Minnesota Now

As Minnesotans were waking up to the news of the attacks on state Rep. Melissa Hortman and state Sen. John Hoffman on June 14, 2025, some of the state’s political leaders were also learning they might have been targeted.

Authorities say they found writings by the gunman that included the names of dozens of politicians. They also say that between the attacks on the Hoffmans and Hortmans, he went to the homes of two other DFL lawmakers. One of them is Maple Grove and Osseo Rep. Kristin Bahner.

A year later, like Sen. John Hoffman, she has decided to run for reelection, despite the terrifying events of last summer. Minnesota Now host Nina Moini spoke with Rep. Bahner about her decision to run again, in part, to carry on the legacy of her late colleague.

In the aftermath of the shootings that left state Rep. Melissa Hortman dead and state Sen. John Hoffman injured, we spoke to several experts who called it part of the rise in political violence they have been observing for some time across the country.

Minnesota Now host Nina Moini spoke again with two of those experts a year after the attacks on how this uptick in political violence has continued to unfold.

Jillian Peterson is a professor at Hamline University and executive director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center.

Larry Jacobs is a political science professor at the University of Minnesota and founder of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance.

Sunday marks one year since the deadly shootings of DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Authorities say the alleged assassin also shot state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home and targeted others.

The violent acts shook the state and the country. Thursday on Minnesota Now, we spent the hour looking at how people are keeping Melissa Hortman and her family’s legacy alive – and how the attack is affecting political life.

Our politics correspondent Dana Ferguson covered Hortman in the Minnesota Legislature and has been following the assassination, as well as steps at the Capitol to mitigate future incidents of political violence. She joined to share more about what’s unfolded over the last year.

Operation Metro Surge caused more economic damage in Minneapolis than previously estimated, according to new numbers from the city. MPR News reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox broke down the 700-million dollar figure, which includes everything from lost wages to mental health needs.

The governor's truth council has begun collecting stories about how people were impacted by immigration enforcement this winter.

Chief Meteorologist Ben Cathey assessed the storm damage from Tuesday night and gave details on another round in the forecast.

And a new study has found that mosquitoes could learn to associate the smell of bug spray with dinner.

Plus, a new book chronicles a hub of LGBTQ activism in Duluth and Superior in the 1980s.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Lime Habit” by Poliça and “Give it My All” by Ashley Selnes was the Song of the Day.

This weather is the perfect condition for mosquitoes to thrive. Standing water from the rain and warm humid temperatures.

That means it's that time of year where you may be lathering up in your bug spray when you're outside. DEET is most commonly used to repel mosquitoes in bug spray, but new research has found that mosquitoes could learn to associate DEET with dinner.

Joining Minnesota Now is one of the authors of the research, Clément Vinauger, who is an associate professor of biochemistry at Virginia Tech.

For decades, LGBTQ+ history in Minnesota has often been told through the lens of the Twin Cities. A new book out this month argues that some of the state's most important fights for LGBTQ rights happened more than one hundred miles away in Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin.

"Remember the Main: The Gay Bar That Started a Movement in the Northland” tells the story of Bob Jansen, owner of the Main Club, a gay bar that opened in the 1980s.

Author Meg Gorzycki told MPR News host Nina Moini the bar served as a refuge and organizing hub for LGBTQ+ people in northern Minnesota during a time when being openly gay often came with significant risk.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has filled all the seats for the truth council he created in March to document the events that unfolded during this winter’s federal immigration enforcement surge. Established by executive order, the 15-member body is tasked with collecting stories from the surge and synthesizing the findings into a final report.

Jennifer Prestholdt is vice president of the council and deputy executive director of the Minneapolis-based group The Advocates for Human Rights. She talked with MPR News host Nina Moini about the work that lies ahead for the council, which she called “the first public-centered, large-scale, truth-telling process in the United States.”

Minneapolis officials released updated numbers Wednesday on how much the surge in federal immigration officials cost the city.

City officials say there was nearly $700 million dollars in damage between December 2025 through April 2026. That total includes revenue businesses lost, wages workers lost and money the city spent responding to the surge.

MPR News reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox joined MPR News host Nina Moini with details from a briefing on the report.

An article out Tuesday morning shows a detailed timeline of the law enforcement response to last summer's attacks on Minnesota lawmakers and the nearly two-day-long manhunt that followed. We'll talk to a Minnesota Star Tribune reporter who wrote the story.

We'll go to Newark, New Jersey and talk to a reporter who's covering protests outside Delaney Hall, the immigration detention center that resemble scenes in Minnesota over the winter.

Fridley Public Schools' superintendent has been outspoken about the impacts of the surge of federal agents on students. We'll talk to her on the first day of summer.

We'll learn about something called Sandbox Classroom, where St. Paul high school seniors can learn how to operate heavy equipment.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “I Can’t Fix Your Life” by Mid Dream, and our Song of the Day was “Cover Crop” by Ironstill.

Most classrooms have desks, whiteboards and textbooks. But one new Saint Paul Public Schools classroom has excavators, loaders and piles of dirt.

The district's new Sandbox Classroom opened in May, giving seniors hands-on experience operating heavy equipment through a partnership with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49. School leaders say it is the first program of its kind in the Twin Cities, creating a direct pathway from high school into construction and operating engineer careers.

Dusty Thune teaches the class for Saint Paul Public Schools and spoke with MPR News host Nina Moini about it.