Social Issues

A Minneapolis-based Somali lawyer was buried Thursday, a day after he was shot in the Somali capital, his relatives said.
Heating assistance requests up, but funding in limbo
Applications for federal help with home heating bills are up more than 8 percent from last year, Minnesota officials say. But the amount of money available to help low-income families stay warm is uncertain.
The giant Mesabi places a bet
Minnesota's Iron Range looks toward a future that goes beyond ore and hockey.
From tiny island to tiny town, Micronesians at home in Milan, Minn.
It's a long way from a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to landlocked Chippewa County in central Minnesota. But dozens of people from Micronesia have made the transition over the past 10 years and changed the character of the town of Milan.
Minn. man takes 'food stamp challenge'
As Minnesotans head to grocery stores to buy their Thanksgiving turkeys, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, a record number will be paying for their holiday meals using food stamps. A Minneapolis man hopes to raise awareness of "food insecurity" by living for a week on the amount of money he'd get if he were receiving government food support.
Raising awareness about food assistance
To raise awareness about the issue of food insecurity, this week a Minneapolis man is living on the amount of money an individual receives in what used to be known as food stamps.
Pope seeks debate on condoms and AIDS
Pope Benedict XVI wanted to "kick-start a debate" when he said some condom use may be justified, Vatican insiders say, raising hopes and fears that the church may be starting to back away from its condom ban for its flock of 1 billion Catholics.
During adoption month, a celebration of new families
The McKizzie family completed their adoption of Candice and Camron during National Adoption Awareness Month, which agencies throughout Minnesota are celebrating with events.
Some Catholic believers in the Americas greeted Pope Benedict XVI's comments on condoms as a sign that the church was stepping into the modern debate in the fight against AIDS.
Pope: condoms can be justified in some cases
Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that condoms can be justified for male prostitutes seeking to stop HIV, a stunning turnaround for a church that has long opposed condoms and a pontiff who has blamed them for making the AIDS crisis worse.