Minnesota Now

A Minnesota charter school is millions of dollars in debt and on the brink of closure. How did it get to this point, and how can we prevent something like this again in the future? We heard from a reporter on the story and a state lawmaker.

With two weeks until election day, listen for the story of a race in Montana with Minnesota ties, plus a Wisconsin race whose results could be consequential for the state and nation.

It doesn’t quite feel like winter yet... but colder weather is coming. How are you preparing your garden? A former TV anchor is now a garden photographer, and she’ll share her tips for the season and more.

Have you heard of the ‘Minnesota Tip’? It’s a method for getting roses ready for winter. On Oct. 26 volunteers will gather in Duluth for the annual routine. It’s one of the many flower stories longtime KARE 11 anchor turned flower photographer Diana Pierce has been following for her newsletter, Blooming. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to chat about rose tipping and Day of the Dead marigolds.

The quest by the Minnesota Lynx to win another WNBA championship ended on the hardwood court of Barclays Center in New York City in overtime Sunday night. The Lynx lost to the Liberty, 67-62.

The game went into overtime on a questionable call, and Coach Cheryl Reeve ripped the refs for it.

“All the headlines will read, ‘Reeve calls foul. Bring it on,’” Reeve told media in a post-game press conference. “Because this shit was stolen from us.”

To break down Reeve’s words, and the whole post-season for the Lynx, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with La Velle Neal, a sports columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Minnesota Lynx fans are going through the stages of post-championship grief Monday after the team lost to the New York Liberty Sunday night. We talk about the game, which capped a momentous season of women’s basketball, plus other Minnesota sports news.

Overdose deaths from opioids seem to be declining — but data shows that’s not true for one age group: People over 65. A Minnesota doctor is working to help recognize and treat opioid use disorder in elderly patients.

Plus, Jimmy Longoria’s family saw a bright future for him in politics. Instead, he became a celebrated artist in Minnesota whose work decorates the offices of lawmakers and a Supreme Court justice. We glean some wisdom from his long career — the latest in our ‘Connect the Dots’ series.

Another Minnesota championship has slipped through our fingers. Sunday night, the Liberty beat the Lynx in overtime. There’s been a dustup online about the officiating, and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve suggested in a press conference that the refs had unfairly decided the game.

Vikings fans are also nursing disappointment after a narrow defeat to the Detroit Lions Sunday.

But soccer fans, at least, have reason to celebrate — the Loons finished their regular season Saturday by beating St. Louis 4 to 1.

Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson join MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk through all of that sports news.

If you were to go into the offices and homes of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and actor and Chicano Art collector Cheech Marin, you’d see a similar thread. They all contain art by Jimmy Longoria, a self-described Chicano street artist who has spent most of his career in Minnesota.

The Innovation Center at 3M even had him create art from their products developed for window treatments, street signs and the like.

For our series “Connect the Dots” we’re asking community elders to share part of their life story and some of the lessons they’ve learned along the way about what matters in life.

MPR’s senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently met with Jimmy Longoria and his wife in their retirement community home in Oak Park Heights to do just that.

Opioid overdose death rates came down in 2023. Data shows that’s true across the country and here in Minnesota, but not for older adults.

Overdose deaths have increased by 9 percent among people over 65. That’s according to one nationwide analysis by the health research and journalism outfit KFF.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Dr. Bob Levy, an associate professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Minnesota who created a toolkit to help doctors recognize opioid use disorder in their older patients.

Minnesota Now is celebrating its third anniversary in a big way — with a quiz show in front of a live studio audience, hosted by Cathy Wurzer and Tane Danger.

Two teams face off head-to-head to answer questions about Minnesota news from the past year, Minnesota music and more.

Hip hop artist Nur-D leads one team, joined by Minnesota Now newscaster Emily Reese and former MPR politics editor Mike Mulcahy.

Chef Yia Vang serves as the team captain with MPR meteorologist Sven Sundgaard and incoming Minnesota Now host Nina Moini.

Watch the quiz show on the MPR News YouTube page.

A substitute teacher at Woodbury High School has been banned from teaching after re-enacting George Floyd's murder during a class, saying he could get away with murder due to his policing experience, among other things. We hear from the district superintendent.

A local musician is celebrating being 15 years breast-cancer free with a benefit concert.

Our first frost usually signals winter, but warmer weather is on the way. Paul Huttner has the forecast.

Plus we hear from a Zambian-Minnesotan author who will be sharing her new collection of short stories this weekend at the Twin Cities Book Festival.

And a new film is on a mission to prove Minnesota is a basketball state.

Our Song of the Day was “Magnified Iris” by 26 Bats! and our Minnesota Music Minute was “Treasure Trove” by Katie Tessman.

Wednesday night the Minnesota Lynx are back home in Minneapolis for Game 3 of the finals series against the New York Liberty. The teams are tied at one game a piece.  This year has been an amazing year for basketball in Minnesota, with the Timberwolves also making a big run in the playoffs. It raises the question, is Minnesota a basketball state?

One filmmaker thinks so. In fact, it’s in the title of his new documentary, “Basketball State: Land of 10,000 Hoops.”

Gabe Hostetler joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about his new film, which is making its premiere this weekend at the Twin Cities Film Festival.