Minnesota Now

On May 7, 1963, the curtain rose on a new artistic venture in the Twin Cities – the Guthrie Theater. The first production? Shakespeare’s Hamlet, directed by the theater’s first artistic director and founder, Tyrone Guthrie.

This season, the Guthrie theatre will celebrate its 60th anniversary. How has the theatre and its performances changed with the times? Artistic director Joseph Haj joins the show.

This weekend, a new documentary film opens in theaters that celebrates the love many Minnesotans have for high school hockey.

Hockeyland focuses on two high school boy’s hockey teams in northeastern Minnesota — Eveleth-Gilbert and Hermantown.

Host Cathy Wurzer talks with the film’s director, Tommy Haines.

It is hot, muggy and hazy out there! But it won't last for much longer. MPR meteorologist Sven Sundgaard shares more weather details for our region and beyond.

As children and young adults head back to school, they may be feeling a little nervous. For caregivers, it can be tricky knowing when it’s just routine jitters or a more serious case of anxiety. 

You may have heard the number of children struggling with depression and anxiety doubled during the pandemic. Dr. Sara Gonzalez is a psychologist at Children’s Minnesota. She joins Minnesota Now to share how to tell if your child is moving through something just fine - or if you need a little more help to get through it.

Appointments to get the new booster shots are open at the state-run vaccination site at the Mall of America. The state sites in Duluth, St. Paul Midway, Rochester and Moorhead will start taking appointments next week.

The White House coronavirus coordinator said yesterday that the new Omicron boosters signal a new normal for the virus. The reworked COVID booster shot could become part of our yearly routine, like the flu shot.

To tell us more about the science behind the vaccines and how they work, Dr. Abinash Virk is on the line. She’s an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic.

The largest building project in Minnesota history has hit huge snags. It’s way over budget and years behind schedule. What’s going on?

Local comedian Jon Savitt is teaching high school students how to make people laugh.

Many Ukrainians are starting lives abroad as the devastating Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. We'll talk with three high school students about their first days in the Twin Cities metro.

And the start of September means the end of the backyard veggie garden — or does it? Gardener Meg Cowden has a few ideas for you.

Whether you love it or hate it, meteorological fall is happening. That means it’s far too late to get started with a garden, right? Meg Cowden thinks it’s never too late to start your own garden. She’s got tips for gardening all year long! For more on what she’s been sowing, planting and harvesting, Meg is back. She is the author of the book Plant Grow Harvest Repeat.

Most Minnesota students went back to school Tuesday. Among the students? A group of young Ukrainians who recently arrived to Minnesota for a chance to pursue their education in peace. MPR News reporter Nina Moini spoke with the three students and the woman who is looking after them while they are here in Minnesota.

Twin Cities based comedian Jon Savitt has been told his whole life that he’d have to move to places like New York or L.A. to pursue a career in comedy. But despite that advice, Jon moved back to Minnesota as the pandemic started.

His work has been featured on Funny or Die, College Humor and TIME. And now he’s trying his hand at teaching high school students the art of making people laugh. MPR Producer Aron Woldeslassie had a conversation with Jon about his new teaching initiative, called the Minneapolis Writer’s Room.

There was a report from the legislative auditor released Friday, and it’s likely you missed it since it was the start of a long holiday weekend. It was a long awaited report on the Southwest Corridor light rail project. That train line is supposed to connect downtown Minneapolis with Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park.

The project is the most expensive in state history and is nine years behind schedule. It is also $1.5 billion over budget. That’s not all, there are questions about where the money will come from to finish the project.

Judy Randall is Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor and she joined Cathy to talk about the findings of the report. Cathy also spoke to DFL State Representative Frank Hornstein of Minneapolis, who along with other lawmakers pushed to make the audit happen.