Jp Lawrence
Reporter
Lawrence has worked for the Albany Times Union, the San Antonio Express-News, and Stars and Stripes. He was born in the Philippines and grew up in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. He joined the Army National Guard and deployed to Iraq in 2009. Big Minnesota Timberwolves fan.
Contact me with tips on stories on local governance, immigration, and interesting slice of life experiences from Mankato to Worthington to Willmar and anywhere in-between.
Latest from Jp Lawrence
With ICE surge spreading across state, rumors and anxiety grow in greater Minnesota
Reports of federal agents conducting arrests has some residents on edge in cities and rural communities.
January 14, 2026
Raucous Mankato meeting briefly halted by ICE protesters
The incident laid bare anxieties about ICE and federal operations in Minnesota’s cities.
January 13, 2026
Billionaire Glen Taylor transfers $100 million land gift to support rural areas
The gift to his Taylor Family Farms Foundation follows a $172 million transfer last year.
January 6, 2026
Walz got his start in Mankato. Here’s how his Minnesota hometown is reacting to his decision not to run
The governor first ran for office while teaching high school geography in Mankato.
January 5, 2026
How ‘inclusive’ culture brought an All-America pass rusher to Mankato
Marcus Hansen said he found a home at Minnesota State University, Mankato after a private Christian college ousted him.
January 4, 2026
In Minnesota hockey rinks, tariffs hit the boards
The dasher boards that line ice arenas in Minnesota contain aluminum components from Canada, adding tariff bills of thousands to rink renovations.
January 3, 2026
What one travel writer learned from visiting every city in Minnesota
A travel writer learned about the state’s wildly different ecological areas, observed Nisswa’s turtle races and found his favorite pho in Winona.
December 29, 2025
Archbishop: ICE agents don’t plan to raid churches over holidays
Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s statement comes after Gov. Tim Walz warned of a possible surge of ICE agents in Minnesota in the next two weeks.
December 24, 2025
Mankato university prepared specially for 40 to 60 international students. Just 4 showed up.
Minnesota State Mankato offered an intensive program to help students catch up after experiencing visa delays.
December 4, 2025
Rural child care center on the brink receives cash lifeline
Commissioners voted unanimously to advance $200,000 in forgivable loans and transfer an additional $300,000 for future lending to the county’s only child care center.
December 3, 2025
Faced with a housing crisis, this southern Minnesota city is saying yes to experimental builds
Over the summer, the New Ulm City Council voted in favor of tiny homes, shed houses and zoning flexibility.
December 1, 2025
In social media posts, Trump targets Somali community in Minnesota after National Guard shooting
The messages posted late Thanksgiving night on social media blaming immigrants for social issues came as the president intensified anti-immigrant rhetoric.
November 28, 2025
