Episodes
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If youâre looking for job security, you might consider being a home health or personal care aid. Itâs the highest demand job in Minnesota, according to the state government. That need is only expected to increase as the population ages. But the median wage for home health and personal care aides is just over $35,000 per year, which leaves little to save for retirement. Now the union that represents many of these workers is asking the state to chip in for retirement in their next contract. Viktor Solberg lives on the Iron Range, cares for his mother full-time and is active in his PCA union, SEIU Minnesota. Solberg joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his work on better benefits for PCAs in Minnesota.
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In the span of a few days, two houses of worship in Minneapolis are facing threats and vandalism.
Minneapolis Police are currently investigating the defacing of Temple Israel, a synagogue in Minneapolis. On Monday, a suspect spray-painted swastikas on the doors and pillar of the building.
On Friday, Abubakar As-saddique Islamic Center, or AAIC in Minneapolis received an online threat, threatening violence to members of worship at the mosque.
Minneapolis police determined the threat to be unfounded, but it still contributed to fear and concern in the Islamic community.
Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman, the senior rabbi at Temple Israel and Osman Ahmed, Director of Advocacy with Minnesota's Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about their response to the threats.
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The year 2024 was defined by many things. Among them? A remarkable, unprecedented year for women's sports. You might be thinking of Caitlin Clark's spectacular effect on college basketball and her WNBA premiere. But there are so many others that had outstanding years, including Simone Biles, Suni Lee and the rest of her Olympic team in Paris this summer, or Minnesota's own Lynx almost clinching that WNBA championship. The WNBA also saw record viewership.
For most womenâs sports, a larger mainstream audience started to give women's sports the recognition they've long deserved. Jillian Hiscock has dedicated her career to shining the spotlight on women's sports. She made state history too this year when she opened Minnesota's first ever women's sports bar, called A Bar of Their Own, earlier this spring. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini in studio to talk about the remarkable year.
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Two Minneapolis houses of worship have been targeted in a short amount of time. A synagogue found a swastika spray painted on it Monday morning and a mosque received violent threats online. Members of both of those communities joined the show to talk about how theyâre responding.
Listen to a therapy session between a father and son who have sharp political differences in the latest of MPRâs Talking Sense series.
A personal care attendant joined Minnesota Now to talk about advocating for state pension funds in his line of work.
We headed to Fergus Falls for the latest in MPRâs Wander and Wonder series, where a man is turning back the dial to a vintage sound.
The owner of Minnesotaâs first bar for womenâs sports joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about a phenomenal year of womenâs sports.
Our Minnesota Music Minute was Catalyst by Zacc Harris and our Song of the Day was One Day by Rachel Nunemacher.
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Among the 1,500 sentences that were recently commuted by President Joe Biden, is a former Duluth store owner who was convicted of multiple felonies for selling synthetic drugs. Now the St. Louis County Sheriff is raising concerns about it. We'll talk to him.
President-elect Donald Trump cut the number of refugees allowed to enter the United States during his first term. We'll talk to the leader of an organization that serves refugees about how she's preparing for his second.
And we'll meet a Minnesota neuroscientist who was just named to Forbes list of 30 talented people under 30.
We'll have our final sports recap of the year.
Plus, a tumbleweed Christmas tree and other holiday memories from prairie life in the 1880s.
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All the way back in 1975 former MPR News reporter Bill Siemering interviewed 98-year-old Ole Olson near Fargo. He shared happy Christmas memories from the Minnesota and Dakota prairies in the 1880s. The Olson family didnât have much for little Ole at that time â they decorated for the holiday with tumbleweeds and one of the big gifts was an apple.
But Ole says he had absolutely nothing to complain about.
For Minnesota Now and Then, listen to Siemering and Olson.
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About five weeks remain until President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office to begin his second term. Trump vowed in his campaign to limit immigration to the U.S. and carry out mass deportations. Those promises appealed to many voters.
Weâre going to focus on one way that people leave their home countries and arrive in Minnesota â refugee resettlement.
During his first term, Trump cut the number of people who were allowed to enter under the countryâs refugee program. And these numbers have since rebounded due to efforts by the Biden administration and private organizations that work on resettlement.
Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about preparing for the next administration is Jocelyn Wyatt, the CEO of Alight, which works with refugees resettling in Minnesota.
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Every year Forbes comes out with its prestigious 30 under 30 list. It highlights people making a change across various industries who are under the age of 30. In total, 30 people are selected across 20 industries. This yearâs list includes Caitlin Clark and singer Noah Kahan. And it also includes a Minnesotan.
Angeline Dukes, an assistant professor in neuroscience at the University of Minnesota was named in the category of Social Impact. Dukes founded the organization Black In Neuro, which empowers Black scholars in neuroscience-related fields. She joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about the honor and her work.
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The Packers did Vikings fans a favor this weekend. Green Bay beat the Seattle Seahawks, which secured the Vikings a spot in the playoffs. This will be the 32nd time the Vikings have gone to the playoffs, but they've only made four Super Bowls, which all took place in the 1970s.
And there are reports that the owners of the NBA team the Phoenix Suns is interested in buying the Twins.
Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric Nelson is the other host of that show and Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS' Eye on Football and Sirius XM. They both joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to break down the latest in sports.
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Some of the statesâ elected officials are raising concerns after President Biden released a list of almost 1,500 people convicted of crimes he is granting clemency to. Jim Carlson made the list.
Heâs a Duluth former business owner who has served more than ten of his seventeen-year-sentence in prison and in a halfway house. Carlson was found guilty in 2013 for dozens of felony charges after selling synthetic drugs from his shop called The Last Place on Earth. Carlson has said in the past he didnât know he was selling synthetic drugs that were illegal. Now with clemency, heâll finish his sentence next week.
