Minnesota Now

Janet Jackson was in her late teens when she released an album that changed her career and lifted her out of the shadows of her famous brothers who made up the Jackson Five — including little brother Michael Jackson. Something you may not know is that she came to Minneapolis to make that album... and it was also a turning point for the two producers she worked with.

MPR contributors Robbie Mitchem, Jamal Allen and Britt Aamodt bring us this final story in our Minnesota Now and Then series this year.

A new study by the University of Minnesota Medical School is looking at the link between dementia, hallucinations and people who are Native American. The authors found that visions of the nonphysical world are common among cognitively healthy Ojibwe individuals.

The study is one of the first of its kind. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Will Mantyh, a dementia focused neurologist at the medical school and M Health Fairview and co-author Annamarie Hill, an enrolled member of the Red Lake Nation.

Kelly Barnhill is known for her gift for sparkling prose, enchanting readers of all ages around the world.

But, almost exactly two years ago, the Newbery Award-winner suffered a serious concussion. The author of “The Girl Who Drank the Moon,” “The Ogress and the Orphans” and “When Women were Dragon” says she has no memory of what happened that day.

She does know she fell somehow and hit the back of her head. After the accident she realized to her horror she had lost her ability to write. Her recovery has been slow.

In November the New York Times published her essay about the experience. She told MPR News’ Euan Kerr the brain fog caused by the concussion meant it took months to write the piece.

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

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

The state’s three largest school districts — Anoka-Hennepin, Minneapolis and St. Paul — along with more than a dozen others have turned to state mediation services for teacher contract negotiations. It's a step that's taken when negotiations between the union and the district are not leading to an agreement. And it's a step that has to be taken by law, before calling for a strike.

For more on the process as negotiations stall for several districts and unions, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with Johnny Villarreal, Commissioner of the state Bureau of Mediation Services.

The Mayo Clinic is swooping in to save Rochester Public Schools after a pricey levy failed in the district. We learn more about what it means for the district's 18-thousand students.

As more Minnesotans are sick with respiratory illnesses, hospital beds are in short supply. More on the state of hospitals in Minnesota and how healthcare providers are dealing with the surge.

If you’re dreaming of a White Christmas, your dreams are likely about to be squashed. Meteorologist Paul Huttner has the forecast.

Plus, we meet the artists working to create the largest piece of traditional Hmong embroidery, called Paj Ntaub. It might inspire you to do your own holiday crafting.

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.   

The Mayo Clinic threw Rochester Public Schools a lifeline Wednesday morning when it announced plans to give the district a one-time grant of $10 million. The money will allow the district to avoid closing three elementary schools and hold back on reorganizing several others. It’s the same amount that would have been funded by a levy that voters narrowly rejected last month.

MPR News Correspondent Catharine Richert joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share the impact this contribution will have on the district.

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.

Tomorrow is the winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year. In a season when we get fewer than nine hours of light each day, you may be looking for indoor projects to curl up with.

Sisters Youa and Wone Vang are the artists behind the embroidery business Third Daughter, Restless Daughter. Their work is a mix of darkly funny cross-stitches and big floral decorations that have gone up in exhibits and restaurants. The pair is currently bringing together hundreds of cross-stitched squares into what they are calling the World's Largest Paj Ntaub.

Paj ntaub means “flower cloth” and it's a traditional Hmong artform. Youa and Wone Vang joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about their project, which is a fundraiser for the Hmong Museum's new space on University Avenue in St. Paul.

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.

Christmas is just five days away. And this is a busy time of year, whether or not you’re spending the holiday season around friends and family. MPR News Producer Gretchen Brown shares some thoughts on the season.

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.

Your dreams of a white Christmas will stay dreams this year. Above freezing temperatures are expected across the state, which means any precipitation that falls won’t be snow! It’ll be a wet versus white Christmas.

MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about how much of the Midwest has snow cover and how this weirdly warm December fits into global weather patterns.

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.

Just in time for the holidays, more Minnesotans are getting sick with respiratory illnesses like COVID and RSV. According to recent information from the state health department, hospital beds — especially for kids — are in short supply.

A recent study by APM Research Lab found there are almost 1,000 fewer Minnesota hospital beds in 2023 than in 2020. Dr. Rahul Koranne, president of the Minnesota Hospital Association, says the problem isn’t a shortage of beds themselves.

“We have the beds, we have the walls, we have the physical infrastructure, but a bed doesn't treat the patient,” Koranne said.

Staffing shortages are still a major problem. According to Koranne, some Minnesota hospitals have an up to 17 percent job vacancy rate, and applicants and retention numbers are also down. At the same time, lower capacity in group homes, mental health institutions and nursing homes means hundreds of hospital patients needing such care have nowhere to be discharged.

“And in some cases, patients are stuck and boarding and living in a hospital for months on end, which prevents other patients from getting into the hospital,” Koranne said. “It's a crisis.”

Emergency rooms are facing a similar problem, backing up a system that’s hemorrhaging money, he said. There is growing fear that an overloaded health system means Minnesotans won’t get help if they show up to the hospital.

“I'll be frank: patient care in Minnesota is in danger,” Koranne said.

Koranne told MPR News the most immediate solution would be help from lawmakers as soon as the legislature reconvenes in February. He wants them to put a rescue package at the top of the docket.

“Given the almost $1 billion that we have lost already this year in 2023, we need state lawmakers to prioritize hospitals and healthcare systems across the state, provide a rescue package so that we have the money that we need to continue to provide access, to continue to look for workers, to continue to make health care a lucrative industry for our youngsters to join,” Koranne said. “That's what we need so that we can provide access not just today, but for generations to come for Minnesotans.”

Koranne encouraged Minnesotans to stay current on their vaccinations, wash their hands, avoid contact with sick people and cover coughs. Also, he said to wear your seat belt and don’t get behind the wheel while distracted or impaired.

“The other main point is, please seek the right care at the right time. Please go to your regular provider instead of going to the local emergency department. Please take the COVID test, get the vaccinations and the state department of health has amazing resources on its website. Check them out.”