Minnesota Now

It’s a good time to be a ball fan in Minnesota. The Twins are on a winning streak and the Loons are hot! Host Cathy Wurzer gets the details from our sports pros - Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score magazine and the cohost of “Ten-thousand Takes” sports talk show. Eric Nelson is the other host of “Ten-thousand Takes” and the Minnesota Vikings reporter for CBS Sports Radio “Eye on Football.”

Michael Osterholm on the new vaccine for the most contagious Covid strains circulating among us; the story on all the FFA high schoolers who are showing off at the state fair for the 75th year; an insightful conversation about barriers for BIPOC folks to going out into the great outdoors; a group of ninth graders share their hopes, dreams and jitters for their freshman year and we'll catch up with our sports experts Wally and Eric with the latest need-to-know sports news.

Nearly 1,000 high school students have moved into the barracks at the State Fairgrounds for the big weekend of FFA competitions. This is the 75th year the Future Farmers of America are at the fair.

Cathy Wurzer talked with T.J. Brown, FFA Superintendent and Agribusiness instructor at South Central College in North Mankato about the changing FFA and what all those young people are up to this last weekend of the fair.

Upgraded COVID-19 vaccines are on the way. On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved new, reformulated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and director of Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share what that means for our immunity against new and future strains of the virus.

The following is a transcript of the conversation edited for clarity. Listen to the full conversation using the audio player above.

Well, they actually work the same way as the vaccines that were used up until now, except for the fact that they include specific changes to the spike protein — that material that we try to develop the antibodies against, which will then prevent that virus from actually entering our cells. And now it is reformulated to include the mutations that we have seen with this virus’ ba.4, ba.5 mutation. So it's exactly the same vaccine, with the exception of accounting for that.

Well, let me cut through the fog of vaccines right now. Because I think this has really been an unfortunate situation where the public is being whipsawed back and forth.

The most important message that anyone can take away from this interview is just the need to get vaccinated, regardless of which vaccine you get. The data are clear and compelling now that if you are vaccinated, and with at least two boosters, meaning four doses in total, you have a significantly lower risk of serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths. And so that's the most important thing.

I think the prediction that we're going to have a surge potentially this fall is not based on any meaningful data. As you know, I've been talking about all along the inability for us to actually predict what's going to happen with this virus. So I would be worried about this moment, and that something this fall. And we're still seeing in this country, 500 deaths a day due to COVID. It makes it the number four cause of death overall. And so the most important messages stay current.

The second thing is this vaccine is coming out is safe. It's no different than the other vaccines that we've had to use to date. The challenge is, is it going to work better? Is it going to really stop the infections more effectively than the previous vaccines? And I think that is open to question.

So to me, it's if I have a choice right now, I'll take either vaccine as long as I get a vaccine to keep myself currently vaccinated.

We have a perfect storm in the world of vaccines that I've not seen in my almost 48 years in the business. First of all, we've surely got the situation now we have two different vaccines for the purposes of COVID. And by two I don't mean to Pfizer and Moderna. I mean, you have the previous U.S. vaccine, which is the one you have to use if you're starting somebody for the first time in being vaccinated — because they're a higher dosage vaccine than the boosters we have now. So we've got to keep both those vaccines separate.

And you're right about rolling out a campaign. We're in the middle of trying to vaccinate for monkeypox with this intradermal method. That type of administration is much more complicated.

We've got polio challenges right now in this country, where we have many pockets of under-vaccinated people. We're now concerned polio virus is spreading right here in the state of Minnesota, only 23 percent of young Somali children are vaccinated against polio.

Then on top of it rolling out a vaccine for the flu season. You know, if we if the Southern Hemisphere was any indication of what might happen here during their winter through March, April in May in Australia, they had one of their worst flu seasons they've had in many years. This is also something we're trying to do right now here in Minnesota draw a flu vaccine.

