Minnesota Now

Renovations of the Minnesota Governor’s mansion are projected to go over budget. We'll find out why, and what lawmakers are saying about it.

And many clean energy options are only really options for people with money. We'll learn about efforts to make going green more affordable.

A University of North Dakota Ph.D. program focused on Indigenous Health is the first of its kind. And the first graduates have just earned their degrees. We’ll talk with the director.

We’ll talk with the Twin Cities market’s first Somali-American TV News Reporter.

The Twins are famous for losing post-season games. We’ll talk to the fan behind a two-hour YouTube video with the mathematical argument for hope.

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

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts

The Twins begin their postseason journey Tuesday afternoon.

They take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the wild card round. And if history repeats itself, there isn’t a lot of hope.

The Twins are 0-18 in the post season, the worst record in MLB history and actually the longest post-season losing streak in North American professional sports history. So will this year be different?

One fan believes the Twins can defy the odds. Chris Hanel made a nearly two hour video to prove why you should hold out hope. 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.

Minnesota has the largest Somali population outside of Somalia. Yet it isn’t until now that the Twin Cities has had its first Somali-American reporter on a local TV station.

Ubah Ali has started as a reporter at WCCO television. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer for a conversation about her career in journalism.

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.

Another state government building project is causing political blowback. This time, it’s an in-progress renovation of the Minnesota governor’s residence.

Governor Tim Walz and his family moved out this summer so work on the state-owned residence could begin. Now the anticipated project costs have grown substantially. Brian Bakst has been running down the details and joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

• 
  
  Costs spike for Minnesota governor’s mansion upgrades
  
  

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.

Native Americans have a lower life expectancy than other racial and ethnic groups. And a report from earlier this year showed the COVID-19 pandemic made this disparity even worse.

At the same time, many tribal nations led the way in terms of the vaccine rollout. This is just one window into why public health experts say it’s important to understand Indigenous communities and health systems in order to treat patients effectively.

As the pandemic took hold, the University of North Dakota was working to launch the first Indigenous Health Ph.D. program in the world. And the first graduates finished their degrees this summer.

Melanie Nadeau directs and helped create that program and she spoke to MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about it.

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.

More than 800,000 Minnesotans have begun paying back federal student loans worth $27 billion for the first time in three years. According to the state’s Office of Higher Education, the median debt for a Minnesotan with a bachelors degree is just under $24 thousand.

In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, which would have cancelled loans for millions across the country. Now those with debt need to rearrange tight budgets to make room for new large payments.

MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer brought a few questions from borrowers to Lutheran Social Services financial counselor Kim Miller.

The Twin Cities Marathon was canceled for record-breaking heat. We talk to an organizer to find out what’s next for the annual event. And we hear from a local running group about their hopes to find somewhere else to race.

Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans have begun repaying student loans. A financial counselor helps answer your questions about adapting your budget.

A report came out Tuesday morning tracking intimate partner violence in the state. We talk about potential solutions to relationship abuse.

And we may not all like insects, but they are essential to our survival. We find out why they are at the center of this year's Nobel Conference at Gustavus.

Tens of thousands of disappointed runners are figuring out next steps today, after organizers of the Twin Cities Marathon and ten mile race canceled it yesterday due to unseasonably hot and humid weather. The marathon is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon and the Olympic trials, so Boston and Olympic hopefuls have to figure out another way to qualify this year.

The Twin Cities Marathon's parent organization, Twin Cities in Motion, is facing continued pushback following their decision to cancel the race two hours before its scheduled start time. For more on the decision, MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer talked with Twin Cities in Motion President Dean Orton. And Andrea Haus, community and marketing manager at Mill City Running and Saint City running, shared how runners are moving forward.

Nationally, about two out of every five female murder victims are killed by an intimate partner. Last year in Minnesota, at least 24 people were killed in intimate partner homicides, according to a report released Monday morning by Violence Free Minnesota.

The coalition of nearly 100 violence prevention groups across the state has published similar reports every year since 1989.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with Joe Shannon, who runs communications for Violence Free Minnesota, to find out what the numbers say about how to prevent these crimes.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with their partner, there is a 24-hour statewide domestic violence hotline. You can call (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.

Every year, the Nobel Foundation of the Nobel Peace Prize holds a conference at Gustavus Adolphus college in St. Peter, Minn. It is the only event in the U.S. authorized by the Nobel Foundation and brings the brightest scientific minds from across the world to the state. Each year has a different theme. For the Nobel Conference 59 kicking off Tuesday, the theme is “Insects: Little Body, Big Impact.”

For more on why scientists say insects are “essential to the future of humanity,” MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer talked with Shannon Olsson, Global Director of sustainability organization “The Echo Network” and the Special Scientific Envoy to India for the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences.

Anyone can participate virtually in the conference at no cost. Links will be posted to the conference webpage.