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Laura Yuen

Columnist
Food & Culture
Before joining the Star Tribune, Yuen spent 13 years at MPR News, most recently as editor of a team of reporters who covered race, class, communities and education. She also reported for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader. Laura lives with her husband and two young sons. But if you met her over an icebreaker, she'd probably tell you about the time her car was struck by lightning.

Contact

EMAIL
laura.yuen@startribune.com
PHONE
612-673-4006

Latest from Laura Yuen

Lifestyle

Yuen: Love is blind in Minneapolis — if your sister approves

Sibling dynamics are a central theme in the latest season of “Love Is Blind.” In Minnesota, apparently, family is everything.
March 14, 2025
Three women, one in a wedding gown, are shown in vehicle having a conversation.

Culture

Yuen: Retiring P.E. Teacher of the Year got thousands of kids up on skis

DeWayne Combs has spent his career introducing students to outdoor recreation. Why? “We’re Minnesotans,” he says.
March 10, 2025

Culture

Yuen: What does it mean to be ‘spiritual,’ if not religious, in Minnesota?

Latest figures from Pew Research Center show that the share of religiously unaffiliated Americans, or “nones,” after a rapid rise, has leveled off for now.
February 26, 2025
A tree is coated in freshly made snow as skiers goes by on a groomed trail Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014, at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove.

Culture

Yuen: Trump’s anti-DEI rampage hurts future teachers — and kids

University of St. Thomas' teacher training program has prepared aspiring educators, white men included, for diverse classrooms.
February 20, 2025
Marcy Open School principal Donna Andrews helped a young student find his classroom on the first day of classes in Minneapolis. Monday, August 26, 2013

Culture

Yuen: Minnesota men bare all about naked swimming in school

Older readers share their most vivid memories of mandatory nude swim lessons in P.E.
February 18, 2025

Culture

Yuen: In Minnesota, ‘Love Is Blind’ kicks off with the slowest start ever

Plus, our columnist lists the most Minnesotan things to happen in Season 8’s first six episodes, which dropped Friday on Netflix.
February 16, 2025
In a long hallway, men in suits stand along a red rug, waiting to be admitted into their private suites.

Culture

Yuen: Don’t stop at smartphones. Can we limit all tech devices in the classroom?

Let’s consider whether the benefits of school-issued iPads and Chromebooks that have flooded classrooms are worth all the headaches.
February 6, 2025
Kindergarteners Aye Mya Thein left Jaw Kaw Htoo and Calvin Marshall students at Mississippi Creative Arts School worked on math skills on an iPad Wednesday May 20, 2015 in St. Paul, MN. A year ago, St. Paul set out to be the largest district in the state to put iPads in the hands of all students, and at the project's midpoint, there is evidence it is spurring student engagement in what the district has described as a "year of exploration." But the initiative also has triggered budget tensions, a

Culture

Yuen: You’re not imagining it. Kids in Minnesota spend less time in school than in almost every other state.

Fewer school days require working parents to scrape by to find childcare.
February 4, 2025

Culture

Yuen: Minnesota men bare all about naked swimming in school

Older readers share their most vivid memories of mandatory nude swim lessons in P.E.
February 18, 2025

Culture

Yuen: In Minnesota, ‘Love Is Blind’ kicks off with the slowest start ever

Plus, our columnist lists the most Minnesotan things to happen in Season 8’s first six episodes, which dropped Friday on Netflix.
February 16, 2025
In a long hallway, men in suits stand along a red rug, waiting to be admitted into their private suites.

Culture

Yuen: Don’t stop at smartphones. Can we limit all tech devices in the classroom?

Let’s consider whether the benefits of school-issued iPads and Chromebooks that have flooded classrooms are worth all the headaches.
February 6, 2025
Kindergarteners Aye Mya Thein left Jaw Kaw Htoo and Calvin Marshall students at Mississippi Creative Arts School worked on math skills on an iPad Wednesday May 20, 2015 in St. Paul, MN. A year ago, St. Paul set out to be the largest district in the state to put iPads in the hands of all students, and at the project's midpoint, there is evidence it is spurring student engagement in what the district has described as a "year of exploration." But the initiative also has triggered budget tensions, a

Culture

Yuen: You’re not imagining it. Kids in Minnesota spend less time in school than in almost every other state.

Fewer school days require working parents to scrape by to find childcare.
February 4, 2025
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