November 28, 2005 - Thousands of Hmong residents in Minnesota are celebrating the Hmong New Year, and many are traveling to Laos and Thailand to celebrate with their families there. Some Hmong residents are asking their doctors if they should worry about the bird flu epidemic. So far, there's no vaccine for bird flu, but health care officials say there are ways for travelers to keep themselves safe from the virus.
September 14, 2005 - Tomorrow night, thousands of Mexican immigrants will gather on Lake Street in Minneapolis to celebrate Mexican independence day. That may be a surprise to anyone who thought Cinco de Mayo or May 5th was the most important day in Mexico. Minnesota Public Radio's Bianca Vazquez Toness reports, Mexicans traditionally make their independence celebration a two-day party. Here in Minnesota plans call for one big night.
July 11, 2005 - MPR's Bianca Vazquez Toness reports on scouting and its appeal to Muslim girls. The scouts are adapting, changing their ways to attract and keep girls who haven't traditionally joined a troop, including the children of immigrants.
June 13, 2005 - MPR’s Bianca Vazquez Toness profiles La Loma, a commercial kitchen in Minneapolis that makes about 13,000 tamales a week. Toness interviews the owners about how they started and there goals for the future.
June 2, 2005 - MPR’s Bianca Vazquez Toness reports on the growing influence of women in the Twin Cities hip-hop music scene. They call themselves B-girls. That's B for “breakdance,” and that's what some of these female hip-hop artists do, but others use verse, spray paint, and music to tell their story.
April 22, 2005 - Mexico is opening a consulate this summer in St. Paul to serve Mexicans living around the state, but it won't be the first foreign community with representation here. Places like Malta, Bolivia, and Luxembourg have consuls in the Twin Cities. About 20 countries have local emissaries who either promote trade and tourism or provide services to their countrymen living in Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio's Bianca Vazquez Toness visited one of the newest consulates in the Twin Cities.
April 11, 2005 - (Bianca Vazquez Toness = bee AHN ka BAHS kess TOH ness) The April fifteenth- deadline to file taxes causes most Americans stress and anguish. But for the millions of people living and working illegally in the United States, filing taxes can be an advantage. It's an opportunity to prove their economic contribution and document their residence here. The I-R-S allows them to file using a special number. But some immigration critics don't like the idea of a federal agency accommodating illegal immigrants. Minnesota Public Radio's Bianca Vazquez Toness has the story.
March 3, 2005 - Some Minnesota school children can't get in-state tuition to Minnesota's colleges and universities but that might change soon. A bill before the legislature would give Minnesota students who are not legal residents of the United states the right to pay the same amount as kids who were born here. Minnesota Public Radio's Bianca Vazquez Toness reports.