Minnesota Now

Grab your forks and bibs, because the Minnesota State Fair has just announced new food vendors! The Great Minnesota Get Together is well-known for its tasty and sometimes controversial treats.

This year’s list of new foods includes Pickle Pies, Honey Brisket Battered Potatoes, and, from new vendor Saturday Dumpling Company, Ube Cheesecake Wontons.

Saturday Dumpling Company owner, Peter Bian, joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about being a new vendor at the Minnesota State Fair.

Medical doctors don’t always train in the states where they end up working. And for OB-GYNs in particular, that can mean navigating conflicting state laws around which procedures are allowed.

Democrat U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison is an OB-GYN who represents Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. She has introduced a bill that would provide funding to help medical residents in states with strict abortion bans travel for some of their training.

For more on the proposal, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Dr. Erin Stevens, legislative chair of Minnesota’s section of the American College of OB-GYNs, or ACOG.

The city of St. Paul plans to clear a homeless encampment at Pigs Eye Park along the Mississippi River on August 5. Until then, city and county staff will regularly visit the site to try to help the people living there find shelter, according to an announcement the city released Wednesday. The city plans to clear at least two other encampments using what they are calling a “coordinated transition process.”

For details on these plans, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her on Minnesota Now.

This week marks six months since an ICE officer shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renee Good. The shooting shoved the Twin Cities’ response to the ICE surge into the international spotlight. Half a year later, the residents of the Central and Powderhorn neighborhoods in south Minneapolis are still processing the events of the shooting and everything that followed it.

A group of artists has invited residents of the area to express grief by constructing what they're calling "street altars" to be placed on street corners around the city. One of the organizers, Conor Cusack, spoke to MPR News producer Ellen Finn as community members in Powderhorn Park.

President Donald Trump shared a video on social media of girls wearing hijabs at a St. Paul kindergarten graduation ceremony. We'll hear from an Imam who is speaking out against Islamaphobia and anti-Somali rhetoric coming from the White House.

It's summertime and for ER doctors, the livin' is not-so-easy. We'll talk about how to stay safe from the many, often preventable injuries that can happen in the summer.

The values of many commercial properties have plummeted. You may not think that affects you, unless you're selling an office building. We'll find out what it means for local taxes.

Plus, we'll get a preview of the 20th annual Rhythm of the River Music Festival in southern Minnesota.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Old Lady Truth” by Teague Alexy, and our Song of the Day was "Good Things” by Senn Hollow.

In southern Minnesota, along the Des Moines River, is the small town of Jackson. Soon, the town will come alive with the Rhythm of the River Music Festival. And this year is more than a musical celebration, it’s the festival’s 20th anniversary.

Rhythm of the River Music Festival founder and organizer, Kathy Fransen, joined MPR News guest host Catharine Richert to talk about the micro-festival.

The value of commercial spaces, like office buildings, are shrinking in the Twin Cities. That became apparent last week, when the city of Richfield shared that Best Buy’s headquarters building dropped nearly 50 percent in value in its most recent assessment.

But how was that office building’s value decided? And how does it affect your tax bill?

Josh Hoogland, assessor for Hennepin County, and Laura Russ, executive director for the Shenehon Center for Real Estate at the University of St. Thomas, joined MPR News guest host Catharine Richert to talk about commercial spaces and the impact their value has on cities.

The Fourth of July may be over, but summer is just getting started. And for emergency rooms, this is one of the busiest times of the year. From fireworks injuries to boating accidents to dehydration to bike crashes, the heat brings emergency physicians a predictable wave of injuries that are often preventable.

Dr. Jim Miner, chair of emergency medicine at the University of Minnesota, joined MPR News guest host Catharine Richert to talk about ways to stay safe this summer.

Somali American and Muslim community members in Minnesota are raising concerns about safety and Islamophobia after President Donald Trump posted a video showing children at a St. Paul kindergarten graduation ceremony. It included several young girls wearing hijabs. And its caption was from an account called “End Wokeness.” It said, “Public school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Every girl is in a hijab… in kindergarten.”

Somali community leaders gathered for a press conference to condemn the post.

Imam Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America, joined MPR News guest host Catharine Richert to talk about the press conference and the impact the President’s rhetoric has on the Somali community.

It has been six months since the state rolled out paid family leave. And there are new numbers on how many people are taking advantage of the program.

Plus, there are newly unsealed documents in a DOJ investigation into the local response to Operation Metro Surge.

More kids are turning to AI companions, and the University of Minnesota is looking into why and what impact that could have on mental health and more.

Plus, a north Minneapolis public housing development is under scrutiny over deteriorating conditions.

We'll get the latest on tornado damage in northwest Minnesota.

And, the World Cup has brought a business boom for local bars and breweries. We'll check in with one soccer bar that's been hosting watch parties.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Radio” by Laura Hugo, and our Song of the Day was "Mona Lisa” by Nat King Cole.