Eric Roper
Curious Minnesota Editor
Since joining the Star Tribune in 2009, he has covered the Twin Cities metro area, the city of Minneapolis, the state Legislature and Congress. A native of New York City, Roper lives in south Minneapolis. He is interested in the hidden systems that make urban life possible, as well as Minneapolis history. Roper is a graduate of the George Washington University and was named "Young Journalist of the Year" by the Society of Professional Journalists' Minnesota chapter in 2013. In his spare time, he is an amateur woodworker who enjoys learning new furniture-making skills.
Latest from Eric Roper
Curious Minnesota
Listen: Why did Minnesota erase much of its German culture?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses how — despite its “uff da” reputation — the state has more German than Scandinavian ancestry.
July 25, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Listen: What is the oldest tree in Minnesota?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses a journey to visit an ancient state artifact.
July 3, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Listen: Emptying state institutions was supposed to help fix mental health care. What happened?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses how the system for community mental health care did not get fully built.
June 18, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Listen: How did gambling develop into a major industry in Minnesota?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses how gambling had been largely illegal in the state until half a century ago.
June 5, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Listen: Searching for Snoopy: What happened to all the ‘Peanuts’ statues in St. Paul?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses how a tribute to the comic strip’s creator became a sensation in the capital city.
May 24, 2024
Local
He fought this newspaper — and won. Dan Cohen, mainstay of Minneapolis politics for decades, dies at 87.
The former City Council president took the Star Tribune to the U.S. Supreme Court.
May 10, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Listen: What Minnesota inventions have shaped modern life?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses how creative Minnesotans devised hundreds of products we take for granted.
May 3, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Listen: What roles did Minnesota’s Native American chiefs play? And who were some notable ones?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses how these celebrated figures of the past navigated difficult decisions.
April 19, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Listen: Searching for Snoopy: What happened to all the ‘Peanuts’ statues in St. Paul?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses how a tribute to the comic strip’s creator became a sensation in the capital city.
May 24, 2024
Local
He fought this newspaper — and won. Dan Cohen, mainstay of Minneapolis politics for decades, dies at 87.
The former City Council president took the Star Tribune to the U.S. Supreme Court.
May 10, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Listen: What Minnesota inventions have shaped modern life?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses how creative Minnesotans devised hundreds of products we take for granted.
May 3, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Listen: What roles did Minnesota’s Native American chiefs play? And who were some notable ones?
The Curious Minnesota podcast discusses how these celebrated figures of the past navigated difficult decisions.
April 19, 2024