All of these vaccines are challenging us tremendously, trying to get them all done and there are no resources, the feds have not provided additional new resources. So health care providers in the state and local health departments are trying to get the vaccinations done with no new support whatsoever.

You will be able to get the new vaccine dose as early as next week. If you want to get it you should get it just like you’ve gotten your previous vaccines. At clinics and contacting local and state public health agencies for what they're doing to provide vaccines. The most important message — again — is get it. If it's been at least four months since you've been vaccinated before, you need it right now. With the new vaccine, you can get it as early as two months after the last dose, I think waiting a little bit longer is better.

We have a significant amount of activity right now in Minnesota right here. I know of more friends, colleagues and acquaintances that are infected with this virus now than at any time I've known since the pandemic began. So now is the time to get it. Don't wait. Again, this could be what can keep you out of the hospital can keep you from becoming seriously ill and keep you from dying.

We clearly need better vaccines, however, I guess the real question is, “what does better mean?” I think the vaccine that we have coming may have a slight advantage over the one we had previously. But we really need are completely different vaccines that ultimately will stop you from getting infected. That means you don't transmit the virus and surely then keeps you from becoming seriously ill.

Right now we don't have those. These vaccines are powerful tools and keeping people from getting seriously ill or dying. But we clearly need new and better vaccines. Our group happens to be leading an international effort to come up with a roadmap for these new, better vaccines. But they're not forthcoming now. They're there, they're at least several years off at the earliest. So in the meantime, we're gonna have to learn how to live with this virus in this kind of boosting situations. But as I've also said to you, we cannot boost our way out of this pandemic.

Only 26 percent of Americans 65 years of age and older have had all their boosters to booster doses. Why? Why can't we get the remainder vaccinated? Because that's one of the most important reasons why we continue to see these 500 deaths a day are people who are just not vaccinated.

I absolutely do. I'd say actually not just well fitted, I wear an N95 respirator. I'm fully vaccinated. And when I'm in public settings, I do that. When in private settings, when we entertain a few people for dinner, we test for several days a day, before they come no one who has symptoms, including even sniffles can come. And so far we're managing the pandemic to that regard it can be done. But it surely means that you can't just ignore the virus. It's here, and it is taking a toll.

Yeah, anybody that predicts what's happening with COVID, more than three to five weeks out, probably also has a bridge to sell, so be careful. And I keep hearing my colleagues say this, but as you know, you've been following us over the months that we've been involved with this pandemic. How many times have people made predictions for which it didn't come true?

A famous one that was made … this past spring that we're going to see another major summer hit in the southern sunbelt states, and everyone get ready. Never happened. As near as you may recall, I suggested we don't know that would happen and it didn't. So I think we have to be very careful with this virus. We just don't know what the next shoe to drop is.

Listen to the full conversation using the audio player above.

School starts next week for many young Minnesotans, and with it, a new class of ninth graders will enter high school.

MPR News spoke with five members of the class of 2026 — from five different metro-area high schools — about their hopes, fears and dreams for the future as the semester begins.

“I’m excited,” Nikki Krsna said. “I get to meet a lot of new people.”

During the beginning of the pandemic, Nikki stayed connected with her friends through virtual study groups. She likes to have a broad social network, she said — with folks from all different backgrounds.

Some of those friends she’s met through clubs and activities, like volleyball and Indian classical dance. Gleaming trophies from over the years are on display in her family’s living room.

“My dance friends, they've been the same for eight years. So we're all very close with each other.”

Wayzata High School is the largest high school in Minnesota, by enrollment. So Nikki is a little nervous about navigating the halls.

She thinks she has a difficult year ahead of her— with a math class first up in the morning. But she feels ready.

“It’s not going to be like the movies … because it’s very dramatized.”

When Evan Bierscheid graduates high school, he wants music to be part of his life — whether that’s as a musical artist, or a producer, studio musician or sound engineer. He’s taking a music production class this year, in addition to playing percussion in band, and hopes to take more music classes as they’re offered.

