Minnesota Now

A new coalition has launched to bring together members of the African diaspora in Minnesota. The Pan-African Leadership Coalition will work to address challenges that affect Pan-African communities.

For more on the effort, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with the group’s president and chair, Habon Abdulle, who is also the founder of the nonprofit Ayada Leads.

Wildfire smoke is nearly inescapable across most of Minnesota today. Fires burning on the northern edge of the state and in Canada have filled the air with particles, not only down to the Twin Cities, but as far as Detroit and Toronto. Northern Minnesota has broken previous records for poor air quality by a long shot.

MPR News host Clay Masters joined Minnesota Now from Ely. The town is a gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, which paddlers have been evacuating due to the fires. MPR News reporter Dan Kraker spoke to outfitters about the impact on the local outdoor industry. And Chief Meteorologist Ben Cathey shared the latest on fire and air quality conditions as well as possible rain in the forecast.

Wildfires in northeast Minnesota have exploded in size. We'll get the latest update from our reporter Dan Kraker in Ely. We'll also hear from an outfitter that sends people on trips to the Boundary Waters and normally counts on big summer business.

The wildfires are bringing smoke and unhealthy air quality to much of the state. MPR's chief meteorologist, Ben Cathey, will share when and where smoky skies are spreading.

We'll learn about a different approach to criminal justice called mental health court.

A local chef is planning a special dinner to bring relief to Venezuela after back-to-back earthquakes.

This weekend brings a big celebration for St. Paul's historic Rondo neighborhood: Rondo Days.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Tears in Voice” by Why Cry and our Song of the Day was “Don’t Leave” by Peter Wolf Crier.

Gov. Tim Walz is extending the peacetime emergency for wildfires in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for 30 more days. The extension allows the state to continue assisting communities impacted by wildfires in northern Minnesota.

As many as 17 fires continue burning in the region. Paddlers have been evacuating, some in dramatic fashion from their campsites in the one million acre wilderness.

Covering it all is MPR's Dan Kraker. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it along with Ryan Kari, owner of Ely Outdoors Company, who talked about the strain of the fires on his business.

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

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A group of Minnesotans with ties to Venezuela is working to send aid to people facing an ongoing humanitarian emergency. It's been three weeks since back-to-back earthquakes struck the country's northern coast. At least 4,500 people have died, and thousands more are missing. Many others lost their homes and are staying at displacement sites, where illness is widespread.

To help with relief and rebuilding efforts in her home country, Chef Soleil Ramirez is hosting a sold-out fundraiser Wednesday evening at her St. Paul restaurant, Crasqui. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the event, "Taste of Hope: Venezuela."

One of St. Paul's longest-running community celebrations returns Saturday. Rondo Days began in the 1980s as a way to celebrate the historic Rondo neighborhood, honor the families who built it and preserve the community's history after residents were displaced by the construction of Interstate 94.

Saturday's celebration at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center in St. Paul will feature live music, local food, art and sports. Merina Neal and Gayle Smaller, organizers of the event, spoke with MPR News host Nina Moini about why the day means so much to them.

You may have heard of a drug court, a route through the criminal justice system focused on treatment for substance use disorder. A county just south of the Twin Cities recently opened a similar pathway for people with serious mental illness.

Rice County’s mental health court joins five other courts like it around the state. Community corrections manager Angela Brewer is a leader of the effort. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.

A wildfire spreading northeast of Ely led to evacuations of homes, camps and lodges this morning. More than a dozen fires are burning in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and hot, dry conditions are adding to the danger. Reporter Dan Kraker has the latest.

The fires are causing dismal air quality in northeast Minnesota. We'll get the smoke forecast for the next couple days.

And the heat poses risks to outdoor workers. We'll meet someone helping contruction companies protect employees from heat-related illness.

Plus, there's new research on getting rid of buckthorn, for good.

And a new library is opening in St. Paul this week. We'll learn more about plans for this space — and two more libraries that will soon get renovations.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Salesman” by Yazmin and Beat Zero and our Song of the Day was “Ain't Wastin' Time No More” by The Allman Brothers Band.

The Hamline Midway neighborhood in St. Paul will soon have a new library after 3 years without one. The 92-year-old building was decommissioned in 2023. And construction began in 2025.

The library is the first to be completed, out of three that are slated for renovations in St. Paul. This Saturday, the new building will have a grand opening.

Maureen Hartman, director of Saint Paul Public Library and Beth Burns, executive director of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about the new library and the plans to continue to grow St. Paul’s library system.

If you’ve ever tried to remove buckthorn, you know it's a stubborn battle. There’s even an entire group of singles, looking to meet potential partners by removing buckthorn together.

Elsewhere, homeowners, forest managers and volunteers spend countless dollars and hours cutting and spraying the invasive shrub, only to watch it grow right back.

University of Minnesota researchers recently published new data that shows there's a better long-term strategy. They found that planting native grasses and wildflowers immediately after removing buckthorn is remarkably effective at keeping it at bay. Mike Schuster is on the research team and joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to explain.