Samie Solina

6 days ago | kare11.com | Samie Solina

MINNEAPOLIS — The scent of nostalgia and the haze of wildfire smoke mingled in the air Saturday at the Northeast Vintage Block Party, where shoppers and vendors gathered despite a statewide air quality alert. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued the alert as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, casting a bit of a haze over the Twin Cities and much of the state.

1 week ago | kare11.com | Samie Solina

MINNEAPOLIS — Volunteers with the Immigrant Defense Network fanned out across Minnesota, determined to change the narrative around immigration—one poster at a time. The group’s mission: to counter what they see as a growing negative perception of immigrants in their community. Twenty teams throughout Minnesota, including one based at the nonprofit COPAL, Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action, spent the day postering businesses and storefronts with messages of support.

1 week ago | kare11.com | Samie Solina

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. — Business is bustling at Parts City Auto Parts in Columbia Heights, but the usual rhythm has been disrupted by concern for a missing local teenager. Jordan “Manny” Collins Jr., 16, was last seen on May 8 near the 4900 block of University Avenue NE, according to Columbia Heights Police. His mother, Ashley Berry, made a public plea Wednesday, asking for help from the community and from Manny’s father, who she says was the last person known to see him.

1 week ago | kare11.com | Samie Solina

MINNEAPOLIS — Helping young children grow isn’t a job Mark Graves takes lightly at the Southside Village Boys & Girls Club. He handles everything from renewing leases to making sure kids finish their dinner, and as program director, he certainly has a lot on his plate. “How are we doing? Tell me one good thing about your day today,” he asked a group of girls during dinner. But no time was harder than the day George Floyd was murdered just down the street by a Minneapolis police officer.

1 week ago | kare11.com | Samie Solina

MINNEAPOLIS — During a dark time following George Floyd's murder, much came to light. The killing, in which Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, highlighted longstanding issues of racial injustice, excessive use of force by law enforcement, and a lack of accountability for police misconduct in the U.S. One form of change came in an acronym: DEI, standing for diversity, equity, and inclusion.