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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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Lawmakers are getting a better picture of how much money they'll have to hammer out a budget. And they're finding they might have less money than they planned. We'll learn more about the future of the state's finances from our politics reporter.Farmers in Minnesota know that their job is tough. But some LGBTQ+ farmers are speaking out about additional challenges they face. We'll hear from a farmer about how they're building support.Plus, we'll get some professional help in creating a budget during economic uncertainty. And a new exhibit highlighting iconic works of art by Black artists is opening in Minneapolis. The number of butchers are dwindling. And a grant is helping students get the chops for a career in meat processing.Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Hat Drop” by Sugar on the Roof and our Song of the Day was “Minneapolis Horn Power” by Scott Agster.
A state grant is helping Minnesota schools teach meat processing to students. Applications are now open for the MEAT grant, which stands for Meat Education and Training. In the first round of grants, $350,000 was dispersed across nine districts to establish or enhance meat cutting and butchery training. One of those districts was West Central Schools in Grant County. The district was granted $35,000 to support the purchase of a meat processing mobile trailer and provide up to 100 hours of hands-on training for one agriculture instructor at a local butcher shop.Eric Sawatzke is the high school agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at West Central Schools. He also helped create the state grant. He joined Minnesota Now to talk about teaching meat processing in schools.
In our current economy, there is a lot of uncertainty. Tariffs are threatening to raise prices of everything from gas to groceries. And thousands have lost their job or are worried they may with federal cuts impacting state and non-profit work. U.S. consumer confidence plummeted last month. It was the biggest monthly decline in more than four years. And it is leading people to change their spending habits.So how do you prepare for the unknown when it comes to your finances? We turned to get some professional help.Our ask: What are some budget tips during uncertain economic times?Our professional: Kim Miller, senior program manager and financial counselor with Lutheran Social Services.
A new exhibit opens at the Minneapolis Institute of Art Friday. The exhibit, called “Giants,” marks the first major showcase of the Dean Collection, owned by Swizz Beats and Alicia Keys. The show is organized by the Brooklyn Museum and highlights nearly 100 significant works by Black artists. Kimberli Grant is the curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum and Casey Riley is MIA’s chair of Global Contemporary Art. Both joined Minnesota Now to talk about the exhibit.
On Wednesday afternoon, state economic officials will present their important forecast. It’s the one that sets parameters for lawmakers building a new budget. We already know the top line items: the state is on track to have a smaller cushion in the next budget than was previously predicted. And Minnesota could have a nearly $6 billion deficit in the budget two years down the road if lawmakers stay on the course they’re on now.MPR News senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson joined Minnesota Now for an update.
Farmers know that the pressures of making it through unpredictable weather, crop or livestock disease and rural life make the job tough. LGBTQ+ farmers say they face additional struggles, like isolation from fellow agricultural workers. Some LGBTQ+ farmers are coming together to talk about it — and connect with each other. This Saturday the state agriculture department and the University of Minnesota are hosting a conference called Ag for All in St. Cloud. It’s the first conference of its kind in Minnesota. Emily Krekelberg is an organizer of the conference with the University of Minnesota and Michael Romanski is the owner of a chicken and sheep farm in Monticello. Both joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the inaugural conference.
A winter storm is leaving behind a mess and high winds are still causing trouble in parts of the state. We get the latest on snow totals from MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner and an update on hazardous road conditions in southern Minnesota from MnDOT. President Donald Trump's address to Congress highlighted a stark partisan divide. We talk with our Gen-Z political panel about what they heard. Plus, we check in with a fired federal worker from Minnesota who was in Washington for the address.The executive director of a local organization providing support to the Horn of Africa talks about the impacts of cuts to foreign aid.And let’s play hockey! A sports journalist and author shares the most memorable moments from the Boys State Hockey Tournament. The Minnesota Music Minute was “Snow Days” by Trip Shakespeare and “Stuck Again“ by Diet Lite was the Song of the Day.
The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday morning ordered the Trump administration to immediately pay $2 billion dollars owed to USAID contractors for work they have already done. But the ruling does not change the administration’s move to cut $60 billion dollars in aid delivered through the agency. Countries that would have received that aid are already feeling the impact. Countries in the Horn of Africa, like Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, have seen projects that combat malaria, provide food assistance, health care and nutritional services close. Many countries in the region are facing famine and Sudan is in the middle of a civil war that has created the world’s largest and fastest displacement crisis. Mohamed Idris is the executive director of Twin Cities-based American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa, also known as ARAHA. The organization has field offices in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan. He joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the situation in the region.
The puck drops Wednesday on high school hockey's biggest stage, the Boys Hockey State Tournament. Downtown St. Paul is filled with high school hockey families who have driven from all corners of the state to compete. The annual tournament has a storied history that goes back to 1945.The book “Tourney Time: Stories from the Minnesota Boys' State Hockey Tournament" by sports journalists David La Vaque and L. R. Nelson takes a year-by-year look at the tournament. Minnesota Now revisits a conversation MPR News host Tom Crann had with La Vaque in 2020.
In a speech Tuesday night that echoed his campaign rallies, President Donald Trump celebrated his first six weeks in office and the electoral win that came before. His words were punctuated by protests from Democrats and cheers from Republicans.Trump won the popular vote by 1.5 percent over former Vice President Kamala Harris. His win was clear, but the results were close enough to reflect the strong divides in our country's politics. In the series State of Democra-Z, Minnesota Now heard from a group of college-age voters from different points on the political spectrum throughout the presidential campaign. MPR News host Nina Moini checks in with them about the beginning of Trump’s second term and his address to Congress. Cori Stockard is a senior at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities and a Democrat.Addie Raum is a junior at St. Olaf College in Northfield and a conservative.Cory Hallada is a senior at St. Olaf College in Northfield and a Republican.
