Summerlike temperatures are still around but winter is lurking and Minnesotans will soon have to crank up their thermostats.

Now, there is outreach to help Latinos use federal incentives to lower their energy bills. The Inflation Reduction Act provides a mix of tax credits and rebates for households considering options like solar panels or more efficient heating systems. Such information is often slow to reach underserved populations and Minnesota's Communities Organizing Latino Power and Action doesn't want it to happen this time.

Danny Garcia, virtual navigator for the group, said his team is taking a multifaceted approach.

"We translate this information to make it more accessible," Garcia outlined. "We are relying heavily on social media, creating videos, creating flyers to distribute."

A specific Inflation Reduction Act initiative, the Home Energy Rebate program, will be carried out by the state and agencies are still preparing for launch. Other incentives, namely tax credits, are already available. Beyond creating awareness, community navigators will focus on application assistance. A 2022 national analysis found Hispanic families were less likely to take advantage of government programs due to anti-immigrant politics and other factors.

It is not just overcoming trust issues. Garcia suggested some residents might feel overwhelmed when considering all their options. He stressed they want them to look at the bigger picture: A more energy-efficient home with cleaner air running through it stands a better chance of improving outcomes as opposed to sticking with aging systems and appliances.

"You can get sick more often and this just creates a circle, a burden," Garcia pointed out. "Then you need to spend more money on your health and then you don't have enough money to cover other bills."

The U.S. Energy Department reported the Hispanic community faces a median energy burden 24% higher than white households. The Inflation Reduction Act has a bonus credit program specifically geared for those often stuck with higher energy bills with increased tax credits for solar and wind projects built in these communities or serving low-income residents.

Hoosiers can now step into the past. A new exhibit opens this weekend at the Indiana University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Bloomington.

The exhibit, called the City on the River, tells the story of Angel Mounds, a thriving Indigenous city. People lived there more than 1,000 years ago.

Brandie Macdonald, museum executive director, said the voices behind the exhibit make it unique.

"What you'll see within the exhibit is, the reason the exhibit is called 'City on the River' is that we've a native advisory council that we've been working with," Macdonald explained. "They wanted to make sure that this exhibit was a direct reflection of that community, which was a thriving community located on the river."

Museum staff built the exhibit with help from Native descendants. They shaped the story from their history and traditions. Visitors will see ancient tools and pottery, along with modern Native art. One highlight is a virtual reality dome showing life in 1250 AD.

Macdonald noted Angel Mounds still speaks to all of Indiana.

"Angel mounds was directly named after some farmers who were the angels that lived in that space because it was a thriving city on the river down in Evansville as we know it today," Macdonald pointed out.

The museum will open the exhibit Saturday.


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Supporters of the National Endowment for the Humanities said cuts to the agency by President Donald Trump hurt Americans' access to art and culture and breaks the law.

In April, the Department of Government Efficiency terminated grants to individual recipients and humanities councils in 56 states and territories, including Virginia. DOGE also fired 65% of the endowment's staff.

A group of three humanities organizations, including the Modern Language Association, filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration's move. Virginia Humanities receives more than 20% of its funding of its funding from the endowment and had its operating budget slashed by DOGE.

Paula Krebs, executive director of the Modern Language Association, said the lawsuit is meant to restore the endowment to its original, legally binding mission.

"We're aiming to roll back the effects of the DOGE cuts and the DOGE interference in the operations of the NEH," Krebs explained. "And return the NEH to the functions that Congress has statutorily required it to serve."

Endowment officials announced the agency is cutting grants not in alignment with the administration's priorities, including those that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. The endowment said it is now working to promote the United States' 250th birthday and American exceptionalism.

Cuts to state councils from the endowment total more than $65 million and have resulted in the cancellation of more than 1,400 open grants, including $2 million for Virginia Humanities. Krebs stressed the endowment is not just for authors, playwrights or filmmakers, it is important for all Americans.

"How we understand our literature, our film, our history, our art: all of that is the humanities," Krebs outlined. "We live that every day, and the government's investment in that is an investment in us being Americans who understand the culture in which we live."

The Trump administration's 2026 budget proposal calls for the elimination of the endowment.


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April is both National Poetry Month and National Library Month, and younger generations are embracing both.

The American Library Association says "Gen Z" and millennials are using public libraries, both in person and digitally, at higher rates than older generations. They're also engaging with poetry, but often not the classics taught in school. Instead, it's minimalist verses set to music and posted on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

"There's easy access for poetry. There's access through libraries," said Lauren Camp, New Mexico's current poet laureate. "Libraries are pretty much my favorite place and have been for my whole life."

Camp, the Arab-American daughter of a Jewish-Iraqi immigrant, has lived in New Mexico for 30 years. She's the author of eight poetry collections and New Mexico's second Poet Laureate.

Multiple libraries across the state, including those in Taos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, have scheduled poetry readings and other literary events this month.

Some research shows that fiction readers often are more empathetic - better able to put themselves in someone else's shoes. Camp said you shouldn't expect to like all poets or poetry any more than you like all music or all art, but believes finding a handful that you like can enrich your life.

"In these very fraught, complicated times," she said, "we all need to find more ways of accessing empathy for an 'other' - and I think poetry is a really good way to do that because it narrows down to one experience and one sliver of one experience."

New Mexico has nearly 150 public libraries, according to Felt Maps, including branches and other locations that offer library services. The New Mexico State Library also supports more than 100 public and tribal libraries.

For those with young kids, Camp recommended the Poetry Out Loud program as a starting point to engage them.


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