Hosted by Minnesota Star Tribune · 🇺🇸 US · EN · 27 episodes
Established thought leaders with verified media credentials.
Every Friday some of the best reporters in Minnesota dig into one important local story. Host Melissa Townsend brings her distinct curiosity and humor to these weekly deep-dive conversations with journalists from the Minnesota Star Tribune where they break down the facts, the players and the impact. No spin, pretense or A.I. – just great local stories that matter to Minnesota and beyond. It’s what we do best. Available Fridays at 4:30 A.M. Central.
Minnesota Star Tribune hosts Essential Minnesota, a news show with 27 episodes published.
Acceptance of the new flag among Minnesotans is divided mainly along party lines. But how much of that comes from partisan fervor fueling the culture wars and how much is from a rushed and imperfect design process? Repor
The scandal that led to Brian O’Hara’s resignation was a surprise to many. Reporter Liz Sawyer tells the behind the scenes story of what led to him leaving and why so many people knew so little about it.
Our small team is taking a short break this week. We'll be back with a fresh episode on June 5!
As Minnesota Republicans head into their state convention, three very different candidates are vying for the party’s endorsement for governor: House Speaker Lisa Demuth, businessman Kendall Qualls and MyPillow CEO Mike L
One of the hottest issues in high school sports right now is student athletes who transfer from school to school. Columnist Chip Scoggins digs into what’s going on, what rules are being broken, and asks – is the current
A vote in late April opened the Boundary Waters watershed to copper nickel mining – again. Two reporters describe the family behind the mining proposal, how they worked with lawmakers to reverse a federal ban on mining i
For decades, Bushel Boy tomatoes were everywhere. A homegrown success story delivering fresh, greenhouse-grown beefsteaks across Minnesota. Then, overnight, they vanished. Our reporters dig into what happened and uncover
Threats against elected officials are on the rise but the full number and nature of those threats has been difficult to know. Three reporters spent six months tracking down the real threats Minnesota lawmakers are facing
Minnesota Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream knew Prince before the world did -- before the first record, before he became an icon. Their decades-long relationship had its share of highs and lows (including a ban from P
Rage bait videos and stories online catch a lot of attention. But the real solutions to dealing with fraud in Minnesota are less sensational and more practical. Our reporters run down the real problems that open the door
We ended 2025 with a set of very serious fraud charges involving millions of dollars that were supposed to go to services that are a lifeline for some Minnesotans. And then Operation Metro surge happened. The deployment
Real fraud, allegations of fraud and political rage bait are creating tons of headlines and lots of chaos but not much sense. To parse it out and get to what’s really going on – we go back to 2018 when the first big frau
We don’t have a new episode for you this week because we are working on a deep dive mini-series unraveling the fraud scandals in Minnesota. We’ll tell the full story going back a decade and parse out what’s real, what’s
It starts as an online flirtation, escalates in intensity and ends in tragedy. The story of one family's experience and the local investigator determined to bring them justice.
Half of the lawyers at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Minnesota have left in the past year. We find out why and what that means for people involved in immigration, fraud and violent crime cases – including the case agains
As Operation Metro Surge ends in Minnesota, massive legal questions remain. Our reporters explain how state leaders are faced with finding a way around the federal government to hold the immigration agents who killed Ren
Even with the announcement that Operation Metro Surge is coming to an end, many Minnesotans are still in hiding. Our reporters visit with one family who has been wondering when it will be safe to come out again.
Before Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, there was Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. Chicago Tribune reporter Greg Pratt describes how it started, the similarities between Minneapolis and Chicago, and finally, how i
We find out what is happening inside the ICE detainment facility in Minneapolis and what people have to do to be set free.
Reporters in Minneapolis fact check federal officials' claims that violence across the metro is caused by state and local officials who have declared Minnesota a sanctuary state and won’t open its jails to ICE. What does
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Essential Minnesota is hosted by Minnesota Star Tribune. The show is categorised under news (politics) and has published 27 episodes.
Essential Minnesota has published 27 episodes.
Essential Minnesota regularly covers news, politics, society. It sits in the news category, with a politics focus.
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Essential Minnesota hasn't explicitly signalled guest openness in recent episodes. That doesn't rule out pitching. your hook just needs to be especially compelling and relevant to their recent content.
Episodes of Essential Minnesota average 23 minutes. a focused format where a clear narrative arc and tight preparation matter most.
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