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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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St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter says the St. Paul Police Department is reviewing how its officers responded to an apparent immigration action Tuesday morning on the city’s east side. Police deployed projectiles and chemical irritants against people and the press. St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry says his officers responded to the scene when a car was struck during a federal arrest. He says he then heard reports of protesters arming themselves with rocks and sticks.This comes within a week of protesters responding to an ICE raid at a St. Paul business, Bro-Tex. Hundreds of people have responded to both immigration actions and that’s partially due to what’s known as a “rapid response network,” where legal observers are being called to document what’s happening. Edwin Torres Desantiago is the manager of the Immigrant Defense Network, which oversees the rapid response. He joined Minnesota Now guest host Chris Farrell to talk about legal observer response.
This weekend, the Hmong community in Minnesota will be celebrating the Hmong New Year. This year is significant, as 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Hmong Americans in Minnesota.Hmong folk singing is a form of song poetry that is commonly sung around Hmong New Year and other celebrations. Pang Her Vang is the president of the Mong United Equality Association. She’s a culture expert and Hmong elder here in the community and joined Minnesota Now to share more about the tradition of song poetry and also share some songs.
An immigration operation in St. Paul escalated with the use of chemical irritants and projectiles Tuesdays. Hundreds of protesters responded. We'll go inside the rapid response organization that mobilizes when ICE is spotted.It’s safe to say winter is here. Paul Huttner shared snow totals from across the state. With a large international population, the city of Rochester is working to to prepare residents for winter.Plus, a biologist broke down the relationship between the deer and wolf population in Minnesota. This weekend is the Hmong New Year. We heard about the long oral tradition of Hmong song poetry.The Minnesota Music Minute was “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” by Bob Dylan. The Song of the Day was “All Are Welcome At Our Table” by Pat Egan.
The first snow storm of the season swept through the state Tuesday into Wednesday. That means new Minnesotans have now been properly baptized. Duluth picked up the most snow with 10.3 inches and the Twin Cities received 3.1 inches. In Rochester, which got 1-2 inches of snow, the public works department and other organizations have been helping prepare new Minnesotans for winter. Earlier this fall, they put on the second annual Rochester Snow Summit, a winter-preparedness event organized by the city. Jake Busho is the public works street maintenance supervisor and one of the organizers of the Rochester Snow Summit. He talked with MPR News host Chris Farrell along with Jessica Thornton. She is aging services program manager at Family Service Rochester, an organization that participated in the summit.
Firearm season for deer hunters is largely over in Minnesota. Data from the state Department of Natural Resources shows hunters were more successful than they have been for a few years. The number of harvests has climbed back from a low point in 2023. In low years, some hunters see a lack of deer and point to wolves as the cause. A recent study from far northern Minnesota tells a different story. The Voyageurs Wolf Project studies wolves in Voyageurs National Park and the surrounding area. Biologist Tom Gable leads the project and joined MPR News host Chris Farrell with details on how fluctuating deer and wolf populations impact one another.
Most of Minnesota woke up Wednesday in a swirl of wind and snow. By noon, much of the wintry weather had blown into Wisconsin. MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner joined Minnesota Now with snowfall totals and a Thanksgiving weekend forecast.
A winter storm warning is in effect through Wednesday morning, just in time for Thanksgiving travel. Meteorologist Mandy Thalhuber had details and we talked to MnDOT about what to expect on the road.The holidays are a critical time for retailers big and small. We got an outlook for Minnesota businesses. COP30, this year's United Nations climate conference, ended last weekend. We spoke with two Minnesota college students who were there. Mary Lucia, a former DJ for The Current, is out with a new memoir. We heard part of her conversation with MPR’s Kerri Miller. And two pro women's volleyball teams are coming to the state. In the late 1980s, there was a team here. We met a former Minnesota Monarch.The Minnesota Music Minute was a rendition of “Let It Snow” by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. The Song of the Day was “Hit My Line” by BRUTE.
Memoirists often talk about their painful truths, dreams and demons in their work. An iconic radio DJ out of Minnesota has put to paper a story of her life that covers all of that, including her harrowing experience of being stalked while living in the public eye.Mary Lucia's slim but revealing memoir, out Tuesday, is called "What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Weirder and Harder to Relate To." Lucia is a former DJ at The Current and is currently the program advisor at the University of Minnesota's Radio K. She spoke to MPR’s Kerri Miller about the memoir and her experience. Listen to the full conversation on Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Friday at 11 a.m.
Two professional women’s volleyball leagues recently announced they are coming to Minnesota. Major League Volleyball and League One Volleyball will launch teams in 2027. But it won’t be the first time Minnesota has had a professional women’s volleyball team. In 1987, a brand-new professional women’s volleyball league brought the Minnesota Monarchs to the state. The league fell apart halfway through the season in 1989 due to financial problems. But while it lasted, the Monarchs had a steady fanbase. Former Monarch Annie Adamczak-Glavan is a coach and director of Club 43, a youth volleyball club based in Hopkins. She joined MPR News host Chris Farrell to share more about the Monarchs and what she thinks about the new leagues.
