Episodios
-
The Minnesota Legislature has a newcomer. Republican Senator-elect Keri Heintzeman has been elected to represent the Nisswa area. We talk to her about her priorities as she joins the capitol late in the session.
As President Donald Trump celebrates his first 100 days, we hear about the economic impacts his policies have had on Minnesotans.
Plus, Wednesday marks 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. We talk to a poet who is working to commemorate the stories of Lao people who came to Minnesota in the aftermath.
Paul Huttner shares how many tornadoes touched down in our region from this week’s severe weather.
And the Walker West Music Academy, a pillar of the Rondo community, is teaching music to all from a new home.
-
The Walker West Music Academy recently celebrated the opening of its new space on Marshall Avenue in St. Paul. What started as a music program in the lower level of a duplex has grown into a beloved nonprofit music center and a pillar of St. Paul’s Rondo community.
Walker West provides community music education to more than 300 students a week. They hope to offer education to more students, kids and adults alike, at the new space.
MPR News host Nina Moini talks with Executive Director Braxton Haulcy about Walker West’s plans.
-
¿Faltan episodios?
-
Fifty years ago Wednesday, Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army and the U.S. war in Southeast Asia came to an end. In the aftermath, more than three million people to fled their homes in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Many eventually came to the United States and Minnesota. Now, a group of writers is using poetry and creative writing to document the stories of Lao refugees and their descendants over the last 50 years.
Bryan Thao Worra is leading this effort by the SEALit Center, a literary organization, and the Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota. They received one of 14 grants from the Minnesota History Center to recognize the state’s Southeast Asian diasporas. Worra is the Lao Minnesotan poet laureate and chair of the community board of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans.
He joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the project — and why poetry and prose are his chosen tools for working with history.
-
President Donald Trump has now been in office for 100 days. He held the first rally of his current tenure last night in Michigan to mark the milestone.
MPR News has been fanning out across the state to find out what Minnesotans think of Trump’s job performance so far. MPR News editor Annie Baxter spearheaded the effort and joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.
-
The Twin Cities missed out on the severe weather that came through the state earlier this week. But the weather ahead has the potential for rain and temperatures in the 80s. MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner joins MPR News host Nina Moini with the forecast.
-
The race to fill Democratic Sen. Tina Smith's seat in Washington just got more crowded. U.S. Rep. Angie Craig announced Tuesday she is pursuing the job, joining a growing field of candidates. We find out what this means for Minnesota politics.
We hear from Minnesotans about President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office.
Plus, a Minnesota medical system is taking racial information out of pregnancy tests and screenings in an effort to remove bias.
And two podcast hosts are keeping track of new medical breakthroughs in the state.
A new girls flag football league launched last weekend. We talk to a father-daughter duo who are part of one of the fastest growing sports in the country.
The Minnesota Music Minute was “Who Walks in When I Walk Out” by Sugar on the Roof. The Song of the Day was “Return of the Swamp Thing” by Oof & BRUTE.
-
Between Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota Medical School, and companies like 3M, it's no secret that Minnesota is a hub for medical startups and innovation. But it often takes years for new treatments and practices to hit the mainstream.
Two Minnesotans in the health care industry started a podcast called “Patient Innovations” to inform patients and medical providers about the cutting-edge medicine coming out of the state. Co-hosts Rashmi Kandwal and Mary MacCarthy joined Minnesota Now to talk about the podcast.
-
There haven’t been many options for girls who want to play football on a team. But that’s changing thanks to the explosive rise of flag football, one of the nation’s fastest-growing high school sports.
Fifteen states have created official high school programs. While Minnesota is not one of them, 51 schools across the state are now competing in a league supported by the Minnesota Vikings.
Sartell High School head football and flag football coach Scott Hentges and his daughter, Maya Hentges, joined Minnesota Now to talk about their flag football team and the impact its having at high schools around the state.
-
M Health Fairview says it’s found a way to help eliminate racial and ethnic bias in pregnancy and delivery care by removing race as a factor for various screenings and tests related to pregnancy.
By July, all pregnant patients at M Health Fairview will be universally screened for various maternal and fetal conditions. That includes diseases that are usually prominent in a certain racial group, like sickle cell disease or spina bifida.
The goal is to make sure no patient gets missed for diseases that may normally only be screened for people of certain backgrounds.
Melissa Hassler, the director of nurse midwives at M Health Fairview, joined Minnesota Now to talk about the changes.
-
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig announced Tuesday she will skip a run for a fifth term and instead throw her hat into the race for U.S. Senate.
Craig is among a few prominent DFL candidates hoping to succeed U.S. Sen. Tina Smith in 2026. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and former state Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen have also joined the race.
MPR News senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson joined Minnesota Now to discuss the news and the state of the race.
