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Parents, community members urge Bemidji school board to reconsider closure plan
The public had one final chance Tuesday night to weigh in on a proposal to shutter J.W. Smith Elementary School in Bemidji. The school board will make a final decision on the school closure plan next week.
Deaths, neglect, calls for help: Group home boom overwhelms Brooklyn Park
Taxpayer-funded group homes help thousands of Minnesotans with physical or mental disabilities live as independently as possible. But the industry’s rapid growth in the Twin Cities northwest suburbs has led to problems that leave vulnerable people in danger and local governments struggling with the consequences. Nowhere is that clearer than in Brooklyn Park, the state’s group home capital.
Seeking volunteer firefighters in small-town Minnesota
Pemberton needs more volunteer firefighters or risks having to shutter its fire department. It’s part of a nationwide pattern: While call volume for emergencies has increased, there’s been a big drop in the number of people trained and willing to respond to them.
The Trump administration is increasing pressure on Cuba, cutting off vital oil supplies and straining its economy, while rolling blackouts leave millions of people without power. MPR News host Catharine Richert talks with foreign policy analyst Peter Kornbluh about the latest developments and what they mean for the future of U.S.-Cuba relations.