The skills it takes to live life on the fringes of society are disappearing, including on Washington state’s Ketron Island, a place that has long defied private island stereotypes. Come along for the rugged individualism, stay for the surprise QAnon connection in this portrait of a place unlike any other in America today. The Sunday Long Read, February 2023.

Tracing the origins of organizing across the debt relief space from Occupy Wall Street to student loan forgiveness. Yes! Magazine, November 2022.

A look at the tension between conserving Minnesota’s million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area amid efforts to establish mines in its watershed. National Geographic, February 2021.

Thanks to a 19th-century surveying error, hundreds of acres of Minnesota’s old growth forest has been saved in pristine form. Condé Nast Traveler, February 2021.

Sharing the story of burial recovery workers and their fight for justice at state and federal levels after alleged discrimination at the hands of MnDOT. The Nation, December 2022 issue.

Your socially conscious purchasing decisions don’t mitigate your place in a destructive global system. Fast Company, November 2015.

At least 100 people arrested in northern Minnesota. Sierra magazine, June 2021.

During the pandemic, whether the CDC’s voice has been silenced has become something of a story in itself. Columbia Journalism Review, April 2020.

“This felt more like a punch than a pinch.” SELF, October 2017.

While it might seem like a secondary Chicago to outsiders, Minneapolis is the definition of a hidden gem. And thanks to the resilience required to weather Minnesota winters, it’s poised to remain that way for eternity. The Washington Post, June 2019.

When men feel like things they’ve been promised—like, say, U.S. Supreme Court seats—are being withheld, this entitlement often results in anger. Rewire.News, October 2018.

Asian American chefs are sharing their stories the best way they know how—through food. Food & Wine, July 2021.

A new project shows how many millions in taxpayer money is spent on police misconduct in Minnesota – offering a model that can be duplicated elsewhere. Next City, August 2023.

Home modifications vary greatly in form and cost, a challenge for disabled residents whose homes aren't accessible to them. Shelterforce, June 2023.

Journalists, Kilgo finds, wield immense power when it comes to how protests are perceived by the public. Columbia Journalism Review, June 2020.

What started as a restaurant has become a path to entrepreneurship, turning formerly incarcerated folks into lawyers and soul food impresarios. Reasons To Be Cheerful, April 2023.

Item descriptionIn Granite City, Illinois, landlords have been penalized for refusing to evict tenants who have criminal records or are simply living with someone who does. The Appeal, January 2021.

Tracing the efforts to create a new International Dark Sky Reserve that, at more than 9.8 million square miles, would be nearly larger than the existing 18 international reserves combined. Condé Nast Traveler, August 2021.

For 50 years, Arcosanti’s blend of architecture with ecology has helped conserve a portion of the Arizona landscape. May 2023 summer issue.

River surfing was inspired by ocean surfing, but its popularity is growing all on its own. National Geographic, November 2017.

Cleveland’s X-Freedom Studio highlights the importance of exonerees having a safe and affordable place to stay — but also how direct and simple free housing can be. Next City, September 2023.

“So much effort is aimed at symptoms when the core problem is the constant investment in the things that we don’t want.” FoodPrint, July 2023.

Abortion providers report increase in patients, public support as US state boosts protections after fall of Roe v Wade. Al Jazeera, June 2023.

Plaintiffs – aged five to 22 – argue Montana’s promotion of an energy system reliant on fossil fuels violates their right to a clean and healthy environment under the US state’s constitution. Al Jazeera, June 2023.

In Minnesota, Democrats used a newly won legislative trifecta to legalize marijuana, overhaul the pardons process, and limit no-knock warrants. But they also funneled hundreds of millions in new funding toward prisons and policing. The Appeal, May 2023.

Today, North Dakotans of Norwegian descent are the Peace Garden State’s largest ethnic group, one that has held onto its hearty culinary traditions over the years to an extent that’s hard to find in many other places in the U.S.

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The Lakota people were forced to quickly adapt to their environment in the Dakotas, centering their diet on Indigenous food sources like North American bison alongside other game, fish, vegetables, and berries that were hunted, traded, or foraged. Chef Sean Sherman, who grew up in South Dakota, organized a celebration of these flavors with the first annual Lakota Food Summit, held in 2020 in Rapid City.

Condé Nast Traveler, September 2020.

Today, the smell of sizzling pork and fish cooked over an open hardwood flame wafts through vendor-lined streets from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, where travelers can find Hmong grillers tucked into the stalls of Thai markets, selling flavorful meat as the honks of tuk-tuks create an urban symphony in the background. Condé Nast Traveler, July 2022.

The Bee Better and Bee Friendly certifications provide a glimpse of some of the benefits—and the limitations—of using pollinator health to gauge the overall sustainability of a farm. Civil Eats, October 2022.

A feature on Barcelona’s bicibús movement. Reasons To Be Cheerful, November 2022.

If Roe v Wade decision falls, Minnesota will be surrounded by states where abortion will likely become illegal. Al Jazeera, May 2022.

Covering the opening of the award-winning Owamni in Minneapolis. Food & Wine, July 2021.

A profile of a woman birder at the top of her game who’s making birding safer for women while she’s at it. Audubon Magazine, January 2022.

A profile of Carrol Henderson, a renowned wildlife conservationist, and his current post-retirement efforts to save a Rochester, MN heron rookery. Audubon Magazine, July 2021.

