Episodes
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A triple science major at the College of St. Scholastica may be both the fastest and youngest to circumnavigate Lake Superior in a kayak â and heâs hoping the 1,000-mile trip will draw more attention to climate changeâs effects in Minnesota.
Last summer, Cale Prosenâs adventure of the season was trekking the Superior Hiking Trail. This year, with little to no experience kayaking, he decided to undertake another gargantuan trip, hitting the water within 48 hours of finishing his final exams in mid-May.
âIt was about experiencing the raw natureâ and spending time in an impermanent environment, he told MPR News.
Prosen saved for the trip by putting in hundreds of hours as a caregiver at an assisted living facility, primarily in dementia care. He spent the last year saving money, buying equipment, doing research and talking to others whoâd undertaken the trip in kayaks or canoes. He went vegan. Prosen began a blog two days before the Superior trip, documenting his journey with near-daily entries and photos.
Once underway, the wet and storm-filled spring created some memorable moments.
âIt was just pretty wild to be out there at times, especially like June 18. Those storms that kind of rock the shore, itâs pretty wild,â Prosen recalled. âI woke up in a pond. I got hit by a flash flood while I was trying to camp and the water rose like seven feet in two hours. Pretty nuts.â
Highways close as rivers rise across southern Minnesota. More storms in forecast
Minnesotans on flood watch during an unusually wet week
Heavy rain brings flooding to the North Shore closes trails and roads
For the most part, though, Prosen said he was able to anticipate inclement weather and be in a place to get off the lake quickly. Regardless, storms didnât stop his mission.
âI think that like climate change, and the effects of that, are what I want my message and takeaway of this to be about,â Prosen said. âFocusing on my kayaking skills and adventure is not whatâs important to us all and I believe climate change is heavily impacting Lake Superior, and I wanted to bring advocacy and action to that.â
Cale Prosen circumnavigates Lake Superior by kayak
An incoming junior at St. Scholastica, Prosen is pursuing degrees in biology, chemistry and science education. While heâs not exactly sure what his post-grad career will be, Prosen knows nature will inspire it.
âI hope to eventually become an educator or advocate that seeks to conserve that outdoors.â
Whatâs next on the adventure bucket list?
âWeâll see. I havenât decided.â
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Ahead of a busy holiday weekend, more than 300 Minneapolis parks workers are preparing to walk off the job. We heard from union leaders about their week-long strike and whatâs been happening at the bargaining table.
It may rain on your Fourth of July parade and Mother Nature will have fireworks of her own. We got a detailed forecast for the holiday from MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner.
A new law in effect requires cosmetologists in Minnesota to learn how to cut and style textured hair. We talked to a cosmetology educator about the importance of expanding training.
And a new documentary takes a deep dive into the world of Minnesota Roller Derby. We met the local filmmaker behind âMinnesota Mean.â
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A new documentary is now-streaming giving an inside look at the world of Minnesota Roller Derby. Itâs called âMinnesota Mean.â
The documentary follows six women on the Minnesota Roller Derby team over the course of a season. It won Best of Fest at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival last year. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with the filmâs director, producer and editor, Dawn Mikkelson.
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The weather may put on its own show for the Fourth of July. It looks like we will be facing some wet weather during fireworks time.
Some cities are already postponing their fireworks show or doing them a day early. The fireworks event over Lake Minnetonka, for example, has moved to Wednesday night.
For details on the holiday forecast, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer caught up with MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner.
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A new law went into effect this week that requires Minnesota cosmetologists to be trained in cutting and styling textured hair. Minnesota is the fourth state to enact such a law.
Research by hair education company Pivot Point found that 65 percent of people in the U.S. have textured hair, yet not every stylist knows what they're doing behind the chair with that type of hair.
Valencia Montgomery Johnson is a cosmetology educator at Aveda Arts and Sciences Institutes who testified at the state Capitol in support of the bill. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.
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With flooding and storms across the state these past few weeks, emergency preparedness is top of mind for Minnesotans. But for some, theyâre preparing for two. Caregivers for disabled, ill and elderly people donât just have themselves to think about in an emergency, they also have the person theyâre caring for.
Paurvi Bhatt, a Twin Cities resident and the president of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for caregivers, talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to break down disaster preparedness for caregivers.
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In our âConnect the Dotsâ series, we ask community elders to share their wisdom and lessons learned about what really matters in life.
Ellie Krug was a civil trial lawyer for almost 30 years in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
When she moved to the Twin Cities she dove into several projects, including founding and executive directing a nonprofit providing legal access for people living on low incomes and the creator of workshops on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
She was elected to the Eastern Carver County School Board in 2022. She has a weekly radio program.
Krug is also transgender and the author of âGetting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change.â
MPR News senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently sat down with Krug. He joined Minnesota Now to talk about what he learned from her.
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Each month, Dr. Jon Hallberg joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about topics that are important to your health and take a deep dive into medical news.
Hallberg is a family medicine physician at Mill City Clinic and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
In this installment of Vital Signs, he talked about a proposal to add warning labels to social media and a new Disney movie that gives life to difficult emotions.
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Gov. Tim Walz was at the Rapidan Dam Tuesday to survey the recent flood damage. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with an environmental expert from Mankato about some consequences of flooding on the environment and the farmers living and working on the affected land.
When disaster strikes, the elderly, sick and disabled are often the most impacted. It falls on them and their caregivers to have a plan in place. The president of the Rosalyn Carter Institute for Caregiving joined the show to talk about how to put those plans in place.
Dr. Jon Hallberg returned to Minnesota Now with his thoughts on proposed warning labels for social media apps.
MPRâs senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently spoke with a Minnesotan transgender lawyer and activist about the wisdom sheâs learned over her long career.
