Leila Navidi

Minneapolis

Staff Photojournalist at The Minnesota Star Tribune

@StarTribune photojournalist. Maryland native. Instagram: @leilanavidi

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Articles

How to buy a boat without sinking yourself

6 days ago | miamiherald.com | Leila Navidi

MINNEAPOLIS - So you want to buy a boat? It's a move Minnesota dreams are made of - people in our state own more boats per capita than anywhere else. But in our dreams the boat doesn't sink, crash, need constant repair or experience some other combination of woe that puts personal relationships to the test. And don't forget the paperwork. That was the hitch that unhitched Grayson McNew's dream of cruising the St. Croix River.
Judge says Minnesota student can’t be deported, but Department of Homeland Security files appeal

1 week ago | miamiherald.com | Leila Navidi

An immigration judge has terminated the deportation case against Doğukan Günaydin, the University of Minnesota student who was arrested in late March, although he is expected to remain in custody as the federal government appeals the decision. Immigration Judge Sarah Mazzie filed the ruling on Thursday. It came days after U.S. federal court Judge Jeffrey Bryan ruled that the government cannot move Günaydin outside the federal court district of Minnesota.
Minn. woman’s fight to renew her 92-year-old mother’s Medicaid highlights the growing problem of short-staffed counties

1 week ago | miamiherald.com | Leila Navidi

Twenty-two voicemails. That's how many Vickie Schaefer left during a five-day stretch, trying to get someone at Hennepin County, Minnesota, to help her renew the financial assistance her 92-year-old mother relies on to pay rent at her assisted living facility. Eventually, the Plymouth woman reached someone - on call 23 - but she worries that if others are not as persistent, they risk losing their housing, much like her mother.
Homeschooling took off during the pandemic. It’s still rising in Minnesota

2 weeks ago | miamiherald.com | Leila Navidi

Jaden Magnuson began homeschooling her 9-year-old son last fall instead of sending him back to elementary school in the Elk River district. "It is a leap of faith, but one that a lot of other families are taking," said Magnuson, whose worries ranged from school bus bullying to ideology overshadowing academics. The number of homeschool students in Minnesota has jumped about 18% since the 2022-23 school year.
Restaurant robots

3 weeks ago | telegraphherald.com | Leila Navidi

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An uphill push to get more kids to walk to school

1 month ago | miamiherald.com | Leila Navidi

MINNEAPOLIS -- A flood of kids spilled out of a school bus that stopped near the Witch's Hat water tower in Minneapolis' Prospect Park neighborhood. "We get to walk?" one student asked excitedly, bounding off the bus. D.Jay Gjerde, who coordinates Pratt Elementary's Walk to School Day, offered high-fives and corralled the kids to walk the last few blocks to the school. "They light up when they realize they're not going straight to the school," Gjerde said.
Uncertainty rattles Minnesota’s park supporter groups as federal funding cuts continue

1 month ago | miamiherald.com | Leila Navidi

ZIMMERMAN, Minn. - After a ranger was abruptly fired in mid-February at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, volunteers tried to fill in to coordinate visits for school kids on field trips. In one case, the volunteers warned a St. Cloud elementary school it would have limited visit options because of the ranger's absence. The class decided not to come.
One town’s recipe for success: Licorice, dog food and a family’s commitment

1 month ago | miamiherald.com | Leila Navidi

PERHAM, Minn. – Outside the sparkling new high school here, no one lingered in the parking lot on one of winter's coldest nights. Inside, though, the Hive was jumping. This girls basketball game wasn't particularly noteworthy: the Perham Yellowjackets against the Staples-Motley Cardinals with neither team bound for the state tournament. Still, the gym was packed to support their hometown girls. On the second-floor walking track, murals showed the history of the town and star athletes of the past.
Restaurant robots are here to serve you

1 month ago | miamiherald.com | Leila Navidi

MINNEAPOLIS -- Robot servers escort diners to tables, take orders, carry dishes, cook and clean, tasks they've been performing in Asian countries for more than a decade. Now they're working at a dozen restaurants across the Twin Cities and it appears they are here to stay. Those in the industry say this new dining frontier is about finding ways for the technology to co-exist, not to pit robots against humans. "I really hope America leans into this type of automation.
A growing Kurdish population builds culture with an unusual class in Minnesota

1 month ago | miamiherald.com | Leila Navidi

MOORHEAD, MINN. – Two dozen national flags fly in Zak Amin's classroom. As an English Learner teacher at Moorhead High School, Amin wants his students to feel seen, so these flags reflect the homelands of students who've come to this western Minnesota border city from all over the world. There's symbolism at play here, especially during such an uncertain time for immigrants in America.