Minnesota Now

The Minnesota Timberwolves are proving they are a Minnesota sports team. After an explosive start in the playoffs, they are now tied against the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Western Conference semifinals.

Denver beat Minnesota in game four 115-107 Sunday.

The back-to-back Timberwolves losses after wins on the road bring back a familiar feeling for Minnesota sports fans of hope mixed with worry of being let down.

Back in March, Hanif Abdurraqib has described that feeling perfectly in an online essay for ESPN in March.

He also was featured in a Timberwolves playoffs hype video.

Abdurraqib is the author of a new book called “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension.” Abdurraqib joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the plight of being a Timberwolves fan.

Canadian wildfires are making for a hazy day on Monday. We heard from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency about tips to stay healthy.

Did you catch the northern lights over the weekend? The solar flares responsible for the aurora also disrupted spring planting for some farmers. We learned more.

A new report finds that Minnesota charter schools had a $132 million loophole when it came to avoiding corruption laws. We talked to a reporter about what went wrong.

Fishing season is here — and an organization is getting young, old, and disabled fishers to cast their lines.

And the Timberwolves are keeping us on the edge of our seats in the semi-finals. A poet joined MPR News to talk about the rollercoaster of the fandom.

Minnesotans were out in force to see the northern lights this weekend. But at the same time, several farmers were sitting frustrated in their fields as the powerful geomagnetic solar storms interfered with GPS in their planters and tractors. 404 Media first reported about the disruptions.

Patrick O'Connor in Blooming Prairie had to stop planting after he couldn’t connect to GPS.

He spoke with MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer about the impact of the solar storm on peak planting season.

Monday afternoon, the Minnesota senate will debate a bill that would require charter schools to use a competitive bidding process for all contracts over $25,000.

Why does this matter? It's a response to alarms raised from a series of potentially corrupt large contracts with charter schools in the state.

Sahan Journal published an investigative report that revealed a $132 million dollar loophole in corruption laws at charter schools statewide.

Sahan Journal reporter Becky Dernbach looked at what happens when Minnesota charter schools award big contracts without clear accountability. She joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about what she found.

Fishing season is officially here. Maybe you were one of the hundreds of people who got out on the water this past weekend for the fishing opener.

The opener is the start of a busy season for one local organization: Let’s Go Fishing makes sure that people who don’t always get the chance to sink a line can do so.

Since 2002, it has served 190,000 seniors, youth, veterans and disabled adults. Today, 18 chapters exist throughout Minnesota. Mark Rangistch is a board member with Let’s Go Fishing and joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

If you’ve been outside over the past few days, you can see and smell the smoke. An air quality alert has been extended through 11 p.m. for southern Minnesota on Monday.

We are under a “red” alert, which means the air is unhealthy for all. At one point, the entire state was under a “red” alert. Like last summer, the smoke is coming from wildfires in northwest Canada.

This is what the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says you should do to stay healthy: Reduce outdoor physical activities, take more breaks and avoid intense activities to reduce exposure. Sensitive and more exposed individuals should avoid prolonged or vigorous activities and consider shortening, rescheduling or moving outdoor events inside.

David Brown is an environmental research scientist at the MPCA. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share more about an early start to smoke season and how to stay healthy.

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

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We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here. 

An update on Minnesota’s long-lasting drought came Thursday morning and the news is looking good! For the first time since 2020, the vast majority of Minnesota is no longer in a drought at all. That news came just before Gov. Tim Walz is to announce the air quality forecast for this summer at 2 p.m.

The hope is that the lack of drought means less wildfire — and smoky air — for the next few months. The end of the drought is also a huge relief to farmers statewide. For perspective on what this report means, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with state climatologist Luigi Romolo and Lindsay Pease, a professor of nutrient and water management at the University of Minnesota.

If you are under the age of 33, then you’ve never seen a Minnesota team take home a championship in men’s pro football, baseball, hockey, or basketball. Lately, fans are letting themselves hope that this year is the year that changes.

You may have heard, the Timberwolves beat reigning champions the Denver Nuggets by 26 points on Monday. And the team is getting nationwide attention, with multiple players winning awards from the NBA. But they’re still in the middle of the second round of the playoffs. It’s not over yet.

Sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to help guide us through this moment and other sports news. Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and co-host of the sports talk show, 10K Takes. Eric is the other host of that show and a Vikings reporter for CBS Sports.

Saturday marks the 46th anniversary of the longest running queer radio show in the country —Minnesota’s own Fresh Fruit on KFAI. The show has been on air since 1978, talking about everything queer in our state. Alfred Walking Bull is one of its hosts and he joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer ahead of the anniversary.

You can listen to Fresh Fruit Thursdays at 7 p.m. on the radio at 90.3 KFAI or online.

The entire state of Minnesota is no longer in a severe drought, after several years of dry conditions. We hear from a climatologist and a hydrologist on what this good news means for our water and soil.

KFAI’S “Fresh Fruit” is the longest running weekly queer radio show in the country. And this weekend it’s celebrating 46 years. We hear from one of the show’s hosts on the program’s decades of impact.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are shattering statistics in their playoff run. They have a 2-0 lead against the reigning champions. Can they get another series sweep? Our sports contributors join us to talk about how far they’ve come and if they can take their success all the way to the finals.