Students widely highlighted their visit to the Minnesota Star Tribune, where they interviewed investigative and court reporters, and the sentencing they observed in Senior Judge John Tunheim’s courtroom on Thursday, as key moments of the program.
The Hometown Scholars collaborated to create a six-panel exhibit documenting their new knowledge of the Near case. The panels will be housed in the Justice and Democracy Center in the Diane E. Murphy Federal Courthouse and available for public viewing in the fall of 2026.
The Society would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude to Bankruptcy Judge William Fisher and Public Information Officer Rebeccah Parks, along with our five returning St. Pauls Hometowns Alums and Bankruptcy Court externs who supported our scholars. Without their assistance and dedication, our Twin Cities Hometowns programs would not have been possible.