MaryJo Webster

Sixty years after her death, Clementine Robinson finally gets her grave marker Robinson and her husband Harry, a Black couple that faced racism in Minneapolis a century ago, were featured in the Star Tribune podcast “Ghost of a Chance.”

www.startribune.com/sixty-years-...

Today we unveiled a headstone for Clementine Robinson, 60 yrs after her death. After our podcast about her, listeners donated money to fill her wish. It was a beautiful tribute

Breaking: HHS, Commerce, Probably Other Agencies Send Entire Staff Email Blaming Democrats for Shutdown Please forgive the multiple editions in one day — occasionally I'll send breaking news out such as this. If you're new here, read more about the deal here and please subscribe below! On Tuesday after...

I'd love to get 35 new free subscribers (then 200 more, but start small) to Gravity Is Gone, with my independent reporting and writing on science, politics, and policy. I got laid off a month ago, trying to build this, lfg!

www.gravityisgone.com

I published two things just yesterday; the first:

A state law has prevented school and workplace shootings, but enforcement is inconsistent Public records show that the state’s red flag gun law has helped law enforcement confiscate guns from people with violent plans. Some counties, though, have rarely or never used it, raising worry abou...

www.startribune.com/red-flag-gun...

How the Minnesota Star Tribune used AI to bolster its shoe-leather reporting to background a mass shooter - Poynter A team of journalists relentlessly tracked the shooter’s digital and paper trail. But AI provided deeper insight into her thoughts before the shooting.

www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...

We don’t know the real number of Nebraskans dying from drugs. It’s costing us. - Flatwater Free Press Every year, Nebraska undercounts overdoses, say state officials, public health experts, on-the-ground treatment workers and a new Flatwater Free Press analysis. Laws and money are impacted. And lives ...

A little math can go a long way..... Nice work @flatwaterfreep.bsky.social

flatwaterfreepress.org/we-dont-know...

The podcast I worked on last year, "Ghost of a Chance," is a finalist in the Signal Podcast Awards! And that means we are eligible to also get a Listener's Choice award. but we need people to VOTE! vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

IRE statement on Pentagon press freedom constraints - Investigative Reporters & Editors Investigative Reporters and Editors joins other journalism organizations in condemning the Pentagon's new press restrictions.

Investigative Reporters and Editors joins with numerous newsrooms and journalism organizations in condemning the Pentagon's new restrictions on reporters.

Read our full statement: www.ire.org/statement-on...

We want to know how local governments are using ChatGPT. Here’s how you can help. Help us understand how governments use this latest technology.

KNKX Public Radio and Cascade PBS recently obtained thousands of pages of these logs from city officials in Washington state.

Now, MuckRock wants to know what agencies we should request ChatGPT logs from. www.muckrock.com/news/archive...

To give you a sense of how big the Strib’s possible redevelopment site is, it’s in yellow and the whole North Loop is in red. You could build a basketball arena there!

Minnesota Star Tribune to sell Minneapolis printing plant, lay off 125 workers The state’s largest media company will continue printing 7 days a week, but will outsource printing to Iowa.

Minnesota Star Tribune to sell Minneapolis printing plant, lay off 125 workers www.startribune.com/minnesota-st...

Live: Minnesota students stage walkout to call for gun control after Annunciation shooting Schools across Minnesota expected to join the demonstration.

Minnesota's civic engagement is strong, even among our youngest: www.startribune.com/live-minneso...

‘No going back.’ Minneapolis church shooter turned violent after sometimes turbulent upbringing. She expressed love for her family, but knew they’d wonder how they could have missed obvious signs.

ICYMI: So much great reporting by my colleagues at the @startribune.com following last week's horrific school shooting. Calling out this one, in particular: www.startribune.com/no-going-bac...

. @craigstetter.bsky.social I have to give most of the kudos on the dataviz to @cjsinner.bsky.social ! Thank you!

Artificial intelligence and government secrecy Done right, AI could help state and local governments become more open and transparent about how they are making decisions and using tax dollars.

