Minnesota Now

President Joe Biden was scheduled to land at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport Monday afternoon and head to Fridley for a tour of Cummins’ Power Generation Facility, a factory that makes clean energy technology. The President and his administration are traveling the country as Biden is expected to announce a bid for reelection and begin pitching the case to voters for giving him another term. MPR News reporter Mark Zdechlik joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer from Fridley as press waited for the visit to begin.

University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel has resigned. She's leaving to become chancellor at University of Pittsburgh starting in July. We'll reflect on her tenure and what the move means for the future of the U.

President Joe Biden made an appearance at a factory in Fridley on Monday. We heard more about what to expect from his visit.

Reporting from ProPublica, out Monday, shows how the Minnesota Board of Nursing is falling short when it comes to nurse discipline. We'll learn more from the reporter behind the story.

The Minneapolis city core is changing and the mayor supports turning office buildings into apartments. Listen for what a downtown transformation could look like.

It’s National Poetry Month. We heard from an award-winning student poet on her influences and inspirations.

Stella and other students in the chose a collection of poems to recite and were judged on their stage presence and interpretation. Stella Wright is passionate about bringing other people’s poetry to life. She also writes poetry of her own. She’s a senior at Robbinsdale High School and joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk all things poetry.

On Monday morning, the University of Minnesota president Joan Gabel announced she is leaving to take the head job at the University of Pittsburgh. Longtime University of Minnesota booster, former Governor Arne Carlson, joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer with reaction to the news.

The Minneapolis downtown area is not as busy as it once was. You can thank the pandemic for that. Overnight, workers disappeared, more than 150,000 in Minneapolis and about 50,000 in St. Paul. Workers are coming back, but slowly.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey supports converting downtown office buildings into apartments, according to an interview with Axios. With government buy-in, a downtown transformation is likely. But what exactly will that look like? That’s up in the air. Fernando Burga is an assistant professor of urban planning at the University of Minnesota and he joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to make sense of the future of downtown Minneapolis.

Minneapolis writer Emily Strasser has a brand new book inspired by a curious picture that hung in her Grandmother's house. Her questions about that image set her on a years long exploration of her family history, and its disturbing connections to global conflict.

Residents of Raymond in western Minnesota are returning to their homes following a train derailment in the early hours of Thursday morning that prompted an evacuation of the small town about 90 miles west of the Twin Cities. MPR News reporters Mark Zdechlick and Kirsti Marohn were on the scene and joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer to talk about what they heard. Raymond Mayor Ardell Tensen talked about the city’s response and former Minnesota Pollution Control Agency hydrologist Mark Toso answered questions about ethanol spills.

There’s a new book on the shelves from a local author about a real-life mystery. Memorial Day weekend 1971, two 17-year-old girls hopped in an old Studebaker for a kegger in Vermillion, South Dakota. They took a wrong turn near the gravel pits and were never seen again. Lou Raguse is a reporter on KARE 11 and the author of the book ‘Vanished in Vermillion: The Real Story of South Dakota’s Most Infamous Cold Case.’ He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the case.

Residents of Raymond, Minnesota were evacuated after a train derailed early Thursday morning and some cars caught fire.

A local reporter tells the story of a real-life cold case and what drove him to investigate.

The Minnesota Film Festival is in full swing in Duluth Thursday and runs through the weekend.

Sports guys Wally and Eric talk about the Timberwolves, Wild, and the Twins opener.

The Minnesota Film Festival lasts from March 29 through April 2. The festival features local and international films at the Zeitgeist Zinema theater in Duluth. Program Director Beth Chatelain joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about how the festival has been going so far and what audiences can look forward to.