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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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Ten years ago this weekend, Jamar Clark was shot and killed by Minneapolis police. His death was a turning point for the Black Lives Matter movement throughout Minnesota. We reflect on changes in policing in the city and on Clark's life with his sister.We get updated on the conflict between a Minneapolis landowner and the city about an encampment that grew on his property. MPR News reporter Kirsti Marohn joins us to talk about how battery storage plays a role in the state's shift to clean energy.Plus, we take you to a booming new Mexican market in Richfield. For some, when it gets chilly outside, it's time to turn the oven on inside. We talk with chef Amy Thielen about her favorite fall treats.The Minnesota Music Minute was “Sad Firm Handshake” by Dave King Trucking Company and “Flowers” by Dirty-930 was the Song of the Day.
For many Minnesotans, fall means it's time to get the comforting warm flavors of nutmeg, apple, cardamom and maple to fill the air in the kitchen.Minnesota-based chef and cookbook author Amy Thielen joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share what recipes she’s thinking about this fall season.
Earlier this month, Minnesota-based Xcel Energy announced it wants to double the amount of lithium battery storage it already planned to install next to its Sherco coal-fired power plant in central Minnesota. The batteries would allow Xcel to store energy produced at its wind, solar, nuclear and natural gas plants across the Upper Midwest.MPR News reporter Kirsti Marohn has been covering how batteries that store electricity on demand are becoming an increasingly important part of the transition to clean energy. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share more about her reporting as part of a weekly check in with MPR News reporters based in greater Minnesota.
On Thursday morning, a judge denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the city of Minneapolis against a landlord who allowed dozens of people to camp on a parking lot he owns. The city sued Hamoudi Sabri in September to force him to close the encampment. A few days later, the city cleared the encampment after a shooting there killed one person and injured six others. Sabri’s lawyers argued the city could not move forward with the lawsuit without including the people who had been living in the encampment in the case. MPR News reporter Cari Spencer was at the courthouse during the hearing and joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain.
This weekend marks 10 years since the police killing of Jamar Clark. Clark was 24 years old and unarmed when Minneapolis police shot and killed him. The officers said Clark reached for one of their guns during a confrontation outside a party. Some witnesses disputed that Clark reached for the officer’s weapon. No officers were charged with a crime. Clark’s death spurred protests and activism that has carried through the police killings of other Black men in Minnesota, Philando Castile in 2016 and George Floyd in 2020.MPR News host Nina Moini talked to one of Clark’s sisters, Tiffany Burns, to reflect on the 10 years since her brother’s death, which changed Minnesota’s history and her family forever.
The U.S. House of Representatives returns to Washington Wednesday to vote on a bill that would end the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. We talk to one of Minnesota's representatives, Democrat Betty McCollum, about how she plans to vote.A new poll led by former Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges shows that female mayors face more harassment. We talk to Mayor Hodges about the results. Plus, is the Midwest a lost region? A conference is looking to put the study of the Midwest back on the map. And the northern lights were hard to miss last night! Paul Huttner shares the chances of seeing the aurora glow tonight. And we go out to lunch with T Williams, who shares his 50 years of activism in Minneapolis.The Minnesota Music Minute was “2042” by French Brigade and “Hallelujah I Love Her So” by Eddie Corchran was the Song of the Day.
We have all been witnesses to moments in history. But there are people in every community who go a step further by working to shape what happens next. Minnesota Now’s series, Out to Lunch, is a chance to get to know some of those influential neighbors. MPR News host Nina Moini recently met up with longtime activist T Williams at Soul Bowl, a restaurant inside the V3 Sports health and wellness center in north Minneapolis. He has lived in the neighborhood since moving to Minnesota in 1965. That year, he became director of the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center. After riots broke out on Plymouth Avenue in 1967, he helped set up the Minneapolis Urban Coalition, a group of corporate leaders, local politicians and community members created to work on poverty and racial inequality in the city. Now, Williams is sharing a record of his long career advocating for people of color in Minnesota. He wrote a book with co-author David Lawrence Grant. It’s called “Rewind: Lessons from Fifty Years of Activism.”
Minnesotans love talking about Minnesota and don’t miss a chance to put the state and the Midwest as a region on a pedestal. But if you ask people outside the Midwest, they may not even be able to point to Minnesota on a map. A new conference is dedicated to making sure the Midwest is not forgotten. The goal of the “Lost Region Recovery Project Conference” is to grow the study of the Midwest. The conference will take place Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D. MPR News host Nina Moini talked with its organizer, Jon Lauck.
A new poll from the national group Mayor's Innovation Project shows that female mayors face higher rates of harassment and violence than their male counterparts. Former Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges helped to develop and facilitate the survey. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about its findings.
Minnesota is abuzz with chatter about the northern lights display Tuesday night. Wednesday could bring another round! MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joins Minnesota Now with details on the aurora and a warmer-than-usual weather forecast.
