Minnesota Now

You may not know that many Hmong elders do not read or write their native language. It's a language with a strong oral tradition and was not formally written until the 1950s. A new audiobook aims to meet Hmong listeners where they're at. It's one of few English books translated into Hmong and recorded in Hmong.

'The Hungry Season: A Journey of War, Love, and Survival' is about a Hmong immigrant. Its author is Lisa Hamilton. Its translator is head of the Hmong language program at the University of Minnesota Bee Vang-Moua. They both joined Minnesota Now to talk about the project.

The death of Pope Francis Monday is still fresh for Catholics around the world. It kicked off a nine day mourning period. That means there's a lot going on in Vatican City, especially since there are many Easter tourists still in town from the holiday over the weekend.

Clare Willson is a St. Thomas University sophomore in a Catholic studies course in Rome. She joined Minnesota Now to talk about being at the Vatican during this historic time in the Catholic church.

The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday it will begin collecting student loans that are in default starting in May.

According to data from The New York Federal Reserve, Minnesota has about 844,000 student loan borrowers, for a total balance of $28 billion. Of those borrowers, about one percent are delinquent. In an uncertain economy, there are many others worried about paying off their debt.

April Sanderson is a student loan financial counselor with Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and is based in Virginia, Minn. She joined Minnesota Now to talk about the status of federal student loans.

The playoffs have begun for the Wolves and the Wild. The Timberwolves dominated their first post-season game against the L.A. Lakers on Saturday. They were up against not only LeBron James, but also Luka Dončić, who you may remember helped keep Minnesota out of the NBA finals when he played for the Dallas Mavericks last year. But that didn't stop the Wolves from winning by 22 points.

The Wild, meanwhile, lost their playoff opener against Las Vegas Sunday night. But for both teams, this weekend was just the beginning of a best-of-seven series that continues Tuesday.

Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined Minnesota Now with the latest sports headlines.

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. He was the first non-European head in centuries to lead the Roman Catholic Church. We'll hear how Catholics in Minnesota are mourning and reflecting. We'll also learn more about the Pope's impact and his legacy as a changemaker in the church.

New data shows how tribally-owned businesses across the country are impacting local economies. We'll dive into that research.

Plus, the FDA has halted the sale of copycat versions of Ozempic and Wegovy, a move that will cut thousands of Americans off from cheaper obesity drugs. We'll learn how that's impacting Minnesota patients.

And the Wolves dominated against the Lakers in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series. We'll break that down and more from our sports guys Wally and Eric.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “When Doves Cry” by Prince and our Song of the Day was “Aspen” by My Grandma’s Cardigan.

The amount of weight loss drugs on the market is about to shrink dramatically and cut thousands of Americans off from cheaper obesity drugs as the FDA halts the sale of copycats.

Companies and pharmacies were able to sell a cheaper alternative to the weight loss drug Wegovy and Ozempic because of a shortage of a protein called semaglutide, which helps regulate appetite.

But now that shortage is over and the FDA says the companies that provide cheaper alternatives must stop. Some will have to stop production by April 22.

Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to break down what this means for patients is Dr. Laurie Sund. She’s the medical director for the Medical Weight Management clinic at MHealth Fairview.

New data from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve is giving a first look at tribally-owned businesses across the country and their impact on economic development. The data was collected by the Center for Indian Country Development, which is within the Minneapolis Federal Reserve.

It finds that nearly every federally recognized tribe owns businesses and that those businesses are across a wide variety of sectors.

Joining Minnesota Now to tell us more about this research is Vanessa Palmer, data director for the Center for Indian Country Development and Jake Robinson, vice president of business and economic development with Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures and a Red Lake Nation tribal member.

Pope Francis appeared in St. Peter's Square to bless thousands of people on Easter Sunday. A day later, thousands are gathering there again, this time to mourn his death.

Mourners are also gathering at the Cathedral of St. Paul Monday for a special mass getting underway at noon. MPR News reporter Mark Zdechlik has been at the Cathedral all morning and provided an update after talking to mourners.

To reflect on Pope Francis’ legacy, we talked to Lino Rulli. He is the host of the Sirius XM show called “The Catholic Guy.”

Autism diagnoses are up across the U.S. The country's top health official asserts it's due to an unidentified environmental toxin. Scientists and advocates say it's better screenings. We'll talk to an autism advocate focused on Somali Minnesotans, whose children are diagnosed three times more than the state average.

A new study has found traffic in the Twin Cities has gotten worse and it's due in part to more people owning SUVs.

Plus, MPR News host Angela Davis and economics correspondent Chris Farrell head to Canada amid a rift in the relationship between the U.S. and its neighbor to the north.

We get some professional help to get people back in the dentist chair and smiling.

And we'll talk to a recent nursing school grad about the growing prevalence of male nurses in the field.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA.

In Minnesota and across the country, more men are choosing nursing as a career.

In this year’s class of new nurses, there are more men going into the profession than ever. Over the last ten years, the number of men in the field has increased by nearly 60 percent.

Earlier this week, nurses at Rasmussen University's Bloomington campus celebrated its graduating class. A record 40 percent of those graduates are men.

Mason Voth, one of the Rasmussen graduates, joined Minnesota Now to talk about shifts in the field of nursing.