Brian Arola

These Minnesota cities are considering municipal cannabis stores City-run cannabis shops would be national outliers, but successful municipal liquor stores provide a model to go by.

These 13 Minnesota cities applied for cannabis muni licenses. www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

Czech-ing in from Montgomery, the kolacky capital of the world Community festivals like Kolacky Days are part of the summer scene in Greater Minnesota, where themes run the gamut.

Kolacky Days and other town festivals are weaved into the fabric of Greater Minnesota communities. Check the link for a list of events around the state in August. I most wanna go to Canadian Days in Little Canada, SquidFest in Granite Falls and Watermelon Days in Vining for the names alone.

Czech-ing in from Montgomery, the kolacky capital of the world Community festivals like Kolacky Days are part of the summer scene in Greater Minnesota, where themes run the gamut.

While in Montgomery for an assignment recently @photoellen.bsky.social and I got swept up in preparations for Kolacky Days, a celebration of the city's Czech heritage. Her photos at a bakery 100+ years old are the real highlight here. www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

Albert Lea at odds with state law after denial of cannabis license City councilors in the southern Minnesota town bemoan a lack of local control as the city attorney warns of consequences.

An Albert Lea man didn't want to sue the city, but may do so after Councilors defied state law by denying his cannabis business license Monday. www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

State law is clear on this. The applicant in this case met all requirements, including the city’s own ordinances.

Cannabis retailers navigating regulatory landscape ahead of debuts Cities and counties can’t opt out of the cannabis industry, but they are afforded tools to restrict the location and number of businesses.

Earlier this month I wrote about the applicant, who saw this council vote as a formality. It was supposed to be, but a Council majority took what will likely be a costly stand for local control. www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

In defiance of state law, the Albert Lea City Council denied a cannabis retail license by a 4-3 vote Monday. The consequences of this could be withheld state aid and lawsuits, according to the city’s manager and attorney. Council members voted against it anyway.

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Here's the sign-up link for my Greater Minnesota Newsletter, where you'll find the latest selection of stories by me and my colleagues, plus other news from around the state. Why not sign up for all @minnpost.bsky.social newsletters while you're at it? www.minnpost.com/newsletters/

Trump’s public broadcasting cuts raise risk of radio silence in rural Minnesota - MinnPost When Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in funding to the CPB last week, it also cut other rural radio and television stations off from federal grants.

Trump-led cuts to public broadcasters, backed by Minnesota Republicans in Congress, were aimed at NPR and PBS. But community radio and TV stations in Greater Minnesota are likely to pay for it most.
www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

Will Medicaid work rules cause people to lose their health care? Minnesota counties and health care advocates focus on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Medicaid requirements and administrative burden.

Here is a story I wrote about how the Trump tax and spending bill's Medicaid cuts seem to mostly revolve around making the process of applying for Medicaid more tedious and labor intensive www.minnpost.com/state-govern...

Cannabis retailers navigating regulatory landscape ahead of debuts Cities and counties can’t opt out of the cannabis industry, but they are afforded tools to restrict the location and number of businesses.

This month I started as the visual journalist @minnpost.bsky.social, @catchlight-io.bsky.social fellow and @reportforamerica.bsky.social corps member.

On Tuesday, I drove south to Albert Lea on the cannabis beat for a story with Greater MN reporter Brian Arola: www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

Great job on the photos!

Cannabis retailers navigating regulatory landscape ahead of debuts Cities and counties can’t opt out of the cannabis industry, but they are afforded tools to restrict the location and number of businesses.

My colleague @brianarola.bsky.social wrote a v. informative story about MN cities welcoming/not welcoming legal weed stores while subtly using the phrase "to be blunt" www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

And while I’ve never seen the real Statue of Liberty, I had to snap a pic of Willmar’s version of it.

S/O to Willmar’s Azteca restaurant for the massive, delicious burrito they served me.

New baseball team represents Willmar’s Latino communities The Willmar area has among the highest percentages of Latino residents in the state — including many ballplayers looking for roster spots.

I recently visited Willmar, one of the most diverse cities in Greater Minnesota, for a story on a new amateur baseball team composed of players from the area's Latino communities. www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

Rural hospitals in Minnesota brace for ‘seismic’ Medicaid changes Threats of losses of services and even closures of rural hospitals loom after Trump signs ‘big, beautiful’ budget bill into law.

Coming from Greater Minnesota, I'm bound to come across stories that hit close to home. Like when I found out the hospital where I was born, in Hibbing, is highly vulnerable to Medicaid cuts coming from Trump's "big beautiful" budget bill. www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

YouTube video by MinnPost Northfield skateboarding community thankful for Minnesota Legislature funding to expand park

We reported on eight skate park projects that have received funding from the Legislature. We also made a short video.

How the legislative session became a boon for skate park projects Eight parks were in exclusive company on the Legislature’s funding priority list, a boost for the growing freeform sport.

Went to Northfield last week to learn about its unrealized skate park plans, which are rolling again thanks to new grant funding from the state. In a legislative session marked by few general fund appropriations, how did skate parks make the cut? Check out the story. www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

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Advocates press on despite confusion over ‘sanctuary’ designation Neither politicy nor geography explain the temporary list that put several jurisdictions on federal notice.

I went to Watonwan and Nobles counties this week to learn about how immigration advocates are responding to the two getting placed on a federal agency's "sanctuary jurisdiction" watch list.
www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

Fun event, thank you for attending!

Body cams becoming the norm for Minnesota police departments Agencies are embracing the technology five years after George Floyd's death, though smaller towns are still the least likely to have them.

My article on body cams names the top five. 6-10 is where it gets real tough. www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

Greater Minnesota trivia:

How many of the 10 most populous Minnesota cities outside the Twin Cities metro can you name?

Body cams becoming the norm for Minnesota police departments Agencies are embracing the technology five years after George Floyd's death, though smaller towns are still the least likely to have them.

A rarity even a decade ago, body camera usage is now more the rule than the exception among Minnesota police departments.
www.minnpost.com/greater-minn...

Minnesota conservationists sound alarm on mounting threats to Boundary Waters - MinnPost As the Trump administration prioritizes mining in northern Minnesota, conservation groups work to protect the Boundary Waters.

My first byline at MinnPost is an article on how conservationists are responding to renewed threats to undo environmental protections on the Boundary Waters. www.minnpost.com/environment/...

Excited to share professional news! This is my first week with @minnpost.bsky.social as its new Greater Minnesota reporter. Looking forward to reporting on issues all over the state from my homebase in Mankato.

This comes after ICE detained another international student in Mankato on Friday. I've reached out to ICE every day this week requesting information on the action and received no response. The student's status and whereabouts are unknown.

Minnesota State University's president announced five international students in Mankato had their visas terminated by federal immigration officials.
www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_n...

Views on the pandemic response are split, especially along political lines, but this data and more included in the article showed there is no disputing the severity of the virus. It wreaked havoc on health systems and communities.