School maps show promise as safety tool. Here's how they work.
Digital maps can help first responders in an emergency, if local school officials allocate the money to keep the technology in place and commit to updating the maps.
Minnesota’s ‘red flag law’ is a year old. What have we learned?
Law enforcement agencies, family members, and courts in Minnesota slowly started to use the extreme risk protection order (ERPO), or ‘red flag law,’ since it went into effect in January 2024
How East African politicians are growing a coalition in St. Cloud
To explore the challenges and opportunities in local government for the Somali American community, St. Cloud Somali Community Radio and Project Optimist invited Hassan Yussuf, Abdi Daisane and Omar Podi to share their experiences and insights.
Winona residents call for zoning, funding, and empathy to spur needed housing
Winona residents see affordable housing as urgent and solvable, but success will require policy changes, creative housing models, and more community leadership.
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“Waan u ducaynaa ” Caadada Muslimka xiliga geeridda.
In yar oo ka mid ah Soomaalidda Maraykanka ayaa buuxiya Warqadda Dardaaranak Daryeelka Caafimaadka. Wargayska Project Optimist ayaa la hadlay Qof ku taqasusay. si aan wax uga ogaano su’aalaha caadigga ah oo soomaaliddu ay qabaan markii ay buuxiyaan warqadan.
‘We pray upon them’: A Muslim take on end-of-life rituals
Few Somali Americans complete health care directives. Project Optimist spoke with an expert to learn some of the common questions Somali Americans have when they fill out the documents.
Duluth Community Garden Program wilted. Volunteers stepped in to save it.
“I couldn’t watch it die,” said Haley Diem, who co-chairs the board and helped reshape it into a volunteer-run organization with other supporters of the gardens.
Community Voices ⎸ Advance planning is one of the greatest gifts my dad ever gave me
“My brother and I didn’t have to wonder what Dad wanted: He told us himself, and we carried out his wishes,” writes Jen Zettel-Vandenhouten.
Community Voices ⎸ The pragmatic case for climate optimism
Author Charlie Sellars on how shifting our mindset from “minimizing footprint” towards “maximizing impact” can bring joy back into environmentalism.