Minnesota Now

It took a while, but blossoms and new leaves are sprouting up everywhere. Maybe your seasonal allergies are even acting up.

Our resident full-time gardener Meg Cowden is author of the book called “Plant, Grown, Harvest Repeat.”

She’s back and ready to share what’s new in her garden as the warm weather has arrived.

Cinco de Mayo is coming up this Friday — which means big business for El Burrito Mercado.

The traditional Mexican marketplace and restaurant is located on St. Paul’s West Side in the Mexican-American commercial district known as the District del Sol.

MPR News producer Britt Aamodt spoke to co-owner Milissa Silva about the history behind this neighborhood food destination.

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.

That wind has finally died down — and the weather is actually looking pretty mild today!

We're crossing our fingers for more good news from MPR News’ Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner.

He gave host Cathy Wurzer the lowdown.

If you visited Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior 50 years ago, the story you heard about what makes this place special would have left out quite a bit — specifically, the sites' connections to Ojibwe people, past and present.

We heard about that history in a past episode of the award-winning podcast, “It Happens Here,” by WTIP North Shore Community Radio.

In this next episode, producers Staci Drouillard and Leah Lemm explain how the Grand Portage Band of Superior Chippewa and allies in the National Park Service worked to rectify the erasure of Ojibwe people from the National Park.

It was a close vote, but the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday night that would create a state-run paid family and medical leave program. The vote was 68 to 64.

Political reporter Dana Ferguson joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk more about the issue and how the plan would work.

Many teachers will tell you that teaching is like planting seeds, even if you don't always get to see those seeds bloom.

Mike Bazzett is a poet and translator who teaches high school English at the Blake School in Minneapolis. Recently, he reconnected with a student he had 18 years ago who has just published a memoir. The former student's name is John West, and his book "Lessons and Carols" comes out Tuesday. As part of a new Minnesota Now series celebrating the mentors in our lives, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer passed the mic to them.

The last legal case in the death of George Floyd at the hands of several former Minneapolis police officers has been settled. Listen for the details.

A special United Nations effort created after Floyd’s death has come to the Twin Cities. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke to a guest who explained what they’re learning- and teaching- while they’re in town.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. We’ll talk about how isolation and being lonely can affect mental health.

The mentor-mentee relationship is a special one. We’ll highlight a pair who offer insight into how their relationship launched the career of one of them.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared loneliness as an epidemic in the country. The Surgeon General issued an advisory laying out the medical and mental consequences of being lonely and he outlined a series of actions that Americans can take to address the growing issue.

The advisory comes at a good time. May is Mental Health Awareness month, and since the pandemic began more than three years ago, we've been made more aware of how isolation and loneliness can lead to struggles with mental health.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Dr. Jay Sheree Allen of the Mayo Clinic about stress and mental health in Minnesota.

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.

A United Nations effort that was created after the murder of George Floyd arrived in Minneapolis Tuesday. Three human rights experts appointed by the UN spent the morning hearing from people affected by systemic racism in policing and prisons.

The UN panel is spending two weeks in the United States and making similar stops in cities including Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago. Fionnuala Ní Aoláin is faculty director of the Human Rights Center at the University of Minnesota and a UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to make sense of the project.

Minneapolis has a new community commission on police oversight. Fifteen people — one from each ward and two selected by Mayor Jacob Frey — will serve on a rotating basis to review allegations of police misconduct. The new appointees were approved last week.

The commission replaces the city's long-criticized police civilian review process. So there are lots of eyes on this new board. Big expectations to live up to. And a good number of skeptics.

So what makes this board different from any that came before it? MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with Rachel Moran, an associate professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

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.