Ella Stern
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Articles by Ella Stern
Professor Davis charged among MN15
On June 16, 2026, the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Daniel Rosen, announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had charged 15 Minnesotans for actions it claims they took during Operation Metro Surge. The defendants are alleged to be members and associates of Direct Action Minnesota. Among the 15 defendants is Erik Davis ’96, a religious studies professor at Macalester.
MCSG poses questions to Coquemont, nominates new speaker
Macalester College Student Government’s (MCSG) Sept. 24 meeting was their first with the newly elected members of the class of 2030. At the meeting, MCSG members engaged in a Q&A with Vice President for Student Affairs, Kathryn Kay Coquemont, nominated a new Speaker of the Legislative Body (LB) and provided updates from their individual roles. Coquemont, MCSG’s first guest of the year, began the meeting with an explanation of her connection to student leadership.
Donors could improve lives. The cow statue wastes that power.
Last month, Macalester announced the impending arrival of a Highland cow statue outside the Leonard Center. The announcement specified that the statue was not commissioned with college funds; instead, it was funded by a Macalester family’s donation through The Justin and Jansel Kelly Family Foundation. The amount of money they spent on the donation is confidential. The cow will be 12 feet tall and 17 feet long.
‘This is not over’: As Lake Street cash mobs wrap up, immigrant businesses still face headwinds
During the peak of Operation Metro Surge, Karmel Mall, a once-bustling Somali shopping center and community hub, was quiet. As many as 60 to 80% of the mall’s nearly 650 businesses were shuttered as owners, workers and customers avoided areas with a heavy presence of federal agents. Although the mall’s foot traffic has slowly increased in the six months since then, it is nowhere near its usual levels.
How Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” affects SNAP
How Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" Is Reshaping SNAP in Minnesota Contributing writer Ella Stern examines the sweeping changes to SNAP under H.R. 1, which immediately cut off refugees, asylees and youth aging out of foster care from benefits, added new work requirements for people 55-64 and parents of teens, and will shift SNAP administrative costs from the federal government to states starting Oct. 1, 2026.
Sabathani Community Center’s block party celebrates 60 years of service
Overview: Six Decades of Community and Legacy ontributing writer Ella Stern brings us inside Sabathani Community Center's 60th-anniversary block party, capturing powerful reflections from lifelong residents, MSR CEO Tracey Williams-Dillard, and community leaders on what it takes to protect and nurture a historic South Minneapolis institution.
What Minnesota 2026 primary voters are saying at the polls
This article will be updated throughout the day with additional voter interviews. A record number of Minnesotans — more than 240,000, by early Tuesday, according to the secretary of state — have already voted, which could propel Minnesota to a turnout record in a nonpresidential year.
Following policing and surveillance concerns, Minneapolis to receive audit of ShotSpotter technology
Overview: he Fight Over Minneapolis’ ShotSpotter Microphones Contributing writer Ella Stern breaks down the impending city audit of ShotSpotter, Minneapolis’ controversial gunshot detection system. Stern examines the clash between city council members demanding financial accountability and community safety solutions, police advocates praising the tech, and research showing Black and Indigenous residents bear the brunt of local surveillance.
In MSR’s 92nd year, publisher and CEO reflects on her grandfather’s legacy
Overview: 92 Years Later, MSR's Tracey Williams-Dillard Carries Forward Cecil Newman's Black Press Legacy Contributing writer Ella Stern profiles MSR CEO and Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard as the paper marks 92 years since founder Cecil Newman launched the Minneapolis Spokesman and St. Paul Recorder in 1934.
Groups sue Minnesota over massive West River Dairy expansion
Environmental groups are suing Minnesota over a decision to allow a mega-dairy to expand without a rigorous environmental review. The expansion would more than double the number of cows at Riverview's West River Dairy, making it the largest in the state. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency determined the expansion did not require a detailed Environmental Impact Statement.
