The U.S. senate overturned a ban on mining in the Boundary Waters Thursday. It's a win for mining companies — and a loss for environmentalists who say mining will pollute the region. We heard from a Minnesotan in the mining industry.

And a New York Times reporter shared what she learned by talking with dozens of former and current DHS employees.

A St. Paul elementary school will soon launch a historic Afrocentric curriculum for its majority Black student body.

Plus, we heard from a documentary filmmaker following the Jacob Wetterling murder case — after it was closed — through the perspective of the Wetterling family.

And we spoke to a Duluth writer who wrote a book about the best hikes in the country.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “St. Paul” by Anchorhead.

In fall of 2026, a St. Paul elementary school will transform itself with a new learning model. Benjamin E. Mays, which currently runs under the International Baccalaureate — or IB — program, will instead be centered around an Afrocentric program and curriculum.

It's been years in the making and it’s historic as Benjamin E. Mays will become one of the only Afrocentric schools in the state.

Danielle Hughes, principal of Benjamin E. Mays, and Stacie Stanley, superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools, spoke to Minnesota Now about the program.

Whiplash, chaotic, dangerous and unsustainable. These are some of the ways a new report describes the accounts of former and current immigration agents and officials under the Trump administration.

It comes from a new piece by the New York Times that gives a rare behind-the-scenes look into Trump’s Department of Homeland Security.

The team of reporters spoke with more than 80 former and current D.H.S. employees as well as Justice Department officials. This list includes ICE agents, lawyers and top leadership.

They shared reflections on the last year plus, from Election Day 2024, through Operation Metro Surge and up to the replacement of former DHS secretary Kristi Noem in early March.

Rachel Poser was one of the reporters on the story and she joined Minnesota Now to talk more about the story.