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MaryJo Webster

@maryjowebster.bsky.social
3.7K followers 329 following 130 posts

Data journalist at the Minnesota Star Tribune. Mom to teenagers and two dogs. Passionate about investigative reporting & access to public data. #journalist #watchdog. www.maryjowebster.com Send tips via Signal: maryjowebster.88

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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
www.startribune.com/minnesota-wa...
startribune.com
Walz wants legislators’ emails to be public. But it’s not up to him.
As the governor faces scrutiny over his administration’s handling of Medicaid fraud, he says the Minnesota Legislature should be subject to the same transparency requirements as his office.
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 18/02/2026
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said state prosecutors and law enforcement have gathered enough evidence to consider charging decisions against the federal agents who shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
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Moriarty: State ‘in good shape’ to consider charging federal agents in slayings of Good, Pretti
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office continues to pursue federal evidence that is being kept from state investigators, but Mary Moriarty said there’s “no mystery” about how Renee Good and Alex Pretti died.
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
www.startribune.com/minnesota-so...
startribune.com
Minnesota released a report about social services fraud. Most of it is blacked out.
The Department of Human Services said the redactions are to protect trade secrets and security information. Lawmakers looking for answers to state government’s fraud problems are frustrated.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12/02/2026
If my followers have been inspired by the fierce resistance the Twin Cities has put up to ICE, you should make it a point to take a trip here (April through October 😬), enjoy the wonderful things MN has to offer and support our small businesses. It continues to be a really tough time for them.
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 28/01/2026
The Minnesota Star Tribune has identified 17 instances of federal officials violating judicial orders related to people detained in Minnesota.
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Star Tribune analysis: Feds disobeying judicial orders on immigration detainees
The federal government cites a glut in cases and low staffing as reasons for violating court orders.
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 26/01/2026
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 27, 2026
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Fake Signal Name @dropstar.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
The day all of these monsters finally leave MN I feel like the most Minnesotan thing to do is have the biggest potluck in state history. Bars as far as the eyes can see. The power grid being strained by the collective energy being used by a million slow cookers. A Hamm’s pony keg on every corner…
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VorthosMike @vorthosmike.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
“We are starting to build a huge ICE OUT sign on Lake Nokomis [in Mpls.] 100 foot letters for MSP flights to see. By day snow letters, by night we’ll light w/ candles in white paper bags Send this widely. Tonight will get it outlined. Tomorrow night we’ll light it up and keep it going all week.“
Photo of a man shoveling, and this caption: We are starting to build a huge ICE OUT sign on Lake Nokomis.  100 foot letters for MSP flights to see.  By day snow letters, by night we’ll light w/ candles in white paper bags

Send this out widely. 

Tonight we will get it outlined.  Tomorrow night we’ll light if up and keep it going all week.

Helpers needed w shovels now   Candkes starting tomorrow.  

