Minnesota Now

Not much snow will remain after this week’s winter warmup, but the annual Great Northern Festival starts on Thursday to remind us of the ways Minnesotans get creative in our state's deep cold. The festival has a focus on the changing climate- and is perhaps one of the best places to reflect on this year's wonky winter.

The Great Northern festival has a brand new Executive Director, Jovan C. Speller. She joined Minnesota Now along with Chief Programming Officer Kate Nordstrum.

The city council of Brooklyn Center rejected police reform efforts. We talked to a member from the committee who has worked for years to come up with this policy.

We learned about a Minnesota car shop that is making sure those who can't afford repairs aren't left stranded.

We looked at a study that looks at Minneapolis housing and talk to a reporter who looked at how the plan is fracturing environmentalists.

From Cretin Duram Hall, to possibly the Baseball Hall of Fame, it's Joe Mauer's big day. We took a look back at his career.

Organizers from the Great Northern Festival joined us to highlight their lineup that's celebrating winter.

Minneapolis housing policy has drawn national attention, even as it sits in limbo. A recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that zoning changes over the last 15 years helped the city keep up with demand for housing and keep rent down, at least compared to other cities. Those zoning changes include what’s known as the 2040 plan, which made the city the first in the nation to end single family zoning – that is, until a judge put the plan on hold last fall. The next step in the court battle over the 2040 plan will happen February 21. The Minnesota Court of Appeals is hearing oral arguments in a lawsuit filed by a set of environmental groups. Multiple courts have found that the city should have first conducted an environmental study to explore the potential harm of increased density to natural resources and wildlife.

Journalist Jerusalem Demsas writes about this in a recent article in The Atlantic. Alex Horowitz is a project director with Pew’s housing policy initiative who worked on the study on zoning changes. Both joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

Any car owner knows - cars aren’t cheap to own and run. Besides the cost of buying a car and paying for fuel, there’s insurance, maintenance, and repair bills. Yet across Minnesota, most people need a car for work, grocery shopping, visiting friends, and other activities. While for many people it’s inconvenient when their car breaks down, the experience can be financially disastrous for people living on low and unstable incomes.

Lift Garage in Minneapolis offers low-cost repairs for those living on little. MPR’s senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently spent some time at Lift, talking to it’s founder and executive director, Cathy Heying.

There’s one more day until the New Hampshire primary and we’re tracking the progress of Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips — we’ll get the latest live from New Hampshire.

The beginning of the election season means that 41 million members of Generation Z are eligible to vote. More on the work to get them to the polls.

The Anoka-Hennepin teacher’s union announced they reached a tentative deal. But many more districts are still without a contract.

Worthington’s school board has voted to take down flags representing LGBTQ+ and Puerto Rican identity. We’ll hear about the controversy.

And theater lovers listen up! The Guthrie is embarking on an ambitious Shakespearian project.

There’s an ambitious project taking shape at the Guthrie. They are staging three Shakespeare plays, all at the same time, with one core cast of actors. It’s called “Rotating Repertory Theater” and the Guthrie hasn’t done it since 1998.

MPR News Arts Reporter Jacob Aloi is following the story on an ongoing basis and spoke with MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.   

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

Minneapolis based nonprofit Social Venture Partners recently asked youth ages 12-24 for innovations that could help their communities. The organization is celebrating five winners of the YouthSparks Ideas competition on Monday; 15-year-old Jaylen Jones is one of them.

He pitched an idea for a business called “Jones Cleaning and Companionship,” which was inspired by his time helping his grandmother, Shonda James Ofili. Jaylen sees the business as a reciprocal benefit to three generations of people: teenagers who can gain employment and connection, middle-aged adults who need help for their parents and senior citizens who receive help in their homes and friendships.

Minnesota Now Producer Alanna Elder recently talked with them both.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.   

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

Early voting is officially underway for the Minnesota primaries. And a new organization wants to make sure young voters are engaged and have a record turnout.

One recent estimate from Tufts University found that 41 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote this year. And the organization ‘Believe In What’s Possible’ wants to make sure as many of those Minnesotans as possible are getting to the polls.

Chelsea Sheldon, the programming director for ‘Believe In What’s Possible,’ joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.   

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

It’s the final full day of campaigning ahead of the New Hampshire primary. Tuesday night we’ll have results in Republican and Democratic contests.

Minnesota’s Dean Phillips is banking on a strong showing to buttress his case that the Democratic Party needs an alternative to incumbent President Joe Biden.

MPR News Correspondent Mark Zdechlik is tracking Phillips in New Hampshire and spoke to MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer live.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.   

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

The Queer Legislators Caucus of the Minnesota Legislature has spoken out against a decision by Worthington’s school board to take down flags representing LGBTQ+ and Puerto Rican identity.

The school board has been debating the issue since the fall after a parent complained to the superintendent over an LGBTQ+ pride flag with the words, “Everyone is Welcome Here.” A science teacher at Worthington High School put up that flag in his classroom along with a Puerto Rican flag.

The teacher has announced plans to leave at the end of the school year. And Worthington isn’t the only district in the state to have entered culture-war debates over LGBTQ+ pride symbols or books. Farmington and St. Louis Park are other recent examples.

Sahan Journal Education Reporter Becky Dernbach has been following this issue, including in Worthington, where the controversy was first reported by the Worthington Globe. Dernbach joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer.

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  From Sahan Journal Worthington school board votes to remove LGBTQ+, Puerto Rican flags from majority Latino school
  
  

Leaders at The Worthington Globe believe a vandalism incident was connected to the reporting on the issue. They sent MPR News this statement:

“Sometime during the evening of Nov. 28 or overnight, someone vandalized a vehicle belonging to a Globe employee. The vandalism included homophobic messages spray painted on the driver’s side doors, hood, trunk and windows. The driver’s side mirror was also kicked in and left dangling by wires. Among the messages were ‘Go Home!.’

The Globe and its parent company, Forum Communications Co., believe the vandalism was directly related to reporting done by The Globe on an issue within Independent School District 518. The issue, which arose in October, involved district administration requesting the removal of an ‘Everyone is welcome here’ banner displayed in a high school science teacher’s classroom, as well as the Puerto Rican flag. The Globe reported on the district’s actions and interviewed the impacted teacher, as well as the president of the local teacher’s union and a student who was among a group who protested the removal of the items.

That and subsequent stories on the issue led the district to host a public listening session on the Monday of Thanksgiving week, and follow-up public comment at its Tuesday meeting that week. Those stories appeared in the Nov. 25 e-edition of The Globe.

Three days later, someone vandalised one of our staff member’s vehicles. We believe the staff person was followed home after either the listening session or the board meeting, and returned when the vehicle was parked in the driveway, rather than the garage, overnight.

The act of vandalism has shaken up our entire team at The Globe. We are tasked, as journalists, with reporting the news in our community. Initially we felt threatened, vulnerable and afraid of what might happen next. We were — and still are — angry, angry because we were doing our job, angry that someone would choose vandalism to send us a message and angry that there are people in our community who think they can threaten the news media in this way.”

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.   

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.