Several law enforcement officers were shot and wounded in Benton County, near Princeton, Minn. Thursday morning. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talks to a reporter at the scene.

The pandemic and social divisions have been hard on faith leaders and burnout is on the rise. Wurzer talks to one participant, a pastor in Stillwater, about how she copes with the challenges of the role.

And as one door closes, hockey season begins. We process the Twins and look ahead to the Wild's first game with sports guys Wally and Eric.

Sports guys Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer Thursday morning to process Wednesday’s Twins game and talk about what's next in Minnesota sports.

Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score magazine and co-hosts the “10,000 Takes” sports talk show. Nelson is the other co-host of that show and the Vikings reporter for CBS Sports’ “Eye on the NFL.”

After years of pandemic and the upsets to work life that came with it, it can be difficult to know what a healthy relationship with work looks like.

This question is even more complicated for faith leaders, whose jobs are also a spiritual commitment. Clergy are called on to guide people through the most intense and sometimes painful moments of their lives. Burnout is a growing issue among religious leaders across all faiths. Christian clergy from around the world met online this week for a free mental health summit that organizers said had more than 11,000 people registered.

Reverend Karna Moskalik was one of them. She is a Lutheran pastor in Stillwater with a doctorate in organizational health and resiliency. She talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about the burdens on faith leaders as well as what helps.

Republicans in Washington are trying to decide if Majority Leader Steve Scalise has the votes to become speaker of the House. Right now, it isn’t looking like he has the support from the 217 House members he needs.

The House is entering week two without a speaker, and they have essentially been unable to function. But the path to find one is getting messier. Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer has been floated as someone with leadership possibility. So if Scalise can’t get the votes, where does that put him?

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Representative Dean Phillips Thursday morning and asked him to share his perspective on the situation.

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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.

Five law enforcement officers have been shot in central Minnesota. Law enforcement officials confirmed to MPR News that a suspect is in custody.

MPR News digital editor Anna Haecherl gave host Cathy Wurzer an update live from the scene.

We’ve had some nice cool fall temperatures. Some of you may have even woken up to frost again Wednesday morning. And we could be adding rain to the mix later in the week.

MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner MPR News host Cathy Wurzer with his forecast.

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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.

Flags are at half staff in Minnesota this afternoon to mark the deaths as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on and the death toll continues to climb. We’ll hear from a Minnesotan who has struggled to contact his family in Gaza as the conflict continues.

Minnesota’s nonprofit sphere is struggling with employee retention, job vacancies and major culture issues. A Twin Cities nonprofit leader will join us to share her perspective on how nonprofits are adapting, or attempting to adapt, in the social justice era.

Plus, did you feel that chill in the air this morning? Fall is here, whether we like it or not. Our chief meteorologist ,Paul Huttner, gives us our weekend forecast as temperatures continue to fall.

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Most people who work at a nonprofit will tell you they’re there because they support the mission, that there’s a purpose to what they do that makes some kind of tangible change in the world.

But just as the pandemic and social justice uprising three years ago shook up the private sector, causing a so-called “great resignation” and pushing workers to unionize, there’s been a sea change within the nonprofit sphere too.

In the Twin Cities, a growing number of nonprofits have recently organized unions, including MN350, The Minnesota Historical Society, Planned Parenthood and Jewish Community Action, just to name a few. We should mention workers at Minnesota Public Radio News unionized back in 2016.

The reasons are complex. Workers have clashed with leadership over working conditions and culture issues.

Nonoko Sato is the executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the largest state association for nonprofits in the country. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

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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.

Wednesday morning, Governor Tim Walz ordered flags to fly at half-staff through Saturday in honor of victims of Hamas’ attacks on Israel.

Israel’s army Wednesday bombed neighborhoods across Gaza, where the borders are closed. And Hamas is still holding hostages who were abducted over the weekend.

The death toll among Israelis and Palestinians continues to climb as civilians bear the brunt of what has become — over just a few days — a devastating war.

Minnesotans with loved ones on either side of the conflict are scrambling for information.

Our next guest is following what’s happening in Gaza, where he has family. Taher Herzallah is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota and director of grassroots organizing for American Muslims for Palestine. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

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  The latest Israel strikes neighborhoods across Gaza as the war with Hamas intensifies
  
  


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  Read more 'People do not want bombings': Minnesota Jewish community gathers after attack on Israel
  
  

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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.

President Joe Biden confirmed Americans were taken hostage and promised support for Israel Tuesday after speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone. Ahead of Biden’s speech at the White House, we hear from another Minnesotan with connections to the war.

Minneapolis teenager Eleanor Fink witnessed some of the recent attacks by Hamas on Israel firsthand. Eleanor graduated from Southwest High School in June and is on a gap year program in Tel Aviv.

She and the program’s other participants were on a road trip when they heard rocket fire. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with Eleanor’s father, Howard Fink, who is following the situation closely from Minnesota.

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.