This past Saturday marked five months since Renee Good was shot and killed on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

The federal officer was one of about 4,000 immigration and border enforcement agents sent to Minnesota during the immigration crackdown the White House called “Operation Metro Surge.”

The focus was to deport — in the words of President Donald Trump — the “really bad criminals.”

By the time the surge wound down weeks later, several thousand people had been detained. Many were deported. Most had no criminal record. Many more immigrants stopped going to school and work, and hid at home for weeks. In response, thousands of Minnesotans organized to support people in hiding, document ICE activity and protest the immigration raids.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the leaders of two organizations on the front lines about their experiences during the federal enforcement surge, what immigration enforcement looks like now and what comes next.

Guests:

• Francisco Segovia is a founder and executive director of Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL), which was started in 2018 to organize grassroots support to improve the lives of Latino families in Minnesota. In 2024, COPAL launched the Immigrant Defense Network, a coalition of more than 100 immigrant, labor, legal, faith and community organizations to respond quickly to immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota.
• Michelle Garnett McKenzie is the executive director of The Advocates for Human Rights, a nonprofit that provides free legal services to immigrants, documents human rights abuses and advocates for human rights. She joined the organization in 1999 as an attorney representing asylum seekers and detained immigrants. She also serves on the steering committee of the Immigrant Defense Network.

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

Summer job season is here and many teens and young adults are looking for a chance to earn money, gain experience and build skills.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the state of the summer job market for young workers in Minnesota. They'll discuss where opportunities exist, what employers are looking for and how job seekers can stand out in a competitive hiring environment.

Guests:

• Mark Brinda is the Workforce Development Manager for the City of Minneapolis.
• Oriane Casale is the assistant director of the Labor Market Information Office for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
• Chris Farrell is a senior economics contributor for MPR News and Marketplace.

During the show, the guests shared this job search resource: ​Jobs in Minnesota | Career Resources | CareerForce.MN.gov

Back in 2020, Kobi Gregory began making scented candles to cope with the stress of distance learning in high school. What started as a hobby quickly became a business with help from her mom, Tasha Harris.

Today, Kobi Co. has a downtown Minneapolis storefront, sells signature candles paired with curated playlists, and hosts popular candle-making workshops.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Kobi and Tasha about what it’s like to work together and how they spread self-care through their business.

Guests:

• Kobi Gregory is co-founder of Kobi Co., a candle and wellness company in downtown Minneapolis.
• Tasha Harris is co-founder of Kobi Co. and Kobi Gregory’s mother and business partner.

“Power Pairs” is a series featuring prominent Minnesotans in a close relationship. You may know of them separately but they reveal a new side of themselves when they sit down together. Listen to past interviews here and submit your idea for a future Power Pair here.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

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

One in 10 U.S adults age 20 and older has high cholesterol. And many people don’t even know they’re living it.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a cardiologist about “good” and “bad” cholesterol, what your cholesterol numbers mean and the latest advice on screening, prevention and treatment.

Minnesota’s foster care system is designed to protect children during some of the most difficult moments in their lives. So, what do young people in tough situations need — not just to stay safe, but to feel stable, valued and cared for?

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about some of the challenges foster youth face in Minnesota and what we all can do to support them.

Guests:

• Osahon Akpata-Tanious is the executive director of Foster Advocates, a nonprofit led by people who have lived in foster care that works to improve Minnesota’s child welfare system.
• Nikki Farago is the executive director of the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, a nonprofit that provides free legal representation to youth ages 10-21 in foster care.

For millions of fans around the world, Prince was a musical innovator. He blended rock, funk, pop, R&B and soul in ways that were uniquely his own.

For Minnesotans, he was also one of our own — an artist who helped put the state on the global music map, and whose influence remains as powerful today as it was during his lifetime.

Prince’s legacy will be celebrated with a five-day tribute starting June 3 and including a block party and singalong in downtown Minneapolis.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks to someone who knew Prince well — his attorney, business advisor and friend.

They discuss what’s planned for the celebration, Prince’s impact on music and culture and some of the unforgettable songs that continue to inspire.

Guest:

• L. Londell McMillan is a business manager, producer and entertainment attorney. He was Prince’s lawyer, manager and friend. He is a co-manager of Prince’s estate and is also the founder and chair of The NorthStar Group which owns and operates The Source magazine.

Rising costs, student debt and shifting workforce needs are putting more pressure on liberal arts colleges to demonstrate their value.

But some proponents say a liberal arts education is about more than just preparing for a first job. It's about building skills for the many careers and changes that come after it.

MPR News guest host Annie Baxter talks with guests about the future of liberal arts and higher education at a recent event sponsored by the Citizens League and Macalester College.

Guests:

• Suzanne M. Rivera is the president of Macalester College. She previously served in academic and leadership roles at Case Western Reserve University, UT Southwestern Medical Center and the University of California–Irvine.
• B Kyle is the president and CEO of the St. Paul Area Chamber.
• Wendy Robinson is the assistant commissioner for Programs, Policies, and Grants at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

For the past year, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about economic uncertainty, gun violence, war, divisive politics, suffering and fear.

Times are tough — so, MPR News host Angela Davis decided to go out and find some joy.

She recently visited neighborhoods and asked people to tell her “something good.” She first posed this simple question to people on the street in the fall of 2020 when the COVID-19 virus was spreading chaos and fear.

Listen to what people told her this time around about what’s bringing them joy during stressful times — and we’ll talk with a therapist about why that matters.

What does it mean to grow up in a family haunted by a tragedy?

That’s one of the central themes in a new memoir by Laurie Hertzel, the former book review editor for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

In “Ghosts of Fourth Street: My Family, a Death, and the Hills of Duluth,” Hertzel writes about growing up in Duluth in the 1960s, the seventh child in a family of ten children.

Her father was a college English instructor with a quick temper. Her mother was often overwhelmed. And her family was changed forever when she was 9, after the sudden death of her 18-year-old brother.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Laurie Hertzel about how we’re shaped by our family’s stories, sorrows and silences.

Guests:

• Laurie Hertzel was a journalist and the longtime book review editor at the Minnesota Star Tribune, retiring in 2023. She teaches creative nonfiction in the MFA program at the University of Georgia in Athens. She’s the author of three books, including the memoir "News to Me: Adventures of an Accidental Journalist," which won a 2011 Minnesota Book Award, and “Ghosts of Fourth Street: My Family, a Death, and the Hills of Duluth,” which was published earlier this year.

Whether you’re renting, trying to buy your first home, or making a move — many people are finding that affordable housing feels out of reach.

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari recently pointed to four major factors pushing up housing prices: High interest rates, rising construction costs, regulations and zoning rules, and a shortage of housing overall.

MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks about what more expensive housing means for renters and buyers across Minnesota — and what policymakers, builders and communities can do to make housing more affordable.

Guest:

• Alene Tchourumoff is the senior vice president of Community Development and Engagement for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Her team studies housing affordability and economic trends affecting low and moderate-income households across Minnesota.

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