Jennifer Vogel
People in the small western Minnesota city of Hoffman are trying to figure out how to weather the closing of a nursing home, the biggest employer in town. Read more →
MPR News How communities are facing the future
Fighting for an American Countryside
Dave PetersCheck 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. Read more →
When layoffs were announced at the paper mill that is the economic mainstay of International Falls, residents established an economic response team focused in three areas. But the initial step of seeking $550,000 in federal money to help has been stymied by the federal government shutdown. Read more →
International Falls residents suggest tourism, a brewery, hydroponic gardening, entrepreneurship and more as means to reinvent their community in the wake of paper mill job cuts. Read more →
What can data show us about the changing rural Minnesota landscape? Here’s a chance to show what you can do. Read more →
American Futures, a project on reinvention and resilience by The Atlantic and Marketplace, looks at national economic and political phenomena through the lens of small-city America. Keep an eye out for reports from Read more →
When you ask Minnesotans to finish the sentence “My town is . . .”, they do. The answers range from “cultural wasteland” to “searching for identity” to “filled with good people.” Read more →
Small towns are exploring new economic avenues, whether local foods, tourism or green energy. A new eBook called Fighting for an American Countryside, from MPR News’ Ground Level project, looks at efforts across the state. Read more →
The many demographic challenges facing rural Minnesota include a population that’s older than the state average. Given tight budgets all around, people in small towns are finding new ways to provide services. Read more →