Minnesota Now

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced Thursday that he is nominating Police Chief Brian O’Hara to serve a second term. To serve a second term, his nomination would need to be confirmed by the city council. It is unclear whether there is enough council support to confirm O’Hara. MPR News reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox reports on why that could prove tricky.

During the height of Operation Metro Surge, the federal government publicized the arrests of protesters and observers. We learned why prosecutors dismissed the charges in a third of those cases.

Diesel gas prices are nearing a record high. We heard how that’s impacting Minnesota’s trucking industry and your wallet.

Plus, urban flocks of turkeys are hard to miss this time of year. We got some answers about the bird from an expert.

And dozens of venues across Minneapolis are inviting the public to behind-the-scenes visits for Doors Open Minneapolis this weekend.

The Minnesota Music Minute was "The Window” by We are the Willows and “Get Up and Dance” by Sonny Knight and the Lakers was the Song of the Day.

If you're feeling like wild turkeys are everywhere lately, it's because they are. It's the time of year when turkeys are out and about looking to expand their flock after a winter spent roosting.

So, we took the chance to get some turkey testimonials from Minnesotans about encounters they're having with our big-feathered friends and get questions they'd ask a turkey expert if they could.

Roy Churchwell, resident gamebird consultant with the DNR, joined Minnesota Now to answer those questions.

Gas and diesel prices in Minnesota are nearing record-highs as President Donald Trump threatens Iran with more bombing if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz and agree to a deal he's put forth to end the war.

Fuel prices have skyrocketed since the war on Iran began more than two months ago. John Hausladen, president of the Minnesota Trucking Association, spoke about how these changes are putting truckers in a tough spot.

The rich culture and history of Minneapolis will be on full display for anyone to see this weekend with Doors Open. Seventy-five spaces across the city, many normally closed to the public, will open their doors for free for a behind-the-scenes look. From historic buildings to city maintenance facilities, the festival reveals corners of the city that most of the year are unseen.

For details, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Heidi Swank, the executive director of Rethos, which puts on the celebration.

During Operation Metro Surge, thousands of Minnesotans were sent to detention centers in Texas. And in one case, a woman with an ovarian cyst said she's been denied medical care. Rep. Angie Craig went to visit her Monday. We talked to the congresswoman about her experience.

In another immigration case, a Brooklyn Park man detained for more than three months may avoid deportation, thanks in part to a last minute pardon from the state.

We'll check in on the Minneapolis emergency rent relief program and how much money has been distributed so far.

A new book is sharing a different framework for research that centers often underserved communities. We'll talk to the author, Brittany Lewis.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Black Butterfly” by Sounds of Blackness.

It’s been two weeks since the city of Minneapolis opened applications for emergency rent relief. The fund was created after some immigrant families couldn’t pay rent, because they were too scared to leave their homes and go to work during Operation Metro Surge.

The $2 million rent relief fund is being administered through Hennepin County, along with three partner organizations. And we’re going to check in on the progress of the program.

Will Lehman is the area manager of homelessness prevention for Hennepin County and Jackie Pérez, vice president of programs at CLUES, Minnesota’s largest Latino-led nonprofit organization, and a community partner organization helping disperse rent relief funding.

Minneapolis’ Research in Action CEO Brittany Lewis says that too often, institutions conduct research on communities without including them, and that their findings never reach the people they are supposed to help.

Lewis is out with a book Tuesday that outlines a different framework. It’s called "Building a New Table: A Community-Centered Handbook for Transformative Social Change." She talked with MPR News host Nina Moini about how she realized she wanted to put her new book into the world and what it looks like when research does not effectively include the communities they are supposed to be focused on.

Lewis will celebrate the launch of her book at the Loft Literary Center on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

During Operation Metro Surge, thousands of people detained by federal immigration agents ended up getting put on a plane and flown to detention centers out of state. According to an analysis by Sahan Journal, 3,400 people were flown to Texas. And as of early March, 530 remained there. It’s unclear now how many are still in detention today.

One detainee's experience has gotten the attention of lawmakers. First reported by the Minnesota Reformer, Andrea Pedro-Francisco of Burnsville has a tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst. She was scheduled to have surgery to treat the cyst, but was detained days before it could happen.

While in ICE detention, Andrea says she has not gotten the medical care she needs for her cyst. Democrat U.S. Representative Angie Craig, whose district includes Burnsville, went down to visit Andrea at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, on Monday. Congresswomen Angie Craig talked to MPR News host Nina Moini about her visit.

The state Senate will vote Monday on a package of gun violence protection bills. It includes a ban on assault weapons and restrictions on ghost guns. More from supporters and opponents of the legislation that's been a central debate this session.

It was decision day for many high school seniors this weekend, as they chose where they will be headed in the fall for college. Thousands of those students could get free tuition at Minnesota schools thanks to the North Star Promise program. A check in on the program ahead.

And the Wild and the Wolves are starting the second round of their playoffs. It's the first time in Minnesota history that's happened.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was a performance of Gustav Mahler’s “ Symphony No. 5” by the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony.