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Minnesota Now

Minnesota Public Radio

Live, down to earth, unscripted interviews that aim to connect, inform and entertain. Real people share real stories with MPR News host Nina Moini. It’s journalism that doesn’t take itself too seriously and puts people first.

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Yesterday · 53 min
Minnesota Now: Sept. 21, 2026
Minnesota truckers are feeling the pinch of soaring diesel prices. The current average statewide is still above $6. We heard from truck drivers on how they're making do and what it could mean for the industry long-term. Dozens of people looking into the impacts of this winter's immigration surge will gather Tuesday to share their findings. Plus, Mark Dayton is adding another title to his resume: author. The former U.S. senator and Minnesota governor sat down with MPR News to talk about his new memoir and his career in politics. And more changes are coming to federal food assistance. We heard how one county is preparing for what's ahead. Also, the Vikings are now 2-0 for the season after beating the Chicago Bears in the rain. The Minnesota Music Minute was “Darling” by Buffalo Galaxy and “Autumn Love” by Death Cab for Cutie was the Song of the Day.
Yesterday · 9 min
Vikings at 2-0 after rainy Chicago game, Lynx split games following FIBA break
On a soggy Sunday in Chicago, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Bears 9-3 in the rain. Meanwhile, Lynx guard Olivia Miles rained down more baskets, breaking Caitlin Clark's record to become the WNBA's highest-scoring rookie. Sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News host Nina Moini for their weekly round-up of Minnesota sports.
Yesterday · 8 min
Minnesota counties prepare to take on more SNAP costs after federal cuts
A new set of changes to federal food assistance will take effect next week. County staff have implemented the work requirements and eligibility changes to SNAP that Congress passed in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year. On October 1st, they’ll also take on more of the administrative costs of food aid. The federal government will provide a quarter of that funding, instead of half, a change the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families says will result in $32 million in cuts to counties. Counties are also preparing their budgets for October 2027, when they're expected to take on additional costs: a portion of the benefits people receive. Minnesota’s Democratic U.S. Senators have pushed to delay the changes in the Farm Bill, a massive package of agricultural and food policy that passed out of committee last week. Scott County Social Services Director Barb Dahl is watching that debate and preparing for the cuts to federal SNAP funding. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini on Minnesota Now to talk about what the changes will mean for her county.
Yesterday · 9 min
Researchers, community leaders to gather to share data on impacts of ICE surge in Minnesota
This winter’s surge of federal agents left its mark on many Minnesotans. The full scope of the impact is still being pieced together. On Tuesday, dozens of researchers, journalists and community leaders will convene at the University of Minnesota to share findings on how the events of this winter continue to affect people across the state. The gathering is called “Documenting the Impact of U.S. DHS in Minnesota.” The progressive think tank North Star Policy Action was one of the organizations behind the event. For more, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with the group’s executive director, Jake Schwitzer about the types of research included and how the data will be used.
Thursday · 54 min
Minnesota Now: Sept. 17, 2026
The ICE agent who allegedly shot and wounded a man in Minneapolis in January was booked in jail in Minnesota after a legal fight to get him in custody. He made his first appearance in state court Thursday. We got all the latest details on that case. Ahead of November’s midterm elections, leaders that supported Minnesotans during the surge this winter say they’re now building on their goal of protecting democracy. Plus, community leaders are considering options for a long-term memorial to Alex Pretti. We also heard from Minnesota’s champion skier Jessie Diggins about her grueling 100-mile trail run on the North Shore. And this weekend, thousands of inline skaters will be along the North Shore to skate a marathon. The Minnesota Music Minute was “2sday” by Rabeca. The Song of the Day was “Free” by Jillian Rae.
Thursday · 10 min
Thousands of inline skaters to race and mark 30 years of North Shore marathon
Minnesota is home to many inventions, including the rollerblade! It may come as no surprise in a state with so many skaters, skiers and hockey players. Well, this weekend, thousands of rollerblades will hit Highway 61 for the longest point-to-point inline skating marathon in the world. The race stretches from Two Harbors to Duluth. This Saturday, the NorthShore Inline Marathon will also celebrate 30 years. Joe Haggenmiller helps organize the event and Greg Ash is a longtime board member who has skated every previous marathon. They both joined Minnesota Now to talk more about the event and the milestone.
