Minnesota Now

Frozen Four celebrations begin Thursday afternoon in downtown St. Paul. The NCAA men’s hockey semifinalists are facing off at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center. The University of Minnesota Gophers are not among them, this time.

MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer talked with sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson about what to expect in the championship and other news from the week in Minnesota sports.

The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis is opening an ambitious project Saturday that has been nearly seven years in the making.

Three of William Shakespeare’s plays open in a marathon day of shows. They tell an epic, interconnected story.

MPR News arts reporter Jacob Aloi has been following the project since the beginning of the year. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about why the bard’s stories are still relevant to actors and audiences.

Saturday in Duluth will be Ethel Ray Nance Day, the birthday of a Duluth-born civil rights activist who would have been 125 years old.

Her father established the Duluth branch of the NAACP in 1920 after three Black men were lynched in the city. Ethel carved her own path, becoming the first Black woman to work as a stenographer at the Minnesota Legislature, an executive secretary for W.E.B Du Bois and one of the first Black policewomen in Minnesota.

She has been an unsung hero until now. Her story is now being published by her granddaughter, Karen Nance, the author of “Ethel Ray: Living in the White, Gray and Black.”

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with Karen Nance about her grandmother and the book, out Saturday.

A bill moving through the state legislature would mandate private health insurance to cover orthotic and prosthetic devices, supplies and accessories.

Right now insurance covers the minimum for an amputee to be able to function. But it doesn’t cover prosthetics such as running blades for athletic activities, which can cost thousands of dollars out-of-pocket.

A Minnesotan has made it her life’s work to promote equitable access to equipment and care that make physical activity possible for her and others. Nicole Ver Kuilen testified at the Capitol in support of the bill.

On Monday, she will be running the Boston Marathon thanks to her own running blade. Kulien joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about her advocacy work and the upcoming race.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with Hastings public works director, Ryan Stempski, about the city’s plans to treat the water and how to pay for it. The city is not part of a multi-billion dollar settlement with chemical manufacturer 3M.

Minnesota teachers who are interested in computer science are meeting online this coming weekend for the MNCodes Educator Summit.

Among the speakers is Andrea Wilson Vazquez, the state Department of Education’s computer science specialist. She was hired last year as part of the legislature’s efforts to build up computer science education in Minnesota.

The effort is much needed, according to a report published last year by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition. Minnesota ranked last in the nation in terms of computer science courses available to high school students. Just 28 percent of state high schools offered computer science courses, compared to about 57 percent nationally.

Andrea Wilson Vazquez joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the state’s plans to expand those offerings.

Bao Phi is a highly acclaimed poet and author who’s never forgotten his roots. Last week, he won the Kay-Sexton Award for his contributions to the literary arts community in Minnesota.

He worked at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis for over two decades, and his leadership opened doors into the literary scene for over 500 writers and artists, many of whom are Black, Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC).

One of his most successful projects is Equilibrium, a spoken word series that invites nationally recognized BIPOC artists to share the stage with their local counterparts.

Phi joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share some of the stories and influences that brought him to where he is today.

The future of rideshare services like Uber and Lyft in the Twin Cities is once again in limbo. The Minneapolis City Council is considering delaying the start date of new policies on rideshare driver pay.

City Council President Elliott Payne, along with members Katie Cashman and Aurin Chowdhury, announced that on Thursday, they will vote to extend their requirement for minimum pay for rideshare drivers to July 1. The original start date was May 1.

The council president joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to answer some pressing questions.

If you’ve been on the internet lately, you know that gut health is all the rage. There are myriad prebiotics, probiotics and gut health drinks that claim to help with everything from puffy faces to mental health. There’s even been ads recently to ‘revitalize your gut in 2024.’

But we’re wondering how to separate fact from fiction, and whether our gut microbiomes actually need this much help.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with leading gut microbiome researcher at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Purna Kashyap, to fill listeners in on what really matters for your gut.

We’re looking forward to warmer temperatures and sun across the state — it’s feeling downright spring-like!

MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer for a look at the week ahead.

We checked in on the moisture and soil conditions for spring planting season, and Huttner filled us in on Thursday’s tornado drill. Plus, a new study shows how much the X social media platform impacts climate change denial.