Minnesota Now

Dozens of federal agents surrounded a Minneapolis restaurant Tuesday. The incident sparked protests from some who believed it was an immigration raid, but officials say it was unrelated to immigration enforcement. We learn more from Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt.

It's been a wild week of record smoke throughout the state. When will we get relief? MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner shares the latest forecast.

And a new program is encouraging more doctors to work in rural parts of Minnesota. We hear about the new residency program in Grand Rapids.

Plus, you may have read one of Tim O'Brien's books in school. He's a famous novelist from Minnesota. We talk to the author of a new book about his life.

And we hear about the future of a Minneapolis sambusa business that sells the frozen Somali pastries to schools and stores around the state.

Today’s Minnesota Music Minute was “Just Another Sucker” by 94 East and “Solo Cups” by Fred the Bear was the Song of the Day.

Since its founding ten years ago, a Minneapolis-based business has grown to sell frozen sambusas to grocery stores and school districts across the state.

Now the business, Hoyo, is moving to a commercial kitchen that owners say will allow them to double production of the savory pastries, which are an essential part of Somali cuisine.

Hoyo CEO Ghita Worcester joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about what’s next.

If you’ve spent much time in Minnesota or a high school English class, chances are you have heard of Tim O’Brien. Maybe you have even read his award-winning short story collection about the Vietnam War called “The Things They Carried.” A new book recounts O’Brien’s life, including his childhood in Worthington and early adulthood at Macalester College.

Author Alex Vernon joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the biography, which is titled “Peace is a Shy Thing: The Life and Art of Tim O’Brien.”

The state has really been through it weather-wise this week. In a bizarre sight on Tuesday, many Minnesotans witnessed rain pouring through smokey air. MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner joins MPR News host Nina Moini to explain these wacky weather events and what’s to come.

The University of Minnesota Medical School is expanding rural physician training in the state with a new residency program planned for Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital in Grand Rapids.

The new program joins a similar one in Willmar, where the first cohort will start their residencies next week. With these two programs, the U says it aims to create more opportunities for students to specialize in rural healthcare.

Dr. Shailey Prasad, the associate vice president for global and rural health at the University of Minnesota Medical School, joins MPR News Nina Moini with more details on this effort.

MPR News is following an incident where dozens of federal agents to surround a restaurant in the heart of the Latino community in Minneapolis Tuesday.

As news of the operation spread on social media, people believing the presence of federal agents was connected to an immigration raid tried to block tactical vehicles from coming down Lake Street and shouted at agents. At one point, some law enforcement used a chemical irritant to break up the crowd.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement it was part of a narcotics and money laundering investigation and not related to immigration enforcement.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office partnered with federal agencies to carry out the investigation, according to a statement posted on social media. For more information on what happened, MPR News host Nina Moini talks with Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt.

State lawmakers are still working to finish up their budget bills, which they'll take to a vote in a special session as soon as Wednesday. We heard about the major sticking points and what it will take to avoid a government shutdown.

We found out how state health officials are responding to a recent measles case at the Mall of America.

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon release its opinion on a disability rights case that began in a Minnesota school district. A law professor joined the show to break it down.

We met one of 29 leaders from the region who are being recognized for their community work through the 2025 Bush Fellowship.

We learned all about two red pandas and their new habitat at the Minnesota Zoo.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was ‘Sleepn’ by TABAH and our Song of the Day was ‘Fool's Gold’ by The Harlow Pennies.

The Bush foundation announced 29 recipients of its annual fellowship Tuesday. Each of them will get a grant to help build skills and make a difference in their communities.

The fellows hail from Minnesota, the Dakotas and the native nations in the region. Many of the fellows focus on racial justice. One of them is Kelis Houston. When she started working in child welfare, Kelis noticed that an alarmingly disproportional number of African American children were being separated from their families. The children were being kept away for longer and more frequently than other children. Kelis Houston joined Minnesota Now to explain the work that lies ahead of her.

Red pandas are wildly popular at zoos around the world, and in their home region in forests across Asia. Over the weekend, two panda brothers made their debut at the Minnesota Zoo for the summer. It's been four years since the Minnesota Zoo has hosted red pandas. They're joining a new exhibit focused on the forests of China.

Randy Kochevar is the chief animal care, health, conservation and behavior officer at the Minnesota Zoo. He joined Minnesota Now to explain how the zoo set up a new home for the pandas.

June is typically the time of year when the United States Supreme Court hands down their opinions on the cases they decided to take up this session. One of the cases up for a decision is a disability discrimination case involving a Minnesota family that sued Osseo Area Schools.

The family has a daughter with severe epilepsy and cognitive disabilities. They requested that Osseo Area Schools allow their daughter to have a later school schedule because she tends to suffer from seizures in the morning. The school did not make that accommodation and the family is working to prove that public school officials violated the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act.

The case could test the reach of federal laws that promise special help for children with disabilities in public schools. Jill Hasday, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, joined Minnesota Now to explain the case.