Minnesota Now

Wednesday marks St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry’s one year anniversary on the job. He joined MPR News guest host Catharine Richert to talk about unforeseen challenges, depleting staff levels, hiring solutions, and how he’s addressing gun violence and school violence.

Recreational cannabis is in just its third month of legalization in Minnesota, and there's still a lot we don't know about the drug. A new Cannabis Research Center at the University of Minnesota aims to answer some of those questions.

On Thursday, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry marks one year on the job. A year ago, he wanted to focus on recruitment, retention and community building. We talked to him about challenges and successes one year in.

Plus, we heard from Wayne Ducheneaux ahead of his departure from the Native Governance Center. He was the Native-led organization’s first executive director, and he's leaving quite a mark.

Nearly half of states in the nation now allow recreational cannabis use. Minnesota became one of the latest to legalize with the passage of House File 100 earlier this year. The law included two and a half million dollars for the University of Minnesota to study the impact of legalization. The University of Minnesota announced the launch of its new Cannabis Research Center in the school of public health Thursday morning. Its first director, public health professor Traci Toomey, joined MPR News host Catharine Richert with more.

On Friday, Wayne Ducheneaux II will be stepping down from his leadership position at Native Governance Center. He was the Native-led organization’s first executive director and helped to grow its work from a single program to many - all of which serve tribes and their needs. Just recently, Native Governance Center received the Anti-Racism Initiative Award from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. The award recognizes nonprofits that do active anti-racism work.  

MPR Native News Senior Editor Leah Lemm chatted with Wayne Ducheneaux II and learned about Native Governance Center’s journey. She joined Minnesota Now to talk about his legacy.

MPR News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard saw 17 or 18 polar bears during his first full day on the Canadian tundra Tuesday.

Sundgaard is in Churchill, Manitoba, the “polar bear capital of the world,” leading a learning vacation of 12 Minnesotans to see the polar bears and learn about how they’re being affected by a rapidly warming climate.

He spoke with MPR News guest host Catharine Richert on Minnesota Now about his trip.

For the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or read Sven’s brief below.

The crew is traveling via a tundra buggy — a “school bus on steroids.” It has monster truck tires, sitting comfortably high enough to keep a safe distance between people and polar bears. 

The tundra is normally frozen by this time of year but mild temperatures have kept parts of it muddy and slushy, making for tough going in some spots. Sundgaard and crew almost got stuck as did another tundra buggy. 

The mild temperatures are also creating yet another year with a slow freeze up of sea ice on Hudson Bay. Sea ice is essential for polar bears to hunt seals, their primary source of calories. The ice also went out early this year thanks to a very warm spring and summer — so the bears are hungry and most haven’t eaten much since July. 

The crew saw bears sparring, a sort of play-fighting where male polar bears size each other up. Come spring this will be real fighting for who gets females when it comes to mating. One male did sustain a wound with some blood on his face.

About 2 inches of snow and high winds blew in Tuesday night ahead of a cold front.

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. 

Teachers around Minnesota are negotiating their contracts and many are holding walkouts to raise awareness for issues like pay and class sizes.

Educators with Anoka-Hennepin Public School District plan to walk out at the end of their scheduled day each Wednesday, until they reach an agreement. The district is the largest in the state.

In Rochester, Minn., the Post Bulletin reported that more than 300 people marched before Tuesday night’s school board meeting in support of limiting class sizes. Their contract negotiations could be tricky this year.

Voters last week narrowly rejected a levy that would have provided $10 million in funding for technology and freed up money for other spending.

During Tuesday night’s school board meeting, Superintendent Kent Pekel read from a letter to parents and staff, “Unfortunately, given the defeat of the technology referendum last week, making the case to our community for increased investment in education is not our most immediate task. Instead, we must now focus on finding ways to cut and balance the district’s budget for the 2024-2025 school year and the years that immediately follow.”

He said the district will now have to cut at least $10 million from its budget for the next school year. In the last two years, the district has already cut more than $20 million. Superintendent Kent Pekel joined MPR News guest host Catharine Richert.

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 weather may not feel like it, but we’re creeping into the holiday season. Which for many, means Peanuts specials.

Maybe you watched the “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” over Halloween or are planning to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Those specials may garner a certain kind of nostalgia for you, especially if you hail from Charles Schulz’s hometown of St. Paul.

But a recent trend is making one special Peanuts character very modern. One St. Paul native and assistant editor at The Atlantic, Elise Hannum, is dubbing Snoopy a Gen Z icon. She joined MPR News guest host Catharine Richert to talk about how he’s made a comeback on social media.

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.

More than 300 people marched before last night's Rochester school board meeting in support of limiting class sizes. That's after a school district referendum narrowly failed at the polls. We'll check in with the superintendent about where the district goes from here.

Our Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard is in Canada’s sub-arctic leading a learning vacation of 12 Minnesotans. We'll check in with him from the tundra.

Charlie Brown holds a special place in the hearts of many Minnesotans. But it’s his sidekick, Snoopy, that’s going viral these days, especially with Gen-Z. We’ll learn why.

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 brand new professional women’s hockey league opens training camps Wednesday. Minnesota is home to one of the six inaugural teams.

Head coach Charlie Burggraf joined guest host Catharine Richert on Tuesday on Minnesota Now to discuss the future of women’s hockey in Minnesota.

We talk to many people on this show who are bringing something new to their communities. The Minnesota-based Initiative Foundation recently recognized Suree Sompamitwong along with eight other Initiators Fellows for doing just that.

Sompamitwong is an artist and fashion designer based in Worthington, Minn. She founded a non-profit, Creative Healing Space, to offer art therapy and other programming in her time away from a full-time job.

She is organizing a fashion show Saturday as a fundraiser for the organization. MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talked with her about her fashion career and helping people find peace in art.

 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.