>> Eric: THE STAR TRIBUNE'S "CURIOUS MINNESOTA" FEATURE IS CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS BY LAUNCHING A NEW ONLINE INTERACTIVE FEATURE.

THE READER-DRIVEN REPORTING PROJECT HAS RECEIVED MORE THAN 3,000 QUESTIONS SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN 2019.

CURIOUS MINNESOTA EDITOR ERIC ROPER GETS TO SORT THROUGH THOSE QUESTIONS AND REPORT BACK SOME OF THE ANSWERS.

WELCOME BACK AND HOW DO YOU PICK THESE?

I WOULD THINK THERE'S A LOT TO CHOOSE FROM.

>> YEAH, I HAVE A COUPLE CRITERIA.

I DO RECEIVE EVERY QUESTION WHICH FILLS UP MY INBOX EVERY DAY AND I LOVE THAT.

WE GET 700 TO 800 QUESTIONS A YEAR FROM READERS AND LISTENERS.

GENERALLY IT SHOULD BE ABOUT MINNESOTA, IT SHOULD BE A TALE, WE LOVE A TALE, RIGHT?

SOMETHING THAT CAN FILL A COLUMN, SOMETHING THAT HAS A BROAD INTEREST.

YEAH, SO I MEAN AND I SORT THROUGH, I LOVE HISTORY BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ABOUT HISTORY, IT COULD BE SCIENCE, COULD BE POLITICS, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAVE YOU.

>> Cathy: I'M INSANELY JEALOUS, THIS IS A GREAT JOB, OF COURSE, I JUST LOVE THIS.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: I'M WONDERING, YOU SAID A STORY.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD STORY?

WHEN YOU COME ACROSS A QUESTION YOU'RE LIKE THAT'S IT, THIS IS IT.

WHAT IS THAT, THOUGH?

>> I MEAN, AS I SAID, I THINK A TALE, I MEAN, SOME THINGS ARE LIKE BEST INVENTIONS IN MINNESOTA OR TOP INVENTIONS WHERE THAT'S LESS OF A TALE, MORE OF A LIST WHAT HAVE YOU.

SOME OF THEM LIKE HOW DID KID CANN BECOME THE MOST INFAMOUS GANGSTER IN MINNEAPOLIS AND THERE'S A JUICY TALE THERE.

THE OTHER THING FOR ME THAT'S FUN, STAR TRIBUNE IS 150 YEARS OLD, WE WERE PRESENT FOR A LOT OF THESE EVENTS.

AND THE ARCHIVES, SOME OF THESE PHOTOS HAVE NOT SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY SINCE THEY WERE PUBLISHED IN THE '30S OR '40S SO I GET TO GO SEARCH OUT ALL THOSE HISTORICAL PHOTOS.

TO ME ANY CURIOUS STORY IS SORT OF A CHRISTMAS TREE, IT'S DAZZLING THE EYE, TEXT, OLD PHOTOS, CHARTS, MAPS.

WE REALLY TRY TO PRODUCE THESE TO GIVE YOU A GREAT DIGITAL EXPERIENCE.

>> Eric: LET'S GO TO SOME VIDEO OF THE ONLINE FEATURE, YOU CAN TALK US THROUGH IT.

>> Cathy: THIS IS ACTUALLY KID CANN I BELIEVE.

>> YOU CAN GO TO STARTRIBUNE.COM/CURIOUS.

MY COLLEAGUES, TOM OF TOM, NEIL, AND ANNA BOONE, I WANT TO GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR THIS AMAZING DATABASE.

THIS IS OUTSIDE THE PAYWALL, YOU CAN FIND THE STORY, THE STORIES ARE INSIDE THE PAULWALL SO WE HOPE YOU GET INTO THOSE STORIES AND WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE STAR TRIBUNE BUT YOU CAN FIND ALL 260 CURIOUS MINNESOTA STORIES, AS WELL AS MORE THAN 80 PODCASTS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

IT'S THE LARGEST NEWS ROOM IN MINNESOTA SO WE HAVE A LOT OF EXPERTISE IN THE ROOM AND WE TAP THAT TO WORK ON THESE STORIES.

