Minnesota Now

A situation unfolding at an immigrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey has some drawing parallels to events that unfolded in Minnesota over the winter as federal immigration agents surged into the state.

On May 22, hundreds of immigrants inside the Delaney Hall detention center began what advocates call a hunger and labor strike.

Protesters have gathered outside the facility, and at times turned into clashes with federal agents.

Arya Sundaram has been reporting on the situation at the Delaney Hall ICE detention center for Gothamist, a nonprofit newsroom by WNYC. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk more about it.

A new Minnesota Star Tribune investigation is providing the most in-depth timeline yet of the law enforcement response following the killings of State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and the shootings that injured State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.

The shootings led to a 43-hour statewide manhunt for the suspect, Vance Boelter, who is currently in federal custody awaiting potential trial.

Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Jeff Day wrote the story and joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.

For students at Fridley Public Schools, Tuesday is the first day of summer break. It comes after a tumultuous school year for many districts, including Fridley, which had to contend with the disruption of Operation Metro Surge.

Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to reflect on this school year and look at the recovery ahead for students and staff is Fridley Schools Superintendent Brenda Lewis.

Minnesotans will have a chance Monday night to weigh in on the proposed merger between Sanford Health and North Memorial Health. Ahead of it, we'll talk to state Attorney General Keith Ellison about the power he holds to review — and potentially stop —these kinds of mergers.

A group of parents affected by the Annunciation Church and School shooting spent the legislative session advocating for more gun control measures. These proposals didn't pass but they say they're celebrating the small wins.

And there's been several shifts to immigration policy in the last month. We'll talk to two people who have been supporting people through these shifts.

Plus, how the organization River Keepers are tending to the Red River in Fargo-Moorhead.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Little Time” by Emily Bjorke and our Song of the Day was “Out of Hand” by The Dalmatian Club.

The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs will play Game 3 of the NBA Finals Monday night. The Knicks have quite a few celebrity fans, so part of the spectacle of the game in Madison Square Garden will be courtside fashion. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves are offering some fashion news of their own in the off-season.

The Lynx are just at the beginning of their season. And they’ve won six of their last seven games by double digits.

Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined Minnesota Now with the latest sports headlines.

At the edge of Fargo, North Dakota, a metal archway hangs over a walking path. It depicts silhouetted figures passing sandbags and piling them next to a firefighter. This monument is titled "The Spirit of the Sandbagger” is a tribute to the community’s response to major floods in the past.

Off to its side is a bridge that goes from Fargo to Moorhead over the Red River. The two communities are linked by the river — and its risk of flooding.

Recently, the Minnesota legislature approved $10 million for flood mitigation infrastructure. And the area will soon have a massive diversion project built to send floodwaters away from the two cities. But flooding aside, a local group is working to connect people with the river in other ways.

Christine Holland is CEO of the Fargo-Moorhead-based group River Keepers. Recently, she helped Minnesota Now learn more about the Red River from the water. Minnesota Now host Nina Moini and producer Alanna Elder climbed into kayaks and paddled out from under the bridge.

On Monday evening members of the public will have a chance to weigh in on a proposed health merger. Sanford Health and North Memorial Health announced last month they’d reached an agreement to combine. Sanford is based in South Dakota and operates in several midwestern states, especially in rural areas. North Memorial runs two hospitals and a network of clinics in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.

A merger between California-based Sutter Health and Allina Health is also in progress.

Minnesota’s Attorney General has the power to review health mergers in the state and potentially sue to stop them, under a 2023 law. Attorney General Keith Ellison is currently running for reelection. His office is hosting Monday’s public forum in Robbinsdale.

He joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about his office’s role in healthcare mergers.

In the last month, there has been a flurry of changes in immigration policies.

On Friday, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration must resume processing asylum applications from 39 countries. The administration also sought to make major changes to the green card application process.

That’s all happening with Operation PARRIS in the background, which is an effort to re-vet the applications of thousands of refugees in Minnesota for potential fraud or other crimes. That launched this past winter.

Minnesota Now’s next two guests have been supporting people who have been navigating all of these shifts. Corleen Smith is immigration services director at the International Institute of Minnesota and Michelle Drake is a lawyer with Berger Montague.

Deb Jenkins has lived in the Fargo-Moorhead area for more than 50 years. Through that time, Jenkins has witnessed all the changes this place has gone through. She’s also changed it in more ways than one — as a nurse, chef, and community member. But many may have known her first as a musician.

We talked to Deb about what’s kept her in the Fargo-Moorhead area after all these years and how she’s found new ways to make it a more vibrant place.

She also performed an original song called “Leaves” and a cover of “The Hunter” with her husband Mike on the keyboard for our live Minnesota Now show at the Moorhead Public Library.

In the heat of late spring in western Minnesota, insects buzz around and green sprouts push up from rich, dark soil. This means it’s go-time for farmers like Noreen Thomas.

Thomas and her family produce vegetables, flowers, grains, eggs and seeds on Doubting Thomas farms near Moorhead. They sell to regional grocers, bakeries, and breweries as well as award-winning restaurants around the country.

The farm also makes space for other producers raising honeybees, grazing cattle and harvesting herbs and Thomas mentors other women in agriculture. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini in front of a live audience at the Moorhead Public Library to talk about her journey into farming and her community-centered approach to agriculture.