Minnesota
Across the north star: a Minnesota journey
Honey, I know, I know, I know times are changin’…
(“Purple Rain,” Prince)
When I first arrived in Minnesota, I did not know which was the greater loss—the pain of remembering or the pain of forgetting. My memory walk in Kazakhstan had once shown me faces of Russians and Kazakhs offering flowers to their heroes’ monument, tears falling as the eternal flame burnt in the park.
Years later, standing in the Minnesota Veterans’ Park, I felt the same solemnity. Rows of names carved in stone—each representing a life once vibrant, now eternal—reminded me that wars never truly end. They leave behind silence, grief, and monuments. Behind every hero’s name lies a story of struggle, frustration, and unfinished dreams.
At that moment, I remembered being young and asking, “Where is Vietnam, and why did so many soldiers die there?” Years later, I would find myself walking its streets, tracing the echoes of those names.
A farewell and a welcome
That reflection deepened during the retirement rites of Ms. Ginger Hedstrom, honoured by the Minnesota governor for her lifelong work in social justice. Her parting words—“Thank you all for what you are, for what you bring, and for what you do”—felt like both a farewell to her generation of changemakers and a quiet welcome to mine.
The gift of being a visiting fellow in Minnesota was access to a tapestry of lives—meeting senators and social workers, community organisers and artists—each one treated as equal. Every Sunday, I joined a different congregation: Lebanese, Mexican, African, Karen, Hmong, and Syrian. I watched how faith, in its many tongues, carries the same longing for belonging.
Prince once sang, “You say you want a leader, but you can’t seem to make up your mind.” I realised then that leadership is not about power—it is about compassion.
The mirror of aging
Visiting a home for the aged in St. Paul reminded me of my mother in the Philippines. The residents were tenderly cared for—hair styled, nails painted, rooms decorated like home—but still, something was missing: family.
Their loneliness echoed the ache my mother feels when I am away. Ageing, I saw, is not merely frailty—it is longing. Longing for time, attention, and love. I began to dream of an extension programme where students visit older persons like my mother, not to perform charity but to offer companionship. Because many elderly people do not need grand programmes—they simply need to be noticed, hugged, and heard.
How can you just leave me standing, alone in a world so cold?
(“When Doves Cry,” Prince)
Living in Minnesota also meant confronting its contradictions. On bus rides across Minneapolis, I noticed silent lines of separation—white passengers hesitant to sit beside Black passengers, and vice versa.
America, I realised, still wrestles with the ghosts of racism.
At a Lutheran church’s Circle of Peace, I listened as Black Americans shared stories of inherited pain—traumas carried like heirlooms across generations. Racism, I learnt, is not a closed chapter of history but a living story still being written.
As a brown Asian woman, I felt both an outsider and an ally. The idea of white supremacy must end, because healing requires all of us. To respect people’s histories is to honour their survival. When doves cry, the world must listen.
A song of home
At a Christmas gathering with the Philippine Study Group of Minnesota, we sang Lupang Hinirang—our national anthem. Singing it abroad felt different; every line carried weight and memory. It was sung not out of routine, but out of love.
That night, laughter mingled with nostalgia as Filipinos from different islands shared food and stories. I met my foster family because of Tita Elsa and Tito Addi, whom I have met during the Humphrey opening fellowship programme. Many Filipinos I met in America confessed that though they were thriving, they still longed for home.
Prince once sang, “Nothing compares, nothing compares to you.” And I realised that though I had travelled far, nothing compared to the warmth of my own country.
The coldest night
Not every day was kind. For a time, I rented a room from a woman who had been divorced three times and struggled with mental illness. One night, a small misunderstanding spiralled into hours of shouting and fear. I stayed awake, silent, waiting for morning.
It was then I learnt from fellow volunteers that many Americans live quietly with mental health struggles. That night taught me empathy in its most uncomfortable form. Sometimes, compassion is not spoken—it is chosen in silence.