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsey wrote on Facebook that the decision is concerning and frustrating. He joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to explain his thoughts about this clemency process.
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Transitions are a part of life. Throughout our lives we go through at least several major changes. Yet in many cases transitions take longer than expected or hoped for.
Vanessa Tennyson has developed over the years a deep understanding of work and life transitions. At age 65, she is in her encore career as an executive and leadership coach. And as a transgender woman, she offers what she wrote on her website is âa rare perspective from experiencing both male and female gender roles as an employee, manager, executive and business owner.â
In our series âConnect the Dotsâ we meet with people who have deep experiences in our community and ask them to share lessons learned about what really matters in life.
MPRâs senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently met with Tennyson at her office in Minneapolis and joined host Nina Moini to talk about it.
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Nobel prize laureates are pushing back against President-elect Donald Trumpâs choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. In a letter from earlier this week, the group asked Senators to oppose Robert F. Kennedy Jr.âs confirmation to the job.
They say he would âput the publicâs health in jeopardy and undermine Americaâs global leadership in the health sciences.â
Kennedy has promoted conspiracy theories including one that pushes that COVID-19 was created to target certain racial groups and give other groups immunity. He has also denied the link between HIV and AIDS, a scientific discovery that has helped to treat and prevent AIDS around the world. Kennedy has also embraced the debunked theory that childhood vaccines cause autism.
Dr. Brian Kobilka, a 2012 Nobel Laureate in chemistry is one of the scientists trying to prevent Kennedy from being confirmed as leader of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kobilka is originally from Little Falls and attended the University of Minnesota Duluth. Heâs now a professor at Stanford University and joined Minnesota Now to talk about his concerns.
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The holidays are often an excuse to eat more cookies than any other time of year. Many people have family traditions where they gather to make sweet treats. Zoë François may have your next cookie recipe.
Minnesota baker ZoĂ« François is known to many online as Zoe Bakes. She has more than 400,000 followers on Instagram and also a Max (former HBO) show with Minnesota chef Andrew Zimmern. She is the author of three cookbooks, including her most recent book, âZoe Bakes Cookies.â And you can meet her on Monday for a holiday cookie event at Graze Food Hall in Minneapolis.
Zoe joined MPR News host Nina to talk about her cookbook full of 75 cookie, bar and brownie recipes.
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Maybe youâve had this experience. Youâre standing in the store aisle doing some last minute gift shopping and you are getting further and further from making a decision. Youâre questioning everything. And everything, the sweaters on the rack, the kitchen gadgets on the shelf all start to lookâŠlike a lot of stuff your loved ones donât really need.
MPR News producer Alanna Elder noticed that feeling recently. And she started really thinking about it. A lot of the gifts we buy this holiday season will probably end up in a landfill eventually, polluting the earth long after weâre gone. And making all of those items releases greenhouse gas emissions that are fueling climate change. At the same time, many small business owners rely on holiday spending. Itâs a major part of the economy.
For help thinking of a solution to buy more stuff and contributing to climate change, Alanna talked to Emily Barker. She is the Executive Director of ReUse Minnesota, an organization that works to protect the environment by promoting reuse, repair and borrowing rather than buying new. For the last three years theyâve put out a holiday gift guide.
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On Thursday morning FBI agents searched the offices of two autism treatment centers â one in downtown Minneapolis and one in St. Cloud â as part of a major investigation into Medicaid fraud.
A judge just unsealed a search warrant in the case and it links some of the defendants in the Feeding our Future child nutrition fraud case to these autism centers.
MPR News correspondent Matt Sepic joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about what we know at this time.
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FBI agents searched two Minnesota autism centers Thursday morning as questions arise around Medicaid fraud in the industry.
Plus, the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Frey are at odds over the cityâs budget. After a historic breaking point, we learn whatâs next.
Scientists are pleading with senators to reject president-elect Trumpâs cabinet on public health. A Nobel Prize Laureate explains why.
A business leader reflects on how her transgender identity helped her excel in her field.
Plus some are rethinking holiday gift-giving to be more earth-friendly.
And speaking of the holidays, many are making and consuming cookies. A big-time baker shares festive tips.
The Minnesota Music Minute was âMerry Christmas Babyâ by Davina and the Vagabonds.
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Itâs been quite a dramatic week for local government in Minneapolis as the city finalizes its budget for next year. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has found himself at odds with the city council over money. He even went so far as to use his veto power.
On Thursday morning, the Minneapolis City Council overrode that veto. MPR News reporter Cari Spencer joined Minnesota Now to talk about the mayorâs veto power.
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State regulators announced Wednesday they are changing up the process for cannabis business licenses after several lawsuits from the first round of applicants. We talk to a lawyer and a business owner about what these changes will mean for those hoping to enter the new market.
We talk to an entrepreneur who relies on TikTok about what a potential federal ban would mean for her bottom line.
A Twin Cities woman born in Syria talks about the future of her home country after the ousting of its president.
And we visit Bemidji to learn the story behind the Swedish festival of Santa Lucia.
Plus, have you ever wondered what itâs like to be a wolf roaming Yellowstone National Park? We meet a Minnesotan behind the cult-classic game, WolfQuest.
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WolfQuest was created in partnership with the Minnesota Zoo back in 2007 as an educational tool for children. Since then, to the surprise even to the game's producers, it has exploded in popularity all over the world amongst children and adults alike.
The producers released an anniversary edition of the game in November and a huge expansion of the game on Monday.
WolfQuest's producer Dave Schaller joined the program to talk about it's popularity all these years.
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Weâre in the grip of an arctic air outbreak for Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures will warm up dramatically for the weekend with another chance at snow showers Saturday.
For a full weather report, MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joined Minnesota Now.
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