Community Engagement Director in Opinion for the Star Tribune. Former economy, retail and higher ed reporter. Knight-Bagehot fellow 2018-2019.

Minneapolis
Joined October 2008
HOME FREE AFTER MORE THAN TWO DAYS: Nasra Ahmed, 23, a St. Paul woman and U.S. citizen who was born in Minnesota, was released to her family without charges on Friday night after being detained by federal immigration enforcement agents and spending more than two days in detention. “She went home traumatized, not eating, not talking, pissed off,” said state Rep. Samakab Hussein, who helped her family locate her in federal detention at the Sherburne County Jail and Fort Snelling. “She feels that she got kidnapped. The law is not protecting her. She was humiliated.” twincities.com/2026/01/17/st…
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I remember asking Target executives back in 2015 if a partnership with Warby Parker was in the cards. It seemed like an obvious fit to me (the only wrinkle was Target's optical stores it already has.) A decade later, it's happening! corporate.target.com/press/r…
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Rural communities founded on single industries need to diversify. Critics say it’s too hard, that only resurrecting the old industry can work. It’s not true. In spite of ourselves, economic diversity is happening. My latest for the @StarTribune. startribune.com/brown-reform…
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Somehow, Luigi Mangione has been turned into a modern-day anti-hero. But he’s not an underdog or one of us. He’s a man of privilege who thought he could get away with it. The latest column from @startribune contributing columnist Ka Vang. startribune.com/vang-luigi-m…
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Well, I can't tag Sheletta on this post because she's left X! She explains why she left the social platform that has meant so much to her in the past in her latest column. startribune.com/sheletta-why…
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My latest commentary for the @StarTribune: 'No regrets from this Republican for endorsing @KamalaHarris and @Tim_Walz.' I did it for democracy. And I would do it again. Read why here: mbrdkrb.com/4eDTWXn @RepsForHarris #republicansforharris
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It’s no secret I believe MN Republicans failed to choose a quality candidate in 24. In my first op-ed for the @StarTribune, I made the case that it’s time to invest quality control and do away with bad candidates like @Highway_30 once and for all. startribune.com/its-time-min…
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“I was frustrated and needed to be with Black women who felt my pain. But we weren’t going to storm the White House and try to overthrow the election in an attempted coup, like white men did on Jan. 6, 2021, after Trump lost to President Joe Biden.”
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"Perhaps this was all a dream? A cardboard cutout of Donald Trump giving a thumbs up reminds me that I am awake." Check out the latest piece from @minnesotabrown about what it was like driving through Grand Rapids, Minn. on the eve of Election Day. startribune.com/brown-on-the…
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I think many people can identify with this type of election angst: "My three children have watched their mother spiral into a festival of “glitching” (the hip new term for unraveling, as they tell me) as I ricochet between being a sloth eating chips on my sofa to manically cleaning the house, which usually ends with me clutching the broom handle like a security blanket." startribune.com/vang-my-elec…
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