“I'm not necessarily excited to go back to school, but I've had a long enough time, where I'm like … I'm not dreading it or anything,” he said.

The new environment is a bit nerve-wracking. His mom worked at his middle school — in high school, he’ll be more on his own. Luckily, many of his friends from middle school will be with him at Roseville Area High School.

“I haven't had that same age difference between me and the seniors since I was in third grade,” he said. “So it's gonna be a little weird being like, I guess kind of like the younger kid again. Like, wow, some of you are literal adults. And I'm like, 14.”

Lucy Bradford and Anna Penz have known each other their entire lives. They’ve been neighbors since they were three years old.

But they’ll be heading to different high schools this year — even though they’d hoped they’d both be attending Highland Park. But they don’t think it will impact their friendship.

“It's nice to have a reason to see each other … especially at the start of the summer,” Anna said. “Like there's always like a recap that happens.”

They have the first-day jitters — their middle school teachers told them high school would be challenging, but they’re not sure what to expect.

“I know going from elementary school to middle school, all the teachers are like, ‘You guys are going to middle school, this is a big deal.’ And then you go to middle school, and it's like the exact same almost,” Lucy said. “So I think it'd be pretty similar.”

“I'm gonna try to focus on my academics this year, because I know freshman year can be a really big part,” Anna said. “And if you don't do well freshman year, it's really hard to get back from that.”

Nayeli Vicente remembers what it’s like to feel out of place. Back in elementary school, she was placed in classes with people who only spoke English. They looked different than she did, spoke differently.

Nayeli, who grew up speaking Spanish at home, didn’t feel like her English was good enough.

This time around, she knows support is available, though she’s still nervous to be in a new environment. Her cousins attend Washburn High School. They can help her out if she gets lost.

“I try to be nice to people, like nicer than usual,” she said. “And I know I can still relate to other people who aren't exactly like me.”

Nayeli is excited to learn her fourth language this year, American Sign Language (she learned Arabic in middle school). And she’s hoping to do well in all her classes so she can earn a scholarship in the future — that seems like the dream.

“I'm going to get a career in the future that has to do with science and mathematics. Because I think those are my strong points in comparison to things like literature,” she said.

“I'm excited about what this is going to bring for me. I'm very nervous about how I'm going to be able to achieve certain things.”

Click the audio player above to listen to the full episode. 

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The Minnesota State Fair is underway. And fair officials are honoring 78 century farms — those places where one family has fared the same land for 100 years or more. 

That got Cathy thinking about the history of homesteading and the future of family farms as agriculture changes in the region. Jill Nathe is deputy general manager of the agriculture and competitions department at the Minnesota State Fair, where this year, 78 Minnesota Century Farms are being honored.

Click the audio player above to listen to the full episode. 

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. 

Rachel Thunder speaks with Cathy Wurzer about the American Indian Movement’s (AIM) two and a half month walk called “Walk to Justice”. Thunder, who is Plains Cree, serves as the lead organizer for the AIM walk from Minneapolis to Washington D.C.

Thursday, September first is the first day of meteorological fall. Paul Huttner talks with Cathy Wurzer about what to expect in the coming few weeks.

Minnesota's senior U.S. Senator is returning from a trip to Ukraine for a meeting with the Ukrainian president. She'll tell us what she heard and saw while she was there.

Monkeypox cases are still climbing in Minnesota. Health reporter Michelle Wiley spoke with someone infected with the virus about their experience.

Former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev has died. We'll look back at his historic visit to Minnesota 30 years ago. It was a big deal!

And members of the American Indian Movement or AIM are walking from Minnesota to Washington D.C. We’ll hear why.

Monkeypox cases are still climbing in Minnesota, with 123 confirmed cases in the state so far. MPR health reporter Michelle Wiley talks with Cathy Wurzer about her conversations with those who have had Monkeypox and the healthcare professionals working focused on the virus.