Fruit crops in Minnesota have gone dormant to survive the winter. That leaves the people who grow them to plan ahead. For organic fruit growers, that includes preparing for warmer winters, wetter springs and drier summers. Those are among the climate-driven trends affecting Minnesota.

On Wednesday, the University of Minnesota Extension will begin the second year of a climate resilience program for fruit growers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Madeline Wimmer is organizing the program as an extension educator and president of the Organic Fruit Growers Association. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the role fruit crops play in the region’s food system and how fruit farmers are adjusting for climate change.

Northfield-based horror writer Benjamin Percy has a new novel out and it’s unlike anything he’s done before.

To start, Percy’s new book “The End Times” does not come in the form of a book — instead, it’s being released as a series of 12 newspaper deliveries over the course of the year.

The story follows the residents of a fictional Minnesota town called North End as they try to rebuild 12 years after a horrific plague nearly wiped out all of humanity. In true Percy fashion, weird and strange things start happening as they work to restart their lives. 

Percy joined Minnesota Now to give a preview of what readers can expect from “The End Times.”

There has been a series of major changes to immigration policy out of Washington in the past few days. The Trump administration stopped all asylum cases, in addition to visas for Afghans. We'll learn about the impact in Minnesota.

The state of Minnesota has one more month to launch its new paid family and medical leave program. We'll talk with one of the people involved in the rollout.

Today is World AIDS Day, but the federal government is not participating. We'll find out what groups in Minnesota are doing to raise awareness and defend funding for HIV prevention and treatment.

And as the Vikings continue to struggle, the team announced today it is waiving receiver Adam Thielen. Our sports contributors will join us to explain this and other sports news.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Silence” by Jillian Rae and our Song of the Day was "Burnin’ the Midnight Oil” by Purple Funk Metropolis.

Monday is World AIDS Day, but the United States government is sitting out the commemoration this year. The World Health Organization created the day in the 1980s to remember those lost to the disease and rally support for prevention and treatment.

This is the first year since 1993 that the President of the United States has not signed a proclamation to recognize the day. The Trump Administration also told federal employees not to use government funds or social media for World AIDS Day, according to the New York Times.

Matt Toburen leads the Aliveness Project, which supports people living with HIV in the Twin Cities. He joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about how his organization is still raising awareness.

We're entering the final month of the NFL season. The Minnesota Vikings have been stuck at the bottom of their division, the NFC North, for weeks now.

And Sunday was another low point — or, you might say no point. They lost, 26-0, to the Seattle Seahawks.

Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined host Nina Moini to talk about this and more uplifting Minnesota sports news.

In exactly one month on Jan. 1, Minnesota will introduce a new benefit for most workers in the state. It’s a paid family and medical leave program that guarantees access to paid time off; for new parents, to recover from a medical issue, or to care for a sick family member. It’s a big change for Minnesota’s employers — and the workers who can take advantage of it.

Evan Rowe is the deputy commissioner of workforce services at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. He joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to explain what you need to know before the launch.

Some immigrants in Minnesota have questions after a recent series of Trump administration orders related to immigration. Those decisions included halting all asylum case decisions, plus pausing issuing visas for people from Afghanistan. That's after last week’s shooting of two National Guard members in Washington D.C. by an Afghan national who was granted asylum this year.

Jane Graupman is the executive director of the International Institute of Minnesota. She joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to help makes sense of the new orders and how it's affecting Minnesota.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter says the St. Paul Police Department is reviewing how its officers responded to an apparent immigration action Tuesday morning on the city’s east side. Police deployed projectiles and chemical irritants against people and the press.

St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry says his officers responded to the scene when a car was struck during a federal arrest. He says he then heard reports of protesters arming themselves with rocks and sticks.

This comes within a week of protesters responding to an ICE raid at a St. Paul business, Bro-Tex. Hundreds of people have responded to both immigration actions and that’s partially due to what’s known as a “rapid response network,” where legal observers are being called to document what’s happening.

Edwin Torres Desantiago is the manager of the Immigrant Defense Network, which oversees the rapid response. He joined Minnesota Now guest host Chris Farrell to talk about legal observer response.

This weekend, the Hmong community in Minnesota will be celebrating the Hmong New Year. This year is significant, as 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Hmong Americans in Minnesota.

Hmong folk singing is a form of song poetry that is commonly sung around Hmong New Year and other celebrations. Pang Her Vang is the president of the Mong United Equality Association. She’s a culture expert and Hmong elder here in the community and joined Minnesota Now to share more about the tradition of song poetry and also share some songs.

An immigration operation in St. Paul escalated with the use of chemical irritants and projectiles Tuesdays. Hundreds of protesters responded. We'll go inside the rapid response organization that mobilizes when ICE is spotted.

It’s safe to say winter is here. Paul Huttner shared snow totals from across the state.

With a large international population, the city of Rochester is working to to prepare residents for winter.

Plus, a biologist broke down the relationship between the deer and wolf population in Minnesota.

This weekend is the Hmong New Year. We heard about the long oral tradition of Hmong song poetry.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” by Bob Dylan. The Song of the Day was “All Are Welcome At Our Table” by Pat Egan.