Minnesota Now

Fairview's partnership with the University of Minnesota is in limbo. After a tumultuous few months with a failed merger, Fairview says it doesn't plan to extend its current partnership. We break down the next steps, as a governor's task force on the issue meets Tuesday.

A new study finds millions of dollars a year are lost to wage theft in the Twin Cities. We talk to an investigator who is trying to find the source of the problem and fix it for the future.

Plus, we have some turkey talk. A look back at the history of the Thanksgiving holiday bird in our Minnesota Now and Then segment.

Native Minnesota comedian Ben Katzner joined the show ahead of a "Home for the Holiday's" comedy show this weekend.

On Minnesota Now, we love to talk to local artists about their influences and inspirations. Ben Katzner has grown an audience in Minnesota and across the country as a comedian, writer and graphic novelist. He’s performing two shows this weekend at Sisyphus Brewing in Minneapolis. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the shows, growing up in Albany, Minn., and his comedy influences.

The star of most Thanksgiving feasts is, of course, the turkey. We're going to take you into the MPR archives from 30 years ago, when MPR's Chris Roberts interviewed Karal Ann Marling, a Minnesota author and scholar of American popular culture and art. She spoke about the history of the holiday bird in our Minnesota Now and Then segment.

Big data means big money in the business world. Companies can use your data for all sorts of things, from new products and services, to figuring out how to market themselves better. That’s become even more true with the progression of technology.

Here in Minnesota, serial entrepreneur Mary Meehan knows the business of data well. MPR’s senior economics contributor, Chris Farrell, recently sat down with Mary to learn more about the business of Big Data, culture and entrepreneurship.

Each year approximately 32,000 workers in the greater Twin Cities metro area are paid less than the minimum wage in their city. The losses average out to about $2,700 per worker. That’s according to a recent study from the Workplace Justice Lab at Rutgers University. But the researchers said the city of Minneapolis is doing something right. They described Minneapolis as the only city that directly investigates wage violations, instead of waiting for complaints to come in. Brian Walsh leads that work for the city and he joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.

MPR News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard just got back from leading a learning vacation with 12 other Minnesotans to Churchill, Manitoba — the “polar bear capital of the world.” Sundgaard, along with Doug Clark from the University of Saskatchewan, conducted lectures on the changing climate of the region and its impact on polar bears. 

It takes a special kind of hardy person to live out on the wind-whipped tundra off Hudson Bay. Dave Daley and his rescued sled dogs have lived here their whole lives.

“I’ve never had to kill a bear — well a polar bear. I like eating black bears. The point is I’ve been charged several times by bears,” Daley said.

The people of Churchill, Manitoba, fully realize the potential dangers of living with polar bears, especially during “bear season.”

“Compared to the other bear species, polar bears are way more likely to exhibit predatory behavior on people.” Doug Clark said.

He’s a scientist that’s studied polar bear behavior for decades, and more recently has tried to understand what might cause more polar bear and human interactions: 

“All the great research that’s been done on bear-human interactions over the years was all done with the assumption that the physical environment, the biological environment, was stable and that’s no longer the case,” Clark said. “We need to be looking more closely at what environmental variability will mean for interaction of all bear species. If things changing means things are likelier to go bad, we probably need to rethink the rules and adapt.” 

Those rules are changing. The arctic and subarctic regions are warming at a pace faster than the rest of the planet and that has impacts on the planet’s biggest land predator. 

“Here in Hudson Bay, every year the ice melts out for typically four or five months. That time of year that the ice melts and stays out has grown longer on average the past few decades,” Clark said. “Your own work here shows the bumpy signal and it can really vary year to year, but the long term trends are really clear.” 

Polar bears need sea ice to hunt their main source of food: seals. More days on land means polar bears and humans could be facing each other more, but every bear is different and the local people understand that dynamic.

Daley sums up living with polar bears: “Bears are like dogs. They have different personalities, too. I’ve seen mean bears, shy bears. I’ve seen disrespectful bears and respectful bears. It’s just a matter of getting to know your area, who lives in there and what you have to deal with.” 

