Minnesota Now

Critics of Minneapolis policies around encampments for unhoused people spoke out Tuesday morning. A property owner said allowing people to stay in tents on his private land in south Minneapolis should be allowed.

On Wednesday, Mayor Jacob Frey is expected to brief the city council on possible legal action against the encampment and property owner. MPR News reporter Cari Spencer was at a press conference with the property owner and joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini from Minneapolis.

On the south end of Como Lake in St. Paul, there’s a street called Nagasaki Road. And in Nagasaki, Japan, there’s a street named after St. Paul. They are sister cities, an official relationship that began in December 1955. That was only 10 years after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, 80 years ago this month.

Nagasaki’s current mayor, Shiro Suzuki, recently visited Minnesota for the first time. His grandfather was mayor of Nagasaki when the sister-city relationship was formed. MPR News host Nina Moini talked to Mayor Suzuki at the Minnesota History Center about his visit.

There's a chill in the morning air, the air feels drier and the evenings are getting darker. These are some of the first signs of football season.

The Vikings are making changes to their roster in the gap between the preseason and their opening game on Sept. 8. The University of Minnesota Gophers and Minnesota high school teams will start their seasons in just a couple days.

Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about what to expect.

It's possible this school year is one of the last before a federal program changes the face of public and private schools in Minnesota. President Donald Trump's sprawling budget bill that passed in July included a program that amounts to school vouchers that can be used for private schools. It signals a new era of the school choice movement.

While legislation like this usually originates in conservative circles, nonprofit advocates in traditionally Democratic-leaning states, like Minnesota, have a new opportunity to strengthen their movement.

Here to explain how the bill could change things for school choice in Minnesota is one such advocate. Ricky Austin is the president of the Aim Higher Foundation in St. Paul. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain what his organization does and how the federal tax credit works.

The city of Minneapolis is at odds with a property owner who is allowing people to stay on his land in an encampment.

We heard how politicians are considering their own safety at the State Fair, following the shootings of two lawmakers.

Under a budget bill that Congress passed this summer, it could soon be easier for families to send their kids to private schools. We'll learn about the shifting environment of school choice in Minnesota.

St. Paul and Nagasaki were the first sister cities in the U.S. and Japan. The mayor of Nagasaki was recently in St. Paul to commemorate 70 years of this relationship, and he joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his visit.

We got a football season preview from our sports contributors.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Molly's Tune” by Steam Machine and our Song of the Day was “Dental Implant” by The Steve Kenny Quintet.

Minnesota Now is live from the MPR stage at the corner of Judson and Nelson.

The state fair has become synonymous with politics. This year is not a major election year, so we check in with the MPR News politics team about the stories they're covering on a busy beat.

We put your Minnesota state fair history to the test with the Minnesota Historical Society's history on a stick.

Among the many animals you can see at the fair are stunt dogs! We meet an impressive jump-roping chiweenie.

Plus, we bring you live music on our state fair stage from local musician Dylan Salfer. He is about to release his debut album.

It has been quite the year for politics in Minnesota. In the last 12 months, we saw a historic presidential ticket with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a chaotic start to the legislative session with a boycott and tragedy this summer with the shootings of two lawmakers.

MPR News’ politics team has been through it all and joins Minnesota Now live from the state fair. Reporters Dana Ferguson, Clay Masters and Peter Cox give a peek behind the curtain of what it’s like to cover politics in Minnesota.

The Minnesota State Fair began more than 165 years ago, enough time for a lot of interesting stories to accumulate. What better way to sort through it all than with trivia?

Minnesota Historical Society program associate Jacob Rorem puts MPR News staff and audience members to the test with a history quiz, live from the fair.

On Minnesota Now, we play music every day. When we broadcast from the State Fair, that music is live!

Dylan Salfer is a blues guitarist who grew up in River Falls, Wisconsin and now lives in the Twin Cities. You may have seen him around town at Art-a-Whirl, Icehouse, or other local gigs. He and his band are busy recording their debut album.

Salfer joins MPR News host Nina Moini from the fair to talk about his music and plays two songs, “Crooked Hand” and “I’ll Be Gone.”

People have traveled from every corner of Minnesota and beyond to the state fair to show their animals, from fancy pigeons to dairy cows. But there are also animals that put on a show, three times each day. One of these hard-working performers is WeeWee the Chi-Weenie.

WeeWee joins MPR News host Nina Moini live from the fair along with her trainer, Abby Cline and Chris Perondi, founder of the touring company, Stunt Dog Productions. They are part of the team that puts on the show All-Star Stunt Dogs Splash on the Northwoods Stage. It happens each day of the state fair at 11, 2 and 4:30 p.m.