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Laura Yuen

Columnist
Minnesota Life
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.

Latest from Laura Yuen

Yuen: Asian pop culture is having its moment in Minnesota

Viral sensations like Labubu blind boxes and Korean skin care have created a market for Asian trends throughout the Twin Cities.
July 3, 2025

Yuen: Rediscover table tennis — and prepare to be humbled

Pingpong tends to be just a casual bar game in the U.S., but the Twin Cities area has a thriving scene of diehards, fueled in part by immigrants and their children.
June 30, 2025
A man attacks a ping pong ball with his paddle while playing against what looks like a father and his daughter. The gym is filled with several table tennis tables, separated by cardboard dividers to keep the balls contained.

Yuen: Capitol reporters grieve loss of their dean, Bill Salisbury

For about half a century, Salisbury developed a reputation for accurate and fair reporting that earned him respect from politicians across the aisle.
June 25, 2025

Yuen: What a Minnesota Vikings legend taught me about becoming a cabin owner

Alan Page was initially hesitant about cabin culture, but now he’s a convert. Here’s his advice.
June 23, 2025
Many of the cabins at Burntside Lodge, a family-owned resort in Ely, Minn., hug Burntside Lake. [by Kerri Westenberg]

Yuen: Could the new wave of claw machines get kids hooked on gambling?

Much like slot machines, the latest generation of claw machines are bright, noisy and dole out “intermittent rewards.”
June 19, 2025

Yuen: Telling your immigration story is dangerous today

An honest revelation by Rep. Kaohly Vang Her was intended to stir empathy for undocumented immigrants. It backfired big time.
June 13, 2025

Yuen: Identical twins finish high school as valedictorian and salutatorian

Only 0.013 of a point separated the GPAs of twins Adriana and Ruby Mathiason, who graduated from Richfield High School at the very top of their class.
June 12, 2025
Identical twins - one with purple hair and colorful scarf, the other with a black and white patterned scarf - smile for the camera in front of tall buildings and a hazy sunset sky.

Yuen: How success has pushed Minnesotans off sidelines in trans athlete debate

When a girl who is reportedly transgender excels in a sport she loves, it raises the stakes on the debate over fairness and inclusion.
June 6, 2025

Yuen: Could the new wave of claw machines get kids hooked on gambling?

Much like slot machines, the latest generation of claw machines are bright, noisy and dole out “intermittent rewards.”
June 19, 2025

Yuen: Telling your immigration story is dangerous today

An honest revelation by Rep. Kaohly Vang Her was intended to stir empathy for undocumented immigrants. It backfired big time.
June 13, 2025

Yuen: Identical twins finish high school as valedictorian and salutatorian

Only 0.013 of a point separated the GPAs of twins Adriana and Ruby Mathiason, who graduated from Richfield High School at the very top of their class.
June 12, 2025
Identical twins - one with purple hair and colorful scarf, the other with a black and white patterned scarf - smile for the camera in front of tall buildings and a hazy sunset sky.

Yuen: How success has pushed Minnesotans off sidelines in trans athlete debate

When a girl who is reportedly transgender excels in a sport she loves, it raises the stakes on the debate over fairness and inclusion.
June 6, 2025
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