Episodes
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A new report looks into thousands of emails from the Walz administration during a difficult time: the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police killing of Daunte Wright and the threat of a government shutdown. We talk to an investigative reporter about what they learned.
We talk to a Minnesota man who found a surprising admission from former President Richard Nixon — that he thought marijuana was not dangerous. Plus, a local researcher learns there’s some truth behind the term “man flu.”
In our latest installment of the series Professional Help, we get some advice on the Minnesota phenomenon of constant apologies. And KARE 11’s Randy Shaver retired in June, but he’s found a way to keep talking high school football through a new podcast.
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Friday night lights are set to shine on football fields in high schools across Minnesota this week. Most teams have made it through their first few games and homecoming season is upon us.
Retired KARE 11 anchor Randy Shaver has been following along since pre-season this summer. Since retiring from 41 years at KARE 11 in June, he is spending his time focusing on his passion for high school football. Every week on his new project, Shaver’s Prep Football Podcast, he talks to players, coaches and fellow fans about the highs and lows of the sport.
Shaver joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share the story of how he got started covering Minnesota high school football and what’s new this season.
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Missing episodes?
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We all need a little help to get through life sometimes. From everyday questions to more complex problems, we’re asking the experts to lend us a hand. Throughout the series, we’ll hear some direct advice for us not-so-direct Minnesotans.
Over-apologizing is so common in Minnesota, and in the Midwest generally, that it’s a favorite joke for comedians in the region. Maybe you can relate.
MPR News producer Gretchen Brown takes a closer look at where this tendency comes from, including the Scandinavian influence on Minnesota culture. Then she turns to an expert with her own lineage of politeness.
Lizzie Post, great-great-granddaughter of etiquette writer Emily Post and co-president of the Emily Post institute, shares some advice on when and how to say, “sorry.”
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A Minnesota man has made a discovery that sheds light on the history of United States drug policy. Former President Richard Nixon, who started the war on drugs, privately said that marijuana was not dangerous.
“I know nothing about marijuana,” Nixon said in a recording from the Oval Office on March 6, 1973. “I know that it is not addictive and dangerous and all the rest of it and all the kids are in favor of legalizing it. On the other hand it is the wrong signal at this time.”
The Nixon tapes are in the public record as part of the Nixon Presidential Library, but these statements were unearthed by Minnesotan Kurtis Hanna and first reported in the New York Times. Kurtis Hanna works in the cannabis industry and is a lobbyist. He shares his findings with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.
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Chances are you have heard a woman poking fun at a man in her life for having a cold and — let’s just say — not handling it very well. The idea has been parodied hundreds of times in standup performances and internet comedy sketches.
But research shows there may be some biological and evolutionary factors that indeed make male and female experiences of having a common cold feel different. University of Minnesota professor of ecology, evolution and behavior Marlene Zuk says there’s evidence that many men may suffer more from the effects of infection. She joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain.
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As Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has stepped into the national spotlight, his rising star has brought national scrutiny, including questions about his tenure and policy decisions following high-profile police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center.
Thousands of internal emails obtained by independent journalist Tony Webster and shared with ProPublica and the Minnesota Reformer shed light on Walz's struggle to push police reform through a starkly divided legislature and a contentious political environment.
For more, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talks with Jessica Lussenhop, one of the reporters behind the piece.
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Minneapolis Public School families are facing news of a measles outbreak in the district. The state epidemiologist is here to explain how serious the outbreak is and how to stay healthy. And local lawmakers are tackling a childcare shortage in Duluth.
Minnesota’s Haitian community is feeling the effects of false and offensive comments made by former President Trump in his debate against Kamala Harris last week. Plus, is fall weather finally on the way? MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner will let us know.
And to help kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, we will hear some favorite traditional Mexican tunes from a music anthropologist who has studied the roots of Mexican music in Minnesota. Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Lucky 7” by OK Factor and our Song of the Day was “Waiting Room” by Amateur.
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The forthcoming season of theater in the Twin Cities is full of stage adaptations, including “Back to the Future” at the Orpheum and “Cabaret” at the Guthrie.
Some people see adaptations as a cop-out, but MPR News arts reporter Jacob Aloi thinks some of the best works can come from adaptations. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the many adaptations and what makes them unique.
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With Twin Cities temperatures in the 80s all week, it seems more like Aug. 18, not Sept. 18. But there are signs of cooler air to come with the autumnal equinox approaching this Sunday.
MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about when we can expected cooler temperatures — and also to recap the beautiful sky shows we’ve seen this week.
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Since Mexicans have been living in Minnesota, traditional Mexican has been an important part of sharing culture and celebrating tradition. In fact, Minnesota’s very first documented Mexican-born resident way back in the 1880s was a musician.
Anthropologist Maya Santamaria has studied him and thousands of other Mexican-Minnesotan musicians throughout history. She is the founder and CEO of the Spanish radio station based out of the Twin Cities, La Raza.
As Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off this week, Santamaria joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the enduring popularity of Mexican Music in the state.
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The city of Springfield, Ohio, has spent the week on edge. Hospitals, colleges, city government buildings and public schools have received threats linked to false, racist claims that target the city’s Haitian population.
Sen. J.D. Vance and former President Donald Trump repeated these claims on the campaign trail and in last week’s presidential debate. Vance defended his use of the rumors, which Ohio and Springfield officials say are just that — rumors — with no evidence to support them.