After police killed Black men in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center, local officials approached reforms differently. Al Jazeera English, May 2021.

As attacks mount, advocates say the government must do more to combat hate speech and gun crimes. Al Jazeera, December 2022.

The Minneapolis City Council recently formed a “truth and reconciliation commission” to examine the city’s history of racial oppression. A fertile area for examination: Covenants embedded in a property deed, banning people of color from buying or even occupying land. The Minnesota Reformer, November 2020.

US city recently passed a resolution allowing public broadcasting of the adhan all year round. Al Jazeera, July 2022.

A Twin Cities mall invited people and pets to walk indoors each weekend—but the event’s popularity was also its undoing. The Atlantic’s CityLab, March 2019.

Families achieved what seemed impossible: They signed a purchase agreement with their landlord and are creating a tenant-run co-op. Next City, July 2020.

The founders enjoy watching birds, sure. But they are just as interested in fostering experiences where everyone feels comfortable being who they are. Audubon magazine, June 2022.

Supporters came out by the thousands, undeterred by snow, to hear Klobuchar’s announcement that she will run for president. The Guardian, February 2019.

With new funding, African Economic Development Solutions hopes to foster culture and community with a Pan-African immigrant cooperative market. Civil Eats, February 2021.

As jury selection begins on Monday, the City of Minneapolis touts community partnership while organizers remain skeptical. Al Jazeera English, March 2021.

Q & A with Morton about her new book “Not On My Watch: How a Renegade Biologist Took on Governments and Industry to Save Wild Salmon”. Civil Eats, June 2021.

Meteorologists are also uniquely positioned to communicate about climate change with their viewers. The chief meteorologist and director of Climate Matters says broadcast meteorologists are one of the most trusted sources when it comes to information about climate change. Columbia Journalism Review, June 2019.

Mainstream journalism is already activist and political, Holthaus argues, “in the sense that they’re being activists for the centrist view. Either consciously or subconsciously, they’re choosing the keep things the way they are.” Columbia Journalism Review, September 2019.

On the anniversary of Floyd’s murder, amid the celebration, a community is still processing the pain of his death. Al Jazeera English, May 2021.

When Wildflyer was established, the organization employed four to six young people. It has since secured a brick and mortar location and is in the process of expanding both its coffee service and its training program. Civil Eats, February 2021.

Ethnographers are working on solutions to help prevent Central American economies from being overtaken by surf tourists. But the real answer may lie in surfing itself. Pacific Standard, December 2017.

The Public Information Officer is a frequently obstructive mechanism thinly veiled by a helpful sounding title. PIO-approved comments shape the narratives of their news coverage across the country on matters that range from the mundane to the extremely consequential. Columbia Journalism Review, May 2019.

In a 2005 study published in the journal Work and Stress, “found a more specific pattern of health problems in freelancers: chronic strain and a reduced ability to relax,” as a result of long working hours in conjunction with an unpredictable workload. New York magazine’s Science of Us, July 2017.

The Nordic country, home to the most humane prison in the world, shares lessons with state officials. Featured on reddit front page with over 93k views. U.S. News & World Report, February 2019.

Minnesota business owners whose properties were damaged or destroyed in the civil unrest come together around a shared vision of an equitable and sustainable future for the neighborhood they love. AIA Minnesota’s ENTER magazine inaugural issue, January 2021.

St. Paul’s historic Skinner’s Pub has relied on loyal regulars and food sales to keep pouring through the coronavirus crisis. Eater, October 2020.

Hmong farmers make up roughly 50% of the growers at Twin City metro markets. Despite their critical role in local food production, the challenges that all growers contend with tend to hit Hmong farmers harder. Food Print, July, 2022.

Without sufficiently solid ice, skaters are missing out on weeks of fun at this World Heritage site. National Geographic, February 2018.

Find truly unbound adventures in the spaces between countries and continents. National Geographic, January 2018.

A fight for the future of northeastern Minnesota’s economy is pitting mining advocates who promise jobs against an outdoor tourism industry that promotes and protects the area’s pristine beauty. Al Jazeera, March 2021.

This work is integral to understanding changes in biodiversity—which is experiencing “unprecedented” declines, according to a 2019 UN report—and the impact of those changes on everything from pollinators to climate change. Belt magazine, June 2020.

Located at the terminus of 26th Avenue North, the Overlook project—a RiverFirst initiative—is a step toward rectifying past wrongs. AIA MN’s ENTER 2022 print annual.

By pairing sustainable design and construction with a student training program, the Page Street Housing Project is bringing high-performance residential design to those too often left out. AIA MN’s ENTER magazine, October 2021.

Members of the school’s student chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects gain insights into architect-client collaboration. AIA MN’s ENTER magazine, February 2023.

The goal is for the polling infrastructure to be up and running by March of 2020. Next City, September 2019.

A look back at how luxury travel has evolved over the past century. Artful Living magazine, January 2019.

This is how pampered pooches vacation in the increasingly pet-friendly world of luxury travel. Artful Living magazine, October 2019.

The religious right gets most of the attention, but Minnesota’s religious progressives have big plans for 2020. The Minnesota Reformer, May 2020.

“The problem is that kids are leaving and not coming back.” Rewire.News, September 2017.