Ground Level®: Amplifying Community Voices

Your story is powerful. The stories you share with others honor the complexity of our communities while forging a more equitable and vibrant future.

Call 651-228-4800 and leave us a voice memo. If you're more comfortable texting, you can text “Hello” to 1-833-870-4111. You can also email us at tell@mpr.org and join in on conversations in our Ground Level Facebook group.

We’d like to hear your thoughts and questions. Your ideas about solutions. How are your communities? What are you seeing today? And what do you want to see tomorrow?

Note that while we will exercise editorial judgment for language, length and avoiding personal attacks, we will not sacrifice your meaning. We will ensure your main message comes through on air and online.

Skills gap? What skills gap?
A new Department of Employment and Economic Development study finds that Minnesota’s “skills gap” — that is, the mismatch between what employers need and what job-seekers have — is more nuanced than has been portrayed.
Seeking a better way to sell a sustainable farm
Given high farm land prices and a large number of farmers reaching retirement age, John Mesko of the Sustainable Farming Association has started a counseling program to keep farms organic and sustainable.
Theater as small town therapy
Theater producer and director Ashley Hanson puts on plays in small towns like Granite Falls with the goal of helping people solve big issues.
Not all cities see LGA gain in long run
Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposed formula for helping Minnesota cities with Local Government Aid makes the metro area a bigger winner than outstate in the long run.
The president of CenturyLink’s midwest region says shareholder demands and fiduciary responsibilities are one reason small, local phone companies often do better that big ones in supplying high-speed Internet access in rural areas.