Minnesota Now

Police reform advocates in Minneapolis have collected more than 9,000 signatures in favor of setting up an all-elected accountability board. The existing board has had a rocky start. MPR News senior reporter Jon Collins joined with the details.

We talked with someone who is guiding members of the growing Karen community through Minnesota’s healthcare system.

The Minneapolis American Indian Center is reopening Wednesday. We spoke with a reporter live from the celebrations.

A local hyperpop artist joined us to share details about an upcoming album that celebrates up-and-coming pop musicians in Minneapolis.

And do you have any superstitions? MPR News senior producer Aleesa Kuznetsov solved the mystery of the Minnesota Twins’ lucky sausage.

We ended April with some wet weather, and it looks like we’re going to carry some of that into May.

MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini to debrief Tuesday’s evening storms, give us an idea of what’s in store for summer, forecast the weekend weather, and go over the latest release of the Minnesota Energy Fact Sheet.

While November is recognized as National Native American Heritage Month nationwide, Indigenous communities here in Minnesota celebrate American Indian Month throughout May.

A part of this month’s celebration is the re-opening of the Minneapolis American Indian Center, but that’s just the start.

Melissa Olson, MPR News Native News reporter, joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini live from the celebration.

The best bus drivers in the country are currently competing at the international level, and that includes Minnesota Metro Transit driver Jeanne. She is in Portland, Ore., for the American Public Transportation Association’s International Bus Roadeo.

A Lino Lakes City Council meeting Monday night got heated after a development proposal including a mosque was met with both vitriol and support. We heard more from the developer about what’s next.

Have you noticed more morning birdsong recently? A new book identifies the songs and species of more than 250 Minnesota birds.

Tuesday is the last day of National Poetry Month. State Poet Laureate Gwen Westerman joined MPR News to celebrate and read poetry.

A Metro Transit bus driver is competing with the best of the best in a international bus “Roadeo.”

Plus a new musical highlights a 1930s Chinese-American sister-singing group from the Twin Cities. We talked to the playwright.

The Twin-Cities based Chinese-American Kim Loo Sisters was a quartet that got its start in the 1920s. The sisters took their act to Chinatowns across the country and even to Broadway.

Nearly 100 years after the sisters got their start, there’s a new reason to shine a light on the Kim Loo Sisters. This time it’s an exciting new musical about them called “Blended Harmony: The Kim Loo Sisters.”

Minnesota-born playwright Jessica Huang wrote the play, which will premier at the History Theatre in St. Paul on Saturday. Huang spoke to MPR News guest host Emily Bright about the show and its significance.

There are hundreds of different kinds of birds trilling out across Minnesota, and spring feels like an especially nice time to hear them.

For years, a group of dedicated scientists and birders around the state documented all 250 species that are known to nest in the state. They created an atlas — not of roads, but of birds.

It’s a sprawling book called “The Breeding Birds of Minnesota” and it’s out on Tuesday. One of the book’s coauthors, Lee Pfannmuller joined MPR News guest host Emily Bright.

Tuesday is the last day of National Poetry Month, and Minnesota Now marked the occasion by talking to the state’s very own Poet Laureate, Professor Gwen Westerman. She was appointed by Governor Walz in 2021, and is the third poet to hold the title in Minnesota.

Preceding her was Joyce Sutphen, appointed in 2011, and Robert Bly, who started things off in 2008. Westerman teaches English and Humanities at Minnesota State University Mankato, and she's published two poetry collections, “Songs, Blood Deep,” and “Follow the Blackbirds.”

The Lino Lakes City Council is considering a moratorium on land development after a 156-acre proposal, including a mosque, divided residents.

The council met Monday night for a special work session that was closed to public comment — despite this, hundreds of residents showed up, both in support and opposition of the development, dubbed Madinah Lakes.

Faraaz Yussuf is the president of Zikar Holdings, the company proposing to develop an old sod farm off of Main Street into a mix of residential housing and businesses, centered around a mosque. Yussuf joined MPR News guest host Emily Bright.

We are entering that time of year when adventurous Minnesotans start answering the call of the Boundary Waters, the pristine and isolated land and water we love so much in this state.

The Boundary Waters has seen an increase in visitors over the past few years, likely due to the pandemic. Regional journalist and paddle enthusiast Joe Friedrichs wants those visitors to remember that this beautiful northern landscape comes with its own hazards and potential dangers. On Tuesday, he will release a book filled with true stories of peril in the area.

Friedrichs joined MPR News host Emily Bright to share what he learned while writing “Last Entry Point: Stories of Death and Danger in the Boundary Waters.”