The weekend of Dec. 21-22 will be Minnesota’s last chance to experience the longstanding and beloved holiday show, A Christmas Celebration with The Steeles.

After 40 years, the Minnesota gospel group is wrapping up their run of Christmas concerts. Siblings J.D., Fred, Jearlyn, Jevetta and Billy Steele have brought their joyful holiday harmonies to Minnesota audiences since 1984 and plan to do so one last time at the Pantages Theatre Saturday and Sunday.

The Steeles are an integral part of the Minnesota sound and have recorded and performed with Prince, Donald Fagen, Morgan Freeman and others throughout their career. The family traveled the world in the acclaimed musical The Gospel at Colonus and contributed to several soundtracks.

Jevetta Steele takes a break from rehearsals to talk with MPR News host Nina Moini about the band’s final Christmas shows.

In our series Thank You, Stranger, we hear about small acts of kindness that have a big impact.

After a difficult diagnosis, a mother is facing a heartbreaking loss and making the best of her remaining time with her son. MPR News producer Ellen Finn talks with New Brighton’s Elizabeth Naylor about a last trip with her son, who is nicknamed “G.”

Twelve artists across the state are working on a first-of-its-kind pilot project as Minnesota parks artists-in-residence. Beginning last July and ending in June 2025, each artist is researching a park, trail or park system and developing public art for the area.

Participating parks include Battle Creek Park in St. Paul, Lake Bemidji State Park, Granite Falls Memorial Park and more.

Amanda Lovelee, a parks ambassador for the Metropolitan Council, and Tettegouche State Park artist-in-residence Sam Zimmerman join MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the program.

Wednesday night and Thursday brought the first major snowfall this season for much of the state, including the Twin Cities metro. A winter storm warning is in effect for much of central and southeast Minnesota until midnight.

More than a hundred schools are closed or have a delayed start and dozens of spinouts and crashes have already been reported in the state.

For details on snow totals, the forecast ahead and road conditions, MPR News host Nina Moini talks with MPR News meteorologist Mandy Thalhuber and Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesperson Anne Meyer.

Light snow was falling in the Twin Cities Wednesday morning and there’s more on the way for most of the state. MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joins us with the details you need to plan your commute — plus, the odds of having a white Christmas and Hannukah.

A housing program for moms in St. Louis Park cut its funding a year ago. Now it could get state money to help about 60 families stay in their homes.

Minnesota 2nd District Rep. Angie Craig just became a leader of the House Agriculture Committee. We hear her plans for the farm bill.

MPR News staff share their favorite parenting books of the year.

Plus, we talk about 2024’s most popular baby names in the state — with a baby name consultant.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was a song from WE WIN drummers and Thomasina Petrus and our Song of the Day was “Yabba-Dabba Yuletide” by Brian Setzer Orchestra.

While our full list of favorite books won’t be out for another week, a few members of the newsroom shared ones that are making their end of the year list.

M Health Fairview announced its list of top baby names of 2024 after the system helped deliver 12,000 babies at nine locations around the state.

Boy names Theodore, Oliver and Henry have had lasting appeal, taking turns in the top three spots on Fairview’s annual list since 2021.

For girls’ names, Olivia, Emma and Evelyn dethroned the perennial frontrunner, Charlotte.

Steph Coffield is a name consultant and a Minnesota mom. Her social media account, Names with Steph, has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram by posting name suggestions, inspiration and offering name consulting services.

She’s also the author of two books, “Names Don’t Have an Age” and “Names Don’t Have a Gender.”

Coffield joined Minnesota Now to talk about this year’s baby name list.

A more than 40-year-old housing program for mothers with low income is back up and running after it was saved from bankruptcy. A nonprofit developer called Trellis bought the property this fall.

This week, the state plans to secure $8 million in funding to keep the property and its programs afloat. Now almost 60 mothers and their children — many of whom have said the development was a safe place to recover from abuse or addiction — will remain in place and start receiving supportive programming.

Corinne Martin has been living at the development in St. Louis Park. She joins Minnesota Now to talk about her experience.

Jennifer Ho is the commissioner of Minnesota Housing, she also joins the program to talk about the request to the state.

There’s a good chance of significant snow coming Wednesday night for much of the state. And it’s giving us a higher chance of a white Christmas and also a higher chance of holiday travel getting impacted by weather.

To get the full scope of what’s coming, MPR’s chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joined Minnesota Now.

The year 2024 was defined by many things. Among them? A remarkable, unprecedented year for women's sports. You might be thinking of Caitlin Clark's spectacular effect on college basketball and her WNBA premiere. But there are so many others that had outstanding years, including Simone Biles, Suni Lee and the rest of her Olympic team in Paris this summer, or Minnesota's own Lynx almost clinching that WNBA championship. The WNBA also saw record viewership.

For most women’s sports, a larger mainstream audience started to give women's sports the recognition they've long deserved. Jillian Hiscock has dedicated her career to shining the spotlight on women's sports. She made state history too this year when she opened Minnesota's first ever women's sports bar, called A Bar of Their Own, earlier this spring. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini in studio to talk about the remarkable year.