Ground Level Blog

Check out an MPR News chat between Ground Level journalists Dave Peters and Jennifer Vogel and Davy Rothbart, co-director of the documentary “Medora,” a film about the central role that a losing basketball team plays in a small town’s sense of identity.
Bridging the digital divide in rural America requires investment in people’s capabilities, not just technical infrastructure, an officer with Minnesota’s Blandin Foundation told Congress today.
International Falls joining forces with Canada for regional tourism
Some in International Falls want to partner with cities and parks on the Canadian side of the international border to draw tourists and diversify the local jobs base.
Memorial honors Chuck Waibel, passionate about local food
Admirers of Chuck Waibel, of Milan in western Minnesota, are gathering Saturday to honor the man. Waibel, who died this summer at the age of 55, was a strong proponent of local foods and of building greenhouses that could extend the growing season for producers.
The League of Minnesota Cities has posted a searchable database of hundreds of examples of collaboration among Minnesota’s cities.
Last year’s flood pushes two towns closer to consolidating
Residents in Carlton and Thomson are voting Nov. 5 on whether the two cities should consolidate. They have been talking about a merger for years but started to move more quickly when heavy rains caused substantial flooding damage in Thomson in summer 2012.
Slow start to training ex-Boise workers in International Falls
Connecting displaced Boise workers with training at Rainy River Community College isn’t easy. A mine safety class was recently cancelled when few people signed up.