This Saturday marks four years since MPR News kicked off the noontime news program, Minnesota Now. The show was started to give our audience longer conversations with newsmakers, experts, and our neighbors around the state to help us understand our world better.

The show is full of different guests and music every single day, except for one key element that stays the same — the theme music. To celebrate Minnesota Now’s fourth birthday, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke to local musicians Aby Wolf and Joe Horton, who composed the show’s theme music.

There's a growing interest in green burials, where people are buried without toxic embalming chemicals, expensive caskets and burial vaults. But there aren't many places in Minnesota to do this.

MPR News correspondent Dan Kraker recently published a story about a proposed green cemetery near Duluth and some of the pushback the proposal has received from local residents. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share more, as part of a weekly check-in with MPR News reporters in Greater Minnesota.

After years in development, the stage adaptation of “Purple Rain” is finally making its debut in Minneapolis, where the story and the music first took shape.

Inspired by Prince’s 1984 classic, “Purple Rain” tracks a young Minneapolis musician chasing stardom while wrestling with love, rivalry and the echoes of his past. Performances begin Thursday at the State Theatre in Minneapolis.

MPR News arts reporter Jacob Aloi has been following the show and joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share more.

Several Minnesota mayors are asking state lawmakers to let them regulate guns at the city level, after the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School. We talk to Rochester's mayor about why she joined these calls and what restrictions she wants to bring to her city.

As we march into the third week of a federal government shutdown, we talk to a national and a local leader about how it could impact hunger levels in the state.

We talk about our state's wet weather this week and get the forecast for the weekend from MPR’s chief meteorologist.

Plus, you may have heard of actor Dallas Goldtooth, who has roots in the Lower Sioux Indian Community in Minnesota. His background is in comedy, but he's taken on a more serious role in the new show “The Last Frontier.”

The Minnesota Music Minute was "Countryside" by Brian Just and "The Ghoul on the Hill" by Los Straitjackets was the Song of the Day.

This week has been soggy for much of Minnesota. Whether you are celebrating some long-awaited rain or bummed about the dark and cloudy days, MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner has both good and bad news for every perspective. He joins Minnesota Now host Nina Moini with the forecast.

On Wednesday, federal employees will receive their first paychecks since the nation's government shut down more than two weeks ago. The money they are taking home is significantly less than what they normally get. As the shutdown continues, food shelf leaders in the state are preparing for potentially increased demand.

At the same time, a national leader on ending hunger in the United States happens to be visiting Minnesota. Claire Babineaux-Fontenot is CEO of the nonprofit, Feeding America. She met with Second Harvest Heartland CEO Sarah Moberg to discuss the shutdown and other issues facing their network of organizations. MPR News host Nina Moini talked with them both on Minnesota Now.

Mayors across the Twin Cities metro and beyond are calling for the Minnesota Legislature to repeal a state law that prevents cities from enacting their own gun regulations.

The call comes in the wake of the August shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School. Two children were killed, and dozens of others were wounded during a back-to-school mass.

MPR News host Nina Moini talked with one of the mayors pushing for a state law change, Kim Norton of Rochester.

A new show on Apple TV features Minnesota’s Dallas Goldtooth taking on a much more serious role than what you may have seen him in. Goldtooth is Diné and is a member of Lower Sioux Indian Community in Morton, Minn. He currently lives in Chicago.

Goldtooth’s roots are in comedy, with roles in TV shows “Reservation Dogs” and “Rutherford Falls.” His newest role is in the show “The Last Frontier,” where he plays the character Hutch, a U.S. Marshal tasked with protecting his Alaskan community in the aftermath of a prisoner transport plane crash.

Goldtooth sat down for an in-studio conversation with MPR Native News editor Leah Lemm and MPR Native News reporter Melissa Olson.

Municipal elections are around the corner and one seat that's contested is the mayor of St. Paul. We got the scoop on that race ahead of an MPR News and Pioneer Press debate Tuesday afternoon.

We found out how the federal government shutdown might affect MEA week travel.

We learned how state law enforcement is responding to problems with the use of breathalyzers.

Some Twin Cities police departments are beginning to use AI to help write police reports. We talked with one officer about how it works.

We met the winner of a recent startup competition. Her company is working on a medical device for babies in intensive care.

With the season behind us, we talked about why the WNBA may be at a turning point.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “BRISKET WEEK” by Juice Lord and the Song of the Day was “idk i just work here” by Durry.

The WNBA Finals ended in a win for the Las Vegas Aces. It’s their third championship in four years. Now, attention in the league has turned to a different countdown.  

The players union and WNBA administrators contract expires at the end of October. Negotiations have been tough so far. Some players, most notably Lynx star Napheesa Collier, have gone public with their frustrations with leadership.  

Adam Minter has been thinking and writing about Collier’s role in this moment for the WNBA. He’s a sports business writer for Bloomberg Opinion, and is based in Minnesota. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about what Collier has said and what she’ll do next.