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Minnesota’s Black marijuana users far more likely to face arrest than white ones
Black Minnesotans are nearly five times as likely to be arrested on marijuana charges as white ones, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. It’s a disparity that has persisted for years, despite data showing that Black and white residents use cannabis at similar rates. The recent statewide legalization of certain […]
Biden plan could zero out student debt for at least one third of Minnesota borrowers
The Biden administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 of an individual’s federal student loan debt could completely eliminate the balances of 30 to 50% of Minnesota borrowers, according to federal data. Figures from the Department of Education show that about 781,000 Minnesotans have student loan balances with the federal government. About 228,000 have balances […]
Minnesota law enforcement seized $11 million in assets in 2021
In 2021, Minnesota law enforcement agencies took nearly $11 million in cash, vehicles and other property from people who, in many cases, were never convicted or even charged with a crime. That figure comes from the latest annual report on asset forfeiture from the office of the state auditor. Forfeiture allows law enforcement agencies to […]
Twin Cities residents far more likely to die of air pollution than homicide, study finds
Air pollution from car exhaust, wildfires and other sources kills over 300 Minneapolis and St. Paul residents annually, according to new estimates from a leading team of air quality researchers. That number has risen in recent years as air quality has slightly deteriorated in the upper Midwest. The figure is almost certainly an underestimate of […]
New maps trace the geography of crime in Minnesota
Republican media figures and political candidates have often attempted to paint the Twin Cities as a hotbed of crime and lawlessness in the wake of the George Floyd protests of 2020. But new data released last week by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension show rising crime is not merely an urban phenomenon. It finds […]
Where housing is most (and least) affordable in Minnesota
Minnesota has long touted housing affordability in its efforts to recruit and retain people and industry. Although it still largely holds up, it’s uneven depending on where you live and how much money you make, according to a Reformer analysis of income and housing costs. For a long time, a rule of thumb for homebuyers […]
New Census data show most Minnesotans settle close to where they grew up
New data released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau finds that by the time they reach their mid-twenties, most Americans don’t stray far from the towns they grew up in. It shows that 80% of young adults stay within 100 miles of their hometowns, and that minorities and members of low-income households are even […]
Map: How Minnesota’s land is used
Last week’s visits to Minnesota ethanol refineries by the campaigns of Gov. Tim Walz and his likely GOP opponent Scott Jensen were a reminder that whatever their differences, Minnesota Democrats and Republicans are united in their commitment to turning corn into gasoline. According to a report by the University of Minnesota Extension, nearly one third […]
Minnesota’s racial disparities on drug overdose are the worst in the nation
New data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that drug overdose deaths are rising more rapidly among Black and Indigenous Americans than they are among white people — and Minnesota’s disparities are the worst in the nation. From 2019 to 2020, according to the analysis, fatal overdoses increased by […]
Wolf attacks benefit far-right politicians, study finds
Wolf attacks on livestock boost the electoral fortunes of candidates of far-right political parties, according to a new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study analyzed data from Germany, where wolves have been reintroduced in recent decades following their eradication in the 20th century. Wolf attacks on […]