Minnesota Now

Minnesota is hosting thousands of athletes, coaches and fans this week as the Special Olympics USA Games get underway in the Twin Cities. The games bring together athletes from across the country to compete in more than a dozen sports, from swimming and gymnastics to bocce ball. Bocce ball may not be as widely known as some other sports, but for many athletes, it's a chance to compete, build confidence and create lasting friendships.

Kymm Salwasser is a Special Olympics bocce ball coach. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the games.

Following the murder of George Floyd, many asked the question: “How was Minneapolis, of all places, at the center of a global racial reckoning?”

For Minnesota-native Justin Ellis, it wasn’t surprising. And now, the journalist is out with a new book that lays out Minnesota’s long quiet history of racism to help answer that question.

The book is titled “The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is the Story of America.” Ellis joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.

He’ll host a reading and discussion of the book June 30 at 7 p.m. at Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis.

Traditional tobacco is at the core of many Native American cultural and spiritual practices. But commercial tobacco, packaged in cigarettes or vapes, contributes to higher rates of lung cancer among Native Americans.

Many of the people working with these two sides of tobacco are in Minneapolis for the National Tribal Tobacco Conference, held Tuesday and Wednesday on the University of Minnesota campus.

Mat Pendleton, otherwise known by his Dakota name Wakiyan Waste', is an enrolled member of Lower Sioux Indian Community and led prayer at the conference. Colin Welker works on commercial tobacco policy with the Public Health Law Center at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and is presenting at the conference. They both joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about their work at the conference.

Leadership is in limbo at the Minneapolis Police Department after the abrupt resignation of former Chief Brian O’Hara. On Tuesday, city council members asked Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for more information on the direction of the department.

Council member Robin Wonsley is the lead author of the request to the mayor about MPD’s path during this period of change. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.

After Council member Wonsley spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini live on the air, Mayor Jacob Frey announced that the city aims to select a new chief within the next 16 weeks, after engaging with community members and city leaders, and that a search firm will conduct a nationwide search and consider internal applicants.

Months after the peak of the surge of immigration agents this winter, mutual aid groups and organizers helping Minnesotans stay in their homes say there's still a crisis as eviction filings look on pace to break last year's record high.

A 48-year-old Hmong man from St. Paul was deported to Laos in May. A new story from Sahan Journal follows his journey and looks at how his wife and five kids are navigating the reality of being separated from him indefinitely.

A Minneapolis writer is honoring her brother in a new memoir that traces his battle with ALS and his career as the so-called Dream Doctor.

Thousands of athletes are in Minneapolis this week to compete in the Special Olympics. We'll get a glimpse of this weekend's opening ceremony.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Celebrated Summer” by Husker Du and our Song of the Day was “Key Lime Special” by MN Dub.

A story by Sahan Journal out Monday follows a Hmong family separated by deportation. It starts with the day in February when Linda Yang learned ICE agents planned to detain her husband Zong. He’s now in Laos. Linda and their five kids live in St. Paul. Sahan Journal Reporter Katelyn Vue plans to keep telling the story of how the family is dealing with this new reality in a series of articles this year. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about her reporting.

In the early 2000s, people all over the country could get insight into their dreams by calling up a different radio program. The Dream Doctor was a nationally-syndicated show hosted by Charles McPhee. He died of ALS in 2011 at the age of 49.

His sister, Larkin McPhee, lives in Minneapolis. She’s won Emmys and Peabody Awards for her documentary films. But for her brother’s story, she turned to writing. McPhee is out with a book this month about their relationship. It’s called “I’ll See You in My Dreams: A Sister’s Memoir.” She joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about the book.

More than six months after Operation Metro Surge began, many mutual aid groups and organizers are still triaging a crisis.

The state recently passed $40 million in rent relief, but it likely won't reach local providers until late in the summer. Rent organizers worry many who need that help won't qualify or get it soon enough, as eviction filings threaten to pass last year's record.

Cari Spencer spent time at a church in Burnsville where the need is worse than it was at the peak of the ICE surge and spoke with Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about how the need for help has become even greater after thousands of ICE agents left the streets of Minnesota.

A group documenting human rights abuses around the world released a report Thursday focused on Operation Metro Surge. It found violations that took place in Minnesota and shared recommendations for state and federal officials. We spoke with the leader of the research team.

Federal prosecutors say 15 Minnesotans conspired against federal agents during this winter’s immigration surge. We took a look at what conspiracy means under the law and how it applies to protests.

And Annunciation Church and School parents are hosting a public conversation along with the creator of an Oscar-winning film about the impact of school shootings.

Plus, we heard about a Juneteenth play that's been showing since before it was a federal holiday.

The Music Minute was a performance by the Minnesota Orchestra of “Worship: A Concert Overture for Orchestra.” The Song of the Day was “Don't Leave” by Peter Wolf Crier.

For the better part of 2026, Annunciation Church and School parents were engaging with lawmakers to advocate for policy change following a mass shooting in their community.

The legislative session has ended, but the work of the Annunciation Light Alliance has not. They are now turning to public engagement.

On Monday, the group is partnering with CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman to show his Oscar-winning documentary “All the Empty Rooms,” followed by a panel discussion with Hartman and Annunciation parents at the Main Cinema in Minneapolis.

Kristen Neville, co-chair of the Annunciation Light Alliance, and Steve Hartman spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini about the event.