Winona residents call for zoning, funding, and empathy to spur needed housing
Winona residents see affordable housing as urgent and solvable, but success will require policy changes, creative housing models, and more community leadership.
“Waan u ducaynaa ” Caadada Muslimka xiliga geeridda.
In yar oo ka mid ah Soomaalidda Maraykanka ayaa buuxiya Warqadda Dardaaranak Daryeelka Caafimaadka. Wargayska Project Optimist ayaa la hadlay Qof ku taqasusay. si aan wax uga ogaano su’aalaha caadigga ah oo soomaaliddu ay qabaan markii ay buuxiyaan warqadan.
‘We pray upon them’: A Muslim take on end-of-life rituals
Few Somali Americans complete health care directives. Project Optimist spoke with an expert to learn some of the common questions Somali Americans have when they fill out the documents.
Duluth Community Garden Program wilted. Volunteers stepped in to save it.
“I couldn’t watch it die,” said Haley Diem, who co-chairs the board and helped reshape it into a volunteer-run organization with other supporters of the gardens.
Community Voices ⎸ Advance planning is one of the greatest gifts my dad ever gave me
“My brother and I didn’t have to wonder what Dad wanted: He told us himself, and we carried out his wishes,” writes Jen Zettel-Vandenhouten.
Community Voices ⎸ The pragmatic case for climate optimism
Author Charlie Sellars on how shifting our mindset from “minimizing footprint” towards “maximizing impact” can bring joy back into environmentalism.
What is the proper role of guns in our community? 5 Minnesotans answer
"I don't see a world without firearms and without guns. I just want to seek a way of having them in a safe, responsible manner, where people don't have to be afraid, where people can feel safe."
Atlanta is embracing a cheap, effective way to beat urban heat: ‘cool roofs’
White or reflective roofs significantly reduce temperatures. Atlanta is the latest city to mandate their adoption.
How LGBTQ+ Minnesotans navigate end-of-life plans
The leader of OutFront Minnesota shares insights about end-of-life planning in the LGBTQ+ community.
Drawn by Nature: Transform urban yards into wildlife habitats
An urban yard can become a richly layered ecosystem.
Cinwaanka warka : La kulan Dr Bashiir, oo ah dhaqtarka furay Xaruntii ugu horeysay ee uu leeyahay qof Somali ah.
Dhaqtar Bashiir Macalim wuxuu furay Xarunta Caafimaadka Ee Xayat Clinic Sanadkii 2024. Si uu ugu adeego Bulshadda Soomaalidda Ee ku dhaqan Bartamaha Minnesota. waxay ahayd caqab in uu furo xarun u gaar ah. Balse Dhaqtar Bashiir wuxuu ogaaday in ay tahay shaqo mudnaan leh.
Meet Dr. Bashir: He opened St. Cloud’s first Somali-run clinic
Dr. Bashir Moallin opened Hayat Clinic in 2024 to serve the Somali community in central Minnesota. It was a challenge to start his own practice, but Dr. Moallin said he finds the work rewarding.
Science says plastic bag bans really do work
Outlawing or taxing plastic bags reduces beach litter, according to a recent study.
Community Voices ⎸ Emotional whiplash: My big lessons on death came from giving birth
"Never have I been so close to death and birth," writes Nora Hertel, founder and executive director of Project Optimist.
Project Optimist wins 3 Minnesota journalism awards
The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists announced award recipients on Thursday, June 26.
Find 'I Never Thought of It That Way' moments
In her book "I Never Thought of It That Way," Mónica Guzmán suggests people search for moments that take them outside of their own perspective.
COMMUNITY VOICES | Become one of the helpers in the wake of political violence
"I think we can choose together to stay soft. We can become the helpers that Mr. Fred Rogers (and his mother) recommended we look for in tragedies," writes Nora Hertel.
Decades of effort revitalize St. Louis River
Work to mediate more than 100 years of industrial pollution and dumping in Duluth, Minn., has reached new milestones.