Those of us who love to garden know it can be a meditative space. A new book, “Perennial Ceremony” by Teresa Peterson, finds the Southwestern Minnesota-based author reconciling her spirituality through her relationship with her garden.

Peterson is a citizen of the Upper Sioux Community and writes about the intersections of cultural identity, food place and belonging.

She spoke with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about the book.

Last month, MPR News spoke with the superintendent of United South Central Schools in Wells, Minn. Their district had decided this year to spend thousands of dollars on phone pouches that lock students phones all day — no access.

The pouches were put into place on Tuesday. Minnesota Now senior producer Aleesa Kuznetsov spoke to two students at the school on the first day of the pouches to get their perspectives on the new policy.

With just one month to election day, recent polls suggest about 18 percent of voters are still undecided.

To learn what’s going on inside the minds of those people, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with John Blanchar, director of the Social and Political Psychology Lab at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Drought is getting worse across Minnesota. About 40 percent of the state is now in moderate drought, with the rest considered “abnormally dry.”

The main areas of the state affected: Northeastern and Southwestern Minnesota, where farmers have already been dealing with a smorgasbord of odd weather this growing season.

For more, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Liz Stahl, crops extension educator with the University of Minnesota Extension.

Wednesday marks the start of the holiest time of the year for Jewish people. It’s Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Families in Minnesota will head to synagogue and eat apples and honey among other traditions.

A Minnesota-based company, Kar-Ben Publishing, has been helping teach these traditions for 50 years. Kar-Ben is the largest publisher of Jewish culture children’s books in the world.

Publisher Fran Greenman-Schmitz joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.

It appears that most snap polls taken after Tuesday night’s Vice Presidential debate have voters thinking each candidate did okay. Polls taken for Politico and CBS News show voters evenly split on whether Gov. Tim Walz or Sen. JD Vance won the face-off.

While the event is not expected to push many voters to one side or another, it offered a closer look at the men who could be second in command. For the latest in our series, State of Democra-Z, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer checks in with two Gen-Z voters to find out what stood out to them.

From Gov. Tim Walz’s best moments, to his blunders, we break down the performances of Walz and JD Vance in the only Vice Presidential debate.

And in the series State of Democra-Z, we hear from our Gen-Z voter panel for their thoughts on the debate.

MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joins us with a fall weather forecast.

Plus, did you know Minnesota is home to the largest publisher in the world of Jewish children's books? We talk to the publisher ahead of the high holidays.

And a group of runners is not letting chronic illness stop them from running the Twin Cities Marathon this weekend.

A red flag warning that state officials announced Monday due to exceptionally dry, warm and windy conditions has been lifted, but experts are still concerned. MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer with an outlook on the warm weather.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is off to Pennsylvania for more campaigning Wednesday. He got a morning jog in at New York’s Central Park after his vice presidential debate showdown with Republican JD Vance, a first-term Ohio senator and his party’s nominee for the No. 2 spot.

MPR News senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson is in New York and joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer with takeaways from the only debate between the VP hopefuls.

Runners from all over the country are eagerly awaiting the iconic Twin Cities Marathon this Sunday, especially after the event was cancelled last year from unprecedented heat. Running 26.2 miles is an incredible feat for anyone, but for some struggling with chronic health conditions, it can seem impossible.

When Molly Monk was diagnosed with the chronic condition known as POTS in 2019, she struggled to find her footing and identity while hit with bouts of exhaustion that sometimes kept her from doing even basic activities like standing to brush her teeth.

She got to wondering, could someone with a condition like hers do something like run a marathon? To find out, she helped start a group for people who thought there was no way they could run a marathon, either. Together, they plan to cross the finish line at the Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday. Molly Monk joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.