Jessica Lussenhop is a reporter for ProPublica’s Midwest team, covering Minnesota. Before coming to ProPublica, Lussenhop was a senior staff writer for BBC North America and a fellow at the radio program “This American Life.” She worked at a string of alternative newsweeklies, including City Pages in Minneapolis and the Riverfront Times in St. Louis. Her previous coverage has won an Asian American Journalists Association Excellence Award and a National Native Media Award. She lives in Minneapolis.
Jessica Lussenhop
Reporter
Senators Call for Further Oversight, Consumer Protections in Contract for Deed Real Estate Transactions
Following a ProPublica-Sahan Journal report on fast-tracked home financing deals that left Somali families in Minnesota financially devastated, federal lawmakers met to discuss what could be done to shield buyers.
The Supreme Court Upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act. The Long Struggle to Implement the Law Continues.
A recent ProPublica investigation showed how ICWA was being unevenly applied in some states, breaking up Native American families that should have received additional protections under the law. There’s still room for improvement, advocates say.
Native American Families Are Being Broken Up in Spite of a Law Meant to Keep Children With Their Parents
After fighting to win back her parental rights, a young Native American mother prevailed. Then the state came for her second child.
Minnesota May Chart Its Own Path Dealing With Anti-Abortion Counseling Centers
While other states move to defund “crisis pregnancy centers,” Minnesota may offer to renew their state grants — but with conditions.
Real Estate Investors Sold Somali Families on a Fast Track to Homeownership in Minnesota. The Buyers Risk Losing Everything.
For Somali Muslim families in Minnesota, a contract for deed seems like an easier path to homeownership. But predatory practices and poor regulation can make it a financial trap rather than a good deal.
Minnesota Set to Become “Abortion Access Island” in the Midwest, but for Whom?
Out-of-staters have long traveled to Minnesota for abortions, but as neighboring states restrict access to the procedure, data suggests patients of color may not make the trip.