Opponents sue state over Morris mega-dairy expansion
Food & Water Watch and the Land Stewardship Project sued the state of Minnesota Thursday over a decision to allow a Morris mega-dairy to expand without a more rigorous environmental review. Riverview wants to expand West River Dairy from 7,855 cows to almost 19,000 cows, making it the biggest dairy in Minnesota. The new dairy would create roughly the same amount of waste as a city of 750,000, and, according to the plaintiffs, at least 66,000 tons of additional greenhouse gas emissions yearly.
Opponents sue state over Morris mega-dairy expansion Original
7:30 Brief Food & Water Watch and the Land Stewardship Project sued the state of Minnesota Thursday over a decision to allow a Morris mega-dairy to expand without a more rigorous environmental review. Riverview wants to expand West River Dairy from 7,855 cows to almost 19,000 cows, making it the biggest dairy in Minnesota.
Local artist weaves community connection through Rondo library art project
Overview: Art, Healing, and Community in Rondo Contributing Writer Ella Stern covers Saint Paul visual artist Briauna Williams as she collaborates with local residents to create an intergenerational public art installation designed to foster deep community bonds. Local artist Briauna Williams is working with children, parents and elders to create an art installation for the Rondo Community Library.
After Operation Metro Surge, Mixed Blood Theatre turns to storytelling to heal
Overview: Reconnecting Twin Cities Communities Through Shared Experience Contributing Writer Ella Stern explores how Mixed Blood Theatre is creating intentional spaces for listening and laughter, giving residents a way to process recent struggles while building long-term community care. During the peak of Operation Metro Surge, while Minnesotans turned out to support their neighbors, Mixed Blood Theatre considered how to sustain that energy in whatever would come next.
Shannon Gibney breaks taboo with new children’s book on infant loss
Shannon Gibney's New Book Gives Children Language for Infant Loss Contributing writer Ella Stern profiles local author Shannon Gibney and her new children's book, "Where Is My Sister?," which follows a young girl named Salome navigating her family's grief after her mother's stillbirth.
Community pushes back on Minneapolis drone pilot program
40 Speak Out, Zero in Favor: Minneapolis Drone Program Heads to Full Council Vote Contributing writer Ella Stern reports on the July 8 Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee meeting where 40 community members opposed a proposed Skydio drone pilot for MPD first-response calls in Ward 4, with no one speaking in favor. The committee unanimously advanced the program to a full council vote July 16.
ICE detentions surge to 2,000 a day to meet new agency quota
ICE Doubles Its Daily Detention Quota. Here's What's Behind the Surge. Contributing writer Ella Stern reports on new data showing ICE detained over 10,000 people nationwide between June 27 and July 1, averaging 2,000 detentions a day, double the pace from earlier this year.
Rose McGee’s ‘Kumbayah’ marks 30 years of telling freedom’s story
30 Years of "Kumbayah": The Juneteenth Play That Still Feels Urgent Contributing writer Ella Stern reports on the 30th anniversary of Rose McGee's "Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story" at St. Paul's The O'Shaughnessy. The play follows Lewis and Florence, two enslaved people near Galveston awaiting word of their freedom, and cast members drew direct parallels between the violence depicted onstage and Operation Metro Surge, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin and Daunte Wright.
14 activists plead not guilty in anti-ICE case
Fourteen Anti-ICE Activists Plead Not Guilty as Prosecutors Reveal 20 Terabytes of Evidence Contributing writer Ella Stern reports on the July 1 arraignment of 14 activists federally charged over resistance to Operation Metro Surge, where all defendants pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges.
First Independence Bank opens new St. Paul location on University Avenue
First Independence Bank Opens New St. Paul Location on University Avenue, Bringing Black-Owned Banking to Frogtown and Rondo Contributing writer Ella Stern reports on First Independence Bank's new St. Paul location at 627 University Avenue West, which opened June 24 in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods alongside the Neighborhood Development Center, as the Twin Cities' first Black-owned full-service bank deepens its mission to close the racial wealth gap in a region with the largest...
