Minnesota Now

Cities along the Mississippi River are planning to try a budding form of disaster insurance to cover things like flooding. This insurance relies on AI and satellites and sensors. And some are saying it could provide crucial help in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

Minneapolis-based journalist Katie Thornton dove into the world of what’s called parametric insurance for the magazine WIRED and she joined Minnesota Now to talk more about her reporting.

The Fourth of July will be special at one Minnesota campground this weekend. Veterans Campground in Washington County is marking 100 years of serving veterans, as a place for rest, relaxation and belonging.

Ken Larson is a Minnesota National Guard veteran and manager of the campground. He spoked to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about how the camp has created comradery for thousands of Minnesota veterans and their families.

Fourteen Minnesotans facing federal charges for anti-ICE actions were due in court Wednesday afternoon. Supporters protested the charges ahead of the court appearance. MPR News reporter Sarah Thamer shared the latest on the case.

Starting Wednesday, $90 million will go to Minnesota counties to fund upgrades to computer systems that help provide social services.

Plus, a new hotline is giving people quicker access to lawyers after arrest.

Chief meteorologist Ben Cathey gave a Fourth of July holiday weather forecast.

And you may have seen creeping bellflower in your yard. It's a beautiful, but invasive weed. One Minnesota chef controls the plant in his garden by cooking with it.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Joseph” by Bad Bad Hats and “Minneapolis Horn Power” by Scott Agster was the Song of the Day.

Minnesota gardeners are on the lookout this time of year for dark, pointy leaves and bell-shaped, purple flowers. These are tell-tale characteristics of creeping bellflower, a weed that spreads by way of sprawling roots as well as seeds.

Some Minnesotans have posted yard signs and Facebook posts urging their neighbors to help keep the plant in check. And some like to cook with it.

Chef and forager Alan Bergo, who specializes in cooking with wild plants and mushrooms, joined Minnesota Now to explain how to turn creeping bellflower from a maligned weed into an ingredient.

Hollywood has taught entire generations that if you’re arrested in the U.S., you have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. But many people may not realize that unless you can pay for a lawyer, you likely won’t meet with one until your first court appearance.

Those early hours are critical to a case, according to the Legal Rights Center, a nonprofit Minneapolis law firm. It launched a hotline this year to help fill this gap in Hennepin County. The hotline is the first of its kind in the state.

For more, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Marecca Vertin, who led the project as the Legal Rights Center’s community defense and access to justice attorney.

Starting July 1, Minnesota's counties can start a long, and some say overdue, makeover of the technological systems and online databases that keep their services running. The state legislature approved $90 million this year to help sluggish computer systems, some dating back to the 1980s, get a little zippier.

Paul Verette is director of the Minnesota Association of County Social Service Administrators. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain how this transformation is going to work and what the modernization means to county workers as well as those who benefit from county programs.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday states can ban transgender girls and women from playing on girls sports teams in schools and universities. Twenty-seven states have enacted such bans. Minnesota is not one of them. As of now, transgender girls can play on girl’s teams in Minnesota schools.

For more on the ruling’s impact, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Jess Braverman, legal director of the advocacy group Gender Justice.

Supporters of what's become known as the "Minnesota 15" are expected to gather in Minneapolis for a protest Wednesday afternoon ahead of a court hearing for 14 of the defendants.

The 15th defendant, Kyle Wagner, is being held in Michigan on separate federal charges and is not expected in court today.

Federal prosecutors accuse the 15 Twin Cities residents of conspiring to interfere with immigration enforcement during the large-scale federal immigration operation in Minnesota earlier this year.

Protesters are calling for the charges to be dropped.

MPR News reporter Sarah Thamer joined Minnesota Now from outside the federal courthouse with the latest.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship Tuesday morning in a 6-3 opinion. It ruled President Donald Trump's executive order barring citizenship to children of some immigrant parents violates the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. We'll hear reaction from Minnesota.

A new report says police have violated the constitution in several cities where the federal government dropped reforms. We'll find out what it says about Minneapolis.

Congress passed a bipartisan bill aimed at making housing more affordable. We'll talk to a Minnesota housing advocate about what impact it could have here.

June is Alzheimer's Awareness Month. We'll meet a health expert who is visiting all 87 Minnesota counties to share information on dementia.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Time” by Willem Dafoe Fan Club and our Song of the Day was “TWEast” by Dandelion Delivery Service.

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. More than 100,000 Minnesotans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Since 2018, University of Minnesota professor Joseph Gaugler has been working to visit all 87 Minnesota counties to share information about Alzheimer's disease and learn how communities across the state are caring for people living with dementia.

Gaugler joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his statewide tour, the latest understanding of Alzheimer's disease and why education and early planning are important for patients and their families.