My latest oped on combatting government secrecy and taking steps to protect democracy. @contrariannews.org
contrarian.substack.com/p/artificial... @thenewpress.bsky.social

I'd settle for all the parcels in a single state.

Rainier summers are closing Minneapolis beaches more often as bacteria levels spike Five beaches have been closed at least once this year. More likely to come in August, the month when closures are most common.

Great example by my intern, Karina Kumar, of using data analysis to go a little deeper on a timely story to make it better! www.startribune.com/rainy-summer...

⚠️ Even journalists in countries considered democratic face surveillance risks.

🌐 Learn how to protect your journalism work and register in our new FREE course on digital security 👉 https://bit.ly/4jTVYoT

Our Data Fellowship is now open for applications! This program offers training on data acquisition, cleaning, analysis and visualization led by some of the most skilled data reporters and journalism practitioners in the nation. Learn more: bit.ly/2025DataFell...

Journalists, stay safe online! Register in our free course on digital security and learn: 

🚨 Risk assessment
👤 Account & data security
🌐 Privacy hygiene
💻 Device safety

👉 Register for FREE here: https://bit.ly/4jTVYoT

Our books editor has the tea on how we choose what to review Louise Erdrich and Kate DiCamillo are easy calls, but how does the Minnesota Star Tribune books editor choose between the 3 million books published each year?

How the Star Tribune decides what books to review: (gift link)
www.startribune.com/star-tribune...

Live Q&A: Submit your questions about political shootings in Minnesota Reporters Paul Walsh and Jeff Day will be answering them in a live Q&A on Friday from noon-1:30 p.m.

We’re answering your questions about the investigation and our reporting process after the weekend shootings of Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses. From noon to 1:30 p.m. central

Very weird. Thanks for the feedback. Our tech team is looking into this.

Feeling lost choosing a restaurant? Let our Culinary Compass lead the way. The Star Tribune’s new restaurant finder matches your mood with an eatery recommended by our food team.

Read more about it here: www.startribune.com/restaurant-f...

Twin Cities News - Minnesota Star Tribune Explore breaking and local Twin Cities news from the Minnesota Star Tribune. Coverage on the Twin Cities of Minnesota: Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Check out this awesome & fun tool my colleagues made to help you find a restaurant. Very creative! www.startribune.com/compass

Hortman began legal career with win in landmark housing discrimination case As a young attorney working for a legal aid organization, Hortman took up the housing discrimination case of a Minneapolis woman.

A case that began with a complaint about a broken furnace ended with the largest jury award for a race-based housing discrimination claim in U.S. history because 27-year-old Melissa Hortman saw “that there were these larger issues. Not every lawyer would pick up on that,” a former colleague said.

We Spent a Year Investigating How the FDA Let Risky Drugs Into the U.S. Market Our investigation exposed a little-known practice inside the FDA that allowed more than 150 drugs or their ingredients into the U.S. over the past dozen years even though they were made at factories…

A ProPublica investigation revealed that the FDA did not routinely test the drugs as they were circulating in the U.S. or proactively track whether consumers had been harmed.

Here’s how we conducted our reporting, which spanned more than a year.

Journalism friends: Center for Health Journalism Data Fellowship is now accepting applications for this yr's cohort. I'm one of the senior fellows, teaching & mentoring. Please share! centerforhealthjournalism.org/fellowships-...

IRE 2025 - Extractive AI Nevermind Generative AI, Here’s Extractive AI Derek Willis, University of Maryland https://go.umd.edu/ire25-ai

Slides for my #IRE25 presentation on using LLMs to extract data from documents:

go.umd.edu/ire25-ai

New podcast follows reporter’s search for answers about his Minneapolis home’s former owners Reporter Eric Roper traces the lives of a Black couple who owned his house in 1917. Their story reveals a history of race that unfolded a century before Minneapolis became ground zero for a global rac...

If you're looking for a way to honor Juneteenth, take some time to listen to "Ghost of a Chance." www.startribune.com/ghost-of-a-c...