Minnesota Now

A familiar face on your TV screen is chasing her dreams. Fox 9 reporter Courtney Godfrey has been named to the Team USA para-snowboard team.

It’s an amazing accomplishment that she has been working towards for years after losing the bottom half of her leg in a boating accident seven years ago and has meant taking breaks from reporting to pursue.

Godfrey joined Minnesota Now to talk about her snowboarding success

A new poll shows a close race for president in Minnesota — Vice President Kamala Harris has a tight lead. We’ll break down the results and how important they might be as election day draws nearer, we’re just over a month away.

The pentagon is sending U.S. troops to the Middle East following deadly attacks in Lebanon. Lebanese Minnesotans have been watching the chaos from afar. We’ll hear from one of them who helped evacuate her father from the country.

And we’ll hear from a new political action committee hoping to draw in Latino voters.

Plus the Lynx are in the playoffs, and the Vikings won on Sunday. We’re breaking down the latest sports news with our sports contributors Wally and Eric.

As early voting kicks off in Minnesota for the upcoming general election on Nov. 5, many voters may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of races and candidates on their ballot, particularly for local offices. To help Minnesotans make informed decisions, MPR News has launched an in-depth voter guide with information on thousands of candidates statewide.

Michael Olson, MPR News’ deputy managing editor for digital, explains how MPR News’ Voter Guide serves as a comprehensive resource for voters navigating their ballots this fall.

An interview with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will air Monday on La Mega radio, a station that reaches 200,000 Latino listeners. It comes after his campaign stop in the majority-Latino city of Allentown, Pa., on Saturday. It’s all part of an effort by the campaign to reach Latino voters during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Here in Minnesota, a new political action committee recently gave Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris its endorsement. Somos the Future is the political counterpart to COPAL — a group that led the push for undocumented immigrants to be able to get drivers licenses in Minnesota.

At a press conference announcing the launch of the new PAC, chair Carolina Ortiz listed several candidates the group is endorsing — all Democrats in the metro and southern Minnesota. Ortiz joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about their efforts.

The Pentagon announced Monday that it is sending more American troops to the Middle East following escalating tensions. It’s been five days since news broke of an attack on Lebanon via exploding pagers and walkie talkies. And over the weekend Israeli airstrikes in the region have killed at least 274 people and injured more than a thousand more.

More than 7,000 Lebanese Minnesotans have been witness to the chaos from afar. One of them is south Minneapolis resident Rasha Ahmad Sharif. She got her father out from Lebanon less than a week before hundreds of pagers exploded simultaneously across Lebanon. Her father is staying with her in Minneapolis as they figure out next steps. Sharif joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about what she and her family are facing.

The Minnesota Lynx had strong start to the playoffs over the weekend with a win over the Phoenix Suns. The team had a huge 23-point first half lead. But their opponents the Phoenix Mercury came roaring back. With about two minutes left in the game, the Lynx were able to pull ahead with the win.

Napheesa Collier was a standout with 38 points in the game, the second-most in Lynx playoff history.

Here to talk about the Minnesota Lynx playoff run and a strong start to the season for the Minnesota Vikings is Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Nelson is the other host of that show and Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS' Eye on Football and Sirius XM.

A new poll from MPR News, KARE 11 and The Minnesota Star Tribune shows a close race for president in Minnesota with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris leading Republican nominee Donald Trump by about five percentage points.

The poll also looks at what Minnesotans think about top issues like immigration, the economy and protecting democracy.

MPR News politics correspondent Mark Zdechlik joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to break down the results.

A new report looks into thousands of emails from the Walz administration during a difficult time: the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police killing of Daunte Wright and the threat of a government shutdown. We talk to an investigative reporter about what they learned.

We talk to a Minnesota man who found a surprising admission from former President Richard Nixon — that he thought marijuana was not dangerous. Plus, a local researcher learns there’s some truth behind the term “man flu.”

In our latest installment of the series Professional Help, we get some advice on the Minnesota phenomenon of constant apologies. And KARE 11’s Randy Shaver retired in June, but he’s found a way to keep talking high school football through a new podcast.

Friday night lights are set to shine on football fields in high schools across Minnesota this week. Most teams have made it through their first few games and homecoming season is upon us.

Retired KARE 11 anchor Randy Shaver has been following along since pre-season this summer. Since retiring from 41 years at KARE 11 in June, he is spending his time focusing on his passion for high school football. Every week on his new project, Shaver’s Prep Football Podcast, he talks to players, coaches and fellow fans about the highs and lows of the sport.

Shaver joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share the story of how he got started covering Minnesota high school football and what’s new this season.

We all need a little help to get through life sometimes. From everyday questions to more complex problems, we’re asking the experts to lend us a hand. Throughout the series, we’ll hear some direct advice for us not-so-direct Minnesotans.

Over-apologizing is so common in Minnesota, and in the Midwest generally, that it’s a favorite joke for comedians in the region. Maybe you can relate.

MPR News producer Gretchen Brown takes a closer look at where this tendency comes from, including the Scandinavian influence on Minnesota culture. Then she turns to an expert with her own lineage of politeness.

Lizzie Post, great-great-granddaughter of etiquette writer Emily Post and co-president of the Emily Post institute, shares some advice on when and how to say, “sorry.”