Minnesota Now

Flames rising. Police officers retreating. A community trying to protect itself.

These scenes may evoke the chaos following George Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020. But they also describe what happened nearly two decades earlier, on Aug. 22, 2002, in north Minneapolis. That summer, community outrage erupted after a white Minneapolis police officer shot and wounded an 11-year-old Black boy.

“It came at a time when tensions were already high,” reported MPR News’ Brandt Williams in 2002. “An angry, predominantly Black crowd gathered and accused the police of targeting African Americans.”

That unrest, like the one in 2020, drew the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice. But for longtime observers like Williams — who began covering the city in 1992 for the Black-owned “Insight News” — the story of police-community tensions in Minneapolis began long before Floyd's name became a rallying cry.

Listen to MPR News senior editor Brandt Williams’ conversation with Minnesota Now host Nina Moini. The segment was produced by Aleesa Kuznetsov and Megan Burks. It was engineered by Alex Simpson.

We're remembering five years since the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Today, we are looking back at how we got here by examining decades of police-community relations in Minneapolis that set the stage for a racial reckoning.

The deadline for the 2025 Minnesota Legislative Session is tonight at midnight, but lawmakers aren't done with their work. We'll get the latest updates on a special session and what still needs to happen from our politics team.

Plus, patients with sleep apnea have found they sleep better after receiving medical marijuana, according to a new survey. We'll learn more about how the findings could help other patients struggling to sleep.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Undying Thirst” by Black Market Brass and our Song of the Day was “Carl Sagan” by Night Moves.

Sleep apnea is a condition that affects millions of people, often without them even knowing it. It’s more than just loud snoring or restless nights. It can have serious health consequences. And the state Office of Cannabis Management has new data about using cannabis to treat the condition.

They conducted the largest survey on record about the condition and cannabis. And their findings show it could really help patients.

Joining Minnesota Now to explain is Grace Christensen, a research analyst at the Office of Cannabis Management.

At midnight Monday, it is all supposed to be over. The state Legislature is supposed to adjourn after passing a new two-year budget. That’s not going to happen this year. A special session will be needed to complete the task because lawmakers are still navigating the remaining sticking points and political obstacles.

Peter Cox, one of a trio of MPR News reporters tracking the session, joined Minnesota Now with an update.

Some much needed rain is coming to the state and it has the potential to come in the form of severe weather. We learn more from our meteorologist Mandy Thalhuber.

The rain could help contain wildfires in northeast Minnesota that are still raging today.

Minnesota's legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz have reached a budget deal just in time before the session ends. We learn more about their dash to tie up loose ends.

We hear the story of the first Hmong-American to have a musical professionally produced right here in Minnesota, as part of our ChangeMakers series

And do you have a tree climber in your life? A competition this weekend highlights the dare devils at the top of their game.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Sugar” by FenixDion. The Song of the Day was “Baby Girl” by Eleanor Sievers.

If there’s a kid in your life who loves to climb trees, they may be interested to know it can be a career and a sport. There are competitions all over the world where arborists race to scale trees and complete tasks up in the branches.

The Minnesota Society of Arboriculture’s Tree Climbing Championship and Festival of Trees is this weekend at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. Returning women’s champion Sydney Hudzinski will be defending her title and trying to make it to the international championships this fall. She joined Minnesota Now to talk about the event.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

In the nick of time, a budget deal has been reached between most of Minnesota legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz. Now it's up to committees to fill in more details and put the plan to a series of votes.

There's little time left to get a budget approved before the legislature is required to adjourn on Monday. A short special session is possible. MPR News Reporter Clay Masters joined Minnesota Now with the latest legislative updates.

Reinforcements are arriving to help fight several wildfires burning in northeastern Minnesota that have scorched about 58 square miles and destroyed dozens of homes, an area about the size of Minneapolis.

The fires are still zero percent contained. Dan Kraker spoke to fire crews, those affected by the wildfires and volunteer efforts to take care of them.

Thunderstorms are expected to roll across central and eastern Minnesota into Wisconsin Thursday afternoon. It's possible they'll bring large hail, strong winds and tornadoes, especially as they travel east.

The cloudy, windy and potentially severe weather forecasted for today is pushing this week’s unseasonable heat. MPR meteorologist Mandy Thalhuber joined Minnesota Now to give the latest details on Thursday’s storm.

As many as 9,000 Afghan refugees are at risk of deportation after the White House ended an immigration program that let them stay in the U.S. legally. We talk to an organization that has been supporting Afghans in Minnesota.

Minnesota has seen four women die due to domestic violence in the span of four weeks. We hear from Violence Free Minnesota about their prevention efforts and how they are navigating potential cuts to federal funding.

We hear the latest on a challenge to the state's ban on binary triggers on guns.

Plus, this weekend Art-a-Whirl in northeast Minneapolis is celebrating 30 years. We hear from an artist being recognized in the country's largest open-studio tour.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Earthly Delights” by Field Hospitals and the Song of the Day was “Move on Up” by Curtis Mayfield.