The river and the rain
Joy returned in unexpected places. I chanted “Let’s Go Wild!” at my first hockey game, feeling the crowd’s energy pulse through me. On weekends, I wandered through the Minnesota Zoo, where animals moved freely—a living metaphor for care and freedom. These things are possible because I have met a Canadian friend who was also visiting Minnesota, and he was a professor in Canada. He was very generous to me and most of the time he invited me to visit the jazz bar and treat me with red wine while listening to the music of Minnesota.
At the Mississippi River, I watched the water flow beneath the bridges of Minneapolis. Its rhythm—sometimes calm, sometimes wild—mirrored life itself.
At Lake Superior in Duluth, the icy wind brushed my face as waves crashed against rocks. Standing before that endless horizon, I realised that peace is not the absence of struggle—it is the understanding of it.
The wisdom of the first people
During a Native American cultural festival, I witnessed a sacred ceremony of drumming, chanting, and dancing. One Indigenous woman told me, “Modern society is too busy to feel. We compartmentalise our lives until we forget our connection to the earth.”
Her words became a lesson. To heal the world, we must first learn to listen to the land, to each other, and to the stories we inherit. Social work, I realised, begins with that kind of listening.
Since you’ve been gone I can do whatever I want… but nothing compares to you.
(“Nothing Compares 2 U,” Prince)
Teaching was another transformative part of my stay. I gave lectures at St. Catherine University, the University of Minnesota Duluth, and the University of Wisconsin–Superior.
In a Brown Bag Lecture on Gender and Displacement in Mindanao, I shared the stories of families displaced by conflict in the Philippines. Education, I learnt, is a bridge of empathy that connects voices across borders.
Working with WISE (Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment) was equally profound. Refugee girls and foreign-trained doctors shared their dreams and struggles. Many of the doctors—Somali, Egyptian, Iraqi, and Burmese—drove taxis or worked in stores to survive.
“We just want to serve,” one Ethiopian doctor said. Together, they made a pact to call each other “Doctor”—not as a title of privilege but as an act of self-affirmation and hope.
Finding light in the Purple City
Minnesota was not only reflection—it was rhythm. One night, I sat in a jazz bar in downtown Minneapolis, the trumpet’s golden notes melting into the dark. Another evening, laughter filled a comedy club—proof that humour, too, heals.
And yet, one regret lingered: Prince had already left this world before I arrived. As I walked past murals of his purple silhouette, I imagined the city when Purple Rain still echoed in every corner. Though I never saw him perform, his spirit was alive in the streets—a reminder that art, like social work, transcends time.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.
(“Let’s Go Crazy,” Prince)
As my fellowship ended, I carried both joy and sorrow—the death of my best friend Joel (he passed away the day I left my country for the USA), the ache of leaving home, and the warmth of new friendships.
Minnesota taught me that life is both privilege and purpose. The people I met—refugees, elders, students, dreamers—showed me that home is not always a place. Sometimes it is a connection, a shared humanity, a song sung under the same purple sky.
There will always be losses and gains, pain and healing, crises and kairos moments. But if we breathe, we can still choose compassion.
And for that, I remain deeply grateful—to life, to people, and to the journey itself.
Note: The article is dedicated to all Community Solutions Fellows under the International Research Exchange Program, which ended this year.
Natasha Howard had a season-high 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting, Olivia Miles added 19 points, six assists and six rebounds, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Seattle Storm 88-68 on Saturday for their seventh win in a row — the last six by double figures.
Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride scored 11 points apiece for the Lynx (9-2). Howard and Nia Coffey each had three of Minnesota’s season-high-tying 13 steals.
The Storm (3-9), who have lost five in a row, committed a season-high 21 turnovers and shot just 35% (22 of 63) from the field.
Coffey hit a 3-pointer with 3:09 remaining in the second quarter that gave Minnesota the lead for good at 39-38. Howard made two layups while Coffey and Maya Caldwell each hit a 3 in a 10-0 run that made it 55-43 less than three minutes into the third, and it was at least a nine-point game the rest of the way.
Natisha Hiedeman and Jade Melbourne led Seattle with 14 points apiece. Flau’jae Johnson added 10 points.
Dominique Malonga (concussion protocol) returned from an eight-game absence and finished with seven points in 14 minutes off the bench for the Storm.
Storm: Play Monday at Las Vegas.
Lynx: Host Dallas on Tuesday.
