Minnesota Now

It’s time to get out your shovels and snow blowers that have been collecting dust all winter. Snow is on the way. We talked to our meteorologist about the timing of the storm.

Listen for how schools are on the front lines of working with immigrant students, as Minneapolis sees an influx.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is facing scrutiny for her handling of a deadly police shooting case.

Supply and demand for the Honeycrisp apple is shifting. We talked to a Minnesota apple farmer.

March Madness kicks off Thursday, plus there’s some trouble with the Timberwolves, but it’s not on the court. Our sports contributors joined with the news.

We’ll hear about a colorful celebration for the holiday of Holi starting March 25.

A use-of-force expert is taking center stage in a high-profile police shooting case. State Patrol officer Ryan Londregan is charged with murder, manslaughter and assault after shooting Ricky Cobb during a traffic stop last summer.

On Thursday morning, prosecutors and the defense attorneys argued in the courtroom. Londregan’s attorneys say the use-of-force expert told prosecutors that Londregan’s actions were justified, but the county attorney’s office asked the expert to leave the case and filed charges anyway.

It’s led to calls from lawmakers to have the state take over the case. Gov. Tim Walz has said he hasn’t ruled out re-assigning the case to the attorney general.

Susan Gaertner is the special counsel for the law firm Lathrop GPM and a former Ramsey County attorney. She specializes in use-of-force cases and joined Minnesota Now to answer some top-of-mind questions.

Did you get your March Madness bracket locked in? The first men’s game started Thursday between Mississippi State and Michigan State. The women’s tournament starts Friday morning. The University of Minnesota Gophers didn’t make it this year, but there’s plenty of Minnesota basketball and other sports news to talk about.

Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to do just that. Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Magazine and the co-host of the 10,000 Takes sports talk show. Eric is the other host of that show and Vikings reporter for CBS Sports.

The Minnesota Hindu community is gearing up for the annual Holi festival starting March 25. Holi marks the arrival of spring — you may recognize it from iconic photos of streets — and people covered in red, green, and yellow paint.

Holi is often called “The Festival of Colors” and the date changes depending on the Hindu lunar calendar. The Hindu Society of Minnesota is partnering with Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis to throw a big Holi festival on Saturday, and Shajive Jeganathan the president of the Hindu Society, joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.

A growing number of students are arriving to Minneapolis from Latin American countries, sometimes by way of other cities in the United States. Public schools can be a measure of how communities are changing as cities across the country see a surge in migration.

Minneapolis Public Schools’ Office of Latine Achievement is in charge of supporting these students academically. Office Director Marion Tizón joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about Minneapolis schools’ enrollment numbers, spending on resources to help new students in an election year, the high number of students living in shelters and how schools can help a family get established in a new place.

The premium price for Honeycrisp apples is finally starting to drop as supply exceeds demand. The USDA reported the average retail price for Honeycrisp apples was $1.70 per pound in early February, compared to $2.49 in 2023.

They’re an expensive apple to produce, so with prices falling, what does the future of the iconic Honeycrisp look like? As orchards across the state get into planting season, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke to Charlie Johnson, the owner of Whistling Well Farm in Hastings, an orchard and wholesale apple supplier to many local grocery stores and schools.

The Minneapolis and St. Paul public school districts are in $100 million deficits. That means cuts and layoffs could be ahead. We spoke with St. Paul’s superintendent.

Our chief meteorologist has waited all winter to talk about snow! How many inches are we in for?

A Minnesota Book Award nominee shares the emotional side of the climate crisis, especially when it comes to parenthood.

It’s Homeless Day on the Hill at the Capitol and the results of a new study on homelessness in Minnesota were released. We talked with an advocate who is using his lived experience to influence homelessness policy in the state.

Plus, we celebrate the opening of cult-classic Gordy’s Hi-Hat.

A sure sign of spring has come to northern Minnesota. After weeks of preparation, Gordy’s Hi-Hat Restaurant and Drive-In opened Wednesday for its 65th season.

The iconic Cloquet burger joint gained a cult following from serving the same onion rings, shakes, hand-dipped fish and burgers to guests from all over northern Minnesota since they opened in 1960.

Sever Lundquist and his father Dan Lundquist have co-owned the business since Dan’s father Gordy, the restaurant’s founder, died a couple years ago.

Sever Lundquist joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer from the lunch rush up in Cloquet.

Wednesday is the first full day of spring, but per usual, the Minnesota spring equinox is throwing us for a bit of a loop.

It has felt spring-like for months, but this week we could be facing the most snowfall we have seen all year.

MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain.

Missed a forecast and trying to keep up? Follow the Updraft.

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A report out Wednesday finds nearly 11,000 people in Minnesota experienced homelessness on a single night in October, 7 percent fewer than in 2018 when the Wilder Foundation last collected this data.

He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about encampment legislation he helped write as Community Engagement Fellow for the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless.