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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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Thousands of Minnesotans are shopping for MNSure health insurance plans as the marketplace opened up this week, but some are bracing for higher premiums. We explore how rates have changed and whether a compromise in Congress would provide relief. It's been one month since Minnesota's first state-licensed recreational cannabis business opened in Duluth. We learn about the triumphs and hiccups so far. And we stay in Duluth to hear from our reporter Dan Kraker about sustainability in cemeteries.Plus, our show Minnesota Now turns 4 this week! We talk to the composers behind the program’s theme music.For Prince fans, we get the glimpse of the new Prince musical debuting in Minneapolis.Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Purple In The Sky”, by Nur-D. Our Song of the Day was “Particle Physics” by Motion City Soundtrack, featuring Patrick Stump.
It’s been one month since Minnesota’s first state-licensed microbusiness dispensary opened in Duluth. Legacy Cannabis began selling flower and other products on Sept. 16, more than two years after recreational cannabis was legalized in Minnesota.Legacy Cannabis Duluth lead consultant Josh Wilken-Simon joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share how business has been going.
The MNsure health insurance marketplace opened Wednesday for Minnesotans to shop for 2026 plans, but the costs they’ll see may be discouraging. Premiums on the individual marketplace are 22 percent higher on average compared with 2025. That increase does not account for the expiring federal tax credits that are at the center of the federal government shutdown. If the credits do expire, premiums will be even higher.About 190,000 Minnesotans get their health insurance through the marketplace. They can’t sign up for a plan until open enrollment begins on November 1st. In the meantime, navigators like Jonathan Marchand are beginning to walk people through the options. Marchand is the Community Services Manager for United Community Action Partnership in Willmar. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini on Minnesota Now.
This Saturday marks four years since MPR News kicked off the noontime news program, Minnesota Now. The show was started to give our audience longer conversations with newsmakers, experts, and our neighbors around the state to help us understand our world better. The show is full of different guests and music every single day, except for one key element that stays the same — the theme music. To celebrate Minnesota Now’s fourth birthday, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke to local musicians Aby Wolf and Joe Horton, who composed the show’s theme music.
There's a growing interest in green burials, where people are buried without toxic embalming chemicals, expensive caskets and burial vaults. But there aren't many places in Minnesota to do this. MPR News correspondent Dan Kraker recently published a story about a proposed green cemetery near Duluth and some of the pushback the proposal has received from local residents. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share more, as part of a weekly check-in with MPR News reporters in Greater Minnesota.
After years in development, the stage adaptation of “Purple Rain” is finally making its debut in Minneapolis, where the story and the music first took shape.Inspired by Prince’s 1984 classic, “Purple Rain” tracks a young Minneapolis musician chasing stardom while wrestling with love, rivalry and the echoes of his past. Performances begin Thursday at the State Theatre in Minneapolis.MPR News arts reporter Jacob Aloi has been following the show and joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share more.
Several Minnesota mayors are asking state lawmakers to let them regulate guns at the city level, after the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School. We talk to Rochester's mayor about why she joined these calls and what restrictions she wants to bring to her city.As we march into the third week of a federal government shutdown, we talk to a national and a local leader about how it could impact hunger levels in the state.We talk about our state's wet weather this week and get the forecast for the weekend from MPR’s chief meteorologist. Plus, you may have heard of actor Dallas Goldtooth, who has roots in the Lower Sioux Indian Community in Minnesota. His background is in comedy, but he's taken on a more serious role in the new show “The Last Frontier.”The Minnesota Music Minute was "Countryside" by Brian Just and "The Ghoul on the Hill" by Los Straitjackets was the Song of the Day.
This week has been soggy for much of Minnesota. Whether you are celebrating some long-awaited rain or bummed about the dark and cloudy days, MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner has both good and bad news for every perspective. He joins Minnesota Now host Nina Moini with the forecast.
On Wednesday, federal employees will receive their first paychecks since the nation's government shut down more than two weeks ago. The money they are taking home is significantly less than what they normally get. As the shutdown continues, food shelf leaders in the state are preparing for potentially increased demand.At the same time, a national leader on ending hunger in the United States happens to be visiting Minnesota. Claire Babineaux-Fontenot is CEO of the nonprofit, Feeding America. She met with Second Harvest Heartland CEO Sarah Moberg to discuss the shutdown and other issues facing their network of organizations. MPR News host Nina Moini talked with them both on Minnesota Now.
Mayors across the Twin Cities metro and beyond are calling for the Minnesota Legislature to repeal a state law that prevents cities from enacting their own gun regulations. The call comes in the wake of the August shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School. Two children were killed, and dozens of others were wounded during a back-to-school mass. MPR News host Nina Moini talked with one of the mayors pushing for a state law change, Kim Norton of Rochester.
