Minnesota Now

The Minnesota Twins have wrapped up their series against the Colorado Rockies with more home runs than they’ve made in a single game this season. They won 17-9 Wednesday.

And in basketball, the Lynx have also had a good week, beating the Las Vegas Aces 100-86 on Tuesday. Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini to talk about what’s next for both teams.

A report out Thursday morning from the Minnesota Legislative Auditor’s Office says ”actions and inactions” by the Minnesota Department of Education created opportunities for fraud in two taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs.

The report comes in response to federal criminal charges against dozens of people connected to the Twin Cities nonprofit Feeding Our Future. They’re accused of stealing $250 million by submitting falsified meal reimbursement requests.

MPR News correspondent Matt Sepic has been following the criminal cases and joined Minnesota Now guest host Nina Moini with a look at the auditor’s review.

A hiring controversy at the University of Minnesota is getting widespread attention in the academic world. A group of professors at the University of Minnesota are calling on the administration to follow through on a job offer to a scholar whose hiring it recently froze.

Raz Segal is an Israeli historian who was offered a position at the helm of the U of M’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. But because of an article he’d written where he called Israel’s siege of Gaza a genocide, two board members of the center resigned, and The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas protested the choice along with other Jewish community members. They argue that Segal’s views are extreme and that he had justified Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

In an interview with MPR News, Segal, who is Jewish himself, said that is not true, “I have said exactly the opposite. I’ve described the Hamas-led attack on Israel as a case of mass murder, as war crimes, as crimes against humanity. I’ve been very clear on this for months and months on end.”

The U said in a statement that it is considering the views of those who objected to Segal’s appointment. For his part, Segal said he’s still interested in the position if the University decides to “unpause.”

Hundreds of professors have signed a letter condemning the university’s decision. And the University of Minnesota’s chapter of the American Association of University chapters sent a letter to the administration asking it to do just that. Sumanth Gopinath is president of the chapter and an associate professor of music theory. He joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini.

We have more details on the Minnesota Department of Education’s role in the Feeding our Future fraud case.

We’ll look into academic freedom concerns over the hiring process at the University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

A commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War begins today in Minnesota. A veteran will share his story.

White Earth Nation will spend the entire weekend collecting oral histories from it’s members. We’ll hear why that’s so important.

And in a new series, we’ll get some direct communication advice for us not so direct Minnesotans.

Today’s Minnesota Music Minute was “May” by Humbird.

We have a new segment we’re debuting on Minnesota Now called “Professional Help.” 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.

Our Ask: Help me be more assertive

Our Professional: Terri Bly, PsyD, LP - Clinical Psychologist based in Minneapolis

We had to start with something uniquely Minnesotan: Help me be more assertive. We’ve all been in the office when someone won’t take the last cookie and instead keeps cutting it into smaller pieces, or have you ever been stuck in a Minnesota goodbye? We asked a professional to help us through these situations without being typical Minnesota passive aggressive.

This weekend, White Earth Nation will be spending eight hours a day recording the stories of their people. The Historical Preservation interviews is part of new required academic standards known as “Indigenous Education for All.” The state is working with all 11 tribal nations to integrate the history of Anishinaabe and Dakota people into K-12 curriculum.

Joining MPR News guest host Nina Moini is Dana Goodwin Williams, the director of the White Earth Education Division.

A commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War begins Thursday at the Mall of America, put on by the Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs. The three-day event includes a Veteran Resource Fair and a traveling tribute wall. And it also includes a National Oral History Project, with veterans sharing and recording their stories.

Marc Henderson is a historian who is working nationwide to collect stories of veterans. Chuck Jones is a three-time Purple Heart recipient and Vietnam Veteran from New Brighton. Both joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini to talk about the importance of preserving the history of Vietnam Veterans.

In the span of two weeks, Minnesota's Professional Women's Hockey League team won the inaugural Walter Cup championship, dismissed its general manager and drafted seven new players — one of whom is already upsetting fans because she supports apparent transphobic content online. Ian Kennedy with The Hockey News recapped the controversy on Morning Edition with Cathy Wurzer.

MPR News is tracking severe weather across the state. Our chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joined us at the top of the hour with the latest weather updates.

The Minneapolis Public Schools school board president broke down the district budget cuts passed last night.

On Wednesday, North Dakotans voted to set an age limit for people who can run for Congress in their state. We spoke with the person who helped get the measure on the ballot.

PWHL Minnesota is embroiled in controversy. A hockey reporter shared what he thinks is happening behind closed doors.

A new photography studio is making sure LGBTQ+ folks feel comfortable in front of the camera. And a new coffee shop is hoping to be a third space for Muslim youth in Minnesota.

A late-night Yemeni coffee chain is expanding into the Twin Cities. The first Minnesota location of Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Company opened its Little Canada roastery in early May. But the service that Qamaria provides goes beyond coffee — the coffee shop creates much-needed spaces for young Muslims to gather and socialize in the evenings.

Sahan Journal reporter Hibah Ansari recently visited Qamaria and published a story about it. Ansari joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the increase in late-night third spaces for Muslim youth like Qamaria.