Ground Level Blog

Check out an MPR News chat between Ground Level journalists Dave Peters and Jennifer Vogel and Davy Rothbart, co-director of the documentary “Medora,” a film about the central role that a losing basketball team plays in a small town’s sense of identity.
Bridging the digital divide in rural America requires investment in people’s capabilities, not just technical infrastructure, an officer with Minnesota’s Blandin Foundation told Congress today.
Memorial honors Chuck Waibel, passionate about local food
Admirers of Chuck Waibel, of Milan in western Minnesota, are gathering Saturday to honor the man. Waibel, who died this summer at the age of 55, was a strong proponent of local foods and of building greenhouses that could extend the growing season for producers.
Last year’s flood pushes two towns closer to consolidating
Residents in Carlton and Thomson are voting Nov. 5 on whether the two cities should consolidate. They have been talking about a merger for years but started to move more quickly when heavy rains caused substantial flooding damage in Thomson in summer 2012.