Minnesota is dotted with towns with fascinating, oddball attributes. Think of a bank whose third-floor mezzanine is filled with interesting taxidermy exhibits, including an ostrich head. You will find it in Winona, a town also known for its stained glass masterpieces. Visit a Bavarian village that you’d think someone mistakenly threw in the Midwest and forgot and that is New Ulm for you. In Blue Earth, a gigantic Jolly Green Giant statue waits to greet you with a 4 ft smile. Get ready to dive into the unusual. We reveal 9 offbeat Minnesota towns to visit in 2026.
Northfield
On September 7, 1876, Jesse James and his gang rode into Northfield to rob the First National Bank. In a memorable show of courage, the townspeople fought back, killing two bandits and capturing the Younger brothers, marking the beginning of the end of the James-Younger Gang’s outlaw career. That single seven-minute skirmish became the town’s entire identity, and they have been reminding everyone who cares to listen. The story has subsequently been the subject of countless novels and movies. The Northfield Historical Society, the site of the 1876 Jesse James shootout, opened on May 30, 2026, after weeks spent installing new sprinklers.
The museum occupies the fully restored original building where the raid occurred, bringing the event to life with exhibits. Every September, on the weekend after Labor Day, thousands descend for Defeat of Jesse James Days, where volunteers in period costume re-enact the robbery on Division Street. Beyond the outlaws, Ames Park offers a nice trail by the lake, while The Ole Store Restaurant, located at 1011 St. Olaf Ave, is famous for its rich history dating back to 1889 and its signature “Ole Roll,” a massive, warm caramel and pecan roll that has been a staple for over six decades. It is a beloved, Nordic-inspired neighborhood institution near the St. Olaf College campus.
Blue Earth
What do you do when you realize a new Interstate 90 construction is about to divert traffic away from your town, pushing it far from the limelight? When the same fate faced Blue Earth about 50 years ago, Radio station owner Paul Hedberg dreamed up a plan. He was going to put up a 60-foot fiberglass Jolly Green Giant that greets drivers off I-90 with a four-foot smile and a size-78 shoe. It may not have prevented the diversion, but it kept interest in the town alive. Today, one of America’s most notable roadside attractions offers fantastic photo-ops, reminding people not to let a crisis go to waste.
There is a free museum called the Giant Museum and statues of the notorious Green Giant foods icon, but remember to drop a few bucks in the basket to help them maintain this wonderfully unique attraction. To finish the Little Sprout selfie challenge, snap photos with the uniquely painted Sprout statues scattered around town. Grab a checklist map at the Giant Welcome Center. Once your card is complete, return it to the center to claim your exclusive Sprout Hunt Prize. If you want to know why Minnesotans are frequently ranked among the friendliest folks in the country, pass by Farmer’s Daughters Kitchen, a family-run establishment, whose pancakes are plate-sized, homestyle, and astoundingly delicious.
New Ulm
A European enclave plunked down on the Minnesota prairie, New Ulm was proclaimed by the 2000 Census as “the most German town in America,” with many residents tracing German ancestry through generations. From the Glockenspiel to bratwurst to a monument honoring a Germanic warrior, it feels less like a Midwestern city and more like a Bavarian village that someone mistakenly threw in the Midwest and forgot about. The Glockenspiel is one of the world’s few free-standing carillon clock towers, standing 45 feet high with thirty-seven bells chiming each quarter hour. On the flip side, the Hermann Heights Monument, depicting the ancient Cheruscan warrior Arminius (“Hermann the German”), is the third-largest copper statue in the United States after the Statue of Liberty and Portlandia. The best part is that visitors can climb a spiral staircase to a panoramic observation platform.
If that’s not enough, New Ulm’s August Schell Brewing Company is the second-oldest family-owned brewery in the United States. Founded in 1860 by a German immigrant, the brewery has been producing traditional German-style beers for over 160 years. The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame is a bit of a quirky museum that displays donated memorabilia such as CDs, vinyl, and posters, as well as some instruments and a large display about Prince. As expected, Polka is a large portion of the inductees, but you have John Denver (who does have a Minnesota connection), the Whitesidewalls, Lori Line, Dr Frank Bencriscudo, and Daisy Dillman.