Belém, Brazil hosted this year’s United Nations climate conference, which wrapped up last weekend.More than 50,000 people attended COP30. Even though representatives of the United States government were absent, a few Minnesotans were there, including students from a class at the College of St. Benedict and Saint John’s University. St. Ben’s juniors Ella Chiroux and Abby Robinson joined MPR News host Chris Farrell to share about their experience.
Much of the state is under a winter storm warning through Wednesday morning. The forecast has shifted to include more snow hitting the Twin Cities metro. This comes at one of the busiest travel weeks of the year with Thanksgiving. MPR News host Chris Farrell spoke to MPR News meteorologist Mandy Thalhuber for an update on the forecast and MnDOT spokesperson Anne Meyer, who shared advice on how to drive in winter weather.
Whether you're the kind of shopper who will line up at the big box stores for Black Friday or if you like to keep it low-key with a few small businesses, chances are holiday shopping feels slightly different this year.Due to tariffs, rising costs and overall economic uncertainty, shoppers may be more hesitant to spend this holiday season. Projections for Minnesota-based retailer Target show a challenging outlook for the holiday season. MPR News has reported on multiple small businesses that have been affected by the tariff rollercoaster.Bruce Nustad, the president of the Minnesota Retailers Association, joined MPR News host Chris Farrell to break down these trends.
President Donald Trump has called to eliminate temporary protected status to Somali migrants in Minnesota. We'll break down how this could impact Minnesota's Somali community with an immigration lawyer. At 22, Kristin Collier learned her mother had taken out more than $200,000 of loans in her name without her consent. She wrote a book about the experience. We'll hear from her.Plus, Waymo, the self-driving rideshare service, is coming to Minneapolis. But can it navigate our winter weather? A U of M researcher explains. We'll get an update on the first winter snowstorm of the season ahead of Thanksgiving travel.And it’s win or go home for Minnesota United in round two of the playoffs. Our Minnesota Music Minute was in-memoriam of Jellybean Johnson, with the song “Jungle Love” by The Time. Our Song of the Day was “Jet Airliner” by Steve Miller Band.
President Donald Trump called to eliminate a program that provides what’s known as temporary protected status to migrants to the U.S. from Somalia. In a social media post on Friday, he linked Minnesota’s Somali population to a quote “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and alleged without proof that Somali gangs are terrorizing the state.Minnesota is home to the largest population of Somali immigrants in the country. Joining Minnesota Now to explain temporary protected status and how this is affecting Minnesota is Julia Decker, the policy director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle ride-sharing service, is currently on the streets of Minneapolis beginning testing. For now, there is a driver behind the wheel. But eventually Waymo wants you to take a ride with no driver. Minneapolis would be one of Waymo’s first winter-weather markets and the company says it has been testing in winter conditions including the Sierra Nevada and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. MPR News host Chris Farrell spoke to Raj Rajamani, an autonomous vehicle expert at the University of Minnesota and Frank Douma, who researches autonomous vehicle policy at the University of Minnesota.
Some households, friend groups and workplaces in our region are divided over their feelings about Sunday night’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Vikings. The Packers won 23-6 and quarterback J.J. McCarthy was sacked five times. McCarthy is in concussion protocol following the game. As the Purple pick up the pieces, sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined Minnesota Now guest host Chris Farrell to talk about this and other sports headlines.
Minnesota’s first big winter storm system of the season is on its way. The timing isn’t great for Thanksgiving travel. AAA predicts that across the Midwest, 5.8 million people will be driving for Thanksgiving. And there could be more winter weather as people travel home from Thanksgiving this weekend. MPR meteorologist Sven Sundgaard spoke to Minnesota Now guest host Chris Farrell about which parts of the state could see the most snow and the best time to hit the roads to avoid bad conditions.
It’s a given for many college students that they’ll begin their adult lives with student loan debt. For the author of a new memoir, the experience was extreme. At 22 years old, Kristin Collier walked into a bank to apply for a credit card. She walked out with the knowledge that somehow, she already owed more than $200,000. Her mother had taken out the loans in her name, without her consent. Collier confronts that debt — and the way debt shapes life in the United States — in the book, “What Debt Demands: Family, Betrayal and Precarity in a Broken System.” She lives in Minneapolis and joined Minnesota Now guest host Chris Farrell to talk about the book.
A third-party candidate has entered Minnesota's race for governor. We learned about Mike Newcome and the Forward Independence Party platform. We heard from a former independent candidate for governor, Tom Horner, about what it takes to campaign as a third-party. Minnesota-based Essentia Health serves primarily rural areas, which includes several tribal nations. And now Essentia has a tribal liaison who is building trust and bringing Native perspectives to the forefront. We talked to him.Plus, your Thanksgiving turkey could be more expensive this year. Tariffs are a big culprit. Our agriculture reporter joined us from Moorhead to share more.Our Minnesota Music Minute was “West Memphis” by Bob Dylan.
Every week, MPR News host Nina Moini checks in with one of MPR News’ regional reporters. On Thursday, Fargo-Moorhead area agriculture reporter Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval chatted with Nina about his latest stories on the ripple effects of the federal government shutdown on the state’s farmers, farmers’ concerns on the nation’s economic outlook and the projected cost of a Thanksgiving turkey this year.
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