Minnesota Now

As Minnesota’s COVID-19 cases plunge, politics editor Mike Mulcahy talks with Gov. Tim Walz about new challenges facing the DFL governor including his plans for the budget surplus, his vision of paid family leave and running for reelection as inflation surges. 

Over the next several months, MPR News will bring you stories on the radio and on our website that reflect the culture and history of communities in our state.

People of color recently became the majority in Worthington, Minnesota. Yet politics in the city and across Nobles County remain nearly all white and male. Reporter Hannah Yang introduces us to some residents who are trying to change that.

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The U.S. house, led by Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, just passed the Crown Act last week. It will outlaw racial discrimination against people based on their hairstyle and texture. Fourteen states across the country have passed the Crown Act. Crown stands for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

Why pass legislation dealing with hair? It’s a workplace issue for many Black Americans. Lori Tharp - a journalist and educator-has written about this in her book “Hair Story - untangling the roots of black hair in America."

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Gordon Parks was a celebrated photographer, filmmaker, musician and artist. Originally from Fort Scott, Kansas, Parks moved to St. Paul as a teenager and lived with his sister until he was forced to leave. He worked as a staff photographer at local black-owned newspapers, the St. Paul Recorder and the Minneapolis Spokesman, and he shot the latest fashions for Frank Murphy’s Department Store in downtown St. Paul. Parks rose to become a powerful storyteller and activist, with much of his work centering around Black life. A new play at the History Theatre in St. Paul honors his legacy.

Robin Hickman-Winfield is Parks’ great-niece and a media creator, producer and community advocate in her own right. She joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk more about the play called Parks: A Portrait of a Young Artist. Robin, welcome to Minnesota Now.

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Minnesota native Joe Whitcomb, who had been living in Ukraine, has made it across the border into Poland. Host Cathy Wurzer followed up with Whitcomb, who was living and working in Kyiv, Ukraine, before he evacuated.

Only 21 percent of U.S. workers have access to paid family leave through their employer, so some states — including Minnesota — are looking at creating state-funded paid leave programs. Host Cathy Wurzer spoke with MPR News politics reporter Brian Bakst about how viable the bill is and what it would take to get it to pass.

Politics Friday: MPR News host Mike Mulcahy talks with Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen. As Gov. Tim Walz seeks another term, more than a half dozen Republicans are competing for the chance to run against him. Jensen is the GOP frontrunner. He’s a family physician who served one term in the Minnesota Senate and got national attention for criticizing the state’s handling of COVID-19.

Minnesota Now producer Lindsay Guentzel caught up with one of the Irish dance teams who has full schedule over the next couple of days as Minnesotans mark St. Patrick's Day.

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There’s lots happening in the world of Minnesota sports this week. The state girls basketball tournament is under way. The boys will play next week.

The NCAA tournament started this week, and in more basketball news, the Minnesota Timberwolves are on fire and hope to trounce the Milwaukee Bucks this weekend.

Host Cathy Wurzer chatted with Wally and Eric about all that and more.

Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score magazine and the cohost of "10-thousand Takes" sports talk show. Eric Nelson is the other host of "10-thousand takes" and is also the Minnesota Vikings reporter for CBS Sports Radio "Eye on Football."

It's that time of year when Minnesotans start to come out of hibernation. And this year, with vaccinations available and COVID restrictions easing across the country, many of us feel busy for the first time in a while.

MPR News producer Aron Woldeslassie — who also happens to be a stand-up comedian — has some advice for us.

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