Bemidji
If you’ve ever wondered why so many small American towns have absurdly large statues of things, Bemidji honestly bears a huge part of the blame. Originally conceived as a gimmick to promote tourism during the city’s 1937 Winter Carnival, the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues became the second-most-photographed sculptures in America. Soon after, the “prototypical roadside colossus” inspired dozens of copycat giant statues across Minnesota and the Midwest. Before paddling Lake Bemidji or Lake Irwing, stand between the 18-foot Paul Bunyan and the massive blue ox, both of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Boat rentals are available at Lake Bemidji and Itasca State Parks, as well as several resorts and lodges throughout Bemidji, including the Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge, which first opened as the Birchmont Beach Hotel on July 3, 1921. The trick is to start at the Tourist Information Center, where you will marvel at the nationally known historic Fireplace of States.
Ely
Ely began as a hard-edged Iron Range mining town in the 1880s, and downtown still carries the memory of its Pioneer Mine, which, for several decades, stood as one of the most significant underground mining operations in the Midwest. Yet today, the town feels almost wild enough to belong to the wolves. Here, locals occasionally spot them near the school, while visitors can stand just feet away from live wolf packs at the International Wolf Center. The North American Bear Center offers a similar encounter with giant black bears, making Ely feel less like a town than a front-row seat to the North Woods. Beyond the last street, the wilderness takes over: Ely opens into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, where paddlers slip onto silent, motor-free lakes that mirror forests stretching unbroken to Canada. Insula Restaurant serves unique dishes like wild rice chicken pot pie, giving classic comfort food a distinctly North Woods twist.
Two Harbors
Two Harbors occupies, as anyone would guess, two harbors on Lake Superior: the enclaves of Agate Bay and Burlington Bay. It is not easy to find a place where you can sleep inside a vintage freight boxcar in the woods, themed as a Victorian parlor, or an African safari lodge, half a mile from the world’s largest freshwater lake. Quirky gets a fresh perspective at the Northern Rail Traincar Inn, which travel experts like Peter Greenberg recognize as one of the “World’s 10 Most Unusual Hotels.” Charming boxcar accommodations, not standard brick-and-mortar rooms, are connected by an enclosed hallway that evokes the nostalgic feel of an old-fashioned train station platform, enhancing your stay with a touch of whimsy.
You’re essentially sleeping inside a piece of rail history rather than a conventional hotel building. Visit the Split Rock Lighthouse, one of the most-photographed lighthouses in North America, and where guides in period garb display 1920s daily life. You will enjoy the exhibits inside the building, the view of Lake Superior, and the detailed architecture. Rustic Inn Café, as the name suggests, is a rustic American cafe in a circa-1925 cabin serving homestyle meals and pies made from scratch.
Winona
Known as the Stained Glass Capital of the United States, Winona glows through the colored windows of its historic churches, especially the 131-year-old Basilica of Saint Stanislaus Kostka and the awe-inspiring Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, where 19th-century artistry still filters the Midwestern sun. Above the river, Garvin Heights offers sweeping views of the Mississippi valley, while below, kayakers trace the slow bends of the water.
Nearby, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum surprises visitors with works by Monet and Van Gogh sitting improbably on the river’s edge. Winona’s stories run deeper still. Sugar Loaf Bluff rises from a Dakota legend of a split mountain, though its sharp form was shaped by 19th-century quarrying. The unexpected African Safari Exhibit inside a bank adds to the town’s quirky character. WNB, originally named Winona Savings Bank, has dedicated its third floor to more than 20 pieces of taxidermy, including a lion, a leopard, an ostrich, and a number of antelope heads.
Pipestone
Modern highways across North America began as the original trade and migration routes of Indigenous peoples, and they intersect at Pipestone, Minnesota, known as “the crossroads of the Indian world.” A sacred pipestone quarry has drawn Native nations from across North America for thousands of years. The buttery-soft red stone, also called Catlinite, is found almost nowhere else on earth. Today, Pipestone National Monument offers a short and easy walking trail along Pipestone Creek and goes past the beautiful Winnewissa Falls, amid tallgrass prairie and live pipe-carving demonstrations by American Indian craftspeople, especially from May through October.
