Minnesota Now

For many people, a key part of the holidays this time of year includes attending services in a faith community. But for many transgender people, it’s difficult to find a spiritual home that’s welcoming, affirming and inclusive. Austen Hartke, executive director of Transmission Ministry Collective. he talks with host Cathy Wurzer about his online ministry dedicated to the spiritual care of transgender people around the world.

According to flightaware.com, nearly 3,000 flights have been cancelled today, Tuesday, and about 2,500 have been delayed. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is reporting nearly all Southwest Airlines flights to and from the Twin Cities are canceled Tuesday, that’s more than 30 flights in all. Host Cathy Wurzer talks with travel reporter Gunnar Olson from Thrifty Traveler.

We are still talking about the weather! There is a lot happening and we'll get you the latest details.

Speaking of the cold we'll hear more from homeless Minnesotans who are riding public transportation to stay warm.

Amid all the joy of this holiday season, there is also grief for those who have lost a loved one. You'll hear one woman's story.

And we revisit one of the top stories of 2022 — the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe V. Wade.

And finally, we talk sports with Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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How about that Vikings win? The team clinched their division with a historic win last weekend.

Now, they’re taking on the New York Giants who are coming off a win of their own. How could this play out?

Our sports guys, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson, give us their take on this and other sports news of the week.

One of the top stories of the year was the battle over abortion rights.

On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 court case that legalized abortion nationwide.

Hours after that June decision, host Cathy Wurzer talked with University of Minnesota Law Professor Jill Hasday about the impacts of the ruling.

The holidays aren’t a happy time of year for everyone. Carolyn Lange knows immeasurable grief all too well. This is her second Christmas without her son, Andrew.

Andrew was killed in a car accident at just 20 years old. We first talked with Carolyn last March about the nursing scholarship she began in her son’s honor through the Willmar Community Foundation.

To donate to the Andrew Hatlestad Legacy Fund, you can:

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. 

The winter storm is once again our top story. No matter where you are in Minnesota, there's some kind of weather warning in effect...be it Blizzard warnings, winter storm warnings or wind chill advisories.

Quite a week for all this and it may hamper some travel plans. Our meteorologist Sven Sundgaard is on the line with more details.

There are some extremely cold temperatures out there. But Metro Transit busses and trains are still running.

Our reporter Feven Gerezgiher hopped on a bus in Minneapolis and talked to some folks on their way to St. Paul.

The winter storm is our top story.... Snow is piling up today across the state and could make for some treacherous conditions the rest of the week. If you're figuring out whether it's bad enough to cancel that holiday gathering... We'll get a look at your full holiday travel forecast.

And Minnesota company 3M will stop making so-called “forever chemicals” one week after a journalistic investigation. That reporter is on the line.

The war in Ukraine was one of the top stories of the year and it still rages on. We're checking back with a Ukranian Minnesotan about what the last year has been like.

And I love old buildings and abandoned ghost towns. We'll travel to a Minnesota ghost town with a fascinating story.

Minnesota claims to be the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But there’s one lake you won’t find on any map: Lake Agassiz. This gigantic glacial lake, which covered parts of Canada, North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota, drained away thousands of years ago.

Jim Cotter, geology professor at the University of Minnesota – Morris, is back with us on Minnesota Now to give us the next chapter in his geologist’s tour of Minnesota history.