Social Issues

U.S. births hit a 30-year low, despite good economy
Experts said several factors may be combining to drive the declines, including shifting attitudes about motherhood and changing immigration patterns.
Read Mpls. mayor's $50M proposal for affordable housing
Mayor Jacob Frey's proposal would quadruple the amount of money the city typically spends on affordable housing.
Fentanyl deaths in Minnesota surge into 'public health crisis'
The powerful drug that killed Prince and has shattered lives across the Twin Cities contributed to nearly all the 172 deaths tied to synthetic opioids last year. Officials worry fentanyl may be taking heroin's place on the street.
Train to nowhere: Twin Cities light rail becomes home for the homeless
Some 200 people use Metro Transit's rail system each night as a rolling shelter. That homeless population is rising at an alarming rate. A late night ride-along reveals challenges that have no easy answers.
Minnesota highlights texting to find mental health help
May is national Mental Health Month, and Minnesota officials are using the opportunity to remind people about expanded services for those experiencing a mental health crisis.
Palestinians in Jerusalem struggle to maintain a foothold in the city they call home
When the U.S. opens its new embassy in Jerusalem on Monday and endorses the city as the capital of Israel, it will also be endorsing a strange reality. About 38 percent of the city's residents are not Israeli at all.
The proposals, most by for-profit corrections contractors, were submitted to ICE after it put out a request in October for detention sites near St. Paul, Chicago, Detroit and Salt Lake City.
Rita Moreno to 'my gente': Be proud of who you are, and don't give up
Moreno is being honored by the Ellis Island Honors Society for her work with immigrant communities. She talks to NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro about her career, her advocacy, and progress in the Latino community.
Nursing homes, senior centers find bullying has no age limit
"There's the clique system just like everywhere else," said Betsy Gran, who until recently was assistant director at San Francisco's 30th Street Senior Center. "It's like 'Mean Girls,' but everyone is 80."