Kyeland Jackson

25/04/2024

Fentanyl addiction tore through Karen students of St. Paul's Humboldt High School last year. Teachers often found drug paraphernalia in backpacks. One student overdosed in the school bathroom. Now a partnership between Humboldt, police and nonprofits could be a blueprint for students of struggling migrant families.
"We've been around for the last 12 years … we know what's working and what's not working, and this is working."

Efforts at Humboldt High School could be a model for struggling students of migrant families.

27/11/2022

New: Daniel Johnson didn't think his business would be one of many burned down during protests in Minneapolis after George Floyd's killing by police. Then he got the call.
"As soon as we arrived to the scene, in front of the National Guard tanks and stuff right in front of the store, we watched it crumble and fall."
He's rebuilt since then, and is one of many who felt community support during Small Business Saturday:

Dozens of people shopped local to support small businesses in the Twin Cities. Despite progress, inflation and market changes pose new challenges for some employers.

10/10/2022

NEW: Drug overdoses are surging in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis calls the trend a public health concern, and Saint Paul Police Department data show fentanyl overdoses have increased 700% in recent years. Officials are responding with prevention education:
https://m.startribune.com/twin-cities-officials-lean-into-drug-prevention-and-education-as-opioid-overdoses-surge/600214343/

Minneapolis calls the surge a public health and safety concern, and St. Paul is grappling with a sevenfold increase in fentanyl overdoses.

20/09/2022

NEW: The national "Kia Boys" trend helped drive a 30% surge in Twin Cities' auto thefts this year. That trend has totaled cars, killed one woman, and embroiled Kia and Hyundai in lawsuits that could recoup more than $50 million.
https://www.startribune.com/kia-hyundai-face-class-action-lawsuits-amid-30-surge-in-twin-cities-auto-thefts/600208102/?refresh=true

Some residents have responded with a class-action lawsuit, joining more than a dozen similar lawsuits against Kia and Hyundai.

04/09/2022

NEW: A 450-foot-long cruise ship docked in the City of Saint Paul - Government yesterday, stirring hopes for more tourism and investment in the Mississippi River.
"It's nice to see the Mississippi being used in a pleasant way," Susan Rogers said. "I've fished out here with my dad a lot. To see a big boat out here like that, that's impressive."
https://www.startribune.com/luxury-cruise-ship-departing-from-st-paul-stirs-river-dreams-for-passengers-locals/600203678/

Dozens lined the Mississippi River on Saturday to look at the cruise ship, hoping it's an early sign of growing investment in river tourism.

19/08/2022

NEW: Family of one of the parents dead in a murder-suicide this week said there were no signs of violence before the shooting. They're now asking the community for help as they raise the deceased parents' five kids.
"They still have a bright future."
https://www.startribune.com/family-members-say-no-signs-of-trouble-before-st-paul-murder-suicide/600199510/

They asked for community support in order to help raise the five kids orphaned by the shooting.

09/08/2022

NEW: Therese Phan always wanted to join the Boy Scouts, but couldn't until they let girls in. Now she's close to becoming an Eagle Scout, the highest rank among boy scouts, and she's doing it by furnishing unmarked graves.
"I think she's showing everyone, or making them aware, that these people walked the Earth and that we should honor them ... regardless if they have a gravestone or not," said Ann Anton, 73, a church volunteer.
https://www.startribune.com/in-hopes-of-becoming-an-eagle-scout-richfield-teen-honors-dead-by-furnishing-unmarked-graves/600196708/

Therese Phan's project would mark the graves of 34 people who did not have the money or means to do so.

29/07/2022

NEW: As of today, 30 people have applied to be Saint Paul Police Department next chief. Mayor Melvin Carter is not limiting the search, but it's been nearly a century since someone from outside of the police department was hired as chief.

The deadline has been pushed back by two weeks in order to increase the number of applicants.