(Candles and paper bags will removed when done recycled/composted)A map of the Minneapolis area with an arrow pointing to which Lake this is referencing
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 25/01/2026
Hundreds of Minnesotans protested in downtown Minneapolis on Sunday a day after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in the city. Demonstrators called for an end to the federal immigration operation in the state following two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens. 📷️: Jeff Wheeler
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 25/01/2026
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "People have had enough. This is the third shooting in less than 3 weeks. The MPD went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn't shoot anyone ... this is not sustainable."
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 24/01/2026
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 25, 2026
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 24/01/2026
Protesters flooded the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and W. 26th Street in south Minneapolis, near where Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents Saturday morning. Video by Aaron Lavinsky, Genevieve Ross, Kyeland Jackson and Louis Krauss.
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Ivan the K ™ @ivanthek.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
The reporting I've seen from @startribune.com over the last few days is a great endorsement of the need for quality local journalism, which is suffering from fiscal setbacks across the country.
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Carin @mrotzie.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
ICE thinks Minnesotans will eventually give up, it’s like they’re unfamiliar with Vikings fandom
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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
in case you're curious about how angry Minnesota is about ICE, it was -20 today
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
So proud of how my newsroom is taking on this massive news story, esp. since we are all a bit burned out from covering 2 other massive news stories in past 6 mths. If you don't already subscribe, please help us out, even for 1 month. Or donate to Local News Fund. www.startribune.com/essential-re...
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
344 unlawful detention petitions filed in Minnesota since Dec. 1st -- 288 of them just since Jan 1. The filings dwarf everything that came before. During Trump’s first term: avg 5.5 cases per month; Biden presidency: avg 1.5 cases per month www.startribune.com/wrongful-det...
startribune.com
Wrongful detainment complaints spike during ICE surge
The number of immigrants suing for wrongful detention jumped as federal agents deployed to Minnesota.
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 22/01/2026
This video filmed by Ben Luhmann shows the moment a federal agent sprayed chemical irritants directly into a man's face in south Minneapolis. Three agents already had the man pinned to the ground when a fourth agent walked up and sprayed the irritants.
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 21/01/2026
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino is seen deploying a gas canister at Mueller Park in south Minneapolis this afternoon. Video by Ben Luhmann.
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 21/01/2026
SNL cast member Tommy Brennan, who grew up in St. Paul, poked fun at ICE in a segment only released online. “Minneapolis is a city of immigrants and that’s what makes it great,” he said. “I grew up playing on all-immigrant soccer teams, and let me tell you, it is not easy to catch those guys.”
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‘Saturday Night Live’ tribute to Minnesotans gets zapped at last minute
NBC has made Tommy Brennan’s editorial available online.
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Ashley Miller @amreports.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
An observer arrested in Suth Minneapolis. Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune
Several agents hold a person down and sprays them with pepper spray.
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
The next few days in Minnesota will be interesting. This is EPIC cold that's coming. The kind we don't get super often. The kind that even us die hards struggle with. www.startribune.com/minnesotans-...
startribune.com
Cold as ICE: Subzero cold bears down on Minnesota protests
Cold as ICE: There is such a thing as bad weather, and Minnesota has the forecast to prove it.
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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 07/01/2026
too many people seemed to learn the wrong lesson about minneapolis from the George Floyd uprising–— that it is just a bad, place with racist cops. the real lesson should have been that people in minneapolis actually care about their neighbors and are willing to do something about injustice.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
The woman killed by ICE was Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year old who was the mother of a 4-year old child whose father already died a few years ago. The Star Tribune talked to her mother. www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...
“Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” she said. “She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being.”
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Minnesotans for Open Government @mncogi.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Did you sign up for our new newsletter yet? MNOG's newsletter aims to warn you about dangers to public access in MN & to spotlight occasional victories. Check out the first edition here: minnesotans-for-open-government.beehiiv.com/p/mnog-news-...
minnesotans-for-open-government.beehiiv.com
MNOG News: Appeal in ‘coaching’ lawsuit; legal fight over 911 call transcript
Read more about what Minnesotans for Open Government is doing, including a free webinar next week on how to use the DPA.
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MuckRock @muckrock.com · 01/12/2025
MuckRock's latest guide explains how to use FOIA requests to track opioid settlement funds in your state.
muckrock.com
How are opioid settlement funds being spent in your state? You can use FOIA to find out
Over the last six months, MuckRock teamed up with a class of investigative journalism students at West Virginia University to request opioid settlement spending documents from all 55 counties in West…
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Minnesota friends: Are you wondering how this year's snow stacks up to years past? We've got you covered: www.startribune.com/minnesota-sn... This updates every day -- all winter!
startribune.com
Minnesota snowfall tracker: Track daily snow totals this winter
Compare snowfall across the state to past seasons.
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Today is Give To the Max day in Minnesota. Please consider donating to this small, but mighty, organization!
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Great analysis, resulting in powerful story: www.washingtonpost.com/business/int...
washingtonpost.com
The deadliest roads in America
The number of pedestrians killed by vehicles has increased in the U.S., with road infrastructure and inadequate safety measures among key contributing factors.
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Very cool. www.propublica.org/article/meth...
propublica.org
How ProPublica Investigated a Bird Flu Outbreak in America’s Heartland
Early this year, bird flu ripped through 80 farms in Ohio and Indiana. Using genetic markers, wind simulations, satellite imagery, property records and more, we found that the virus could’ve been airb...
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Minnesota now has one of the nation's lowest measles vaccination rates www.startribune.com/minnesota-no...
startribune.com
