Staff Directory 6370481

Reid Forgrave

State/Regional Reporter | Minnesota/Upper Midwest
Phone: 612-673-4647

Reid Forgrave covers Minnesota and the Upper Midwest for the Star Tribune. He started at the paper in September 2019, returning to his newspaper storytelling roots after eight years as a national sportswriter for FOXSports.com and CBSSports.com.


Prior to his foray into sportswriting, Forgrave wrote people-focused feature stories for several newspapers around the country, most recently The Des Moines Register. In Iowa, Reid was a general assignment reporter focusing on long-form storytelling. He wrote a narrative on a tornado-wracked small town and its inspirational high school football team, covered every angle of Iowa's gay marriage debate, and wrote a series about a woman who was seven months pregnant with her fifth child when her husband died in a plane crash. After his stint in Iowa, he worked as a national sports feature writer for FOXSports.com, and helped launch the national sports television network, Fox Sports 1, as national college basketball reporter. Most recently, Forgrave worked at CBSSports.com and CBS Sports HQ covering college hoops and the NBA. He also has written for The New York Times Magazine and GQ magazine. His first book, based on a piece he wrote for GQ, will be published in 2020. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons.
Recent content from Reid Forgrave
Rich Edenfield with his daughter, Jade, while home on a two-week pass during his deployment to Iraq in 2003 and 2004. It was the first of his three de

20 years later, Iraq war resonates with Minnesotans who deployed

The war also changed the role of the National Guard, from a strategic reserve force typically used for domestic emergencies to a force regularly called up for overseas deployments.
Minnesota briefs: New UMD report suggests larger incentives for film industry

Minnesota briefs: New UMD report suggests larger incentives for film industry

Plus: April 1 deadline for philosophy contest entries; Twin Cities-based LGBTQ mentoring program expanding to St. Cloud.
Sara Hernandez, right, read a Bible verse with Geholmin Yomilner Coronado Morales and her 1-month-old baby at Helping Hand Pregnancy Center in Worthin

Minnesota's pregnancy resource centers under microscope in abortion debate

The centers are at risk of losing state funding in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Šišókadúta, a Dakota-language teaching specialist at the University of Minnesota, teaches his class on campus in Minneapolis on Friday, Feb. 17, 2

Saving the Dakota language, and saving a worldview

A teaching specialist at the University of Minnesota serves as project director for the first comprehensive Dakota-language dictionary app.
Deonté Haynes spent the day with his three younger children (from left) Alex, 8, and Jalei, 8, and Deonté Jr., 6, after he took the day off from wor

This again? 2023 blizzard lockdown brings déjà vu from 2020 COVID lockdown

A few days stuck at home during a historic snowstorm? Piece of cake.
Minnesota briefs: Tribes receive more than $1 million to improve roads on reservations

Minnesota briefs: Tribes receive more than $1 million to improve roads on reservations

Duluth police department forms Behavioral Health Unit.
Norwegian Home Guard member Pvt. Henrikke Iversen, center, works with fellow Home Guard members during training on combat lifesaving techniques from m

At Camp Ripley, Minnesota National Guard trains Norwegian soldiers in life-saving combat medicine

The training was part of a longstanding exchange with the Norwegian Home Guard.
Amanda Barbosa stops in the chemotherapy wing at Mayo hospital to take a breather and look outside as she waits for her husband Rafael, in Rochester,

As wife lobbies for colonoscopy bill, Army vet battles cancer while on religious pilgrimage

Amanda Barbosa will be Sen. Amy Klobuchar's guest at Tuesday's State of the Union address.
Minnesota National Guard soldiers and airmen share a hot beverage with Norwegian Home Guard Soldiers in Haltdalen, Norway last March during a five-day

Minnesota and Norway celebrate a half-century of military connection

Norwegian troops will be in the state to train, while leaders officially recognize the partnership.
Loons on Lake Elora in northern Minnesota.

Minnesota briefs: New tool provides water health information for thousands of Minnesota lakes

Plus: St. Louis County Sheriff's Office launches crime-mapping site; USDA pursuing applications to improve rural transportation.
Memphis Grizzlies players bowed their heads in a moment of silence to honor Tyre Nichols ahead of their game Friday against the Timberwolves in Minnea

For Black Minnesota leaders and activists, Memphis death recalls trauma of 2020

George Floyd's death less than three years ago informs how Black Minnesotans are digesting the nuances of the death in Memphis.
Dr. Yakov “Jacob” Gradinar, watched as Ukrainian soldier Roman Hrhorian, took steps on his new prosthetic leg at the Protez Foundation Jan. 19 in

Minnesota prosthetics project for Ukrainian soldiers seeks to be 'lights in this world'

The donation-funded Protez Foundation has been flying groups of Ukrainians to the Twin Cities for treatment since summer.
Mark Lindquist in September at the worst of the civilian infrastructure bombing north of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine.

