Minnesota Now

Historic Fort Snelling is an old military site perched between the intersections of two highways and two rivers, the Minnesota and the Mississippi. There’s a lot of history that converges there too. That river confluence and the surrounding area is sacred to Dakota people and a reminder of a painful time period, as the site of a concentration camp where more than 1,600 Dakota people were held and hundreds died in the winter of 1862. The fort was part of the backdrop of Dred Scott v. Sandford and the site of a Japanese language school during World War II.

For years, the Minnesota Historical Society has been working to revamp its museum at the Fort to better represent all of these stories. MNHS Director of Native American Initiatives joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the culmination of that effort, a new exhibit that opened Saturday.

It’s that time of year when people gather on a hill in Duluth to count every hawk, owl, eagle, and vulture that soars over the bluffs near Lake Superior. From mid-August to December, raptors fly through Minnesota on journeys that begin as far north as the Arctic. The researchers and volunteers of Hawk Ridge in Duluth count an average of 60 thousand birds per year. From Duluth, the raptors follow the Mississippi River, sometimes flying all the way to Central and South America.

MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer talked with Lori Arent, Assistant Director of the University of Minnesota Raptor Center, to get to know two birds on the move in Minnesota this month.

The City of Minneapolis and the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis are negotiating a new contract for 2023 through 2025.

There are perhaps more eyes on the process than ever. A lawsuit settled last year requires the city to publish the time and place of negotiations, marking for the first time in Minneapolis history, that police contract negotiations are open to the public.

Monday afternoon, the group behind that lawsuit is presenting recommendations to a city council Committee. Stacey Gurian-Sherman is a lawyer on the steering committee of that group, Minneapolis for a Better Police Contract. She 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.

Thursday evening in Philadelphia the Vikings are scheduled to play their second game of the season after losing last weekend to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For all you need to know about Minnesota sports teams heading into the weekend, MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer talked with resident sports guys Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

New U.S. Census data released this morning tells us about our state: population growth, poverty levels, income inequality, inflation, and immigration. We dive into the numbers and what we can learn from them.

Plus, more and more younger people are getting cancer. A Mayo Clinic doctor tells us what may be causing this scary trend.

Folks in parts of Minnesota are morning the passing of a beloved storyteller. We look back at the legacy of Nothando Zulu , who has died at the age of 78.

Ahead of the Jewish High Holidays this weekend, we have a special Song of the Day from Your Classical Host Mindy Ratner.

Plus, Wally and Eric are back with the latest in Minnesota sports.

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau found inflation wiped out income gains for Minnesotans. If you’ve being getting annual raises but are still feeling the pinch, these numbers may help explain why.

Axios reporter Nick Halter joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk through income findings in the latest annual survey of residents across the country.

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’s communities of color are growing. That’s the good news from U.S. Census data released Thursday morning. The bad news? Minnesotans of color still face more poverty and unemployment than white Minnesotans.

Sahan Journal reporter Joey Peters joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to break down new data from an annual survey of populations across the country.

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 and more younger people are getting cancer. If that sentence pulls you up short, it should.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows cancer in people younger than 50 has increased over the last ten years, especially among women ages 30 to 39.

The highest increases were in gastrointestinal, endocrine and breast cancers. Dr. Kathryn Ruddy, Medical Oncologist and Director of Cancer Survivorship at Mayo Clinic, joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about what may be causing the trend.

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.

Folks in parts of Minnesota are mourning the loss of beloved storyteller Nothando Zulu, who died Monday at the age of 78. She will be remembered at the Annual Black Master Storytellers Festival, which she co-founded with her husband more than 30 years ago. The event is scheduled for Sept. 28th through 30th at the Capris Theater in North Minneapolis.

The Black Storytellers Alliance chapter president has been on MPR's airwaves many times over the years. In a 1995 interview, she said the role of a storyteller in community is “to tell the history to through story, to tell the the values, to keep the the mores and all of that going without having to preach.”

Zulu was an example, like when she told this story for Kwanzaa in 1992.

The Mississippi River is a critical source of drinking water and habitat, a transportation and migration corridor - you name it. Leaders from cities all along the river are meeting Wednesday to talk about its future and a potential multi-state compact.

When a parent or caretaker is in an accident, they're also worried about who will check on the loved ones in their care. We'll meet the teenager who helped pass a law that will offer some peace of mind.

Less than two weeks ago, sweltering heat. Wednesday morning, frost. Paul Huttner will take us through the latest twists and turns of Minnesota weather.

And Minnesota-raised writer Connie Wang has a new memoir about her relationship with her mother and their travels together.