Thursday · 9 min
Caretakers of Alex Pretti memorial begin planning for more permanent remembrance site
After federal agents shot and killed Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti in January, people flocked to the site of his death, near Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street in south Minneapolis, to lay flowers, notes and candles. Jadah Green lives nearby and has been taking care of the makeshift memorial since the beginning. Now, she and the neighborhood group called Whittier Alliance are calling on their neighbors to help plan for a more permanent memorial for Alex Pretti. She shared more with Minnesota Now host Nina Moini.
Thursday · 9 min
MN organization plans to launch 20 'democracy protection centers' ahead of midterms
Early voting for the November midterms begins Friday. And ahead of this year’s elections, a Minnesota organization has been working behind the scenes to build out what they’re calling a “democracy protection initiative.” The effort evolves out of the response to this winter’s surge of federal agents. COPAL, an organization centered on supporting Latino communities across the state, launched the Immigrant Defense Network, or IDN, last year. IDN trained some 30,000 constitutional observers to document and record interactions between ICE and Minnesotans during the surge. Now, they’re leveraging the learnings to train “democracy protectors.” Francisco Segovia, executive director of COPAL, shared more about the initiative on Minnesota Now.
Thursday · 6 min
ICE agent charged with shooting, wounding man during Operation Metro Surge appears in court in Minneapolis
On Thursday, the ICE agent who shot and wounded a man in Minneapolis in January will make his first appearance in state court. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension took Christian Castro into custody Wednesday. He also faces federal charges for allegedly lying about the circumstances that surrounded the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis. Reporter Matt Sepic joined Minnesota Now with the latest.
Wednesday · 55 min
Minnesota Now: Sept. 16, 2026
Minneapolis Public Schools has announced plans for potential school closures. As many as 16 buildings could lose K-12 programming. MPR News education reporter Elizabeth Shockman laid out the district's plan to address budget issues. And we heard from a parent in the district. We checked in with the city of St. Paul on homeless encampment closures, police drones, the budget and other issues in a conversation with City Council President Rebecca Noecker. A new report tracks the paths of high school students after graduation in greater Minnesota. And, is fall weather here to stay? MPR Chief meteorologist Ben Cathey shared the forecast. Plus, we talked to therapist Resmaa Menakem about his new Afrofuturist play, "Mothership," now showing at Penumbra Theatre. The Minnesota Music Minute was “American Midnight” by The Jayhawks and Turn Turn Turn’s “Magnolia Tree” was the Song of the Day.
Wednesday · 9 min
In Resmaa Menakem's new play 'Mothership,' AI stands for 'ancestral intelligence'
In a recent interview with host Sanni Brown for MPR’s Carbon Sound, Minneapolis-based therapist and author Resmaa Menakem shared this advice for creatives: “Do the weird stuff. Play!” he said. “Creation springs from those types of things.” Menakem has a new creation. He teamed up with playwright Kristen Adele Calhoun to write an Afrofuturist play called “Mothership,” about five humans who flee Earth aboard a sentient spaceship. It is showing from Sept. 8 through Oct. 4 as the opening production of Penumbra Theatre’s 50th anniversary season. Menakem joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his latest work.
Wednesday · 9 min
What 15 years of data show about post-high school pathways for greater Minnesota graduates
Minnesota’s most recent high school graduates have spent this summer and fall beginning their next steps. What follows high school is different for each individual, but a new report identifies some patterns in the education and employment records of hundreds of thousands of people who graduated from 2008 to 2023 in greater Minnesota. Kelly Asche led this work for the Center for Rural Policy and Development. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the findings and what lessons they may hold for educators, policymakers and rural communities facing workforce gaps.
Wednesday · 10 min
Parent: Proposed Minneapolis school closures will disrupt learning, drive more families away
The Minneapolis school district announced plans Tuesday night to close more than a dozen of its schools. MPR News education reporter Elizabeth Shockman joined Minnesota Now to explain the proposal. And MPR News host Nina Moini talked with north Minneapolis parent Shakiya Carter, who opposes the closures. Carter is one of the founders of the group Minneapolis Families for Public Schools.