Our Minnesota Music Minute today was âRunning with the Wolvesâ by Cloud Cult, and our Song of the Day was âRiver Jordanâ by Mathias Saint John.
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Gov. Tim Walz visited the Rapidan Dam near Mankato on Tuesday afternoon to talk about flood conditions and recovery efforts in the area.
Unfortunately, there is more rain in the forecast, something the state does not need right now. This is especially true for farmers in southern Minnesota.
University of Minnesota extension educator Shane Bugeja joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer from Mankato to explain the flooding impacts many people may not be aware of.
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Monday morning, the Supreme Court ruled former President Donald Trump has some immunity from prosecution over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. We broke down the ruling with a law professor from the University of Minnesota.
A law went into effect Monday which unseals birth records for some Minnesota adoptees. We spoke with an expert about the impacts on adoptees and birth parents.
WCCO-TV turned 75 Monday. We heard from a former WCCO news director and general manager.
Plus, we heard an update on the story of a transgender man from Russia who took refuge in Minnesota.
Our Minnesota Music Minute today was âBucket of Blueâ by Wish Wash, and our Song of the Day was âSpanish Townâ by Jaggedease.
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Monday marks the 75th anniversary of WCCOâs first ever television broadcast in the Twin Cities.
Ron Handberg wasnât at WCCO-TV way back in 1949 when the station broadcast its first ever newscast, but he was responsible for shaping the station throughout the second half of the 20th century.
Handberg got his start at WCCO radio in 1960 and was the producer of the first Scene Tonight shows on WCCO-TV in the late â70s. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer on the show to paint of a picture of his early years on WCCO.
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Monday is the first day Minnesota adoptees over 18 can request their original birth recordâeven those from closed adoptions that happened decades ago.
The law was championed by adoptees citing the right to know their own history. Also affected are the birth parents who must rapidly come to terms with the idea of being contacted by a child they believed they would never see again.
Alexis Oberdorfer is the vice president of services at the Minnesota Childrenâs Home & LSS. She joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to share the details of the law change and how it will affect both adoptees and birth parents.
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In April, we told you about a Russian transgender man who fled with his partner to Minnesota after learning it was trans refuge state. It was a harrowing journey that captured the hearts of many Minnesotans.
While Erik Beda made it to Minnesota in March, he was separated from his partner Ivan at the border. Minnesotans stepped in to bring the couple back together. And Minnesota Now Senior Producer Aleesa Kuznetsov was the only journalist invited as Erik and Ivan reunited.
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On Monday morning, the Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution over the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
The court decision was 6 to 3, divided along partisan lines. The decision sends the case back to lower courts, and that move will likely delay a trial for Trump on plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
University of Minnesota law professor Jill Hasday joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain the decision.
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President Joe Biden gathered with his family at Camp David over the weekend to regroup after a debate that many viewed as disastrous for his reelection campaign. He showed more energy at a North Carolina rally as his campaign pushed back against calls by some Democrats to drop out.
Support for Biden has faltered among parts of the coalition that elected him in 2020âincluding young voters. In one survey covered by NPR, only a third of voters ages 18 to 26 supported Biden and another third supported former President Donald Trump. The rest preferred third-party candidates.
For our series State of Democra-Z, weâve been talking to a group of young voters who work in politics. Cori Stockard is an incoming senior at the University of Minnesota and president of the College Democrats, and Cory Hallada is an incoming senior at St. Olaf who has interned with former president Trumpâs campaign.
The two Gen-Z voters joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share what they took away from the debate.
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Minneapolis will be the center of elite gymnastics. Target Center is host to the USA Olympic Gymnastics Trials this weekend. All eyes will be on St. Paul native Suni Lee and Waconia native Shane Wiskus. And of course Simone Biles will be on the mat too.
Minnesota has started to make a name for itself when it comes to producing Olympic gymnasts. Part of that is thanks to the elite gym, Twin City Twisters in Champlin. They are responsible for training Olympic medalist Grace McCallum and world champions Maggie Nichols and Lexi Zeiss.
And there are some young athletes that could be the next Minnesota natives to be on the Olympic stage. Maliha Tressel is a Junior Elite gymnast who trains with Twin City Twisters. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the upcoming trials and what it takes to compete at a high level.
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We all need a little help to get through life sometimes. From everyday questions to more complex problems, weâre asking the experts to lend us a hand. Throughout the series, weâll hear some direct advice, for us not-so-direct Minnesotans.
Construction season is here. And thereâs no doubt youâve encountered orange cones â sometimes that means zipper merging. We all like to think we know what weâre doing, but many agree that Minnesotans arenât the best at zipper merging. We asked a professional to clear up the confusion around zipper merging and give us a lesson.
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President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face each other in a presidential debate for the first time in the 2024 election cycle on Thursday night. They are virtually tied in the polls, with just over four months left until election day.
A quarter of voters view both major party candidates unfavorably, according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center â thatâs more than there have been in at least three decades. So is it possible to win people over on the debate stage?
We wanted to hear from someone who knows what makes for a winning debate strategy so we called up David Cram Helwich. Heâs the director of forensics at the University of Minnesota. Heâs also director of a summer speech and debate camp for high school and middle school students, which is currently underway at Augsburg University. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer from camp.
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President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are gearing up for a debate tonight. Polls show it is a tight race. What can they do to win over voters in the debate tonight? Weâll talk to a debate coach about what he'll be watching for.
Itâs construction season â you arenât the only one facing road rage when it comes to all the the traffic and zipper merging that comes with road work. And it might be because not everyone knows how to zipper merge! Weâll get a lesson in our latest âProfessional Helpâ segment.
And Suni Lee, Simone Biles, and other gymnastics stars are in Minneapolis for the USA Gymnastic Olympic Trials. Weâll talk to an elite local gymnast about what it takes to compete on sports biggest stage.
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