Minnesota Now

Fungi are miraculous. By breaking down rock and turning it into soil, they made it possible for plants to move onto land 500 million years ago. And they’ve been forming fascinating relationships with plants and animals ever since.

Take forests, where networks of fungi connect to tree roots and trade nutrients back and forth. These networks have gotten more attention in recent years, but there’s still so much we don’t know about them. And scientists at the University of Wisconsin are asking people in states along the Mississippi river for help.

To learn more, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with PhD Candidate Kathleen Thompson with the Forest Fungi Project.

Doctors with Allina Health have voted to unionize. Theirs may be the largest union of its kind. Physicians have been speaking out about persistent staffing shortages in the health system, which operates in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We talk with a member of the new union about what's next.

The COVID-19 pandemic threw everyone — including health officials — into confusion. A Minnesota research team is trying to learn from the mistakes of this pandemic so we're better prepared next time. We talk with two investigators.

Under state law, family members are supposed to get priority in foster care and adoption. But that's not what happened in the case of two boys in Kandiyohi County. We talk with a reporter who's been following their story.

Scientists in Wisconsin are asking people to send them tree roots in the mail. We learn what they hope to find.

The University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health have been awarded $17.5 million to help develop a national outbreak response network alongside the CDC.

Two of the three co-principal investigators working on the project talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

Allina is one of the state's largest health care providers. And now their doctors are believed to be the largest crop of unionized private-sector physicians in the country.

Doctors in the Allina system have voted to unionize. More than 150 nurse practitioners and physician assistants also voted in the election and are eligible to join the union.

Dr. Katherine Oyster is a family medicine and OB doctor at Allina Health Cottage Grove Clinic. She talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

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.

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

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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.

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.

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.