A new show on Apple TV features Minnesota’s Dallas Goldtooth taking on a much more serious role than what you may have seen him in. Goldtooth is Diné and is a member of Lower Sioux Indian Community in Morton, Minn. He currently lives in Chicago. Goldtooth’s roots are in comedy, with roles in TV shows “Reservation Dogs” and “Rutherford Falls.” His newest role is in the show “The Last Frontier,” where he plays the character Hutch, a U.S. Marshal tasked with protecting his Alaskan community in the aftermath of a prisoner transport plane crash. Goldtooth sat down for an in-studio conversation with MPR Native News editor Leah Lemm and MPR Native News reporter Melissa Olson.
Municipal elections are around the corner and one seat that's contested is the mayor of St. Paul. We got the scoop on that race ahead of an MPR News and Pioneer Press debate Tuesday afternoon. We found out how the federal government shutdown might affect MEA week travel. We learned how state law enforcement is responding to problems with the use of breathalyzers. Some Twin Cities police departments are beginning to use AI to help write police reports. We talked with one officer about how it works. We met the winner of a recent startup competition. Her company is working on a medical device for babies in intensive care. With the season behind us, we talked about why the WNBA may be at a turning point.Our Minnesota Music Minute was “BRISKET WEEK” by Juice Lord and the Song of the Day was “idk i just work here” by Durry.
The WNBA Finals ended in a win for the Las Vegas Aces. It’s their third championship in four years. Now, attention in the league has turned to a different countdown. The players union and WNBA administrators contract expires at the end of October. Negotiations have been tough so far. Some players, most notably Lynx star Napheesa Collier, have gone public with their frustrations with leadership. Adam Minter has been thinking and writing about Collier’s role in this moment for the WNBA. He’s a sports business writer for Bloomberg Opinion, and is based in Minnesota. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about what Collier has said and what she’ll do next.
Artificial intelligence is changing how many people work. In several Twin Cities area police departments, it’s taking on some of the paperwork that comes with law enforcement by helping write police reports. Axon, the company behind Taser, has an AI tool that helps officers write reports using body camera footage. The tool is called Draft One. As KSTP first reported, three departments in the metro are using it. But some prosecutors and civil rights advocates have raised concerns. Spokespeople for Bloomington and Brooklyn Park police said a group of officers within their departments are piloting the tool. MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with Lieutenant Nate Tennessen from the Eagan Police Department, which has been using Draft One since June.
A new startup in Minnesota’s medical technology hub recently won an annual statewide business competition. Twin Cities based AcQumen Medical walked away from this year’s MN Cup with $100,000 in prizes. Its winning idea is a device to measure blood flow in babies who are in neonatal intensive care. Clinical trials for the device will begin later this week. AcQumen Medical co-founder and CEO Dori Jones joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.
The use of breathalyzer tests are being paused statewide after errors were found that produced unreliable results in more than 100 DWI cases. The defense attorney who first flagged this issue will join us with his reaction to the suspension.Monday is Indigenous People's Day. We'll chat with author Janis Fairbanks about her new memoir that details her relationship with her Ojibwe grandmother. We'll also check in with Native News reporter Chandra Colvin, who has more on celebrations happening in the Twin Cities.Plus, we'll hear how a local nonprofit is helping new Latino immigrants connect to and enjoy the Twin Cities' park systems.And the Vikings had a break this week, but face a tough team ahead. That story from our sports contributors.Our Minnesota Music Minute was “If I Do My Own” by Black Market Brass and Obi Original and our Song of the Day was “Mountain Laurels” by Rogue Valley.
It's Indigenous Peoples Day in Minnesota. From Moorhead to Mankato, Duluth to the Twin Cities, communities are celebrating the day.Chandra Colvin was at a school American Indian Magnet School Saint Paul where people are spending the afternoon outside for cultural teachings and a feast. Colvin joined Minnesota Now to talk about how the school is honoring Indigenous ancestors.
The Vikings had a bye this weekend. Next, they play the birds. The Philadelphia Eagles, defending Super Bowl champions, will be at U.S. Bank stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday. But there is a big question mark around who will start as quarterback. Carson Wentz has been starting while J.J. McCarthy nurses an injury. As the Vikings gear up for that game, sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined Minnesota Now with updates on football from around the Midwest – plus, other sports news.
Minnesota’s parks and trails are a big part of what makes living here so special. But not everyone has an easy path into those outdoor spaces. A local organization is aiming to change that. Luisana Méndez has taken it upon herself to be a bridge between recent Latino immigrants like herself and the Twin Cities’ park systems. She’s the founder and executive director of Huellas Latinas, a nonprofit that helps Latino families connect with nature, with each other, and with their home here in Minnesota.
In a new memoir, Janis Fairbanks writes, “making the time to pass along a lesson is imperative to the survival of not only the humanity of Indigenous people but of all people.” And she credits the women in her family for sharing lessons with her. Fairbanks is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and author of “Sugar Bush Babies: Stories of my Ojibwe Grandmother.” The stories are split, just like her childhood, between the city of Duluth and the lakes and woods of northern Minnesota. Fairbanks joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about the memoir.
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