Social Issues

More Minnesotans will soon qualify for food assistance program
The Minnesota Legislature has increased the income limit for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The decision comes at a time when households continue to face higher grocery prices due to inflation.
In Texas, Moms Demand Action got more than 20,000 new supporters after Uvalde
"My own historically Republican mother told me she looked up her senators and called them for the first time in her life," Liz Hanks, who leads the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action, told NPR.
Minnesota abortion providers press ahead, prep for a future beyond Roe  
Minnesota clinics are bracing for an influx of patients and protesters from across the nation if Roe v. Wade is overturned and other states tighten laws or end legal abortion. In Duluth, a day at the region’s only abortion provider offers a look at the current and coming challenges. 
Demand at food banks is way up again. But inflation makes it harder to meet the need
High food and gas prices are squeezing working families, sending some to food pantries for the first time. But providers are struggling with high costs, fewer donations and supply chain woes.
Officials say Minnesota’s reputation as a welcoming state has helped make it the top destination in the U.S. for secondary migration — which occurs when refugees move to Minnesota after an initial resettlement somewhere else.
Lenders more likely to deny home loans to people of color in the Twin Cities
New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis shows that the denial rate for home loans is higher for people of color than it is for White applicants. The starkest gap was between Black applicants at 4.3% and White applicants at 1.7%. MPR News host Tom Crann spoke with Alene Tchourumoff, Senior Vice President of Community Development and Engagement at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, for more on the findings.
Minnesota Now - May 30, 2022: Reporters, advocates mark second anniversary of George Floyd's murder
George Floyd, a Black man, was murdered by a white Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day of 2020. In a special hour, host Cathy Wurzer interviews the journalists who covered his murder and the civil unrest that followed. She also checks in with two advocates based in greater Minnesota.
Early Risers: Waking up to racial equity in early childhood
In this one-hour special from the team behind Early Risers, host Dianne Haulcy gives listeners practical tips and insights from a variety of early childhood experts about how to talk with very young children about race and racism.