Minnesota Now

The Justice Department filed a misconduct claim against federal judges in Minnesota for speaking to the press about Operation Metro Surge. Plus, we broke down statewide student test scores released Wednesday.

The University of St. Thomas law school is looking back on Operation Metro Surge and how states can hold the federal government accountable when they break the law.

Plus, we talked to the journalists behind a new media platform telling stories of the Somali community.

And Chief Meteorologist Ben Cathey shared the fall forecast.

Plus, The Heights movie theater in Columbia Heights is celebrating 100 years of showing everything from classic films to blockbuster hits.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “The Resurrection” by Andre Cymone and “This Just In” by Dilly Dally Alley was the Song of the Day.

From silent cinema to modern movies, only one movie theater in the Twin Cities can say it has lived through it all. The Heights Theater in Columbia Heights has been running for 100 years. The one-screen theater has been through a lot in that time, as has the movie industry, and The Heights will celebrate its legacy starting Thursday, Oct. 1st.

Co-owner Ryan Oestreich joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the centennial celebration.

There are more than a quarter million Somali Americans in the U.S. and more than 80,000 in Minnesota. The diaspora is a frequent target of attacks from the White House down to online influencers and commenters.

Two Minnesota journalists aim to combat racist misinformation and fill coverage gaps with true stories about Somali American life, with a new digital platform called The Somali Brief.

Founder Mukhtar Ibrahim has been rethinking how to cover immigrant communities in Minnesota for years. He worked for the Star Tribune and at MPR News before founding Sahan Journal in 2019.

Journalist Ubah Ali became the Twin Cities' first Somali-American TV news reporter when she started at WCCO a few years ago. Now, she’s lead reporter for The Somali Brief.

They joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the new venture.

Legal experts from around the country are convening at the University of St. Thomas Friday to explore the constitutional questions that came out of this winter's surge of federal agents to Minnesota.

The event looks at the power and limitations states have to hold the federal governmental accountable for unlawful actions.

MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with University of St. Thomas law professor Rachel Moran, who was a part of shaping the event and will moderate one of its panels.

The Minnesota Department of Education has released the results of this year’s Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments. Fewer than half of students statewide who were tested met math and reading standards. MPR News education reporter Elizabeth Shockman joined Minnesota Now to explain.

Then, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with MDE Assistant Commissioner Bobbie Burnham about the test results as well as changing literacy standards and curriculum in the state.

A northwestern Minnesota school board voted Monday night to roll back a ban on rainbow stickers after being sued by the ACLU. The board's now considering a new policy. Fargo-Moorhead reporter Harshawn Ratanpal joined Minnesota Now with the latest from Detroit Lakes.

One Minnesota university was the first to offer a master’s degree in artificial intelligence and another is now joining them. We met two professors who championed these programs.

A local author grew up hearing stories of the 1934 Minneapolis Teamsters strike from his dad. His effort to learn more about what happened led to a new book.

We talked to a Minneapolis runner who's uplifting other Native women in her sport and organizing a remembrance run on Wednesday.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was "spitball girl" by the band ditch pigeon, and our Song of the Day was "I Will Dare" by The Replacements.

Nearly a century ago, thousands of Minneapolis workers went on strike in the middle of the Great Depression. It turned violent and police shot dozens of strikers, killing two. Members of a Teamsters local were fighting for union recognition, better wages and limits on their working hours. The strike ultimately helped turn Minneapolis into what was known as a union town.

Now, author John Hanson has written a new book about the strike, called “Fight & Win: Minneapolis Teamsters Strike, 1934." He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his personal connection to the story.

A Minnesota-based organization is leading its fifth-annual run on Sept. 30 to recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. The day was created to honor Indigenous children who died at residential schools as well as survivors of the institutions, where they suffered abuse and forced separation from their families and cultures. Similar boarding schools existed in the United States.

People in both countries wear orange shirts in remembrance each Sept. 30. Verna NezBegay Volker started the Run for the 215 event in 2021. She’s from the Navajo Nation and founder and executive director of Native Women Running. MPR News host Nina Moini talked to her about five years of the event.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in the headlines: from debates over data centers to concerns about the power of AI, elected officials and everyday people are figuring out the role of this technology in our lives.

In greater Minnesota, two professors have recently pushed to add new master's degree programs on AI at their universities. They say it's needed to meet the challenges and opportunities of our time.

MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with Minnesota State University Mankato professor Rajeev Bukralia, who helped launch the school’s master's in AI program last year. Moini also spoke with Minnesota State University Moorhead professor Andrew Chen, who is helping the school launch its master's in AI program in fall 2027.

The Detroit Lakes School Board has been trying to remove rainbow stickers from school grounds for months. It met again Monday night to debate a new policy.

MPR News reporter Harshawn Ratanpal was at the meeting and joined MPR News host Nina Moini with the latest in Detroit Lakes.