Minnesota Now

The Twin Cities is expected to see its first one-inch snowfall Monday night with more snow Tuesday morning.

Tuesday’s commute could be a mess, with timid drivers relearning how to navigate slippery roads and the drive made potentially worse by the foolhardy who smugly zoom by in their four-wheel drive, only to hit a patch of ice which leads to a dramatic spinout into the median or a ditch.

Winter sparks joy for some and for others, dread. Author, podcaster and radio show host T.D. Mischke celebrates the season in his new book: “Winter’s Song: A Hymn to the North.” He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it ahead of a release party and book signing Monday night at the Dubliner Pub in St. Paul.

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 Minnesota hockey community is mourning the loss of Adam Johnson, a former Hibbing High School and University of Minnesota Duluth hockey player.

He died after a “freak accident” when his neck was cut by a skate blade during a game in England. Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers and played previously in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Johnson’s godfather and peewee hockey coach Rudy Krampotitch joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to remember him.

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 head of Sahan Journal, a Minnesota news organization dedicated to immigrants and communities of color, is stepping down after five years of leading the operation.

Mukhtar Ibrahim said he’s planning to step down as publisher and CEO when the organization finds a replacement for him.

Ibrahim, who was a reporter at MPR News, said the move is personal. In a letter to readers this morning, he said the organization is “stronger than ever, with a secure financial footing, dedicated staff, a healthy organizational culture and loyal readers.” He’s grown it from a staff of four and budget of $608,000 in 2020 to its current staff of 20 and budget of $2.5 million.

Ibrahim said he is planning to take a break from work to spend more time with his family. He and his wife have three young daughters and welcomed a baby boy this June.

While on paternity leave, Ibrahim said he reflected on his and his parents’ story, and how he wanted his children’s to be different.

“In my late teens, I left Kenya with a single suitcase and moved to Minnesota. The past 18 years in America have been a whirlwind of learning, work, family and risk-taking,” he said. “I guess I inherited that risk-taking spirit from my parents. They moved across countries and continents in search of stability for their children.

“This summer, I found myself thinking about the story my girls would tell about their family. How would they remember the family experiences we’ve had together — and all the time apart?”

Sahan Journal will begin the work of finding a replacement for Ibrahim in the coming weeks.

Ibrahim joined Minnesota Now Monday at noon to talk more about the decision. Click on the audio player above to listen to the conversation.

The city of Brooklyn Center has tabled a resolution that would have made changes to police stops and searches. It’s another hiccup as the city tries to move forward and make changes after the police killing of Daunte Wright, who was pulled over because of an air freshener and expired tabs. We’ll learn where the city goes from here.

A new anthology showcases the work of a group of incarcerated writers from Minnesota prisons. We’ll hear more about how it came together.

And our Minnesota Now and Then segment tells the story of Hockey Great Henry Boucha and the incident that ended his career.

Plus we’re talking about that tough Timberwolves loss, the Gophers, Wild and other sports news with Wally and Eric.

The Minnesota Vikings are preparing for a border battle as they come off a big win. And the Gophers are basking in the glow of a win against Iowa.

Plus, the Timberwolves tip off their season and the Wild begin a 3-game road trip. Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer with all the highlight.

Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and co-host of the sports talk show ten thousand takes. Eric is the other host of that show and Vikings reporter for CBS Sports radio’s Eye on the NFL.

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. 

Henry Boucha was a Minnesota hockey legend. When he died this September, he was remembered as a hometown hockey star from Warroad, an Olympic silver medalist, and a player with the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars and Detroit Red Wings. But just as often, he was remembered for the “eye incident”— an act of on-ice violence that essentially ended his career in 1975.

MPR News contributors Robbie Mitchem and Jamal Allen and producer Britt Aamodt are taking a look back at the hockey great and the event that changed the trajectory of his life in our history series Minnesota Now and Then.

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. 

Here’s something you probably don’t know. According to the Rochester Post Bulletin Newspaper, students in Rochester Minnesota Public Schools speak nearly 100 different languages.

The district teaches just four languages — Spanish, German, French and Latin — and it’s seeing dropping enrollment in some of those courses. So, leaders are working to change their world language courses to match students’ interests, without spending more money.

Natalia Benjamin, 2021 Minnesota Teacher of the Year and Rochester Public Schools Director of Multilingual Learning joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer.

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. 

Minnesota is home to a robust prison writing community. The Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop teaches creative writing at all of the state’s prisons and its members have published novels, poetry and non-fiction.

But for the first time, a group of incarcerated writers with the program are the editors of a new anthology. It’s called ‘American Precariat’ and it comes out on Nov. 14. Zeke Caliguiri, Fong Lee, and Ronald Greer are among the editors of the new book. They joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer for a conversation about the book.

The Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop is hosting its annual student reading this Saturday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. It’ll be at Hamline University and streaming online.

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. 

Brooklyn Center’s City Council has tabled a resolution that would have made changes to police stops and searches. The city formed the committee that drafted the policy in response to the police killing of Daunte Wright, which began with a traffic stop in 2021 for an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror and an expired registration tab.

Under the resolution, police would not pull over drivers for these or other minor infractions. And they would not be able to ask drivers to consent to a search. But committee members were surprised when Police Chief Kellace McDaniel voiced concerns over the changes, “I will go on with this presentation, but I will honestly feel, I do not feel comfortable implementing or saying these to my officers,” he said.

Hearing this, some of the council members wanted to delay a vote until police were on board. “I want the community as well as the city council and the police department to all be in agreement. And to be able to get the buy in from the officers that are going to do this work,” said Councilmember Kris Lawrence-Anderson.

After discussion, the council voted unanimously to table the policy. John Solomon has been working on the recommendations as a member of the committee's policy working group. He joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer.

The Brooklyn Center Police Chief was not available for an interview. The department sent MPR News a statement saying: “The City of Brooklyn City Council deliberated on traffic stops and consent search policies at their Oct. 23 City Council meeting. The City Council requested further dialogue with all parties who helped to craft the policy recommendations to help inform their decision-making on these items. This meeting will be scheduled in the near future, with the items coming back to the City Council for a vote shortly after.”

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. 

Britney Spears is an iconic pop star and one of the most famous women in the world today. She released her highly anticipated memoir this week — it’s called “The Woman in Me.” And our next guest will be talking all about it Thursday night at Subtext books in St. Paul.

Chris Stedman is an author, activist and professor who teaches in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Augsburg University. He is also writer and host of the Britney-themed podcast Unread. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

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.