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Upper Midwest Newsroom

The Upper Midwest Newsroom is a public media collaboration between Wisconsin Public Radio, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Prairie Public in North Dakota and Minnesota Public Radio News, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Hemp builds houses, economy and opportunity in one Minnesota tribal community

Hemp builds houses, economy and opportunity in one Minnesota tribal community

Hoping to diversify its economy beyond gambling, the Lower Sioux Indian Community has put its chips on hempcrete, a sustainable housing insulation. The operation is part of a quiet, national surge in Native-owned startups. But steep challenges remain.
by Chris Farrell

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Native entrepreneurs bring jobs and inspiration to their communities

Native entrepreneurs bring jobs and inspiration to their communities

The number of Native entrepreneurs is on the rise in Minnesota. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two indigenous business owners about their unique success and challenges.
by Angela Davis, Chris Farrell and Maja Beckstrom

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New generation of Native entrepreneurs building an economic future grounded in culture, history

New generation of Native entrepreneurs building an economic future grounded in culture, history

For centuries, tribal trade fueled culture and commerce. The reservation system severed those ties, but they never died. A new generation is reclaiming that entrepreneurial spirit as tribes work to diversify their economies beyond casinos.
by Leah Lemm

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A tribal nation reclaims reservation land through much-debated carbon credits

A tribal nation reclaims reservation land through much-debated carbon credits

The Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe is buying back its land by selling the carbon its forest stores. The approach is being called a model, even as some researchers question whether forest carbon credits deliver what carbon offsets promise.
by Melissa Olson

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Southeastern Minnesota's hidden historical gems: Restored Civil War buildings reopen to the public

Southeastern Minnesota's hidden historical gems: Restored Civil War buildings reopen to the public

A tiny hamlet in southeastern Minnesota is home to the only surviving Civil War recruiting station in Minnesota. 165 years ago, students at a local seminary were among the first in the nation to enlist in the the Union Army.
by Molly Castle Work

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Quality coffee, Ojibwe bonds build a business on the Fond du Lac Reservation in NE Minnesota

Quality coffee, Ojibwe bonds build a business on the Fond du Lac Reservation in NE Minnesota

At a roadside kiosk on the reservation, Jackson Ripley and his family blend great coffee and Ojibwe culture together with a bit of magic. In the process, they’ve built new community ties, and they’re hoping to do more.
by Leah Lemm

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Red Lake Nation returns plane to Roseau pilot, reaching resolution after 7-month standstill

Red Lake Nation returns plane to Roseau pilot, reaching resolution after 7-month standstill

Roseau pilot Darrin Smedsmo retrieved his small engine plane from Red Lake Nation on Wednesday. The plane had been seized after Smedsmo made an emergency landing in October on tribal lands.
by Melissa Olson

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Artemis II astronaut carries wisdom of Seven Grandfathers to the moon

Artemis II astronaut carries wisdom of Seven Grandfathers to the moon

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s uniform patch commemorating the Seven Grandfather Teachings is a long-overdue moment of recognition for Indigenous knowledge, observers say. Hansen said they’ve guided him on this journey to the edge of human flight.
by Melissa Olson

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When it comes to meat raffles, Minnesota lawmakers have no beefs 

When it comes to meat raffles, Minnesota lawmakers have no beefs 

At the Capitol, there is rare, bipartisan support for a bill to update the state’s charitable gambling law and allow higher ticket prices and prize values for meat raffles, a local bar life tradition that’s part neighborhood social, grocery store run and fundraiser.
by Melissa Olson

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Competing for power: Minnesota tribal nation, electric utility tangle over solar energy’s future  

Competing for power: Minnesota tribal nation, electric utility tangle over solar energy’s future  

The state Public Utilities Commission is weighing whether a tribal nation that buys power from a local electric cooperative can also operate its own massive solar array that may harm the co-op. The case raises questions of state law and tribal sovereignty.
by Melissa Olson

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