by room3, Alex Brown, David Feily and LA Buckner. Our Song of the Day was “Human” by Brandi Carlile.

The number of ICE detainees flown out of state has dropped significantly since border czar Tom Homan announced a major drawdown of federal agents from Minnesota last Thursday — an indication that federal enforcement activity could be easing.

Nick Benson is an activist with MN50501 who has been tracking flights leaving Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport chartered by the federal government. He said more than 3,600 people have been flown out of the state on these flights since early November when he began documenting.

The hit HBO medical drama “The Pitt,” follows a fictional emergency room in Pittsburgh, Penn. for one day. Each episode, is an hour of their shift. The show has been complimented for its accuracy in portraying a real emergency room. That’s thanks in part to a Minnesota doctor.

Dr. Jacob Lentz is an emergency room doctor at MHealth Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming, Minn. and he served as a medical consultant for the show. Season two is airing now on HBO.

Dr. Lentz spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about his role on the show and how he helped contribute to its medical accuracy.