You didn't think we'd get through another Minnesota March without a doozy of a snowstorm, did you? Minnesotans across the state woke up Wednesday to several inches of cement-like snow on the ground. Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding Twin Cities region declared snow emergencies and southern Minnesota saw blizzard conditions.Gov. Tim Walz Wednesday morning authorized the Minnesota National Guard to support emergency winter storm operations and help rescue stranded drivers in Freeborn County. By noon, blowing snow was still causing problems on the roads in southern Minnesota. Several highways in the area were closed, including Interstate 90, and no travel was advised for most state highways in multiple southern Minnesota counties.MPR News host Nina Moini talked with MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner for a closer look at the storm and what’s next. And Bryan Lillie, maintenance superintendent for MnDOT in south-central Minnesota, shares the latest on road conditions in his region.
While some Democratic lawmakers boycotted President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress Tuesday night, others invited former federal workers from their districts as guests to the speech. It was part of a wider campaign to protest the administration’s mass firings and funding cuts.U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar invited Chris Wicker as her guest. As part of the first round of layoffs by the Department of Governmental Efficiency, or DOGE, the Air Force veteran was fired as deputy director of Minnesota’s Small Business Administration Office last month. Wicker joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his experience attending the speech.
Sloppy weather is on the way for much of the state. We break down what you need to know about a spring storm in the forecast. An election one week from Tuesday will decide control of the Minnesota House. We learn about the candidates. Our digital world uses a lot of electricity that has a real-world footprint. We have the latest on one proposed data center in Minnesota.Parenting is costly, especially with just one income. We learn about a Minneapolis organization's strategy for helping single moms and their families get out of poverty. Registration opened Tuesday for the Twin Cities marathon. With more people getting into distance running in recent years, we find out why the hobby is getting more competitive.Our Minnesota Music Minute was ‘Love Me 2’ by Gully Boys and our Song of the Day was ‘Lost Time’ by Loud Mouth Brass.
Registration for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon opens Tuesday. In 2024, more than 5,000 runners from all over the country took on what’s known as the most beautiful urban marathon in the country. Many runners use the Twin Cities Marathon to qualify for the Boston Marathon, one of the most famous races in the world. But due to the popularity of marathon running, it’s becoming more and more difficult to qualify for the Boston race. Jeff Metzdorff is the owner of Mill City and Saint City Running. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the prestige of the Boston Marathon and how more of the Twin Cities running community is vying for a spot in the race.
From food to child care, costs are up for parents in Minnesota. The affordability of raising a family is especially difficult on a single income. The poverty rate for families led by a single mom in Minnesota is about three times higher than families in general, according to estimates by the U.S. Census. An organization that started in Minneapolis is working around the country to help single moms get out of poverty. It’s called Jeremiah Program and it’s hosting a summit in Prior Lake and online March 7-9. Among current and former Jeremiah Program participants who will attend the summit is Lavasha Smith, a graduate of the program. Smith joined MPR News host Nina Moini along with Jeremiah Program CEO, Chastity Lord.
Minnesota’s regulations on power consumption are being put to the test after a clash with the tech giant Amazon. The company has plans to build a data center in Becker. A data center is a physical location that stores computers and equipment. Large companies like Amazon use data centers to compute enormous amounts of information. Those computers require a lot of energy to run. State utility regulators are pumping the breaks on the Becker center with concerns over backup generators Amazon included in its proposal. Jessica Hellman is the executive director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explore the environmental debate and implications for the data center.
A messy spring storm is headed our way. Southern Minnesota is under a blizzard warning for Tuesday evening and the Twin Cities is under a winter storm warning. What can we expect out of this system? MPR meteorologist Sven Sundgaard joined MPR News host Nina Moini with the latest on winter storm warnings, advisories and weather whiplash.
President Donald Trump’s plan to apply twenty-five percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican exports is set to start tomorrow. We'll hear from an official who oversees the relationship between Minnesota and Canada on how these tariffs could impact the local economy. The White House is taking control of media access to the president. And it's raising concerns of press freedom. We'll hear from a former White House correspondent from Minnesota. And it's been fifty years since researchers first gathered to discuss the emerging field of DNA technology. We'll talk to a Minnesota scientist about how the research and its ethics has evolved.Plus, the puck has dropped for the boy's state hockey tournament. We'll get the highlights from our sports contributors.Our Minnesota Music Minute was “I'm Not Giving Up on You” by Mike Kota. Our Song of the Day was “I Will Dare” by the Replacements.
The high school boys hockey tournament will look a little bit different this year, with some big teams knocked out in sections. Hibbing/Chisholm boys high school hockey are the number seed after beating out Hermantown. It’s the team’s first trip to the state tournament since 2011.Plus, the playoff picture is shaping up for the Wild and the Timberwolves. All this gives us a lot to talk about with our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. They joined Minnesota Now with the latest.
President Donald Trump’s plan to apply 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican exports is set to start Tuesday. He hopes to pressure the countries to stop the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S. Mexico and Canada have vowed to retaliate by slapping their own tariffs on U.S. goods, setting the stage for a potential North American trade war. “Canada and the United States have had free trade for 35 years now and this will be the single most turbulent element of our trading relationship since 1989, so it's very worrying,” said Beth Richardson, the Consul General of Canada to the U.S. in Minneapolis.Richardson told Minnesota Now host Nina Moini that she’s had business and agricultural associations calling her with concerns. She laid out three everyday impacts Minnesotans could see.
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