Minnesota Now

When television was a brand new technology, it’s hard to explain the level of curiosity, skepticism and excitement over the hazy black and white images on what was a very small screen. Television is simply part of the fabric of our lives today, but back in the 1940s, television was considered a novelty for most Americans.

75 years ago on April 27, 1948, Twin Cities residents watched the first day of programming on KSTP-TV. It was Minnesota’s first commercial television station. There was a lot of build-up to that inaugural broadcast and because it was such a pivotal chapter in Minnesota broadcast history, we wanted to talk more about it with Glenn Griffin, the archivist for Hubbard Broadcasting in the Twin Cities. The Hubbard family owns KSTP TV and other broadcast outlets.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke to Griffin about the history of the station.

Land use, including agriculture and forestry, has become Minnesota’s number two source of carbon emissions, after transportation. And one group you may not think of has some decision-making power to help reduce that pollution: non-farming landowners. Meg Nielsen joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about her efforts to store carbon and reduce emissions on her family farmland.

The Minnesota House is expected to vote on the cannabis bill today. We hear what the bill may look like at the municipal level if it becomes law. When it comes to climate change and reducing emissions, farmland owners have a lot of influence. A north side nonprofit in Minneapolis is gaining traction for its alternatives to demolishing old buildings. Plus, a southern Minnesota graveyard has a surprising link to Shakespeare and The Current's Diane Miller has the local music you need to know.

Whatever sound you are into, there is a Minnesota musician for you. Diane Miller is our guide through the variety of music that is popping across the state. She hosts The Local Show on MPR News’ sister station, The Current. Miller joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to highlight five artists with new songs or upcoming shows.

In honor of the 459th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare, we have a little history nugget for you. There are surprising historical connections to be gleaned from small-town graveyards. MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer talked with Faribault County Historical Society Executive Director Randy Anderson about the link between one of the great Shakespearean actresses of the London stage in the early 1800s and the town of Blue Earth in southern Minnesota.

In much of the state, the snow has melted, the ground has thawed, and you know what that means. It’s the beginning of construction season! That also means demolishing old buildings to make way for those new construction. But back in 2020, Hennepin County became one of the first counties in the nation to offer ‘green grants’ for deconstruction, an alternative to demolishing a building. Petrina Rhines, founder and director of the northside Minneapolis non-profit the Birch Group, joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about how it works.

The Minnesota House prepared for a long floor session Monday as lawmakers were about to debate a 300-page bill that would legalize marijuana for recreational use in the state. The proposal has some medical providers talking about what legalized cannabis use might mean for the health, particularly the mental health, of Minnesotans. Dr. Sheila Specker, a psychiatrist and director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at the University of Minnesota, joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about some doctors’ concerns and recommendations.

Approximately half of Minnesota’s land area is used for agriculture. A large chunk of the state’s farmland – about 35 percent – is rented from owners who do not farm. Carol Bouska lives in Minneapolis and owns farmland in northeastern Iowa with her three sisters. Meg Nielsen has farmland in southern Minnesota and lives in Wisconsin. Both are members of a landowner group called Climate Land Leaders that works to store carbon and reduce emissions. MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer talked with them and William Lazarus, an extension economist and professor at the University of Minnesota, about farmland transitions and the roles of heirs and renters in Minnesota farm country.

Minnesotans are accused of always talking about the weather. It’s a good conversation starter. But here’s another one that’s almost as popular: What have you been watching lately? Alan Tracy, a director, and Rehana Power, an actor, have turned that conversation into a podcast. Power and Tracy joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about their show, Film in Minnesota.

A proposal to legalize recreational marijuana has medical providers talking about what it could mean for the mental health of Minnesotans. About thirty-five percent of Minnesota's farmland is rented from owners who don't farm. We hear from two women who are making difficult choices about how to use their family land. Plus, April is National Poetry Month. A poet shares her inspirations, past and present. And a Minnesota director and actor have turned the business and art of the film industry into a can't-miss podcast.