29/07/2022

"It felt like something rammed into [my] house."
A suspected gas explosion killed a Hopkins' couple, shaking the screens from nearby buildings and engulfing the couple's home in flames:

There was no immediate word from Hopkins police about the cause of the blast that killed Hubert Vassar, 85, and Sharon Vassar, 83. It erupted about 10:15 am., which shook the screens off nearby homes and could be heard up to 15 blocks away.

22/07/2022

NEW: A wave of Kia thefts hit the City of Saint Paul, troubling the Saint Paul Police Department and residents like Brittany McGibbon. They have few means of stopping it.
"I hate feeling that I don't have control or safety over my car ... even as a neighborhood, what do we do?"
https://www.startribune.com/a-wave-of-kia-vehicle-thefts-hit-st-paul-and-residents-have-few-ways-to-stop-it/600192369/

St. Paul police data shows a 40% rise in car thefts this year compared to last, and KIA vehicles are among the hardest hit. Compared to this time last year, thefts of KIA vehicles have increased nine-fold — from 24 stolen to 248.

29/04/2022

23/04/2022

NEW: Jayne Griffith cared for her parents for 20 years. Their care was costly, leading Anoka county to issue a $155,000 estate recovery claim after their death. While Griffith avoided that claim affecting her home, other Minnesotans are not so lucky:
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/medicaid-estate-recovery-series-continues-39392/

Kyeland Jackson expands his Medicaid series by talking about joint-tenancy agreements.

13/04/2022

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer invited me to talk about my ongoing reporting of medicaid estate recovery. You can hear that interview here:
https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2022/04/13/kyeland-jackson-on-the-impact-of-the-federal-estate-recovery-program-in-minnesota

Twin Cities PBS Data reporter Kyeland Jackson recently did some digging into the federal program, Estate Recovery. He joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk about how the program is impacting some Minnesotans.

09/04/2022

NEW: A Minnesota Department of Health report by Dr. Nathan Chomilo found that centuries of state policies have divided health opportunities for Black Medicaid recipients. "These ongoing disparities reveal a system not broken, but accomplishing what it was designed to do."
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/making-the-case-for-reducing-medicaid-racial-disparities-39360/

Kyeland Jackson spoke with Dr. Nathan Chomilo, Minnesota’s Medicaid Medical Director.

01/04/2022

NEW: Estate recovery has been federally required for decades. But a new bill could give states a chance to end it.
"It doesn't really help in any way to reduce the deficit – it's so small. So there's no reason to continue this burden," said
Jan Schakowsky:
https://www.tptoriginals.org/pennies-on-the-dollar-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-estate-recovery/

A proposed bill could give all states the chance to end their estate recovery programs.

29/03/2022

NEW: State and local experts say loopholes in Minnesota's estate recovery program puts unequal burdens on lower-income families. Many of them are uninformed, and
Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus's Jason Rarick
says wealthier people can hire others who "know how to game the system."
https://www.tptoriginals.org/pennies-on-the-dollar-how-minnesotas-estate-recovery-program-helps-and-hurts-vulnerable-residents/

Many vulnerable Minnesotans have no idea that their county can place a hefty lien on their home to recover expenses for long-term care.

12/03/2022

NEW 🧵: A little-known program called Medical Assistance Estate Recovery lets officials claw back medical expenses by going after dead medicaid recipients' estates.
To start my three-part investigation into the program, we hear the story of Kevin White:
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/controversial-medicaid-estate-recovery-program-39298/

Kyeland Jackson has the first in a three-part series on a little-known Medicaid policy.

05/03/2022

NEW: Twin Cities PBS' Sergio Rapu talks about his new digital series "That Got Weird." In it, he hosts candid conversations about race and microagressions that people have experienced in Minnesota:
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/new-tpt-digital-series-that-got-weird-39285/

Kyeland Jackson talks with Sergio Rapu about a new digital series that explores racism.

10/01/2022

NEW: Report for America and Sahan Journal Hibah Ansari talks about her latest story, which highlights how an oversized Qur'an signed by legislators like Ilhan Omar and Jeremiah Ellison is documenting history:
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/an-historic-minnesota-quran-39162/

Sahan Journal reporter Hibah Ansari talks about an historic Qur’an used by politicians.

