Minnesota Now

The Minnesota Wild open their season next week and this year, there’s a new person on the team who could have an unusual job on game night. Peter Thome is the Wild’s new EBUG, or emergency backup goaltender.

For years, EBUGs have typically been local hockey players or fans who volunteer to suit up in the extremely unlikely event that a team loses both of its regular goaltenders. But the NHL is changing the way it handles that role this season, with every team now having a designated EBUG as part of its staff.

Thome joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about how the role works, how he ended up with this very unusual job and what happens if he actually has to play.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport may be the go-to for many Minnesotans and a hub for Delta Air Lines. But decades ago, the St. Paul Downtown Airport was the epicenter of aviation for Minnesota. It was there that the first private airmail route for the Midwest originated and where Northwest Airlines built up its operations before eventually merging with Delta.

Bruce Kitt, archive manager of the Northwest Airlines History Center, joined MPR News host Nina Moini for a history tour of the St. Paul airport, which commemorates a hundred years of service Thursday.

Thursday will be a year since the first charges were filed in an investigation into fraud in autism therapy in Minnesota. It added fuel to calls for more oversight and accountability in state government.

A new report finds a different phenomenon in autism therapy nationwide: a treatment dominating the industry, driven partly by private equity. The education news site The 74 found that between 2019 and 2024, annual Medicaid billing for what’s called Applied Behavioral Analysis grew from $400 million a year to nearly $2 billion. Many of the largest providers were backed by private equity firms.

Beth Hawkins, the Minnesota-based senior writer and national correspondent for The 74, reported the story with data journalist Nicholas Perez.

The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy in Massachusetts set off calls for more support for parents who are struggling with mental health after childbirth.

For more on postpartum mental illness, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Dr. Helen Kim, a psychiatrist and co-founder of the Hennepin Healthcare Mother-Baby Program and Redleaf Center for Family Healing in Minneapolis. Then, she spoke with Naomi Gaines-Young, a mother whose own experience of the condition led to the death of one son and more than a decade in prison.

The city of New Richland is cleaning up after heavy rain damaged an estimated three-quarters of homes in the small southern Minnesota town. We'll talk to the city administrator about how they're responding and preparing for future floods.

The Lindsay Clancy trial in Massachusetts set off a nationwide conversation about postpartum mental illness. A doctor will join the program to talk about signs and treatment. We’ll also hear from a Minnesota mother whose symptoms led to tragedy more than 20 years ago.

The driverless taxi company Waymo is testing in Minneapolis, but the city council is considering a rule that would require monitors behind the wheel.

We'll meet a playwright who is workshopping a new musical in St. Cloud.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Eureka Rd.” by Raymnd and our Song of the Day was "Home" by Clay Fulton and the Lost Forty.

This weekend actors in St. Cloud will take the stage to sing out scenes from a fascinating life. Eliza Lynch was an Irish woman who moved to Paris in the 1850s. There, she met Francisco Solano Lopez, the future authoritarian president of Paraguay. They returned to the South American country together. While they never married, Lynch was by Lopez's side as he led Paraguay into a catastrophic moment: a war estimated to have killed two-thirds of Paraguay's population.

Eliza Lynch is the subject of “REINA: A New Musical” by Jorge Delgado. He talked to MPR News host Nina Moini about what drew him to Lynch’s story and what he hopes audiences will take away from the musical.

Flood waters are starting to recede in the southern Minnesota city of New Richland, where more than half a foot of rain devastated the community over the weekend. The city is now starting to turn to recovery efforts and looking at how to prevent future flooding.

New Richland city administrator Tyler Lendt joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about flooding recovery.

Minnesota truckers are feeling the pinch of soaring diesel prices. The current average statewide is still above $6. We heard from truck drivers on how they're making do and what it could mean for the industry long-term.

Dozens of people looking into the impacts of this winter's immigration surge will gather Tuesday to share their findings.

Plus, Mark Dayton is adding another title to his resume: author. The former U.S. senator and Minnesota governor sat down with MPR News to talk about his new memoir and his career in politics.

And more changes are coming to federal food assistance. We heard how one county is preparing for what's ahead.

Also, the Vikings are now 2-0 for the season after beating the Chicago Bears in the rain.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Darling” by Buffalo Galaxy and “Autumn Love” by Death Cab for Cutie was the Song of the Day.

On a soggy Sunday in Chicago, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Bears 9-3 in the rain. Meanwhile, Lynx guard Olivia Miles rained down more baskets, breaking Caitlin Clark's record to become the WNBA's highest-scoring rookie. Sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News host Nina Moini for their weekly round-up of Minnesota sports.

A new set of changes to federal food assistance will take effect next week.

County staff have implemented the work requirements and eligibility changes to SNAP that Congress passed in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year. On October 1st, they’ll also take on more of the administrative costs of food aid. The federal government will provide a quarter of that funding, instead of half, a change the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families says will result in $32 million in cuts to counties.

Counties are also preparing their budgets for October 2027, when they're expected to take on additional costs: a portion of the benefits people receive. Minnesota’s Democratic U.S. Senators have pushed to delay the changes in the Farm Bill, a massive package of agricultural and food policy that passed out of committee last week.

Scott County Social Services Director Barb Dahl is watching that debate and preparing for the cuts to federal SNAP funding. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini on Minnesota Now to talk about what the changes will mean for her county.