Minnesota native feels called to help Ukraine: 'Logistics wins wars'

Mark Lindquist's hope-filled childhood on a Minnesota farm led him to help in a war zone.
Staff Sgt. Terry Hong, left, recruiter for the Minnesota National Guard, and Zack Smith watched student Marshaun Steele, do pull-ups at Washington Tec

Military recruiters face new challenges by focusing on people

Despite being one of only nine states without an active duty military base, the Minnesota National Guard fares better than most.
Maj. Katie Lunning of the Minnesota National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing was presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross by Lt. General Michael Loh

'True American hero': Major in Minnesota Guard bestowed top military honor

Katie Lunning was awarded the fourth-highest medal in the U.S. military for heroics during the 2021 humanitarian evacuation of Kabul, suicide bombing.
The new welcome plaza at the base of He Mni Can, also known as Barn Bluff, helps visitors learn about the Native American history of the riverside lan

Red Wing aiming to better recognize landmark's Native American history

An official hopes it will be easier for future visitors to He Mni Can-Barn Bluff Regional Park to recognize the totality of the site's historic significance.
Minnesota briefs: Thief River Falls is state's newest Bicycle Friendly Community

Minnesota briefs: Thief River Falls is state's newest Bicycle Friendly Community

Plus: USDA funding to help expand market opportunities in rural Minnesota; St. Cloud recognized for conservation efforts at wastewater facility.
Duluth residents Matt Johnson and Hilary Buckwalter-Wilde were stranded in Peru by deadly protests following the ouster of President Pedro Castillo.

Duluth couple make it home after harrowing week stuck in Peru

A Duluth couple finally got home Sunday night after being stranded for nearly a week in Peru as the country was embroiled in violent protests.Matt…
A model of redemption: John Turnipseed, VP at Urban Ventures, dies at 68

A model of redemption: John Turnipseed, VP at Urban Ventures, dies at 68

Artence Turnipseed still loves telling the story of her courtship with her husband, John Turnipseed, an executive vice president at Urban Ventures who died last…
Minnesota Vikings fans celebrated at Off the Rails Public House after the Vikings came back to beat the Indianapolis Colts in overtime at U.S. Bank St

Vikings take fans on emotional roller coaster with biggest comeback in NFL history

Some fans left U.S. Bank Stadium when the Vikings were down by 33 points, missing the team's record-breaking comeback win.
Matt Johnson and Hilary Buckwalter-Wilde this month at a plant-medicine retreat in Peru’s Sacred Valley.

Duluth couple stuck in Peru amid violent protests, national emergency

"We have no idea if this is the beginning, the middle or the end of what we're doing here," said firefighter Matt Johnson.
Minnesota briefs: Hwy. 14 from New Ulm to Nicollet getting a $98 million redo

Minnesota briefs: Hwy. 14 from New Ulm to Nicollet getting a $98 million redo

St. Cloud looks to revitalize depleted downtown.
Cory Kolodji, 65 of Hibbing, at the end of his hike of the Appalachian Trail.

What's a 65-year-old retiree to do? Hike the Appalachian Trail

Cory Kolodji grew up in Baltimore, it had been his dream to hike the trail that covers 2,194 miles and traverses 14 states. But then things got in the way.
Tammi Kromenaker heads the Red River Women’s Clinic, which for decades was North Dakota’s only abortion clinic. It has moved to Minnesota.

For abortion, Minnesota-North Dakota border is a divide

The distance between the Red River Women's Clinic's old location and new location is barely 2 miles, but the abortion climate in the two states is worlds apart.
Howard Dotson showed a drawing from a Ukrainian child Wednesday at his childhood home in Maple Grove.

