Thanks to a FOIA lawsuit from @deportationdata.org, Minnesota is getting its first credible numbers on arrests during the federal government's surge here this winter. About 3,800 Minnesota residents were arrested. Most from Latin America (only 106 from Somalia). (1)
The school reform program Success for All, first developed in the 1980s, has been declining in popularity for the past two decades — even though a mountain of research shows it gets great results, especially when it comes to elementary reading skills.
Read why: www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...
Some people say antidepressants left them with debilitating symptoms for years — even decades — after going off the medications. Their ranks are growing online as they push for recognition and research. www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...
An aerial view of Metarvik, Alaska, a small village of several dozen buildings in the middle of a vast snowy expanse.
This is Mertarvik, Alaska, population 300. It’s a new town.
Its residents, the vast majority of whom are Yup’ik, began moving in around 2019.
The move was by necessity: The nearby village where many residents previously lived, Newtok, is sinking, its riverbanks eroding. THREAD 🧵
Vacant lots and broken buildings remain along Lake Street and other Minneapolis business districts five years after George Floyd’s killing set off nights of destruction. Some business owners say money woes and city zoning rules have made it hard to rebuild.
There's also a nifty map of all the properties Minneapolis and St. Paul deemed destroyed in 2020 -- and what's there now. (clickable version is in the story.)
Proud of my former student, @estelletw.bsky.social from @mprnews.org, for her excellent story about why it's taking so long to rebuild properties that were destroyed by the arson fires that followed George Floyd's murder five years ago.
The University of Minnesota is shutting down a multi-million dollar research center that has been roiled by plagiarism allegations. The school announced the closure of the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity one day after its founder, Rachel Hardeman, departed.
I'm confused. What happened?
If you're in DC this weekend, come to Planet Word. I'll be there Sat w/ Mark Seidenberg and Maryellen MacDonald, scientists who study reading and language. They'll discuss "What's Next in the Science of Reading." Come for the discussion. Stay for the museum! planetwordmuseum.org/events/eyes-...
Sometimes, you just gotta close all the browser tabs.
I love how he wanted to add yet another "element" with the redesign.
One of my proudest achievements as a City Hall reporter was coming up with that "one boat or two" framing of the logo redesign issue. I must've written three stories about it, but my favorite was this tongue-in-cheek radio piece.... buoyed by sailing songs: www.mprnews.org/story/2015/0...
Third graders in Steubenville, Ohio, are among the best little readers in the nation. For nearly 20 years, the elementary schools in this economically depressed area have produced better readers than some of the wealthiest places in the country. www.apmreports.org/story/2025/0...
I once had a MN county deny a data request cuz it included an old FoxPro DB. They said no one knew how to open it and screen for private data. So I made a burdensome request for the resumés of all county employees who listed FoxPro as a skill. They backed down. Guess what? Excel can open the files!
We've got an update on legislative changes since Sold a Story. Half of all states have passed new laws since the podcast first came out. Story update by @clpeak.bsky.social www.apmreports.org/story/2024/1...
A map of the United States shows where new laws have passed regarding reading instruction. Two colors of blue are used, for laws passed in 2023 and 2024. The podcast Sold a Story came out in late 2022. Some additional states had laws or policies on the books prior to the podcast.
In the past two years, 25 states have enacted laws to better align reading instruction with scientific research.
So is this where the party's at?