-
Republicans held onto a state Senate seat after a special election. Keri Heintzeman was elected Tuesday to replace Republican lawmaker Justin Eichorn, who resigned a month ago after criminal charges.
Heintzeman won the seat with nearly 60 percent of the vote. She will represent the Nisswa area in the Legislature. Senator-elect Heintzeman joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about her priorities.
-
Severe thunderstorms are forecasted to move in across Minnesota, with a significant threat of tornadoes, heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail. We'll talk to MPR meteorologist Mandy Thalhuber about what to expect and how to prepare.
The rate of Black home ownership has fallen over the past 50 years in Minnesota. We'll learn more about a new study examining disparities with Census data.
Plus, the University of Minnesota is facing accusations that it mishandled plagiarism allegations against a star professor. We'll hear the latest.
A new program is bringing dance education to elementary schools in Minneapolis.
And the Timberwolves are one win away from moving forward in the playoffs. We'll get the latest sports news from contributors Wally and Eric.
Our Minnesota Music Minute was “RED EYE” by anni xo and our Song of the Day was “Lights On” by Enemy in the Sky.
-
The Timberwolves are going back to Los Angeles with a 3-1 lead in their playoff series against the Lakers. At the start of the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game in Minneapolis, the Wolves were lagging by 10 points. But they came back to win 116 to 113.
Now the Wolves need to win one more time to move to the next round of the playoffs. The next game is on Wednesday. The Lakers will be at home, and for them, it's make-or-break.
Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about this and other sports news are our contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.
-
A new partnership is providing dance education at every Minneapolis Public Schools elementary school. The city is set to approve $350,000 per year so the district to expand dance programming.
Joining Minnesota Now to talk about the new programming is two people who are closely involved. Lori Ledoux is the K-12 arts content lead with Minneapolis Public Schools and Anat Shinar is the artistic director with Young Dance, the organization providing the programming within the district.
-
A new report by the state of Minnesota reaffirms what many housing researchers have known: far fewer Black Minnesotans own their homes compared to white Minnesotans. And the rate of Black homeownership has fallen since the 1970s, only widening that gap.
Jeff Howison, a state demographer, recently looked at these trends in more detail using U.S. Census data that includes more specific racial and ethnic identities.
He joined Minnesota Now to talk about what he learned.
-
A second round of storms is expected to move across the Upper Midwest Monday afternoon. It could bring destructive winds, large hail and strong tornadoes to central and southeastern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro.
The National Weather Service has put the region at a level 4 out of 5 risk for severe weather, with other parts of the state at level 3 risk.
Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to explain what this means and how to stay safe is MPR Meteorologist Mandy Thalhuber.
-
The social media company X, formerly known as Twitter, is suing to block Minnesota's law that bans people from using deepfakes to influence elections. The company says the law violates free speech protections. We learn more about the ins and outs of the lawsuit.
Hmong and Lao veterans who served during the Vietnam War are getting recognition. We learn about new veteran benefits passed by the Minnesota Senate.
Plus, the city of Brooklyn Park is rethinking where it will allow sex offenders to live. We talk to a police inspector about his efforts to create residency restrictions in the city.
A woman will tell the story of her race to say goodbye on our series Thank You, Stranger.
And it’s the first day of the Minneapolis Institute of Art's floral exhibit Art in Bloom! We get caught up on the annual celebration of spring in Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Music Minutes was “SGL” by Now, Now and the Song of the Day was “I Like It” by Rachel Kurtz.
-
The social media platform X, run by Elon Musk, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Minnesota law barring the use of deepfakes to influence an election.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday against Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, claims the law — passed with bipartisan support in the Legislature in 2023 — violates free speech rights.
The law made it a crime to post fake videos that could be used to influence an election. Legislators were concerned that deepfakes, made with AI and digital editing, could be used to spread misinformation about candidates. It carries potential penalties of fines and prison time.
Alan Rozenshtein, a University of Minnesota law professor who specializes in technology and the constitution, joined Minnesota Now to talk about the lawsuit.
-
Thursday marks the first day of Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Art! The four-day festival is free and showcases floral interpretations of art from the MIA’s permanent collection, created by more than 100 professional and amateur florists.
It’s the 41st year of Art in Bloom. For many, it’s a sign that spring is officially here and warm weather is here to stay. Art in Bloom Chair Sharon Secor and floral artist Amy Kubas joined Minnesota Now to talk about the exhibit.
-
Brooklyn Park is considering restricting where sex offenders can live in the city. In Minnesota, not every city is required to have rules on the books that prevent sex offenders from living near schools, daycares or parks.
Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Matt Rabe discovered that more sex offenders reside in Brooklyn Park than other Twin Cities suburbs, in part because cities surrounding Brooklyn Park have ordinances restricting where sex offenders can live. He joined Minnesota Now to talk about his findings and his proposal to the city council.
- Mostrar más
