So far this November, the Twin Cities have had mild weather, but the north shore has been looking more and more like winter. MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner joined Cathy Wurzer to talk about winter snowfall trends, an unseasonably warm week coming up, and forecasts across the state.

The political makeup of the Minneapolis City Council will become more liberal after election results Wednesday show some progressive candidates likely gaining an edge in the body.

MPR’s Jon Collins joined Minnesota Now host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the nail biters and election results across the city.

According to the 2020 agricultural census, 99% of Minnesota farmers are white. And across the whole state, the census counted only 39 Black farmers. A history of discrimination in loan programs and other policies that led to a precipitous drop in Black-owned farms throughout the last century. State lawmakers created the Emerging Farmers office in 2021 and expanded it last session. Wednesday is Lilian Otieno’s first official day as its director. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.

Results from election day rolled in throughout Wednesday. Minnesota Now covered the latest results in some of the close races and what that means for the balance of power on the Minneapolis city council.

Election day has also brought historic wins across the state. St. Louis Park Mayor-Elect Nadia Mohamed joined the show after becoming the country's first elected Somali-American Mayor.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke to Duluth Mayor-Elect Roger Reinert after he beat out a two-term incumbent.

Plus, Wednesday is the first day on the job for the director of the Emerging Farmer's office, which looks to make farming more accessible.

Voting is underway across Minnesota in various local races for mayor, city council, school board and other positions. Off-year, local elections tend to see much lower turnout than presidential and statewide races. But their results still have a big impact on Minnesotan’s lives. Polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday night and MPR News will have coverage of the results of a few key races. In the meantime, reporter Kyra Miles was at the polls in Ward 12 in Minneapolis and joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer over the phone to talk about what’s happening.

Tuesday marks one month since Hamas crossed into southern Israel killing more than 1,400 people and triggering a war. Hamas has also taken 240 hostages. Today Israelis observed a moment of silence. The 30th day is a milestone in Jewish mourning and memorial events are planned in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 10,300. According to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza strip, two-thirds of the dead are women and children. Another 2,300 are missing and believed to buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

To bring context for this war, professor Eric Schwartz joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer. Schwartz is the chair of the University of Minnesota Humphrey School's global policy area and formerly worked with the state department.

A group of women in St. Paul are celebrating a big anniversary Tuesday. It’s the 50th anniversary of the Cairn Lassies, a curling club that started in 1973. Judy Jytyla is a founding member who still plays on the team 50 years later. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share the legacy and impact the curling club has had over the last 50 years.

It's election day in Minnesota. Our reporters are out at the polls all across the state talking to voters. We had a live report from a Minneapolis polling place.

Tuesday marks one month of a gruesome war between Israel and Hamas. We'll talk to a local expert about a path towards peace.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara joined the show as he marks one year on the job.

We got a behind the scenes look at the importance of the restoration of a mural at the Minneapolis American Indian Center.

A local all women's curling league is celebrating 50 years- we heard from a founding member.

One year ago, Brian O’Hara became the new chief of the Minneapolis Police Department. The outsider from New Jersey was sworn in at a tumultuous time, bringing with him a promise of change.

In his first year in office, the new chief reorganized the department as the city contended with the ongoing aftermath of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police.

“Minneapolis was ground zero for a global reckoning on policing practices and racial justice,” O’Hara said in August as he announced the appointment of two new assistant chief positions.

“It’s clear to me that Minneapolis can be the model, in fact, Minneapolis must be the model for how we move forward through healing of shared trauma, coming up with innovative solutions hand-in-hand with our residents and police officers and, above all, keeping people safe.” 

In his first year on the job, he’s faced a federal consent decree, recruitment woes and a protracted conflict about the site of the 3rd Precinct.

That precinct issue was resolved last week when the Minneapolis City Council voted 8-5 to approve a new site. The new 3rd Precinct building will be located at 2633 Minnehaha Ave., just a few blocks from the old precinct, and will include a community safety center.

O’Hara joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer Tuesday on Minnesota Now to reflect on his first year as chief and talk about the 3rd Precinct, staffing challenges, the new commissioner of public safety, year-over-year crime rates and more.

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

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.  

Starting at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, polls will open across Minnesota for Election Day. This is an off year election with the focus on local races on most ballots including contests for mayor, school board, and school bond referenda. In both Minneapolis and St. Paul every single city council seat is up for grabs. Newly elected officials in both cities will have a lot of big issues on their plates, from public safety to affordable housing. Pioneer Press reporter Fredrick Melo joined the show to discuss St. Paul and MPR’s Jon Collins joined to discuss Minneapolis races.