Minneapolis City Council votes on three measures affecting George Floyd Square
Minneapolis City Council Votes to Protect George Floyd Square Community From Special Assessments and Reject People's Way Developer Selection Contributing writer Ella Stern reports on three Minneapolis City Council votes on June 11 affecting George Floyd Square, including a unanimous vote to deny special assessments that would have billed some businesses over $40,000, a vote rejecting Agape Movement's exclusive development rights at People's Way and a legislative directive requesting a report...
With brigadeiros, other sweets, baker brings taste of Brazil to Como Park Farmers Market
Everyone in Brazil grows up knowing the basic recipe for brigadeiros, traditional chocolate desserts made with condensed milk, according to baker and business owner Nayara Lark. But not everyone can make them like Lark. Lark began baking seriously in 2017, taking classes in Brazil to help herself handle the grief of her mother’s death. After moving to the United States in 2019 to do her postdoc in physiology at the University of Minnesota, Lark began baking for friends’ parties and weddings.
Miss Juneteenth Minnesota royalty speak to continued power of the pageant
She Never Saw Herself in Pageants. At 54, Zina Alston Fizer Was Crowned First Lady Juneteenth Minnesota. Contributing writer Ella Stern reports on the third annual Miss Juneteenth Minnesota State Pageant, where 54-year-old Zina Alston Fizer was crowned First Lady Juneteenth Minnesota, a new category for women 40 and up, and Isaac Abatan became the first-ever Mister Juneteenth Minnesota in a pageant that expanded this year to include men for the first time.
Peruvian-born saxophonist Lucia Sarmiento brings distinctive sound to Twin Cities Jazz Fest
At the Twin Cities Jazz Fest on Saturday, audiences will hear music from an array of genres and continents as saxophonist Lucia Sarmiento channels her experiences with music and life into her performance. This act of combining is inherent in Sarmiento’s genre, jazz fusion, but the Peruvian-born musician puts it at the center of her art. “My music is a mix of all the different lives that I’ve lived,” Sarmiento said.
Author Archives: Ella Stern
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Turning Point celebrates 50 years of culturally specific care
50 Years of Showing Up: Turning Point, Inc. MN Celebrates Half a Century of Culturally Specific Care for Black Men in North Minneapolis Contributing writer Ella Stern reports on the 50th anniversary of Turning Point, Inc. MN, a North Minneapolis substance abuse treatment center founded in 1976 to serve the African American community with a culturally specific approach rooted in understanding, familiarity and a no-shame-in-coming-back philosophy that has served more than 25,000 clients.
Celebrating The Mac Weekly class of 2026
In our yearly tradition, we spoke with graduating seniors from The Mac Weekly about their time on the paper. These seniors have been talented writers, editors and leaders throughout their time at Mac. TMW: Why did you first join The Mac Weekly, and what made you stay? Callisto Martinez: I kind of came to Mac for The Mac Weekly. There were not very many liberal arts colleges with decent papers that were in a metropolitan area that were also in the Midwest. So Mac felt like the best choice.
Lesley University Archives
Posted inHigher Ed The move came after a marathon bargaining session between unionized faculty and administrators failed to produce an agreement. Posted inNews Posted inDevelopment, Local Business Posted inDevelopment Posted inEducation Posted inNews Posted inNews A stronger Cambridge Day Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day. We are now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible. Please consider a recurring contribution.
“A necessary evil?”: Special appointment faculty take on systemic issues
At Macalester and across academia, contingent faculty — professors who are not tenured or tenure-track — report enduring low pay, job instability and other unfavorable working conditions in order to keep teaching and avoid being forced out of the profession entirely. “I love what I do; I love teaching,” a professor, who wishes to remain anonymous due to job security concerns and will be referred to as “Professor A,” said.