>> Cathy: THERE IS SOME PUBLIC RADIO STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HERE'S LIKE SECRET CHICAGO, SAN FRANCISCO'S GOT SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

HAVE YOU PATTERNED THIS AFTER ANY OTHER CITY OR IS THIS WHOLLY YOUR OWN?

>> THIS WAS NOT, WE DO NOT HAVE THE MARKET ON THIS IDEA.

THERE'S CURIOUS TEXAS OUT OF DALLAS WHICH I THINK OURS WAS, WE WERE AT LEAST LOOKING AT WHEN IT STARTED.

I WASN'T AROUND WHEN URIOUS STARTED, OR I WASN'T PART OF THE STARTING OF CURIOUS.

THERE'S CURIOUS LOUISIANA NOW.

THERE'S A NUMBER OF CURIOUS AROUND THE COUNTRY.

OURS ARE PRETTY ROBUST, I CAN'T SPEAK TO WHAT THEY ALL ARE.

I THINK A LOT OF PAPERS AND MEDIA IN TOWN OR IN THE COUNTRY ARE REALIZING THAT READERS HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS.

IT'S A PRETTY SIMPLE CONCEPT, IT'S LIKE WHAT DO YOU WANT TO READ ABOUT, RIGHT?

AND WE HAVE FOUND THAT THESE STORIES DO LIKE WILDLY BIG TRAFFIC BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU ASK PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT TO READ ABOUT AND THEY'LL READ IT IN BIG NUMBERS SO THAT'S WHY IT'S BEEN FUN FOR ME BECAUSE WE'RE PROVIDING SOMETHING PEOPLE SAY THEY WANT ESSENTIALLY.

>> Eric: HAVE YOU EARN ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR READERS THROUGH THE QUESTIONS THEY'VE SUBMITTED?

>> YES, I OULD SAY THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT CURIOUS IS PEOPLE POINT US TO THE MISSING PART OF THE NARRATIVE.

SO WHAT DO I MEAN BY THAT?

I WROTE A STORY ONCE ABOUT WHY DID MINNEAPOLIS' FLOWER BOOM GO BUST.

THAT WAS THE HEADLINE, THE, THE MILL FLOUR BOOM, WHAT HAPPENED?

SO IT'S THE MISSING PART F HISTORY THAT WE ALL KNOW, AND THAT PART HAS BEEN INTERESTING TO ME BECAUSE WE HAVE FOUND AND THEN THERE'S STORIES LIKE WE DIDN'T EXPECT TO FIND LIKE MOORHEAD BEING THIS ALCOHOL HAVEN WHEN NORTH DAKOTA BANNED ALCOHOL EARLY IN ITS HISTORY, LIKE WE WEREN'T AWARE, WE DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THAT HISTORY AND IT TOOK US TO A PLACE WE DIDN'T EXPECT.

SO I THINK THAT'S BEEN TO ME IT'S WE'RE ALWAYS GETTING SURPRISED ALMOST LIKE ON A REGULAR BASIS BY WHERE THESE READER QUESTIONS ARE TAKING US.

>> Cathy: AND FINAL QUESTION TO YOU IS WHERE DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS?

>> I MEAN, E WANT TO GROW IT.

WE'RE DOING A PODCAST, PEOPLE SHOULD SUBSCRIBE TO THE CURIOUS MINNESOTA PODCAST WHICH I HOST AND WE HAVE OUR REPORTERS ON AND YOU CAN HEAR FROM STAR TRIBUNE REPORTERS.

WE DO IT EVERY OTHER WEEK.

WE HAVE DABBLED WITH EVENTS AT THE STATE FAIR.

WE'D LIKE TO DO MORE EVENTS.

IT'S SORT OF A FRANCHISE SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW CAN WE GROW THIS.

IT'S A PLUG AND PLAY CONCEPT, YOU TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO READ ABOUT, WE SOLITTED QUESTIONS AT THE FAIR AND HAD PEOPLE VOTE ON THEM.

IT WAS AN INTERESTING ONE, HOW MUCH FLOUR WOULD IT TAKE TO TURN LAKE SUPERIOR INTO BREAD?

AND IT WAS ASKED BY A TEENAGE GIRL, WE TREATED IT SERIOUSLY