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Minnesotans for Open Government @mncogi.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Are you passionate about transparency in local govt? If so, please consider donating to Minnesotans for Open Government. This is Minnesota's all-volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit that is working to ensure we don't lose access to government records & public mtgs. www.givemn.org/organization...
mnog.org
Minnesotans For Open Government | News
Stay informed about efforts to promote government transparency and open records in Minnesota through news, legislative updates, and advocacy from Minnesotans for Open Government.
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Minnesotans for Open Government @mncogi.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Check out our new website! And sign up for a monthly newsletter, which will be coming soon! The newsletter will keep you informed about issues related to access to government information or meetings in Minnesota. mnog.org
mnog.org
Minnesotans For Open Government | News
Stay informed about efforts to promote government transparency and open records in Minnesota through news, legislative updates, and advocacy from Minnesotans for Open Government.
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Investigative Reporters & Editors @ire.org · 12/11/2025
Registration is now open for #NICAR26! Join us March 5-8 in Indianapolis. It's a chance to level up your investigative and data skills, and connect with other journalists from newsrooms across the country. www.ire.org/training/conferences/ni…
ire.org
NICAR 2026 - Investigative Reporters & Editors
The 2026 NICAR Conference will take place March 5-8, 2026 in Indianapolis. The annual data journalism conference is hosted by IRE.
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
We dropped bonus episode for "Ghost of a Chance" podcast today. A group of strangers came together to grant the final wish of a woman they never knew omny.fm/shows/ghost-...
omny.fm
The Headstone - Ghost of a Chance
When Eric realized Clementine Robinson never got the headstone that she wanted, it felt wrong. And he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. This is the story of how a group of strangers got together ...
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
www.startribune.com/mn-court-rec...
startribune.com
Counterpoint | Don’t cut off digital access to public information
It wouldn’t promote fairness, but it would undermine confidence in institutions, media ethics professor Jane E. Kirtley writes.
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Love this story....Classic Minnesota small town vibes www.startribune.com/small-towns-...
startribune.com
For these tiny Minnesota towns with big restaurant crowds, the draw is more than a meal
From Essig to Bergen to Huntley, to Dorset and Denham, these rural eateries have become destination dining spots and the hearts of their tiny communities.
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Minnesotans for Open Government @mncogi.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
MNOG board members weighed in on this: www.startribune.com/mayor-jacob-...
startribune.com
Political group accuses Frey of improperly deleting texts. Some advocates and media lawyers agree.
The Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office says Mayor Jacob Frey is in compliance with state transparency laws.
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
PLEASE VOTE! You have today or tomorrow to vote for the "Ghost of a Chance" podcast to win the Listener's Choice Award in the Signal Podcast Awards competition (for the History/series category). Right now we appear to be in 2nd place. Push us over the top! vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...
vote.signalaward.com
The Signal Listener's Choice Award needs YOU
I just voted for this finalist to win a Signal Listener's Choice Award. You should too.
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Student Press Law Center @splc.org · 06/10/2025
Yearbooks capture memories, reflect student life and document history. Student editors need the same protections and resources as any newsroom. For #NationalYearbookWeek, our Yearbook Toolkit helps students understand copyright, censorship and their press rights. ➡️ splc.org/yearbooks
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
ICYMI @startribune.com scoop: High-level White House official's texts on Signal, visible in a public place, revealed discussion to send elite Army division into Portland. www.startribune.com/trump-offici...
startribune.com
Trump officials discussed sending elite Army division to Portland, text messages show
A high-ranking White House official was indiscreetly texting about the Portland, Ore., planning last weekend, according to messages shared with the Minnesota Star Tribune.
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
www.startribune.com/sixty-years-...
startribune.com
Sixty years after her death, Clementine Robinson finally gets her grave marker
Robinson and her husband Harry, a Black couple that faced racism in Minneapolis a century ago, were featured in the Star Tribune podcast “Ghost of a Chance.”
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
Today we unveiled a headstone for Clementine Robinson, 60 yrs after her death. After our podcast about her, listeners donated money to fill her wish. It was a beautiful tribute
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Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
I'd love to get 35 new free subscribers (then 200 more, but start small) to Gravity Is Gone, with my independent reporting and writing on science, politics, and policy. I got laid off a month ago, trying to build this, lfg! www.gravityisgone.com I published two things just yesterday; the first:
gravityisgone.com
Breaking: HHS, Commerce, Probably Other Agencies Send Entire Staff Email Blaming Democrats for Shutdown
Please forgive the multiple editions in one day — occasionally I'll send breaking news out such as this. If you're new here, read more about the deal here and please subscribe below! On Tuesday after...
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
www.startribune.com/red-flag-gun...
startribune.com
A state law has prevented school and workplace shootings, but enforcement is inconsistent
Public records show that the state’s red flag gun law has helped law enforcement confiscate guns from people with violent plans. Some counties, though, have rarely or never used it, raising worry abou...
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...
poynter.org
How the Minnesota Star Tribune used AI to bolster its shoe-leather reporting to background a mass shooter - Poynter
A team of journalists relentlessly tracked the shooter’s digital and paper trail. But AI provided deeper insight into her thoughts before the shooting.
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
A little math can go a long way..... Nice work @flatwaterfreep.bsky.social flatwaterfreepress.org/we-dont-know...
flatwaterfreepress.org
We don’t know the real number of Nebraskans dying from drugs. It’s costing us. - Flatwater Free Press
Every year, Nebraska undercounts overdoses, say state officials, public health experts, on-the-ground treatment workers and a new Flatwater Free Press analysis. Laws and money are impacted. And lives ...
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MaryJo Webster @maryjowebster.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
The podcast I worked on last year, "Ghost of a Chance," is a finalist in the Signal Podcast Awards! And that means we are eligible to also get a Listener's Choice award. but we need people to VOTE! vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...
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Investigative Reporters & Editors @ire.org · 23/09/2025
Investigative Reporters and Editors joins with numerous newsrooms and journalism organizations in condemning the Pentagon's new restrictions on reporters. Read our full statement: www.ire.org/statement-on...
ire.org
IRE statement on Pentagon press freedom constraints - Investigative Reporters & Editors
Investigative Reporters and Editors joins other journalism organizations in condemning the Pentagon's new press restrictions.
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