Minnesota Now

Two recent executive orders issued by President Donald Trump affecting education may have profound effects on educational resources for Native American students from kindergarten through college.

Two reporters covering Indigenous affairs have been following the potential impacts in Minnesota. Melissa Olson is an MPR News reporter on the Native News team and Allison Herrera is a reporter with APM Reports.

A group of youth in the Twin Cities are turning to each other to build the education system they want. The organization is called Good Trouble and it’s increasing student motivation by pushing schools, districts and policymakers to listen to students.

Last week, the organization held their first State of the Youth event.

Joining Minnesota Now to share more about the event and organization is Jose Perez, one of the co-founders of Good Trouble.

There has been little new information released about the detainment of an international graduated student by Immigration Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

University leaders say the student was at an off-campus residence when ICE removed them on Thursday. But it’s unclear who this student is and why they may be under investigation.

On Monday afternoon, hundreds of people gathered on campus to protest the incident. MPR News reporter Matt Sepic was on scene at the protest and joined Minnesota Now with the latest.

Spending in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race that could determine the court’s ideological majority has surpassed $90 million.

The two candidates, conservative Judge Brad Schimel and liberal Judge Susan Crawford, will face off on April 1. Both candidates have raised millions of dollars and garnered attention from some prominent names in politics, including Elon Musk, whose Department of Governmental Efficiency has slashed funding for government projects and cut thousands of federal jobs. 

Matt Smith, the politics director of WISN 12 News in Milwaukee, Wis., joined Minnesota Now to talk about the race and how it could have impacts in Minnesota and around the country.

Federal COVID-19 funds to states, including Minnesota, are being cut by the Trump administration. It erases $266 million in grants to the state. We’ll learn what impact that has from the Minnesota Department of Health commissioner.

Voters in Wisconsin will head to the ballot box next week in a state Supreme Court race. A Wisconsin reporter will share why people like Elon Musk are spending money on that election.

Plus we'll learn about a new partnership between three Twin Cities colleges that hopes to reenroll people who didn't finish their degree.

In our Thank You, Stranger we learn about a Minneapolis music fan known as "Front Row Paul."

And a fundraiser is supporting Minnesota Korean adoptees who want to learn about their past.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Just Like That” by Harlow and our Song of the Day was “Spandrel” by Jacob Pavek.

A landmark report in South Korea has concluded the government bears responsibility for facilitating a corrupt foreign adoption program, peaking in the 1970s and 80s. A commission in the country Wednesday released the findings after a nearly three-year investigation.  

The adoption program left thousands of Korean adoptees with questions and grief about their origin. More than 20,000 of those adoptees live here in Minnesota. It's the state with the highest number of Korean adoptees in the country.  

David “Chilly” Caufman, a Korean adoptee, has been a part of the Twin Cities music scene for 20 years and is helping to organize a music festival called Heart & Seoul Connection. Money raised during the festival will support adoptees to visit their birth country.

Caufman is working with Adoptee Hub, a Minnesota-based organization that supports Korean adoptees, to put the concert on. He joined Adoptee Hub founder and CEO Ami Nafzger to talk about the concert and the recent report on Minnesota Now.

This week's episode of “Thank You Stranger” honors a Twin Cities music scene legend. He was well known by local musicians and show-goers as “Front Row Paul”, or Paul Engebretson. Paul passed away earlier this week after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

MPR News producer Ellen Finn talked to local musician and talent buyer Christy Costello about how Paul went from stranger to friend for hundreds of musicians.

A celebration of life for Paul is being planned at Palmer’s Bar in Minneapolis at the end of May.

A new partnership is helping Minnesotans get their college degrees, if for some reason they couldn’t finish. Minneapolis College, St. Paul College and Metro State University are working with a ReUp Education, a national organization that helps reenroll people in college.  

According to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the state of Minnesota has more than 600,000 residents who have some college but no credential.

Greg Mellas, dean of Liberal and Fine Arts at St. Paul College, and Katy VanVliet, ReUp Education’s senior vice president of Learner Services, joined Minnesota Now to share more about the program.

State health leaders say the federal government is canceling $226 million in public health funding in Minnesota.

The cuts are part of an $11.4 billion cut to COVID-19 related grants nationwide. In a statement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said, “The COVID-19 pandemic is over.” The department also called the grants a waste of taxpayer money.

Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham joined Minnesota Now to talk about how the cuts will impact services in Minnesota.

The state of Minnesota is asking more than 50,000 employees to return to the office for 50 percent of the time beginning in June. The governor wants more in-person collaboration. We hear from a union leader who disputes the move and its timing.

A Minneapolis charter school is facing two lawsuits questioning the school administration's conduct after two teachers were accused of sexual abuse. We get the latest on a leadership change.

Plus, a sloppy spring storm could be on the way. MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner has an update.

And we go out to lunch with basketball legend Lindsay Whalen! She is back with the Lynx as an assistant coach after taking an 18-month break from basketball.

Today’s Minnesota Music Minute is “Late Bloom” by Zippy Laske and the Song of the Day is “Girl from the North Country” performed by Timothee Chalamet and Monica Barbaro.