Contention during MAPE bargaining
In fall 2024, Macalester College’s non-faculty staff received the news that Macalester’s health insurance premiums were increasing by up to 30 percent, a change that would hit many non-faculty staff hard. For Gwen Comings, Macalester’s art and art history department coordinator, the increase was seriously damaging. “That was like a huge gut punch,” Comings said.
MCSG passes resolution for open bargaining, M4P partial funding
On Friday, Feb. 27, the Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) meeting opened with a presentation by sophomore class representative Xavier Honer ’28, who updated the Legislative Body (LB) on the ongoing contract negotiations between Macalester and the Macalester Undergraduate Workers Union – United Auto Workers (MUWU-UAW). The presentation, which touched on the two parties’ disagreements about open bargaining, contextualized the LB’s later vote on a resolution in support of open bargaining.
MCSG discusses response to ICE presence in St. Paul
February 5, 2026 The Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) met in the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom on Thursday, Jan. 29, to discuss changes to the Student Organizations Committee (SOC) Code, a Financial Affairs Committee (FAC) request and how to support international students during a surge in federal law enforcement and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in the Twin Cities.
homeland security Archives
Posted inNews A federal agent is heard on video saying a man “fit exactly the description of the problem we’re here to address” before taking him away. A protest is planned for Saturday night at the hotel where agents are reportedly staying. Posted inNews Posted inNews Posted inNews Posted inNews Posted inNews Posted inNews Posted inNews A stronger Cambridge Day Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
CrimeTracer shares Cambridge and Somerville police data statewide – and with Ice until 2023 - Cambridge Day
Cambridge and Somerville have made sanctuary-city commitments to not voluntarily help the federal attacks on immigrants at the heart of Donald Trump’s second presidency. At the same time, the cities feed police reports to CrimeTracer, a database shared by law enforcement across Massachusetts. Until two years ago, CrimeTracer was accessible to federal agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which used database information in enforcement actions.
About the state's Pirate Party, ragtag fighters for privacy, transparency and election options
The number of cameras in Cambridge’s Central Square has roughly doubled since 2021; the total is now around 100 cameras – a fact known because the Massachusetts Pirate Party decided to map the area. In the mapping events, participants plot the cameras’ locations, adding information about the type of camera, who owns it and what directions it faces.
In contract negotiations, coffeeshop unions build on and set industry standards
Before Starbucks workers in Buffalo, New York, started Starbucks Workers United in August 2021, setting off a wave of Starbucks workers’ organizing, unionized coffee had begun to take root locally. Two months earlier, Boston-area Pavement Coffeehouse locations – including one in Harvard Square – were the first Massachusetts coffeeshops to unionize, and were among the earliest coffeeshop unions in the country.
Steep insurance increases hit Cambridge workers, adding a factor to their next contract negotiations
Weekly insurance premiums for more than 1,100 workers employed by the city of Cambridge increased 21.5 percent for individual plans and 23.3 percent for family plans as the employees were moved from the Tufts Health Plan – which had been the least expensive available option for Cambridge workers – to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in April. The move followed a consolidation at the insurance plans’ parent company, Point32Health.
'I don’t trust Lesley at all': Creative writing MFA takes hits from more restructuring at university
Faculty, students and alumni of Lesley University’s creative writing masters of fine arts program walked out of a nightly reading June 22 after professor Cassie Seinuk’s proclamation that Better Lesley – the name of Lesley University’s restructuring plan – is a lie.
Cambridge Education Association sees turnover in leadership with aim of added political presence
The presidency of Dan Monahan, who led the Cambridge Education Association for nine years as it restructured to meet social justice initiatives, ended this week. His successor as of Tuesday, high school history teacher Chris Montero, aims to build upon Monahan’s work toward inclusivity and to expand the union’s political presence.
Somerville educators win record wages for paras, parental leave and a school choice policy review
The Somerville Educators Union ratified a contract June 23, ushering in landmark paraprofessional wages and parental leave. The contract also aims to mitigate educators’ overflowing workloads, drawing promises from the district to reevaluate Somerville’s school choice policy and implementing a co-teaching pilot program and a new workload model for special education staff.