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have returned to Washington D.C. to vote on a bill that will end the longest federal government shutdown in history. Congress has been in stalemate for nearly seven weeks, as neither party could reach an agreement on a spending bill. But in the Senate on Sunday night, seven Democratic and one Independent joined most Republicans to pass the bill. The House, where Republicans have a majority, will vote on the bill Wednesday night. U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, a Democrat, is the longest-serving member of Minnesota’s congressional delegation. McCollum said she plans to vote against the bill.”The more Americans find out what’s in it,” McCollum told MPR News, “it’s not — which Republicans like to call it, a ‘clean CR’ — they’re going to be appalled.”She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the vote. MPR News reached out to Minnesota's Republican representatives in Congress for interviews, but did not receive a response by the time of this conversation.
Minnesota law enforcement agencies are bringing in an outside group to look at the response to the deadly attack on Minnesota lawmakers and their families earlier this year. We learned more about the after-action report, as well as what results it might yield. A team of Minnesota researchers are trying to understand how bipolar disorder works in the brain. They hope to find new options for treatment. For years, hormone replacements for menopause have carried serious warning labels. Now, federal regulators are removing those warnings. We found out what it means for patients. Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. We heard from three Ojibwe veterans about their military service, and got details on a film festival recognizing the day.Our Minnesota Music Minute was “I Wish I Were a Mole in the Ground” by Charlie Parr and our Song of the Day was “Muscle Memory” by Yellow Ostrich.
The Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum is partnering with Lakeland PBS and Pioneer PBS to bring the Veterans Day Film Festival 2025 across the state Tuesday. Audiences in Mankato, Stillwater and Little Falls can see three films about three different Minnesota veteran experiences.Randal Dietrich is the executive director of the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum in Little Falls. He called MPR News host Nina Moini from the official State of Minnesota Veterans Day Ceremony in Mankato to talk about the film festival.
An estimated 7 million adults in the U.S. live with bipolar disorder, a mental health condition that causes dramatics shifts in a person’s mood. Scientists are still learning all the neurological complexities of the disorder.A University of Minnesota Medical research team was awarded $4.4 million for a first-in-the-world study of severe bipolar disorder. Dr. Ziad Nahas is the executive vice chair and professor in the university’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He’s also leading the study. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his team’s research on bipolar disorder.
The Food and Drug Administration has removed their black box warning label from hormone-based drugs used to treat menopause symptoms. The warning has appeared on hormone therapy treatments for nearly two decades after a landmark study found the therapy could increase risks of cancer. But now, the FDA is changing course. Diane Feller is a certified nurse midwife and menopause practitioner at HealthPartners. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain how this decision will impact patients in Minnesota.
Minnesota law enforcement agencies are hiring an outside group to review the law enforcement response to the shooting deaths of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and the shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.The after-action report by the International Association of Chiefs of Police will look at the 43 hours between the first 911 call and the gunman’s arrest.Robert Davis is a retired police chief and led the after-action review of the city of Minneapolis’ response to the unrest following George Floyd’s murder. Robert now leads his own consulting firm doing the same type of work. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to provide insight on the review.
The federal government shutdown is the longest in U.S. history. As lawmakers work to reach a deal, SNAP benefits for hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans hang in the balance. We'll hear how SNAP administrators in Minnesota are navigating a series of conflicting developments. Just a few years ago, graduating college with a computer science degree pretty much guaranteed new grads a job. But how is the rise of artificial intelligence changing that? Plus, Monday marks the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. But exactly how it sank remains a mystery. We'll hear some of the theories. And the Loons are advancing to the Western Conference semifinals! We'll break down this weekend's sports news with contributors Wally and Eric.Our Minnesota Music Minute was a cover of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by jeremy messersmith and our Song of the Day was “Storm” by Bella Casper.
Two words could sum up the latest Vikings game: false start. In football, teams get penalized when offensive players move before a play officially begins. On Sunday, Minnesota racked up eight of those false-start penalties. That’s more than any home team since 2009. The confusion helped fuel the Vikings' loss to the Baltimore Ravens, with a final score of 19 to 27. In soccer, Minnesota United is moving forward in the playoffs after about as close of a playoff game you can possibly get. Penalty kicks went into sudden death, which happens after no team wins in five rounds of kicks. Minnesota Now’s regular sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined host Nina Moini with the latest sports headlines.
Monday marks 50 years since the Edmund Fitzgerald took its final voyage, before getting swallowed by Lake Superior in a November storm. All 29 crew on the ship died. The story of the Fitz has become an urban legend of sorts around the Great Lakes region. Exactly what led to the ship sinking is a mystery. A new book is dedicated to looking at the theories and telling the stories of the crew, through interviews with their family members. The book is called “The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Its author, John U. Bacon, sat down for an interview with MPR News reporter Dan Kraker.
Just a few years ago, computer science was a lucrative major that all but guaranteed new graduates a job right out of college. But with the rise of artificial intelligence, a somewhat frozen tech job market and layoffs at major tech companies, securing an entry-level job in the industry is proving to be much more difficult. Loren Terveen is a professor and the head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to share his perspective and what he’s hearing from students.
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