Minnesota Now

Thursday marks the first day of Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Art! The four-day festival is free and showcases floral interpretations of art from the MIA’s permanent collection, created by more than 100 professional and amateur florists.  

It’s the 41st year of Art in Bloom. For many, it’s a sign that spring is officially here and warm weather is here to stay. Art in Bloom Chair Sharon Secor and floral artist Amy Kubas joined Minnesota Now to talk about the exhibit.

Brooklyn Park is considering restricting where sex offenders can live in the city. In Minnesota, not every city is required to have rules on the books that prevent sex offenders from living near schools, daycares or parks.  

Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Matt Rabe discovered that more sex offenders reside in Brooklyn Park than other Twin Cities suburbs, in part because cities surrounding Brooklyn Park have ordinances restricting where sex offenders can live. He joined Minnesota Now to talk about his findings and his proposal to the city council.

The Minnesota Senate has passed a bill providing some benefits to Hmong and Lao veterans who helped the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

In the 1960s and early ‘70s, the CIA recruited tens of thousands of Hmong people in an operation known as the Secret War. Many of those recruits lost their lives. Others fled their home country when the war ended 50 years ago, eventually moving to states like Minnesota.  

The bill still needs to be passed by the Minnesota House to become law. DFL Sen. Susan Pha, DFL-Brooklyn Park, is a co-author of the bill and joined Minnesota Now to talk about the impact it may have.  

This story was first reported by Sahan Journal.

More than 200 colleges and universities have signed onto a letter opposing what they call "government overreach." Among the signees is the president of Macalester College. We talk to her about why she's taking a stand.

Minnesota's bear population is moving further south and even into the Twin Cities suburbs. A biologist from the Minnesota DNR shares what you need to watch for as bears come out of hibernation.

Plus, it feels like spring has finally sprung! MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner gives a rainy forecast ahead.

We get an update to an MPR News housing investigation you first heard on Minnesota Now.

And we go Out to Lunch with Anton Treuer, an author and prominent professor of Ojibwe language, culture and history.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Power Station” by Corey Wong and “Clap Back” by Toilet Rats was the Song of the Day.

On Minnesota Now, we get to hear from so many different people in Minnesota over the phone and in the studio. But we don’t often meet them in the community, where news — and life — happens. In our series Out to Lunch, we sit down for a meal with people from Minnesota news and culture to get to know them better.

This time, we take a short trip through downtown St. Paul to the Minnesota History Center, where Minnesota Now host Nina Moini sat down with Anton Treuer. He's a professor of Ojibwe language, history and culture at Bemidji State University. His most recent book, “Where Wolves Don't Die,” won the 2025 Minnesota Book Award for young adult literature.

Wednesday has brought remarkably warm and sunny weather to Minnesota. Thursday may counter with clouds and rain showers. MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joins MPR News host Emily Bright with details on the forecast, plus the latest on funding for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate centers.

It is the time of year when bears are coming out of hibernation and looking about for their next meal. Maybe you have seen a bear this season or heard of one in the neighborhood. This is a possibility not only for people who live in northern Minnesota. There have been bear sightings in the Twin Cities region this year.

Andy Tri, bear project leader for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, joins MPR News host Emily Bright to talk about the state of bears in Minnesota.

More than 300 college presidents and administrators from around the country signed a letter denouncing “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in higher education. By noon Wednesday, at least eight Minnesota colleges had joined the growing list of signees.

Since President Donald Trump was elected to office, his administration has worked to revoke Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies at colleges, launched investigations into antisemitism and trans athletes on campuses and threatened to withhold universities’ federal funding.

The American Association of Colleges and Universities released the letter Tuesday. Suzanne Rivera, president of Macalester College in St. Paul, is on the board of the association. She joins MPR News host Emily Bright to talk about the letter, which she also signed.

Starting in May, the federal government plans to get tough on student loan borrowers who are far behind on their payments. A financial counselor broke down what that means and what to do if you're struggling to keep up with your debt.

For many Hmong elders who don't read their native language, written translation doesn't mean much. That's why one author worked with a Minnesota professor to turn her work into a Hmong audiobook.

In the latest of our Wander and Wonder series, we met a woman determined to help victims of human trafficking.

We heard from a Minnesota college student in Rome who is witnessing a historic moment of mourning for Pope Francis.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was ‘Song for the Seeds’ by Humbird and ‘Easter Best’ by Lucy Michelle.

Tuesday night at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, a show will explore the intersections of grief and humor in Native culture. It’s called “Death, Grief and Dying: Indigenous Humor While Crying” and it’s a show very personal to its creator Trish Cook.

Cook is a comedian and a citizen of the Red Lake Nation. She joined MPR News host Emily Bright to talk about the intersection of grief and humor.