In March 2025, Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs idled two Minnesota mining operations: Hibbing Taconite Co. in Hibbing and the Minorca Mine in Virginia. 600 steelworkers lost their jobs. Al King, president of the union representing the steelworkers at Cleveland-Cliffs' Minorca Mine, pushed for extended unemployment benefits, but those are now set to expire in June 2026.

While it's impossible to know the full economic impact shuttering the mines will have, King sees parallels in his hometown of Orr. Just 44 miles north of Virginia, Minn., Orr was once a thriving town supported by the logging industry but is now a ghost of its former self. What will happen when a town supported by mining shuts down its mines?

You want it vertical? I got you.

As one Minnesota charter school's star rises, another fades. Two schools reveal the complexities of the system – a once innovative idea – in Minnesota.

The nation's first charter school opened in Minnesota in 1992. Since then, approximately 271 charter schools have opened in the state. And nearly 100 have closed.

Many students and teachers get caught up in the churn of charter school closures. What happens to them when schools grow? And when schools close?

This project was produced for the Minnesota Star Tribune and recieved and Upper Midwest Emmy award in 2025.

40 years ago, Hormel workers walked off the job. Austin would never be the same.

Forty years ago, about 1,500 blue-collar workers walked off the job at Hormel, splitting this town near the Iowa border and catapulting the plight of middle-class hog butchers into the national conversation.

This project was produced for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Video edits of the Essential Minnesota podcast.

As the demand for plant-based alternatives to meat grows, so does the demand for new methods of farming and food production.

In the small rural town of Dawson, Minnesota, “alt-meat” is nothing new - soybean processing dates back to the 1950s.

Now, PURIS, North America's largest manufacturer of pea protein (think “Beyond Burger”), has moved into town with a promise to revolutionize the agricultural system.

What impact will it have on the residents of Dawson and surrounding rural communities?

The project is a partnership between Pioneer PBS, West Central Tribune and WORLD Channel, with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It received an Upper Midwest Emmy award.