Minnesota Now

Perhaps you might have seen a lot of people wearing blue yesterday. It was an effort to draw attention to colorectal cancer awareness month, also known as colon cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that over 100,000 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2022. The recommended age to start screening recently changed from 50 to 45 years old. Dr. Jay-Sheree Allen joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the importance of colorectal cancer screening. Dr. Allen is a family physician in southern Minnesota and host of the podcast Millennial Health.

Every week, KAXE radio in the Grand Rapids-Bemidji area airs nature reports by John Latimer. Latimer is a phenologist who studies changes in nature over the seasons. He joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk about some of the latest phenology updates in Minnesota.

Amalia Moreno-Damgaard is well-known in the Twin Cities as an author, chef, TV personality and food consultant. She joins host Cathy Wurzer to talk about her career journey, and making it as an entrepreneur in the food world.

Minneapolis public school teachers are on strike today. The last time that happened was in 1970. The strike effects about 5,500 teachers and staff, plus about 35,000 students and their families. Host Cathy Wurzer chats with MPR News reporter Tim Nelson to get the details.

Minneapolis educators are on strike. Host Cathy Wurzer talks to two Minneapolis Public School parents about how they're handling the strike and school closures.

The Minneapolis and St Paul Teachers Unions may strike tomorrow. Reporter Becky Dernbach of Sahan Journal has been monitoring the evolving story. She joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk more about what educators in the Twin Cities are asking each district for.

A bipartisan group of scientists and health and policy experts calling themselves the COVID roadmap group are releasing a blueprint Monday on how we could move into, what they call, “the next normal.” A member of that group is Michael Osterholm, head of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

Dr. Osterholm joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer for a look at how we should be responding to live with COVID, what some are calling the new normal.

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

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Former Pioneer Press reporter Brian Bonner has lived in Ukraine for 14 years where he led the Kyiv Post, Ukraine’s English-language newspaper, until 2021. One of his main responsibilities? Reporting on Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin.

Bonner joined MPR News reporter Tim Nelson for a conversation on what has been happening in his adopted home country over the last few days and what countries like the United States need to do to stop Russia.

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

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Andrew Hatlestad was just 20 years old when he died, and was studying to be a nurse. Now, his mother has started a scholarship in her son’s honor, hoping to provide a lifeline for nursing students in rural west central Minnesota. Host Cathy Wurzer speaks with Carolyn Lange.

Violent crime is up in Minnesota. Friday at noon on Politics Friday, editor Mike Mulcahy talked with two top lawmakers about how to address it. Plus, a conversation about this week’s forecast showing a $9.25 billion projected budget surplus with MPR News reporters Brian Baskt and Tim Pugmire.