13/12/2021

NEW: An exhibit at the Hennepin History Museum shows how highway 35w displaced an unequal share of Black families. Organizers hope lessons learned from that history will guide how Minnesota spends dollars for the President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan:
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/a-history-exhibit-detailing-the-loss-of-community-39136/

Kyeland Jackson shows us a history exhibit telling the destructive story of highway 35W.

20/11/2021

NEW: Minnesota is one of many states which, as the Associated Press reported, does not track vaccinations for children of color under 12. Minnesota Department of Human Services Medical Director Dr. Nathan Chomilo talks about the challenges that brings, and what potential changes are ahead:
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/covid-vaccines-among-children-5-12-39113/

Dr. Nathan Chomilo addressed possible disparities among youngest COVID vaccine recipients.

01/11/2021

NEW: Minnesota Housing rent assistance program has given more than $327 million to help Minnesotans through the pandemic. That money is running out, and Greater Twin Cities United Way workers worry about what's ahead:

27/10/2021

20/09/2021

NEW: Police in Minnesota and abroad said protests after 's murder caused droves of cops to leave the force. Reporters from the The Marshall Project say that national data shows otherwise:
Almanac / Report for America / The GroundTruth Project
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/what-national-data-says-about-police-staffing-levels-39008/

Kyeland Jackson talked with Marshall Project reporters about Police employment trends.

07/09/2021

NEW: Nearly 1000 people have been shot in Minneapolis since last year. Eight out of 10 of those cases have not been solved, and Jeremiah Ellison says that affects trust between Minneapolis Police Department and the community:
Report for America, The GroundTruth Project
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/the-struggle-to-solve-shooting-cases-in-minneapolis-38984/

Data reporter Kyeland Jackson explores how unsolved shootings affect communities.

01/09/2021

NEW: CDC data shows one in four COVID-19 deaths have been people of color who were 65 and older.
Past racism set the stage for that inequity, and experts say that change must start at the local level.
For Next Avenue , Report for America , & The GroundTruth Project .
https://t.co/boGpSml8zd

The pandemic has devastated communities of color. The reasons why are many, including generations of racist policies.

06/08/2021

NEW: Hundreds have been shot in Minneapolis this year.
City data shows that eight out of 10 victims have been Black.

A third of those Black victims are younger than 25.

And advocates worry things could get worse.
(Report for America / The GroundTruth Project)
https://www.tptoriginals.org/8-out-of-10-gun-shot-victims-in-minneapolis-have-been-black-in-2021/

  Bishop Richard Howell, Jr. lowered his voice, held his hands three feet apart and said he could not count how many funerals bore caskets that size.

02/08/2021

NEW: The most recent data shows more than half of murders this year have happened where the majority of residents are of color. Advocates say that poverty is at the root of it:
(Report for America / The GroundTruth Project)
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/rising-crimes-impact-on-communities-of-color-38920/

Data reporter Kyeland Jackson explores growing impact of crime on Minnesotans of color.

25/06/2021

NEW: Chisholm residents are working to make Minnesota's 93% white Iron Range inclusive for BIPOC.
organizers say that's easier said than done.
/ /
https://www.tptoriginals.org/chisolm-residents-look-to-build-inclusion-for-bipoc-in-minnesotas-iron-range/

You can hear the music from blocks away. James Brown’s earthy notes swing as smells of barbecue waft through the air. Stevie Wonder’s winding keys flow

01/06/2021

NEW: More than eight out of 10 mutual aid sites listed on the Twin Cities Mutual Aid Project are closed, but organizations like the Black Table Arts and the George Floyd Global Memorial have stepped in to help the community:
(Report for America / The GroundTruth Project)
https://www.tpt.org/almanac/video/minneapolis-mutual-aid-work-38748/

Kyeland Jackson shows how Mutual Aid organizations allow neighbors to care for each other.