After witnessing the quarrying tradition that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized in The Song of Hiawatha, you will want to have a look at the World’s Largest Peace Pipe, created after three spiritual people from different Native tribes (one Lakota and two Anishinaabe) shared the same vision within two years in the 1990s. Pipestone County Museum has interesting exhibits showing the town’s history, while Pipestone Performing Arts Center, right next, is a great, cozy theatre with nice seating and wonderful performances.
Lindström
At the west entrance, bronze figures of Karl Oskar and Kristina stand facing opposite directions, he toward the promise of the new world, she glancing back at the old, capturing the emotional weight of Swedish migration stories made famous by Vilhelm Moberg. The statues echo a replica in Sweden itself, linking this small Minnesota town to a transatlantic memory. Lindström is known as “America’s Little Sweden, and around midsummer, Karl Oskar Days, which honors the fictional pioneer characters Karl Oskar and Kristina Nilsson from Vilhelm Moberg’s classic novel series The Emigrants, fills the streets with parades and music.
Meanwhile, five surrounding lakes nearly blur land and water and almost transform Lindström into an island-like town. As for breakfast, Northwoods Roasterie is loved for its moose decor, natural wood, and, of course, fresh roasted coffee. Don’t forget to pass by Glädje, a cute gallery and gift shop featuring some unique pieces and plenty of Scandinavian-inspired items. Whether you’re looking for books, artwork, tomten, or candles, they have a wide variety of things to choose from.
So, in a way, Minnesota reveals itself best when you stop following the obvious map. Whether it is a bluff shaped as much by legend as by quarrying, a lakeside “Little Sweden” preserving its immigrant memory, or a museum tucked into an unlikely building, each town rewards curiosity over convention. And the truth is, the unusual and the extraordinary hold an appeal in the human psyche that familiarity rarely satisfies. This quality pulls us toward places that surprise, unsettle, and linger in memory long after the journey ends.
Minnesota
Minnesota driver accused of killing 82-year-old in head-on crash claims her dog seized steering wheel beforehand
A Minnesota woman accused of causing a fatal head-on crash that killed an 82-year-old woman told investigators her dog grabbed the steering wheel before the collision, according to court records.
Shauna Rae Dokken, 43, was charged Monday in Roseau County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide while operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner.
The charge stems from a June 27 crash on Minnesota Highway 11 that left Barbara Lee Welberg, 82, dead.
According to a criminal complaint, multiple motorists reported Dokken driving erratically before the crash.
One witness told investigators he called 911 and attempted to follow Dokken’s pickup after seeing it cross completely into oncoming traffic.
Authorities allege Dokken’s Ford F-250 later crossed the center line and collided head-on with Welberg’s Kia Sorento. Welberg was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dokken was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Investigators said Dokken gave varying accounts of what led to the crash.
According to the complaint, she told investigators at one point that her dog interfered with the vehicle and grabbed the steering wheel before the collision.
Troopers responding to the crash also noted that Dokken appeared to have slurred speech, according to court records.
The complaint states that Dokken told investigators she had taken prescription medications that day, including Buspar, lorazepam and Adderall.
She denied consuming alcohol, and a preliminary breath test registered 0.00, according to the complaint.
Authorities later obtained a search warrant for a blood sample, which was sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for analysis.
The investigation remains ongoing pending laboratory testing, according to the Roseau County Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said additional charges could be filed depending on the results of the analysis.
Court records also cite statements from Dokken’s significant other, who told investigators she had previously misused prescription medications.
The allegations outlined in the complaint have not been proven in court.
Dokken remained in custody Monday after a detention order was signed by Roseau County District Judge Tamara Yon.
A representative for the Roseau County Attorney’s Office told Fox News Digital all criminal defendants are accompanied by a public defender at their initial court appearance, but it was not immediately clear whether Dokken would continue to be represented by a public defender or retain private counsel.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Minnesota State Patrol for additional information. The Roseau County Attorney’s Office confirmed the investigation remains ongoing pending testing and said additional charges could result depending on the findings.
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