Minnesota Now

A group of Twin Cities elected and law enforcement officials are calling for a regional task force to address recent shootings that they say involved Somali youth, and Somali leaders are pushing back on hateful comments that followed those events.

A national exhibit debuting in St. Paul this month confronts the Catholic Church's role in slavery in the U.S. We'll talk with a descendant of one of the more than 300 people enslaved by the Jesuits, who's now helping share the story.

We'll hear the story of a family navigating more than 10 months of separation due to ICE detention.

A well-known Twin Cities chef competed on the Food Network show, “Bobby's Triple Threat.” MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with Yia Vang before his episode airs Tuesday evening.

A new immersive exhibit opening at the University of St. Thomas this week is asking visitors to confront a painful chapter in the history of the Catholic Church and U.S. slavery.

“What We Inherit: Truth, Repair, and a Promise to the Future” tells the story of more than 300 Black people who were enslaved by the Jesuits and sold in 1838 to help pay the debts of Georgetown College.

The exhibition, which runs through Nov. 7, centers the voices and experiences of their descendants, including Monique Trusclair Maddox, president and CEO of the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation. She spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini about the exhibit’s debut at St. Thomas and what she hopes visitors get out of the experience.

Tuesday night on Food Network, Minnesota chef Yia Vang will compete for $25,000 on the cooking competition show “Bobby’s Triple Threat.”

The show, hosted by chef Bobby Flay, pits a challenger against three of Flay’s “titans,” or chefs selected by Flay. Vang will face each chef in a three-round competition, with the winner determined by a judge in blind taste tests.

Vang, who has competed on cooking shows before, spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini about his strategy for the competition, what it’s like to cook on a Food Network set and what viewers can expect from Tuesday evening’s episode, which airs on Food Network at 7 p.m. CST.

Lawyers of Minnesotans being held in immigrant detention say ICE is using a new tactic to keep people in detention. We'll hear more about two men who were arrested again by ICE after they were supposed to be released.

Minnesota's agriculture commissioner was at a conference with some of the state's most important trade partners last week. We'll hear what he discussed with representatives from Canada and Mexico about trade, animal disease and high diesel prices.

Plus, you may know about Minnesota's forests and prairies. But did you know our state has one of the most diverse peatlands in the world? We'll learn more about it and the important connections between peatlands and climate change.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Stormy Monday Blues” by Shirley Witherspoon. Our Song of the Day was “Hey Bud” by Charlieboy.

In northern Minnesota, the largest stretch of peatlands in the contiguous U.S. can be found. This wet terrain has taken thousands of years to form. And draws scientists and experts from around the world.

That includes our Jennifer de Mooy, who spent quite a bit of time there researching for her new book: "Water, Carbon, Time: Exploring Peatlands in a Warming World."

Minnesota Now host Nina Moini spoke to de Mooy about these important ecosystems.

From trade wars, to animal disease, and high diesel prices, there is a lot going on in the agriculture world.

Minnesota's Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen just returned from a conference where all of that was discussed with some of Minnesota's most important trade partners: Canada and Mexico.

Commissioner Petersen spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini with more on what he learned 35th annual Tri National Agricultural Accord.

Attorneys are warning of a new strategy ICE is using in Minnesota to keep immigrants in detention. MPR News reporter Cait Kelley joined Minnesota Now to share what she’s found out.

Becca Good has spoken publicly for the first time since her partner, Renee Good, was killed by an ICE agent in January. We learned more about her family’s lawsuit against the agent and federal officials.

Also, St. Paul has released the full sexual harassment investigation of its mayor, Kaohly Her.

And Minnesota band Wild Horses has a new album. We got a first listen.

The city of St. Paul released Thursday the full report of the investigation into allegations against Mayor Kaohly Her.

The city’s police chief, Axel Henry, alleged Mayor Her sexually harassed him and that city employees retaliated against him after he complained. The city had previously released a summary of the investigation but this full redacted report comes after City Council members called for its release.

St. Paul council member Molly Coleman, who represents Ward 4 in the northwestern corner of the city, was among those who called for the full document. She spoke with Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about the release and MPR News reporter Melissa Olson shared details from the report.

For some musicians, quitting your day job to start a band might sound like a pretty big gamble. But for Jed and Ariana LaPlant of Grand Rapids, it was the beginning of a new life on the road — and the start of Wild Horses.

The group draws on bluegrass, old-time and country traditions that run deep in Jed’s family. Five years after forming the band, they’re releasing a new album Friday called “The In Between.”

Jed LaPlant gave Minnesota Now a sneak peak of the album.