OUR STORIES | A DREAMer’s story: from undocumented immigrant to advocate

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Daniel Perez is a young Mexican American graduate student who was undocumented until he was granted a work visa through DACA. In this video he recounts some of the struggles of being an undocumented immigrant, and how he is giving back to his family and community after becoming a documented immigrant. He also breaks stereotypes about undocumented immigrants and discusses why he supports immigration reform. Continue Reading

Who’s behind the camera? You, too, can take great photos!

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A few weeks ago, Tom Baker led a class entitled “Eyes on the Street: Community Photojournalism Walk and Critique,” which took students on a photo walk through the streets of Minneapolis. It ended with students sharing and critiquing each others’ images. One of those images, above, was taken during the class by Michaelyn Kvasnik. (Others appear below.) As you probably know, the Twin Cities Daily Planet — and the Twin Cities Media Alliance — are all about “people powered journalism.” That’s why we organize community classes about writing, social media, digital privacy, photography and more. Continue Reading

Crime on the Midtown Greenway

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So… have you heard the one about the biker who nearly got hit by a Molotov cocktail on the Midtown Greenway? Nope, that’s not a joke–it’s a story that’s been circulating since last week, quickly surpassing the boundaries of the bicycling community and making its way into the mainstream media. MPR reported that Drew Ditlefsen “was riding on the below-grade portion of the Greenway that runs on an old railroad bed below the street in the Midtown area. He said someone threw the makeshift firebomb at him from the 15th Avenue overpass. He said the bottle narrowly missed him, hit the pavement and burst into flames.” Unfortunately, the Greenway is no stranger to crime. Continue Reading

Twin Cities Pet Expo attracts large crowds who love dogs and more

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Last weekend, more than 7,000 animal lovers came through the doors of the Minneapolis Convention Center for the 11th Annual Twin Cities Pet Expo for an up-close encounter with hundreds of companion animals, from the fluffy to the feathered to the cold-blooded. The Expo also included dozens of exhibits, competitions and some pet themed shopping.Rescue organizations were everywhere, a sad testament that too many animals are purchased on a whim and abandoned. Chewy, a 182 lb. 2-year-old St. Bernard was once homeless but now is finding a forever home. Former racing greyhounds find families through several rescue groups, including Northern Light Greyhound Adoption and Minnesota Greyhound Rescue.NorthStar Great Pyrenees Rescue brought several representatives of the breed to meet the public. Continue Reading