Minnesota Now

This summer, an evangelical church in Minnesota was kicked out of its denomination because of the congregation’s support of same sex marriage — and it likely won’t be the last.

Intrepid fair reporter Tim Nelson spent the morning at the fairgrounds and joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer with an update.

Student performance in math, reading, and science was basically flat compared to last year, which means scores remained about 10 percentage points lower than in 2019.

The stress of the unpredictable nature of farming and our changing climate has been rough on the mental health of some farmers.

Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories were posted not only for southern and central Minnesota but for other parts of the nation.

Natalie Hudson will be the first chief justice of color and the first Democratic-appointed judicial branch leader in 25 years.

After record-breaking hot weather across the state Tuesday, Wednesday did not look much better. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz named a new chief justice of the state supreme court, making history. The state Department of Agriculture set aside funding for a rural mental health program that is free to all Minnesota farmers. Plus, we sit down with the new state fair CEO ahead of opening day. And we follow the journey of one of the fair's hottest selling items from a Waverly, Minnesota farm to the fairgrounds.

On Thursday, Minnesotans will begin to pour through the gates of the state fairgrounds for what’s usually one of the biggest events of the year.

MPR News assistant digital producer Nicole Johnson is going to the fair for the first time this year.

And she wrote a guide to help newcomers and seasoned fairgoers make the most of the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Guest host Emily Bright talked with her.

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

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Parts of Minnesota are under scorching heat Tuesday and Xcel energy asked customers to turn up their thermostats a couple degrees. We'll talk to an Xcel representative about how to prepare the grid for extreme weather.

The school year is fast approaching for most students in Minnesota and for some, it has already begun. We'll learn about a program that aims to give students extra support with mental health and other struggles.

We'll find out what's next for a charter school that was evicted from a North Minneapolis church.

We’ll cover all you need to know heading into this year's State Fair.

Most schools in Minnesota start in just two weeks. But until Friday, students at JJ Legacy School didn't know where they'd be reporting to class.

The school was evicted from its former home, Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in North Minneapolis, after a messy battle over building repairs.

Becky Dernbach is a reporter with Sahan Journal who has been following the story and she joined guest host Emily Bright to get us up to speed.