The rhetoric may be concentrated in Ohio, but we’re all hearing it — and it’s being amplified by a presidential and vice-presidential candidate. So, we wanted to find out how this story is landing with members of Minnesota’s Haitian population.
Djenane Saint Juste is an author, dancer and the founder of the Haitian arts organization Afoutayi. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the impact of this political rhetoric on her community.
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The impending closure of three large child care centers in Duluth is raising awareness of what parents and providers are calling a crisis situation in child care. The closures have left parents of about 200 children scrambling to find new care.
But there’s already a shortage of around 1,000 child care slots in Duluth. Statewide, recent estimates put the need at more than 40,000 child care slots in greater Minnesota.
MPR News’ Duluth correspondent Dan Kraker attended a press conference following a meeting between state lawmakers, Duluth officials, parents and child care providers to talk about the situation. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share the latest developments.
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Minneapolis Public Schools has sent a message to families saying that measles has been identified in at least one of the district’s schools.
District officials say they’re working with the Minnesota Department of Health to contact people most closely impacted by measles in the district. They did not say how many cases there are, or what school they’re associated with, citing privacy reasons.
The district asked parents to make sure kids are up-to-date on their vaccinations and to watch for symptoms like a rash, fever and a cough. The Minnesota Department of Health recommends that anyone with symptoms should stay home and avoid visitors.
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If you were a devoted theater fan in 1940s Minneapolis, you would have come across a rising star named Hilda Simms, born Hilda Moses. She went on to star on Broadway, appear on magazine covers, perform in Europe and act in Hollywood movies and TV shows.
Throughout her career, Hilda Simms dedicated herself to speaking out against poverty and racism. But according to a new book out Tuesday, her talent and hard work were constrained by the limited roles available to Black women. Plus, her career and those of other Black actors involved in civil rights work suffered from the impact of the Hollywood Red Scare. The Red Scare was a period when artists accused of having Communist ties were shut out of roles.
JoJo Bell is the author of “Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms” and she joined Minnesota Now to talk about Hilda’s beginnings at the Phyllis Wheatley House in north Minneapolis, the theater roles available to Black women during Hilda’s life and the impact she left on her communities.
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In her book “The Orchid Thief” about obsessive flower hunting, Susan Orlean wonders if “the reason it matters to care passionately about something is that it whittles the world down to a more manageable size.”
Twin Cities broadcasting legend Diana Pierce knows something about that. After retiring from her role in front of the camera as a KARE 11 news anchor, Pierce started a new endeavor: traveling around the country to capture stunning landscape photographs.
She eventually narrowed her focus to flowers. Now she’s writing a newsletter, called Blooming, with stories about flowers and people who tend to them. Diana Pierce joined Minnesota Now to talk about her project.
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The driver who plowed into a group of people in downtown Minneapolis over the weekend is facing second-degree murder and second-degree assault charges following a concerning increase in driving tragedies over the last few months. We’ll look at the data and put it all into context.
Minnesota’s charter schools are struggling as they face rampant mismanagement, administrative misconduct and dismal test scores. A reporter behind a sweeping three-part series from the Minnesota Star Tribune looked at where it all went wrong. She joined host Cathy Wurzer to discuss possible solutions.
In a new Minnesota Now and Then segment, we heard the Minneapolis origin story of Hilda Simms, a Broadway and Hollywood actor who spoke up against poverty and racism. The author of a new book on Simms joined the show to explain how the Red Scare affected her career.
Early voting begins Friday. Listen to learn about efforts to raise voting numbers in the county with some of the lowest participation in the state.
Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Blonde” by Rafaella and our Song of the Day was “Simply Days” by Andrea Lyn.
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Minnesota’s charter school experiment is failing. That’s the conclusion of a sweeping three-part report from The Minnesota Star Tribune looking at dismal student test scores and administrative mismanagement and misconduct.
Mara Klecker is the K-12 education reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune and one of the reporters behind the series.
She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the popularity of charter schools in the state, the idea of “outcome based” schools, what we know about student performance at charter schools and how lawmakers are talking about charter schools today.
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On Tuesday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced one count of second-degree murder and five counts of second-degree assault charges against the woman who plowed a car into a group of people in downtown Minneapolis, killing a 16-year-old girl and injuring five others.
On Monday, Moriarty’s office announced new charges against Derrick John Thompson who last year sped through a red light in Minneapolis and smashed into a car, killing five young women.
These incidents, along with the drunk driving crash at Park Tavern earlier in September, are a string of worrisome tragedies involving cars that turn into lethal objects.
Mary Moriarty has said she is seeing an increasing number of driving tragedies in recent months. The director of the Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety, Mike Hanson, joined Minnesota Now to provide context for the string of crash incidents.
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A board in Washington state canceled a use of force training with former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, who killed Daunte Wright in 2021. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer heard from the former prosecutor who was set to present with Potter.
We learned about one effort to shake downtown St. Paul out of its pandemic slump — and heard from the owner of a neighborhood restaurant that could soon close.
Duluth parents are hard-pressed for childcare after losing two large daycares.
Paralympian Mallory Weggemann is back home in Minnesota. Weggemann talked about how she’s recovering after medaling in Paris.
It was a fantastic weekend for Minnesota sports! Our sports guys recapped whatever you missed.
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Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold led the Minnesota Vikings to a 23-to-17-point win against his former team — and the defending conference champions — the San Francisco 49ers.
Across football, baseball, basketball and soccer, it was a winning weekend for Minnesota teams.
MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson about it.
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