Wander & Wonder

Minnesota sculptor forges a passion for people who put their lives on the line
Near the small town of Kimball, a Minnesota sculpture studio creates highly detailed statues honoring first responders and the military. They can be found in hundreds of public spaces across the country. For the studio’s owners, the work is more than just a business.
Curious minds keep a southern Minnesota book group going for 142 years
Drawn by a love of literature and learning, eight women met in Blue Earth in 1883 to form the town’s Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle. That tradition continues to this day, driven by the ethos: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”
This Black northern Minnesota inventor changed the world. Many Minnesotans don’t know him
Frederick McKinley Jones invented refrigerated shipping, allowing trucks and trains to move food worldwide. The self-taught engineer who lived in Hallock held dozens of patents that transformed America, yet Minnesotans might be hard-pressed to recognize his name.
In rural Minnesota, a longtime township clerk puts his faith in neighbors
Loren Ingebretsen has been a politician for 45 years at the most grassroots level of American politics, the township board. It’s vital work across Minnesota that rarely gets noticed. 
NASCAR on ice? Cars, community drive Minnesota’s frozen lake racers
Cars traveling at high speeds on glare ice might sound like a disaster in the making. But for dozens of drivers in Otter Tail County, it’s a recipe for winter fun. Meet the Bass Lake racers.
Duluth’s one-man newsroom embraces ‘bare-knuckles’ journalism
John Ramos started the Duluth Monitor in 2019 with an aggressive approach to reporting local news. His reporting has upset some local officials but he says readers appreciate his muckraking style.
Longtime Minnesota hockey referee trains next generation to make the calls
Alicia Hanrahan has worked hockey games from youth leagues to the Olympics for more than 20 years. She’s ready to put away her whistle, but not her skates. She’s working now to mentor the next generation of officials as demand climbs.
New tools, old ways help Duluth violin builder create an ancient sound
From a modest workshop, Dan Larson turned his love of music, history and woodworking into a life building violins, lutes and and other stringed instruments. He’s known internationally for creating sounds that reach back to the 16th century.
Red River Valley woman helps immigrants chase the American dream
Fowzia Adde knows inspiration can come from the darkest times. Seven years spent in a refugee camp in Kenya as a teenager fuels her drive to help immigrants succeed in Fargo-Moorhead. 
‘I wanted to do something cool’: Meet the man who made the Minnesota-shaped forest
Years before Google Earth, DNR forester Bill Lockner used hand tools and calculated all the angles and distances to etch Minnesota’s shape into a stretch of forest in Lake of the Woods County. He doesn’t talk about it much, but he spoke recently with MPR News.