If you went to school somewhere in the United States, sometime in the past 50 years, chances are you’ve played the legendary educational computer game The Oregon Trail.

Thanks to that game, millions of kids have forded rivers, hunted deer and, yes, even died of dysentery — all while learning about the perilous journey settlers took from Missouri to Oregon in the nineteenth century.

The Oregon Trail turns 50 years old this month — and it was actually created right here in Minnesota. So host Cathy Wurzer took a look at its history and impact with Paul Dillenberger, one of the three co-creators of the original game.

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

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As the year comes to a close, many Minnesotans are celebrating Kwanzaa, a holiday dedicated to African American culture that runs through New Year's Day. Sunday at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis, the holiday kicked off with a day full of free events for the community.

That included a reading of “Jaheem's First Kwanzaa,” a book written by 10-year-old African American author Zephaniah Martin. We recorded his spirited reading for Minnesota Now listeners.

Martin was honored as the 2021 winner of the Youth Writing Competition sponsored by Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute.

When we asked the young scribe about the inspiration for his first book, he said that was a tough question for him to answer because he didn't really have any inspiration — he just did it.

You can find information on other free events happening at the Midtown Global Market this week to celebrate Kwanzaa on the market’s event calendar, and copies of “Jaheem’s First Kwanzaa” are on sale now.

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

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We’re about to turn the calendar and begin a new year — thankfully. 2021 was another weird one, with churn and grief but also joy and gratitude.

This week, we turn our attention to the transition from 2021 to 2022 in a series of conversations with a group of powerful women who are all coaches and healers.

Mary Hayes Grieco is a forgiveness coach and author. She has taught her Eight Steps to Freedom forgiveness method for more than 30 years all over the world.

Susan Beaulieu is a citizen of the Red Lake Nation. She practices and teaches mindfulness and mind-body awareness to help people heal from childhood and generational trauma. 

Dr. Joi Lewis is an author, coach and consultant who teaches the Orange Method of Healing Justice.

On Monday, host Cathy Wurzer asked her guests how we can use the transition from one year to the next as a time for healing.

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

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It hasn’t taken long for the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus to become the dominant strain in Minnesota, only a few weeks after it was first detected in the state.

Millions across the country traveled for the holidays, which could drive up COVID-19 case numbers that are already surging in major cities.

Kris Ehresmann is director of the infectious disease department at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). She joined host Cathy Wurzer with an update on the pandemic in Minnesota.

Case numbers in Minnesota had dropped before Christmas, but Ehresmann anticipated that they might rise again.

Ehresmann reported that, due to omicron, the MDH has seen a greater number of breakthrough cases of COVID-19 in people who have been vaccinated and received a booster shot, but, she said, “we’re seeing good protection against hospitalization and death.”

Early studies suggest omicron may cause a milder illness than previous variants of the COVID-19 virus, Ehresmann added, but experts are concerned that omicron may be so much more transmissible that it still could lead to patient loads that overwhelm the health system.

Ehresmann told Wurzer that Minnesota is working to ramp up access to COVID-19 testing. She admitted that Minnesotans may have had trouble getting tested in the week leading up to Christmas due to the surge in demand and that omicron may present further challenges, but she believes that “so far, we’ve been able to keep up.”

Ehresmann said that at the end of the day, it’s hard know what to make of new developments in the pandemic: “If I’ve learned anything in the last two years, I guess it’s to be a little bit cautious about predictions.”

“This virus is definitely in charge, and we have to be a little bit humble with it,” Ehresmann said. She encouraged Minnesotans to continue getting vaccinated, masking and social distancing.

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

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Wolf Ridge is an environmental learning center in Finland, Minn., that has been teaching students and families about the natural world for 50 years. When they needed to renovate a dormitory on their campus, they turned the project into something really special.

The Margaret A. Cargill (MAC) Lodge is now a “living building.” It was the first such project in the world to receive the highest environmental certification of its kind: full Living Building Challenge certification from the International Living Future Institute.

To talk more about the unique, cutting-edge sustainability features of the MAC Lodge, host Cathy Wurzer was joined by Pete Smerud, the executive director of Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center.

Smerud said that the project was animated by a simple but powerful question: “Can we give more than we take?”

He walked Wurzer through what exactly a living building is, how the design of the MAC Lodge took climate change into account, and how people can implement the sustainability principles of the project in their own homes.

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

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To bring you the latest on greater Minnesota, we’re convening reporter roundtables on Minnesota Now. This time, Brian Larson, editor of the Cook County News Herald, and Theresa Bourke, staff writer at the Brainerd Dispatch, stopped by to tell host Cathy Wurzer about their top stories.

Wednesday night, a powerful line of storms whipped across southern Minnesota, and the state saw its first-ever recorded December tornado. Photographer Tim Evans has been surveying the damage in Hartland, Minn., and he joined host Cathy Wurzer with more.

Alejandra Peña-Gutiérrez is the first person of color to lead the museum. She told host Cathy Wurzer about her career and her plans for the Weisman.

It’s Thursday, and on Minnesota Now, that means it’s time to talk sports with Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. The duo brought host Cathy Wurzer the latest on the Vikings, Gopher men’s basketball and COVID-19 concerns in the NHL as the Beijing Winter Olympics draw nearer.

The prosecution has rested in the trial of Kimberly Potter, the white former Brooklyn Park officer charged in the shooting death of 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright. As Potter's defense team began presenting their case, MPR News reporter Jon Collins joined host Cathy Wurzer with more.