Minnesota Now

Minnesota Now looked at both the major party candidates, GOP challenger Scott Jensen and DFL incumbent Tim Walz.

It's been more than three decades since a Minnesota governor seeking re-election has lost. Incumbency has its advantages but also leaves a record to defend.

Governor Walz is pursuing another term after an eventful four years. Brian Bakst has our lookback on his time in office.

For decades, Minnesota students have outperformed their peers nationally on standardized tests. But new scores from national math and reading exams for fourth and eighth graders show a sharp drop in performance for both subject areas.

Scores plummeted across the country, despite hope that students had begun to regain lost ground from the pandemic. No state saw improvements between 2019 and 2022.

So, where do we go from here? Matt Barnum joined Cathy to try to answer that question. Matt is a national reporter for the education publication, Chalkbeat, and a Spencer Fellow at Columbia Journalism School.

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

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We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here. 

It was dangerously cold the night the Patel family started their journey from Canada into Minnesota. Deep, blowing snow. Whiteout conditions.

The Patels never made it here. They died just feet from the border in January of this year.

Dharmik, Vihangi, Vaishali and Jagdish were immigrants from India – and victims of alleged human smugglers. A new Canadian Broadcasting Corporation investigation looks into how this happened — and asks if their deaths could have been prevented.

Host Cathy Wurzer talked to Steven D’Souza, co-host for the CBC’s “The Fifth Estate,” about his reporting.

Two of the former Minneapolis police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd will not get a jury trial. It was a surprise development just as jury selection was to begin today.

A family of four died earlier this year while trying to cross the international border between Canada and Minnesota. We'll talk with the host of a new documentary about the smuggling ring that allegedly got them there.

Lawmakers elected in November will have the power to make decisions about access to abortion. How could the election impact abortion rights in our state? We'll take a look.

And as winter creeps closer, we turn our attention to older Minnesotans who may be more isolated as snow and ice move in. How can we stay connected to keep those later years bright?

Jury selection was supposed to start Monday morning in the trial of two former police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd. In a last minute twist, it looks like neither officer — Tou Thao or J. Alexander Kueng — will have a jury trial.

Reporter Jon Collins was in the courtroom and joined Cathy to explain what happened.

Minneapolis musician Gabriel Rodreick goes by the stage name Freaque. He and Cathy talked about his new music, expanding the sound in his live performances, being an artist with a spinal chord injury who uses a wheelchair, and the tunes by other musicians that inspire his work.

Gabriel has an album release show for his album Victim of a Rose coming up at the Hook and Ladder Theater in Minneapolis this Saturday, October 29. You can listen to his music here.

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. 

We’re heading into the colder months and that means many of us tend to cocoon in our homes until spring. While that sounds cozy, for those among us who are older and already isolate, the seclusion can have serious consequences. As we age, how can we continue to live a vital and connected life? It’s something Steve Hoover has thought a lot about in his work with Minnesota seniors. He is the Healthy Aging Coordinator at the Central Minnesota Council on Aging and he spoke with Cathy about his work.

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. 

Last week’s first and only televised gubernatorial debate in Minnesota included a question about legalized abortion. Republican candidate Scott Jensen said the question of keeping abortion legal in the state is not on the ballot this year. But lawmakers who are up for election in Minnesota do have the power to make decisions about abortion in the state. For answers about how this year’s election may affect abortion access in Minnesota, University of Minnesota Law School Professor Jill Hasday joined Cathy.

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. 

On this episode of Minnesota Now…

Parts of southern Minnesota are in extreme drought. What kind of rain or snow do we need to get out of this hole?

BIPOC and women owned businesses aren't getting their share of contracts from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

One St. Paul poet believes prisons can be classrooms. We'll hear about the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop ahead of its showcase this weekend.

And the Twin Cities Film Festival is back for its thirteenth year, with a poignant and powerful lineup.

A recent report from Minneapolis St. Paul Business journal shows that the Minnesota Department of Transportation consistently misses goals for contracting with women- and minority-owned companies. Those goals are mandates set by the National Department of Transportation. With the details on that story and other business news from the Metro area, Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal reporter Kelly Busche joined Cathy for a conversation.

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.