Chaplain's mission: Help Ukrainian children — and bring meds in case of nuclear attack

On Thanksgiving, Howard Dotson is going to fly to Ukraine again. He'll try to help reunite a separated family he met in July in Lviv. This time, though, he has a new mission: to deliver a cache of potassium iodide pills.
Maj. Gen. Johanna Clyborne, assistant adjutant general for the Minnesota National Guard

A new suicide prevention tool for veterans: gun locks

More than 100 Minnesota veterans die by suicide annually. Suicide-prevention advocates see gun locks as a last-resort way to prevent struggling veterans from taking their own lives.
Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Erikson told the more than 100 Guard members, family and friends gathered for Thursday’s change of responsi

Minnesota National Guard appoints first Air Guard leader to senior enlisted position

Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Erikson ascended to the role Thursday.
Minnesota briefs: Paul Bunyan Communications completes $3.2 million broadband project in Arrowhead

Minnesota briefs: Paul Bunyan Communications completes $3.2 million broadband project in Arrowhead

Paul Bunyan Communications recently completed an expansion of high-speed broadband to nearly 600 homes, businesses and community institutions in rural areas of northeastern Minnesota.The majority…
Some in New Ulm have pushed for the city to become more welcoming. Meanwhile, fiery conservative candidates are attempting to shift the discussion awa

In New Ulm, culture wars at forefront in school board race

Fiery conservative candidates are attempting to shift the discussion away from typical school board issues.
Brett Mushatt

Minnesota briefs: St. Cloud mayor names new assistant police chief

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis announced Thursday the appointment of St. Cloud Police Cmdr. Brett Mushatt as assistant police chief effective Nov. 30. Mushatt will…
The remains of Staff Sgt. Donald Robert Duchene of St. Paul arrived in Minnesota on Friday.

Nearly 80 years later, a WWII hero comes home to Minnesota

Staff Sgt. Donald Robert Duchene's plane went down in 1943 during a World War II bombing mission in Romania. On Friday, the St. Paul native's remains came home.
Minnesota briefs: DNR announces annual land sales

Minnesota briefs: DNR announces annual land sales

And the Fond du Lac Reservation improves its water system with a $1.2 million upgrade.
Jay Nelson at Singsaas Church, just across the South Dakota border from Hendricks, Minn.

At historic country church, fiery fundamentalists pitted against old guard

In the past few years, a conservative pastor has taken over the church and divided this lakeside town of about 600 people.
The Minnesota Medial of Honor Memorial, built around the existing “Promise of Youth” sculpture, was unveiled during a dedication Thursday on the S

Capitol memorial recognizes Medal of Honor recipients

The memorial, which incorporates the "Promise of Youth" statue, cost just shy of $1 million, mostly from private funds.
Last year’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon of Chaska golf fundraiser netted $25,000, and this year’s donations have already surpassed $50,000.

Homeless veterans in Twin Cities suburbs a more hidden problem

Those in exurban and suburban counties come with their own challenges.
Minnesota briefs: Biden announces tens of millions in infrastructure money for Minnesota

Minnesota briefs: Biden announces tens of millions in infrastructure money for Minnesota

President Joe Biden this week announced two Minnesota grant winners from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.One of the grants will be for $25 million and…
Minnesota briefs: Water levels being drawn down at Lake Christina in western Minnesota

Minnesota briefs: Water levels being drawn down at Lake Christina in western Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is lowering the water level of Lake Christina in west central Minnesota.Drawdowns are part of an adaptive management approach…
Paul Davis, second from left, on a 100-mile ruck he completed with two other veterans last year to raise money for Project Got Your Back.

Veterans organization to connect the disconnected at Saturday event

The goal of R & R on the Lawn at Magnus Veterans Foundation Wellness Campus in Dayton is simple: Connect those disconnected veterans to each other, and to resources that can help.
Man shot outside State Fairgrounds just before closing

Man shot outside State Fairgrounds just before closing

Monday's shooting came two days after a person was shot in the leg near the entrance to the Mighty Midway.
Staff member drowns during school retreat in Brainerd

Staff member drowns during school retreat in Brainerd

A staff member from Maplewood Academy, a private Christian high school in Hutchinson, drowned Monday afternoon during a retreat for students, according to a release…
Howard Mohr

Howard Mohr, author of 'How to Talk Minnesotan,' dies at 83

The book was considered an essential look at what makes Minnesotans Minnesotan.
Dom Claseman at the Olivia veterans memorial he built for his Eagle Scout project.

Teenage Eagle Scout designs, builds veterans memorial in Olivia, Minn.

Dom Claseman installed pavers and plants, flag poles and statues to honor veterans.
Mary Kay Thomas was demoted from principal to an administrative job after hanging a rainbow flag in the cafeteria of her Marshall, Minn., middle schoo

Controversy over pride flag leads to surprising shifts in Marshall

Hanging a rainbow flag disrupted the life of a local middle school principal. But in the aftermath, a community found its voice.
George Wise

George Wise, Air Force veteran and Renaissance man, dies at 88

George Wise, a longtime Bloomington resident who died this summer at 88, did not live a life easily summed up in a sentence or two.Sure,…
Air Force Brig. Gen. Sandy Best, who is the assistant adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, is retiring after 38 years of service.

