Minnesota Now

Thursday the state saw a wave of school threats. We heard how even unfounded threats have an impact on student wellbeing. And as the final person killed in the tragedy at Park Tavern is memorialized Thursday, we discussed how to prevent future drinking and driving tragedies.

Olympic swimmer Regan Smith is back in town from Paris with five medals and a world record to boot. She talked with MPR News about her whirlwind summer. A State Fair Grandstand concert fan had a message for the millions of people who helped her in a new Thank You, Stranger segment.

And a country rock icon was here! Humbird joined to talk about her new album and tour.

Humbird has been on the Minnesota music scene for a handful of years at this point and their growing popularity has sent them on a national tour and supporting acts like Lady Lamb and the Cactus Blossoms.

Siri Undlin is the voice and writer behind the musical project Humbird. She is currently on tour with her new album “Right On” and joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini.

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

Alex Campbell had the moment of a lifetime at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand concert with Ludacris and T-Pain. She got to rap the verse in the hit song “Baby.”

After the show she posted to TikTok hoping someone recorded the moment and could send it to her. The video has more than 9 million views.

It was no surprise that she was flooded with messages from strangers who had video of her rapping.

She shared the story with Minnesota Now producer Ellen Finn.

Thank You, Stranger is our series about unexpected kindness in our lives. If you have a story to share about a stranger who made your life a little brighter, we want to hear it.

Contact us at [email protected] or ‪(612) 361-1252‬.

People are gathering at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park to remember Kristina Folkerts on Thursday. Folkerts was killed last week when a driver slammed his vehicle into the patio at the Park Tavern, where she was working as a server.

The driver, Steven Bailey, has been charged in the case. Authorities said Bailey’s blood alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit. He also had five previous DWI convictions.

A DWI conviction on its own isn’t always an indicator of substance-use disorder. But most drivers in alcohol-involved fatal crashes have high blood alcohol levels — at or above point one five percent — according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

That’s about seven or eight drinks in an hour, far beyond what the CDC considers binge drinking.

The tragedy makes us wonder how to prevent further tragedies like this one and why people who need help with substance use don’t always seek it. And if they seek it, don’t always find it.

William Moyers is vice president of Public Affairs and Community Relations at Hazelden Foundation and the author of “Broken Open: What Painkillers Taught Me about Life and Recovery.”

He joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini to talk about the landscape of addiction recovery in Minnesota.

Two charter schools in St. Paul closed Thursday and a third stepped up its security due to threats of violence that have been circulating online — mainly through social media platforms TikTok and Snapchat.

The posts mentioned several schools in St. Paul and throughout the Twin Cities metro. St. Paul Public Schools said in an email to parents that the threats are not believed to be credible and noted many of the posts came from outside the district. And the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension spokesperson said in a statement that the state and local law enforcement are monitoring the situation.

It's not a unique one, schools across the country have fielded similar threats in the wake of a recent shooting that killed four people in Winder, Georgia.

Amy Klinger is co-founder of the Educator's School Safety Network and works with schools nationwide to prevent and respond to violence. She joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini.

Olympic gold medalist Regan Smith is back home in Minnesota after an amazing run at the summer Olympic Games in Paris. The 22-year-old Lakeville native won two gold medals, three silvers and set a world record in the 100 meter backstroke.

But her path to Paris wasn’t easy. Smith was struggling during the Tokyo games. And she worked a lot on herself outside of the pool to prepare for Paris.

Smith shared the difficulties she faced and how she’s overcame them with MPR News guest host Nina Moini.

Have you gotten outside this week? This unseasonably warm weather has been lovely! One part that is not quite ideal, though, is the haziness in the region.

MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain the smoke in the air and the weather ahead.

The television ratings for the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump had not been released as of Wednesday at noon.

But it was shortly after the last debate that President Joe Biden left the race, setting off a turn of events that left Harris and Trump just a few months to campaign against one another. All of this raised the stakes when Harris and Trump met Tuesday night for 90 minutes on stage.

In our latest installment of the series, State of Democra-Z, MPR News host Nina Moini checked in with three voters from Gen Z about what they heard from the debate.

It was a fierce presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and Minnesota policies and events were brought up several times. We break down what the candidates said. Plus, we hear from Minnesota Now’s Gen Z panel on what they took away from the evening.

It has been 23 years since the 9/11 terror attacks. We take you back to a conversation from 2001 with the widow of a Minnesota man who died.

Plus, money dysmorphia: have you heard of the term? We tell you what it means and a financial counselor shares tips on how to combat it.

Smoke returns to Minnesota skies along with some unseasonably warm weather. MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner has a look at the forecast.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off Tuesday night in their first — and only scheduled — televised debate.

The discussion spurred multiple mentions of Minnesota, in particular noting Harris’ running mate Gov. Tim Walz and his policy track record here. MPR News senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain.

Plus, we heard from voters who attended Republican and Democratic watch parties.