Minnesota Now

The Supreme Court has upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act, also known as ICWA. The law gives priority to tribal families in the foster care and adoption cases of Native American children. We'll hear from a legal expert about what that means for Minnesota.

That pesky wildfire smoke still hangs in the air for much of the state-- we'll hear from a Mayo doctor about what we can do to protect our lungs. Plus we'll get the latest air quality forecast.

We'll hear from a nonbinary leader who is creating ripples of change in their community.

And we’re entering bat season! The Minnesota Department of Health fields thousands of callers a year with concerns about rabies after encountering bats and other wildlife. A bat expert gives us advice.

We'll hear the latest in sports news from our sports experts Wally and Eric.

The forest service has closed parts of the Boundary Waters as a wildfire burns about 30 acres of the wilderness area. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer hears the latest.

Paul Huttner updates on air quality and air quality in the region.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a wave of healthcare worker shortages, but now some hospitals are seeing relief. More on what hospitals have done to recruit and retain staff.

Just in time for festival season, we'll hear what it takes to win a turtle race.

And a little history lesson: It was a huge story when the heir to the Hamm’s fortune was kidnapped. It’s a gangster’s tale you won’t want to miss.

If you visit Perham, Minnesota this Friday, you’re bound to see some turtle races.

They're happening as part of Perham's annual Turtle Fest, along with a whole slate of activities, live music and food.

For more on the history of the long-running festival, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talks with Dan Shroeder. He was a longtime director of Perham's chamber of commerce and is currently the chamber's membership sales director.

More wildfire smoke is drifting south from Canada, and that's creating hazy skies once again across much of Minnesota--with an air quality alert to go with it.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer gets the latest update from MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner.

MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer turned to WTIP producer Staci Drouillard and Native Lights Podcast host Leah Lemm for a story about the creation of the U.S.-Canada border. Drouillard and Lemm co-host the podcast "It Happens Here: The Roots of Racial Inequity on the North Shore,” which is produced by Drouillard. In a recent episode, they discuss how the border upended spatial relationships in Ojibwe communities.

The Minnesota Hospital Association says it appears a pandemic-induced worker shortage may be easing a bit. Because of thousands of unfilled positions, hospitals have been forced to get creative about their efforts to recruit medical staff. Dani Holtzclaw is a provider recruiter for Winona Health. She joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about what the hospital has done differently to recruit and retain medical staff since the pandemic.

Crews were preparing Wednesday morning to begin suppressing an approximately 30-acre wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The U.S. Forest Service noticed smoke from a survey plane in the evening Tuesday, the same day the agency announced a campfire ban in the wilderness area because of dry conditions. MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer talked with with Joe Friedrichs is news director of WTIP North Shore Community Radio in Grand Marais, which is about 40 miles from the fire.

Ninety years ago this week, a St. Paul brewery magnate was kidnapped in broad daylight — snatched by four men on his way home.

The dramatic kidnapping of Hamm’s brewery heir, William Hamm Jr. made regional and national headlines in 1933.

His kidnappers asked for $100,000 ransom — equivalent to over $2 million in today’s money.

The story paints a picture of 1930s St. Paul. The so-called “O’Connor System,” named after the city’s police chief John O’Connor, made the city a refuge for criminals, Paul Maccabee told MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

Maccabee is author of "John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks' Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul."

A new child tax credit aims to lower poverty in Minnesota. We'll dig into how the credit works, who qualifies and whether it can really change the course.

There have been developments in drug settlements with opioid manufacturers. We spoke to the Attorney General about what that means for Minnesota.

24 community leaders from Minnesota and the Dakotas are the newest 2023 Bush Fellows. They're a diverse group-- and they work in mental health, community storytelling, food accessibility, and much more. We heard from one of them on their win and plans for the future.

What are you reading this summer? We'll get book recommendations from BookTok for summer and pride month from Zoe Jackson.

Maybe you’ve heard the predictions about the potential impact of a brand-new child tax credit created this year by Minnesota lawmakers. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan said in May that the new child tax credit will lower child poverty by a third.

You're not alone if you have questions about how the credit works, who will qualify and whether it can really change the course for families struggling with financial insecurity.

Political reporter Brian Bakst decided to dig into the program and MPR News guest to talk it through.