Minnesota National Guard's first female general retiring

Tuesday ceremony will recognize her service.
Diana Armstrong of Minneapolis was recently named Guinness World Records record-holder for the longest-ever set of fingernails.

Minneapolis woman has the world's longest fingernails. Here's the story behind her nails

Diana Armstrong's fingernails — 42 feet, 10.4 inches —contain a lifetime of pain as well as a life lesson Armstrong teaches her six grandchildren: "Don't judge people. Because you never know what somebody went through."
Injured in Iraq, Minnesota soldier has reclaimed his life

Injured in Iraq, Minnesota soldier has reclaimed his life

Dan Schroeder, who left the Army with a Purple Heart, has a new career at age 49.
Rafael Barbosa waited to get a CT scan, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester on July 25, 2022.

Burned by the Army, Iraq vet confronts cancer battle

Rafael Barbosa, who served 23 years in the U.S. military, has Stage IV colon cancer believed to be due to burn pit exposure. Doctors guess he has two years to live. He and other vets wonder: Why isn't the military admitting fault?
What you need to know about burn pits

What you need to know about burn pits

Burn pits were large ground pits during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, where government contractors burned waste such as batteries, medical waste, rubber, plastics, ammunition…
In Minneapolis, Dr. Yakov “Jacob” Gradinar, a Ukrainian prosthetist orthotist at Limb Lab, checked the prosthetic leg of Daniel Sivakov, 21, of Ma

Ukrainian soldiers come to Minnesota for prosthetics, hope

A Ukrainian prosthetic limb specialist in Minneapolis sought a way to help amid despair over Russia's invasion.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar on the U.S. Capitol steps with Amanda Barbosa, whose husband, former Army helicopter pilot Rafael Barbosa, was diagnosed with

Veterans advocates celebrate passage of federal burn pits legislation

Sen. Amy Klobuchar held a news conference Wednesday with state and national veterans advocates to celebrate passage of the Honoring Our PACT Act.
Minnesota briefs: DNR restoring fish and wildlife habitat near Duluth

Minnesota briefs: DNR restoring fish and wildlife habitat near Duluth

WEST DULUTHDNR restoring fish and wildlife habitatThe Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Land Trust are beginning work to restore fish and wildlife…
Lt. Amanda Lee

Mounds View native is first female Blue Angels pilot

Lt. Amanda Lee will be first female pilot in history of Navy's elite aerial demonstration team.
Martha Holton Dimick spoke Sunday, July 17, outside the Hennepin County Government Center as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Council Member LaTrisha

Frey, Vetaw back Holton Dimick in crowded Hennepin County attorney race

Two of the seven candidates will advance to the November election after Aug. 9 primary.
Plainview woman dies in motorcycle accident

Plainview woman dies in motorcycle accident

The one-vehicle accident in Wabasha County happened when the driver swerved to avoid a deer.
Pileup involving truck in Jordan sends woman to hospital with serious injuries

Pileup involving truck in Jordan sends woman to hospital with serious injuries

Eight-vehicle crash involving semi truck in Jordan closes Hwy. 169, sent woman to hospital Saturday with life-threatening injuries
Ed Meyers, 69, in his accessory dwelling unit.

Housing shortage creates opportunity for New Brighton building company to help veterans

YardHomes' accessory dwelling units — tiny modular homes — are an innovative way to house the homeless.
An abortion protester stood outside the Red River Valley Women’s Clinic in Fargo, N.D., on Feb. 20, 2013. North Dakota’s only abortion clinic file

North Dakota's only abortion clinic files lawsuit to block enforcing trigger ban

The Red River Women's Clinic filed a lawsuit in state court alleging state's abortion ban, due to take effect July 28, is unconstitutional.
Golf pro John Kellin, right, helped Geno Mucciacciaro with his swing as military veterans received free lessons through the PGA Hope program Wednesday

Post-9/11 vets eligible for one-time service bonus

Minnesota has a centurylong tradition of offering cash bonuses to veterans who served during conflicts.
Army veteran and artist Jeffrey Stenbom demonstrated how he weaves American flags using old service member uniforms.