Wednesday · 9 min
St. Paul council president: After Pig's Eye, city needs to change approach to encampments
It’s been more than a month since the City of St. Paul shut down an encampment where more than 100 people lived. Since then, seven people from the Pig’s Eye encampment have made use of available shelter beds, according to a report from the city at the end of August. Many former Pig’s Eye residents have moved to other, remaining encampments in the city. St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her’s office said this summer it planned to clear encampments “on a rolling basis”, but it has not released a timeline for the other sites. For an update on the situation and other issues facing the capital city, including police drones and downtown development, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker. Minnesota Now also requested an interview with Mayor Her to talk about these issues but she was not available.
September 15 · 54 min
Minnesota Now: Sept. 15, 2026
Both leading candidates for Minnesota governor say officials in the Walz administration should be fired for their handling of fraud in state programs. They were responding to a story by a Minnesota Star Tribune reporter detailing the fraud response. We'll talk to him. Minneapolis has a new fire chief. Reginald Freeman is taking over a department that's facing staffing challenges and responding to a range of emergencies, beyond fires. If you're in southeast Minnesota, a blue cargo van called the Justice Bus may soon come to your town. We'll meet the staff behind the mobile legal office. And we'll hear from Lynx forward Natasha Howard, who has a new book out today about her life. Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Feelin It” by Tearra Oso and our Song of the Day was “Villain” by Betty and the Rubble.
September 15 · 10 min
In a first, new Minneapolis Fire Chief Reginald Freeman comes from outside department
Minneapolis swore in its 19th fire chief, and the department's first ever outside fire chief hire, last week. Chief Reginald Freeman has a pretty unusual resume for a Minneapolis fire chief — he has led fire departments in Oakland, Calif., and Hartford, Conn., served as a civilian fire chief for the Department of Defense in Iraq and ran fire and EMS operations in Saudi Arabia. He's taking over a department facing questions about staffing and firefighters who have responded to unprecedented emergencies since 2020. Freeman discussed those topics and more in a conversation with MPR News host Nina Moini.
September 15 · 8 min
Lynx forward Natasha Howard releases memoir
These days, Natasha Howard is jersey no. 1 on the Minnesota Lynx. She returned to the team this season after nearly a decade of competing on other WNBA teams and internationally. The last time Howard played for Minnesota, they won the 2017 championship. She won two other titles with the Seattle Storm and was named the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year. Howard is a three-time all star and now, she’s also an author. Her memoir, “The Vision Through My Lens: My Life in Basketball and Beyond,” is out Tuesday. Howard spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about her new book and this Lynx season.
September 15 · 9 min
Justice Bus provides free mobile legal services across greater Minnesota
Later this week, a royal blue cargo van will roll into Faribault and Northfield, offering no-cost legal help to community members. The Justice Bus is a mobile office set up to help with civil cases related to issues like eviction or custody arrangements. There are four of these in the state, each dedicated to a different region. Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services has one. The group’s outreach coordinator Jenna Saverynksi and family law attorney Jocylyn Poehler are taking it to stops around southeast Minnesota this fall. They spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about their effort to make legal services more accessible.
September 15 · 10 min
Report takes deep dive into the Walz administration fraud response
A new Minnesota Star Tribune report is taking a closer look at how the Walz administration responded to fraud allegations across state government and why it took years for the administration to recognize a broader, interconnected problem. The in-depth report is based on interviews with people who worked in and around the administration, as well as testimony from a congressional investigation. Ryan Faircloth led the reporting for this piece and joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about his reporting.
September 14 · 55 min
Minnesota Now: Sept. 14, 2026
Leaders of major artificial intelligence companies are calling for more regulation of AI. President Donald Trump is dismissing those concerns and says more regulations would put the U.S. behind China. A local AI ethics expert weighs in. Minnesota is ending the use of hotels for people facing mental health crises. Hennepin County had already stopped turning to hotels before this change. We'll hear more about what they've learned. A new MPR report shows how removing aquatic plants from our beloved lakes could have negative impacts. The Vikings beat the Packers in a thrilling comeback game, but their quarterback is now sidelined with a concussion. Our sports contributors have more on that, plus news about the Twins and the Gophers. Our Minnesota Music Minute is "Flight Simulation" by Absolutely Yours and our Song of the Day is "See You in September" by The Happenings.

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