Minnesota Now

New details have emerged in the shootings of Minnesota lawmakers. A grand jury has indicted the suspect on federal charges. Plus, we recap day one of the burglary trial for Democratic state Senator Nicole Mitchell.

Traffic cameras in Minneapolis will crack down on speeding drivers. We learn about the new program.

We hear how proposed federal cuts to public housing could impact Minneapolis residents that rely on housing vouchers.

We are halfway through meteorological summer. What will the second half bring? Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner will join us with that answer.

Each year Minnesota and North Dakota students launch mini-canoes in the Red River Valley. One of them may be floating down a river near you.

The Minnesota Music Minute was ”Pouring Rain at Dawn” by The Jayhawks and “More to Me” by Amateur was the Song of the Day.

Water in the Red River Valley takes a path that may look odd on a map. That’s because the Red River flows north to Lake Winnipeg in Canada. From there, it heads for saltwater, emptying into the Hudson Bay and eventually reaching the ocean.

Somewhere along this route, lodged in a beaver dam or trucking downstream, are small wooden canoes that were decorated and launched by students from about 40 elementary schools in Minnesota and North Dakota. Each boat has a QR code and postcard instructing anyone who finds it to share the location.

For more on the program called River of Dreams, MPR News host Nina Moini talks with Taylor Lemieux and Ashley Loe. Lemieux is a watershed education coordinator for the International Water Institute, based in Fargo, and Loe is a fifth-grade teacher in Grand Forks, N.D.

Minnesota has had an eventful 24 hours of weather, with lots of rain and a big drop in temperatures. It all comes at the halfway point of meteorological summer. To find out how the second half of the season could unfold, MPR News host Nina Moini talks with MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner on Minnesota Now.

Now that President Trump has signed his “Big Beautiful Bill” into law, Congress will shift focus to next year’s budget. Congress is considering some initial budget proposals this week.

Trump’s original budget request to Congress back in May outlined a 44 percent cut to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees federal rental assistance programs and Section 8, or Housing Choice, vouchers.

Dominic Mitchell is the executive deputy director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and joins MPR News host Nina Moini to explain how the proposed cuts would impact his agency as well as renters who use the programs.

When you are driving in Minneapolis, you may get a speeding ticket without even getting pulled over by police. The city has announced the installation of speeding cameras at five intersections around the city. Eventually there could be more than 40 of these cameras. They are part of the city’s Vision Zero plan, aimed at reducing traffic accidents.

Vision Zero coordinator Ethan Fawley joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the new program.

A local artist is working to humanize people living with vitiligo through photographs that use black lights to highlight the skin condition. Vitiligo is the autoimmune disorder that causes white patches to appear on the skin. And it affects almost one percent of people worldwide.

Sharolyn Hagen started taking photographs of herself when she was diagnosed with vitiligo in 2016 to track the progression of her condition. But it turned into a much larger art and advocacy project. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.

A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Amir Locke during a no-knock raid in 2022 is leading a use-of-force training for the department. We got the details from the MPR News reporter who broke the story.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began detaining people right after their court hearings, according to immigrant rights advocates who are speaking out against the practice.

A new report shows Minnesota farm incomes plummeted in 2024 to their lowest level in two decades. We found out why.

We took a look inside downtown Minneapolis real estate with someone who sells skyscrapers.

A Twin Cities photographer with an autoimmune condition is using her camera to take down stigma.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was ‘Warhorse’ by Joan of Profile. Our Song of the Day was ‘Mudslide’ by Pat Donahue.

MPR News learned that the Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Amir Locke during a no-knock raid in 2022 is responsible for leading the police department’s use of force training.

The head of the police department said he understands why the choice of Sgt. Mark Hanneman to do this type of training will concern some people - but said Hanneman is the right person for the job.

However, the decision to put Hanneman in that position upset members of Locke’s family and others who say it hurts MPD’s efforts to reform police culture and repair community relations.

Cari Spencer reported the story and joined Minnesota Now to share about her reporting.

Selling a downtown office building in the Twin Cities— or anywhere— is no easy feat these days. Very few buildings have changed hands since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.  

Almost every successful sale of a downtown office building in the 2020s involved Harrison Wagenseil of commercial real estate firm CBRE’s Minneapolis team. Wagenseil was part of the brokerage team behind the recent sale of the Wells Fargo and Ameriprise towers in downtown Minneapolis.

He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about what goes into selling a skyscraper, and why it’s so difficult.

Farming is an unpredictable industry. From severe weather to market prices, a lot is out of farmer’s control. New data shows that in 2024, little was in farmer’s favor in Minnesota. A University of Minnesota annual report that looks at farm finances found that in 2024, Minnesota farmers saw their lowest net income in 20 years. Minnesota crop farmers saw the biggest losses. In 2024 the median net farm income was $2,371, compared to $47,484 in 2023.

Some farmers will get some of their money back. Applications opened last week for disaster assistance from the USDA for losses from 2023 and 2024.  

Jordan Goblish has a corn and soybean farm in Vesta, Minnesota. Pauline Van Nurden is an extension economist at the Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota. They both joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the financial state of Minnesota farms in 2025.