Minnesota Now

Mourners gathered to pay respects to former President Jimmy Carter at his funeral in Washington D.C. Thursday morning. We hear from Walter Mondale’s son, Ted Mondale, who delivered his father’s posthumous eulogy at the service.

Volunteers from the Minnesota Red Cross are rushing to California as deadly wildfires rage across Los Angeles and the surrounding region. We learn about the efforts to help bring relief to people who have been displaced.

Plus, retiring GOP Minnesota Rep. Pat Garofalo reflects on his career at the Capitol and the odds of this year’s Legislature legalizing sports betting.

And are the Minnesota Vikings cursed? A former Vikings great weighs in.

We’re nearing the end of one of our chilliest cold snaps yet this winter. Temperatures are expected to warm up Wednesday and there are two chances of snow in the forecast.

Chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joined Minnesota Now for his full forecast and also the latest on the wildfires raging in Los Angeles.

The Minneapolis Police Department welcomed the largest and most racially diverse incoming class of new hires to its department in more than five years. Tuesday night, 24 cadets and eight community service officers started on a path to become some the 580 sworn officers for the city. That number is still far from the roughly 900 who were part of the force before 2020.

The new hires came just a day after the city council unanimously agreed to sweeping reforms to the police department that came from the U.S. Department of Justice. Here to talk about this period of change at the Minneapolis Police Department is police Chief Brian O'Hara.

Minnesota businesses can no longer add service fees, health and wellness surcharges or other mandatory charges to customers’ bills at the end of a transaction.

But many restaurants and other hospitality businesses argue the service fees are transparent to begin with, and simply raising prices of items on a menu will hurt the business.

Angie Whitcomb, the CEO of Hospitality Minnesota, spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the implications of the new law.

The future of the Minneapolis Police Department is taking shape, with new hires and new police reform. We hear from police Chief Brian O’Hara about how a federal agreement and a new class of officers will impact next steps for the department.

Twenty state lawmakers retired or resigned at the end of last year’s Legislative Session. DFL Rep. Gene Pelowski joins us to reflect on his four decades of public service and this year’s bumpy start at the Capitol.

And a new law banning junk fees is now in effect. But members of Minnesota’s restaurant and hospitality industry are calling for reform. We hear about some of their concerns.

Plus, we learn how Visit St. Paul is getting people to explore the city through dumplings.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Love is the Law” by the Suburbs, in honor of guitarist Beej Chaney who passed away. Our Song of the Day was “Raindrops” by Jae Havoc.

It is the perfect time of year to cozy up with some dumplings. Whether it’s potstickers or sambusas, nearly every culture has their own version. And now there’s a new tool to help you try dozens of different kinds. Visit St. Paul has created a Dumpling Passport. It takes you across more than 30 restaurants that have a type of dumpling on their menu.

Joining the program to talk about the delicious project is Ava Diaz, communications and marketing manager with Visit St. Paul. Also joining is Nia Rasavong the co-owner of Ruam Mit, which is a stop on the passport.

Some notable lawmakers won’t be on the floor when legislators reconvene in St. Paul next week. Twenty lawmakers resigned or retired last session. Longtime DFL Rep. Gene Pelwoski is retiring after representing the city of Winona for 38 years.

Pelowski joined Minnesota Now to talk about his tenure and the future of his district.

The city of Minneapolis and the Justice Department have reached an agreement on additional court-ordered oversight of the police department, this time by a federal judge.

As MPR News correspondent Matt Sepic reports, the new consent decree follows a similar state-level agreement already in effect.

Minnesota lawmakers passed several laws that strengthen tenant rights last session, including protections for survivors of domestic violence and residents who want to organize tenants rights associations.

Juan Luis Rivera-Reyes, the coalition organizer for Equity in Place, a housing advocacy group, joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about some of these new laws.

A new children’s book by a Twin Cities author is out Tuesday. It’s called “Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop” and it’s the debut book for Keenan Jones, who is a middle school English teacher in the metro. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the book and how it came to be.

Jones has several book launch events coming up, including one Jan. 11 in downtown Minneapolis and another Jan. 18 in Duluth.