Minnesota Now

The Minnesota Supreme Court is considering a challenge to a deal between the Minneapolis school district and teachers’ union. The agreement in question ended a Minneapolis teachers’ strike two and a half years ago and included job protections for teachers of color.

Before the agreement, Minneapolis Public Schools would have to lay off teachers in order of seniority, so the last ones hired would be the first let go. Now the district can exempt teachers from underrepresented groups from that rule. But a Minneapolis resident sued over this provision, saying it’s unconstitutional. What the court is weighing is whether a taxpayer, who helps fund the district, has legal standing to sue over something like a union contract.

Sahan Journal education reporter Becky Dernbach has been following this and she joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to break it down.

Hurricane Milton is approaching Florida’s west coast and is expected to make landfall Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Here in Minnesota, there is special attention on the storm because so many Minnesotans now live there or have a second vacation home there.

For the past few days, hundreds of thousands of people have evacuated their homes, clogging hotels and highways to get out of the path of the hurricane. One of them is St. Paul resident Tim Dykstal.

Tim lives in Minnesota, but drove down to Florida to stay in a shared family condo and play golf in Palm Harbor, about a mile inland from the coast. He left the condo and is taking shelter in a hotel to ride out the storm. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talks with him.

Hurricane Milton is barreling towards Florida’s gulf coast as a catastrophic Category 4 storm with winds of 145 miles per hour. We talk to one Minnesotan who went to Tampa on vacation and is now taking cover in a shelter.

The Minnesota Supreme Court is looking at whether a Minneapolis resident has the right to sue Minneapolis Public Schools over something in its teacher contract. We break down the arguments.

Plus, a Minnesota man is looking to squash his own record for the world’s largest pumpkin. That would be more than 2,700 lbs.! We check in with him as he gets ready to transport this year’s pumpkin to a competition in California.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Candy” by Cameo.

Our Song of the Day was “june” by “honeygrl”.

Did you know that the world’s largest pumpkin on record was grown right here in Minnesota? It weighed in last fall at nearly 2,750 lbs. Now its grower Travis Gienger is working to beat his own record at the upcoming Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival in California.

For 30 years he has been working to grow the perfect pumpkin. He joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share how he does it.

While Oct. 7 marks the horrific attack on Israel, it also marked the start of a wider war. Since that day the Israel Defense Forces have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Minnesota is home to hundreds of Palestinian families, including Lyla Abukhodair and her family. She lives in Duluth and in 2023 she opened a Palestinian restaurant called Falastin, which translates to “Palestine” in Arabic.

The last year has been filled with highs and lows as a Palestinian business owner. Lyla joined Minnesota Now to talk about her experience growing up on the Iron Range with family on the West Bank.

Every month, we talk about topics important to your health and what’s top of mind in the doctor’s office. The segment started with good news: Minnesota saw an 11 percent drop in drug overdose deaths.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer and Dr. Jon Hallberg, a family medicine physician at Mill City Clinic and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, discussed the reasons death rate has declined and how doctors have changed their approach to prescribing painkillers over Dr. Hallberg’s career. The pair also discussed the rise in AI over medical communication programs like MyChart and in the doctor’s office.

Hospitals throughout Minnesota are postponing non-emergency procedures as a result of an IV fluid shortage. The IV fluid shortage is one of the many ripple effects of Hurricane Helene.

M Health Fairview, Allina and Hennepin Healthcare are rescheduling their patients. Baxter North Cove supplies 60 percent of the country’s IV fluid bags and closed down production indefinitely at its facility in North Carolina after the destruction of the hurricane.

Now Minnesota hospitals are scrambling to conserve those critical fluids. The Minnesota Hospital Association is leading that charge. The director of the association, Dr. Rahul Koranne joined the show to detail plans to conserve IV fluids.

Hurricane Milton has been upgraded to a Category 5 storm with winds of 160 miles per hour. It’s expected to hit the gulf coast of Florida Wednesday. We'll hear from a Minnesotan who is preparing for Milton less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene.

A year ago today, 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage in an attack by Hamas on Israel. A rabbi joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer from Minneapolis to talk about this moment, which coincides with the holiest time of the year for Jewish people.

The Minnesota Twins’ general manager is leaving after a rough end to the season. Vikings season marches on. And the Lynx have one more game to decide if they make it to the WNBA finals. Sports guys Wally and Eric share their takes on all things Minnesota sports.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Cold Hart” by Morningbird.

Our Song of the Day was Golden Teachers by Afflatus.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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The Minnesota Vikings won their game against the New York Jets Sunday, 23 to 17. The game also spurred a viral moment as two Vikings players celebrated an interception by recreating the handshake from the 1998 movie, “The Parent Trap.”

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with sports guys Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson for their reflections on the game and more.

Monday, Oct. 7, 2024 marks one year since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel which killed 1,200 people. It was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Across Minnesota, the Jewish community is mourning and praying for the return of more than 100 hostages. This is all happening during the holiest time of the year for Jewish people.

Rabbi Arielle Lekach Rosenberg, the lead rabbi of Shir Tikvah in Minneapolis, joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to reflect on the heaviness of this day.