Iraq War veteran uses art to cope with PTSD

Jeffrey Stenbom, an art instructor at Normandale Community College and an Iraq War veteran, wove an enormous American flag out of historical military uniforms. His piece will be displayed at the San Antonio International Airport before its permanent home at USAA headquarters.
In this May 27, 2021, file photo, National Guard Specialist Noah Vulpi administered the COVID-19 vaccine to Ira Young Jr. during a vaccination clinic

Minnesota National Guard vaccination rate high as deadline hits this week

More than 95% of the nearly 13,000 soldiers and airmen in the Minnesota National Guard have received COVID-19 vaccinations.
Dr. Shawn Alderman at the Magnus Veterans Foundation campus in Dayton.

How the 'Sesame Street Live' estate became an oasis for veterans

Dr. Shawn Alderman spent 31 years in the Army. After his retirement, his aunt donated her $4 million estate for his newest mission.
Scott and Marcy Thomas stand for a portrait Friday at Valleybrook Church in Eau Claire, Wis. They oppose the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Abortion ban looms large in Wisconsin and the Dakotas

North and South Dakota are among more than a dozen where trigger laws were set to make abortion illegal once Roe v. Wade was overturned. Wisconsin has a law that bans abortion on the books dating back to 1849.
Protesters at North Dakota’s lone abortion clinic are flanked by patient escorts in rainbow-colored vests in May.

North Dakota's only abortion provider scrambles to move to Minnesota

The Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo has been North Dakota's only abortion provider for more than two decades.
Eric Bakken and his family posed with Specialist Eric Finniginam’s mother, Maria, and daughter, Alexa.

Minnesota native honors fallen Afghan war buddy with memorial in Blaine

Specialist Eric "Finn" Finniginam died in Afghanistan shortly after achieving U.S. citizenship. His war buddy, Eric Bakken of Blaine, wants to be sure you never forget his friend's sacrifice.
St. Paul woman arrested in Friday homicide

St. Paul woman arrested in Friday homicide

Sunday's arrest came in connection with the shooting death of man at a senior living apartment in Dayton's Bluff.
The mysterious old gun stock, along with a replica made by Ray Nelson.

Finding the story behind what may be Minnesota's oldest rifle

Ray Nelson has been on a decades-long quest to learn the story of what may be the oldest rifle ever found in Minnesota.
Fourth-graders from Southgate Elementary School in Austin, Minn. planted a community orchard Thursday, May 26, 2022

Fourth-grade class in Austin makes a difference — with trees

Students at Southgate Elementary School, who were inspired after reading a book, raised money, got the City Council on board, then planted a community orchard.
Demonstrators protested outside the U.S. Supreme Court building after a draft opinion was leaked that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that

North Dakota's only abortion clinic plans to move to Minnesota if Roe v. Wade is overturned

The Red River Women's Clinic has secured a new space in Moorhead, where it could continue providing abortions.
George Hunt, who served in the U.S. Air Force, sang along with the national anthem at the Wednesday grand opening of the new Veterans Resource and Emp

'Absolutely unbelievable' new center opens to help veterans in south Minneapolis

A few blocks from the VA parking lot where the organization began, Every Third Saturday opened a $2 million space dedicated to helping military veterans.
Steve Floyd, co-founder of the Agape Movement, at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis.

Agape Movement aims to change hearts in south Minneapolis

Steve Floyd has been a street outreach worker in Minneapolis since the 1980s. With the Agape Movement, Floyd has embarked on one of his most ambitious missions yet: To use their African heritage to help ex-gang members fully realize their identity in America.
Elliott Tanner, 13, adjusted his tie while standing among his fellow physics graduates in a holding area before his graduation.

'Just a normal kid going to a different school': 13-year-old U student earns physics degree

St. Louis Park's Elliott Tanner is one of the youngest college graduates in American history. He starts post-graduate studies in the fall at the U.
Jennifer Matter

Red Wing woman charged with murder in 2003 death of infant

Police used DNA evidence to determine Jennifer Matter, 50, was the mother of infant boy found on river bank.
Brothers Doug, left, and Rick Borchardt of Fairmont used to have weekly happy hours with their dad, Gene, who died at 88 of COVID. Now they regularly

In rural Minnesota town, COVID quickly was the devil they knew

Minnesota's first rural COVID hotspot reflects on how its early outbreak shaped its views, changed its pandemic narrative.
Harry and Kathy Wisdom were both honored as “Hero of the Game” at CHS Field in St. Paul on Thursday, April 28. Kathy is decorated with a Bronze St

When Harry Met Kathy: Husband and wife score double honor as heroes of the game

When the St. Paul Saints approached the disabled veteran from Burnsville about being honored, he asked, "But what about my wife? She should be recognized too."