48 years ago in October, a the first vice presidential candidate from Minnesota took the national stage for a debate.

That was Walter Mondale, a 48-year-old U.S. senator from Minnesota, running alongside newcomer Jimmy Carter, the former governor of Georgia.

Mondale's 1976 debate against Republican VP nominee Bob Dole was the first time two vice presidential candidates met up for a live, televised debate.

It was a fiery political moment. President Richard Nixon had resigned just two years earlier over the Watergate scandal. And Americans were disillusioned by the war in Vietnam.

Part of Mondale and Dole's exchange left a mark on the rest of Bob Dole's career: Mondale called him a “hatchet man” and the name stuck.

Mondale and running mate Jimmy Carter went on to defeat incumbent Gerald Ford in the presidential election that November.

Vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance face off in New York on a national stage for the first time — and probably the last time. We heard the latest from our politics team at the scene ahead of Tuesday night’s debate.

Minnesotans have had a while to get to know Tim Walz, but in Ohio, JD Vance’s political career is relatively new. We heard from a reporter in his home state about Vance’s political reputation there.

48 years ago another Minnesotan VP candidate was taking the stage for his very first debate, some of which was quite memorable. We travelled back in time to Walter Mondale’s 1976 debate.

Did you know Minnesota is home to one of the largest jigsaw puzzle competitions in the world? A puzzler fresh off a world championship joined the show to give the insider details.

Tickets went live Tuesday for one of the largest jigsaw puzzling competitions in the world. It takes place at the St. Paul Winter Carnival.

Sarah Schuler just returned from Spain after her team placed fifth in the World Jigsaw Competition in Spain. She will attend the jigsaw competition at the St. Paul carnival, which is about the same size as the worldwide competition. She joined Minnesota Now to dive into the world of puzzling.

In Minnesota, voters on both sides of the aisle have had more time to get to know Gov. Tim Walz than his opponent. Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance gained national recognition for his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” back in 2016, but his political career is relatively new.

Vance was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022, thanks in part to the endorsement of former president Donald Trump. Sarah Donaldson has been covering Vance since that election. She’s a reporter for the Statehouse News Bureau in Ohio and she joined Minnesota Now to explain Vance’s rise and predict his moves for Tuesday evening’s debate.

Minnesota’s new climate laws passed in 2023 require all electricity in the state to come from carbon-free sources by the year 2040. But it’s up to regulators to decide what exactly counts as carbon free — the key question that has arisen is whether burning trash and timber for energy should be a part of the mix.

There may not be an answer until the end of 2025 after the Public Utilities Commission recently moved to delay the decision. Andrew Hazzard has been following this. He covers climate change and environmental justice for Sahan Journal and he joined Minnesota Now to talk about his reporting.

Vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance are in New York preparing for their first — and probably last — debate Tuesday evening. The two relatively little-known politicians will introduce themselves to the country and try to avoid any slip ups on the big stage.

MPR News senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the stakes of the debate, the arguments the candidates will make and where each candidate could stand to gain ground.

This hot and dry September has raised the risk of wildfires. We get details on a red flag warning in effect Monday for much of the state.

And the remains of two boys who died at a boarding school have returned to White Earth. We have more on the effort to bring them home.

Baby Boomers and Millennials may not have the same “American Dream.” We talk to a Minnesota professor who is studying the differences.

Gov. Tim Walz used to talk a lot about his experience in China. But on the campaign trail, he doesn’t mention it. We dig into his time there and its political weight.

Plus, it was a major weekend in sports. Sports guys Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson talk through that Vikings-Packers game, the Karl Anthony Towns trade and more.

Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance descend on New York tomorrow for the first — and only — Vice Presidential debate. Walz’s campaign has introduced him to the nation as a Midwestern dad and high school football coach.

But Walz is also a world traveler, with a deep experience in China. It’s a fact he used to brag about — and sometimes exaggerate — earlier in his political career. But now that he’s running for vice president, his campaign barely mentions it.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer dove deeper into the story with Curtis Gilbert, senior editor with APM Reports.

How do you define the “American Dream?” Is it a white picket fence? A home in the suburbs? A general feeling of security?

A study from Minnesota State University - Mankato asked Millennials and Baby Boomers what the American Dream looked like in their eyes and found some generational differences.

Kristin Scott is a professor of Marketing at MSU Mankato and the primary author of the study. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.

The dry and warm weather over the past few weeks have come together to create the perfect conditions for a wildfire. So much so that the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for 39 counties in central, northeast, northwest and southwest Minnesota.

To explain that risk, Karen Harrison, a wildfire prevention specialist from the Department of Natural Resources, spoke with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.