Circus Cafe is worker-owned, a structure supported by proposed Massachusetts bill - Cambridge Day
In many respects, Circus Cooperative Cafe feels like any small coffee shop. The classics are all there: bags of coffee beans, pastries in a display case, customers on couches sipping tea. After a first glance, however, small details – from the pro-labor artwork decorating the turquoise walls to the tofu-on-sourdough sandwich named for Vietnamese revolutionary Ngô Văn – hint at a difference. This cafe is owned by its workers, who run the business cooperatively.
ShotSpotter devices raise surveillance fears, prompting promises from Cambridge police
Against the backdrop of daily immigrant arrests in Massachusetts and nationwide come sharper objections to ShotSpotter gunfire-detecting technology in Cambridge: Residents fear the microphones are listening to them talk, and that the federal government will be handed the recordings. ShotSpotter, a tool used by police to listen for shootings, is paid for by the Department of Homeland Security. Each fact drew attention Monday at a meeting of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee.
Celebrating The Mac Weekly’s class of 2025
As is our yearly tradition, we spoke with The Mac Weekly’s graduating seniors about their time on the paper. These seniors have been talented writers, editors and leaders. The following interviews have been edited for clarity and length. The Mac Weekly (TMW): Why did you first join The Mac Weekly, and what made you stay? Lauren Petro: I used to write for my school newspaper in high school, and I wanted to continue that, and I never got around to doing it my freshman year.
Macalester staff push to unionize
April 24, 2025 For two and a half years, some staff members at Macalester have been organizing a union under the banner of the Macalester Advocacy Committee of Employees (MACE). As MACE’s unionization efforts progress, the organization has decided to make its work more public.
MUWU members vote to affiliate with the UAW
On Thursday, April 17, the Macalester Undergraduate Workers’ Union (MUWU) announced that it will affiliate with the United Auto Workers of America (UAW). A vote on the matter was open to union members for just under one week. 202 student workers voted in favor of affiliation, and 80 student workers voted against it. While MUWU still needs to get UAW approval in order for affiliation to be official, they do not anticipate issues with receiving this approval.
Legal concerns: work-study, hour cuts
In the weeks since student workers voted to be represented by Macalester Undergraduate Workers’ Union (MUWU) on Feb. 26, Macalester has made unilateral changes to student employment without negotiating with MUWU or notifying them prior to announcing the changes. MUWU alleges that the language the college used to justify these policies and the changes themselves conflict with a number of labor laws and legal decisions.
Pi Sigma Alpha hosts 19th annual political science conference
On Wednesday, April 2, Pi Sigma Alpha, Macalester’s chapter of the National Political Science Honor Society, held its 19th annual political science conference in the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom.
LB talks fundraising, Scot Ball, bylaws and Ramadan
On Thursday, March 13, Macalester College Student Government (MCSG)’s Legislative Body (LB) met in the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom to hear from guest speakers and discuss budget and fundraising updates. Abbey Kamin, associate director for the Outreach Center, kicked off the meeting with a presentation about Give to Macalester Days. The annual program, which will take place from April 2 – 4, raises money for the Macalester Fund.
Mac students lobby for reproductive freedom at Minnesota Capitol
On Monday, March 10, dozens of Macalester students traveled to the Minnesota State Capitol to attend Reproductive Freedom Lobby Day. This event, sponsored by the UnRestrict Minnesota coalition, brought local advocates together to voice their opinions to their elected representatives. Students in political science professor Della Zurick’s “Feminist Political Theory” class and members of Pro Choice @ Mac were among those in attendance.
New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern Spoke Locally About Leadership and Hope
On Friday, March 7, the eve of International Women’s Day, former New Zealand Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern, gave a lecture to an almost-full house at St. Catherine University’s O’Shaughnessy theatre. After the lecture, Ardern engaged in a Q&A with Rep. Betty McCollum.
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