The prevailing thought has been that skinny bears may be the bigger problem, looking for a meal and potentially running into people, but Clark’s recent work shows that might not be the case.

“It turns out that skinny bears, around here at least, are no more likely to come around camps or the study center any more than other bears,” Clark said. “The main push is how long they’ve been off the ice.” 

This year has seen a long period on land for polar bears. The ice went out early this summer with 90 degree temperatures recorded in Churchill — the 10th hottest ever recorded. 

Clark said the activity we saw this year was unusual compared to my previous two visits: “Just going in and out of town we’ve seen bears, which seems unusual, too, and this year we have a late freeze up again.”

“This is a really interesting year. It’s not abnormal to see a lot of bears around this year, you’re right — it’s a really busy year for bears,” Clark said. “People are seeing them all the time. Honestly I’m surprised we didn’t see one today given what we were doing and where we were, but this is a year where everyone’s saying ‘be on your toes.’” 

An increasing number of years with bad ice is leading to a decline in the Western Hudson Bay polar bear population. A recent survey showed a 27 percent decline in just five years. Some of that was movement to other areas, but some was a significant drop. 

“Reproduction of the Western Hudson Bay population is still very low. Survival of subadults is really low,” Clark said. “Once a bear makes it to adulthood, they’re usually OK. But it’s those younger years that are the toughest on them.” 

It’s unlikely polar bears will go extinct soon, but they will almost certainly disappear from some of their current range.

I asked Clark if Churchill will still be the “polar bear capital of the world” in a century:  “I think in a century it’s a fairly safe bet to say probably not. But at the same time, I don’t think the species is going to go extinct.”

There’s been an important shift in recent years involving Indigenous people and local populations in the north in the management and science of polar bears, climate and conservation.

“A lot of northern communities have things done to them in the name of science and conservation, and there’s some redress to be had and we need to do a better job because those folks deserve us doing a better job than has been the case so far,” Clark said. “And they’ll be the most affected or not by the success of the polar bear.”

“They’ve got the most at stake in all of this. Really it’s the fundamental principle of fairness: those with the most at stake should have a say in the decisions.”

Funeral services for former first lady Rosalynn Carter will be next week in Plains, Georgia, the town where she and her husband of 77 years, former President Jimmy Carter, were both born.

Mrs. Carter died Sunday at 96-years-old after entering hospice care a few days earlier. The first lady had been living with dementia.

Many remember her for her fierce advocacy for mental health. But she was also an advocate for caregivers. As a teenager she herself took on a caregiving role as the eldest of four siblings after her father died. Shortly after leaving office, she established the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving.

Paurvi Bhatt serves on the board of the institute. Paurvi is also on the board of the Twin Cities based organization Caringbridge. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about Mrs. Carter’s legacy.

Damage to buildings, ruined crops, medical bills: climate change is costing people money. It’s also fraying our ties to places that are important for culture, spirituality, or recreation. These are some of the findings in a new report by the U.S. government, which looks at the impacts of climate change, as well as what people are doing to slow it down and adapt to it. Heidi Roop one of the authors of the Midwest Chapter of the latest National Climate Assessment, which comes out every five years. She is also the Director of the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, and she joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about findings from the study.

The nation is mourning the death of First Lady Rosalynn Carter. She died on Sunday at 96-years-old after entering hospice care a few days earlier. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke to a caregiving advocate about Carter’s legacy for caregivers.

Every five years scientists report on climate change around the country. We talked with a Minnesota professor who helped write the chapter on the Midwest.

MPR Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard spent a week in what's known as the polar bear capitol of the world. He joined the show to share what he learned.

Hmong New Year is this weekend. An organizer of St. Paul’s celebration joined the show to talk about preserving Hmong culture and gave a rundown of the festivities.

Minnesota’s vibrant Hmong community is gearing up for one of the biggest celebrations of the year, Hmong New Year. Thousands will gather for the two-day celebration this weekend at the St. Paul River Centre. This weekend will mark the 43rd year of the event in St. Paul. Khou Yang works for the United Hmong Family Organization which helps put on the New Year festivities each year. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about this year’s festivities.