Minnesota Now

This winter’s surge of federal agents left its mark on many Minnesotans. The full scope of the impact is still being pieced together.

On Tuesday, dozens of researchers, journalists and community leaders will convene at the University of Minnesota to share findings on how the events of this winter continue to affect people across the state.

The gathering is called “Documenting the Impact of U.S. DHS in Minnesota.” The progressive think tank North Star Policy Action was one of the organizations behind the event.

For more, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with the group’s executive director, Jake Schwitzer about the types of research included and how the data will be used.

The ICE agent who allegedly shot and wounded a man in Minneapolis in January was booked in jail in Minnesota after a legal fight to get him in custody. He made his first appearance in state court Thursday. We got all the latest details on that case.

Ahead of November’s midterm elections, leaders that supported Minnesotans during the surge this winter say they’re now building on their goal of protecting democracy.

Plus, community leaders are considering options for a long-term memorial to Alex Pretti.

We also heard from Minnesota’s champion skier Jessie Diggins about her grueling 100-mile trail run on the North Shore.

And this weekend, thousands of inline skaters will be along the North Shore to skate a marathon.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “2sday” by Rabeca. The Song of the Day was “Free” by Jillian Rae.

Minnesota is home to many inventions, including the rollerblade! It may come as no surprise in a state with so many skaters, skiers and hockey players.

Well, this weekend, thousands of rollerblades will hit Highway 61 for the longest point-to-point inline skating marathon in the world. The race stretches from Two Harbors to Duluth. This Saturday, the NorthShore Inline Marathon will also celebrate 30 years.

Joe Haggenmiller helps organize the event and Greg Ash is a longtime board member who has skated every previous marathon. They both joined Minnesota Now to talk more about the event and the milestone.

After federal agents shot and killed Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti in January, people flocked to the site of his death, near Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street in south Minneapolis, to lay flowers, notes and candles.

Jadah Green lives nearby and has been taking care of the makeshift memorial since the beginning. Now, she and the neighborhood group called Whittier Alliance are calling on their neighbors to help plan for a more permanent memorial for Alex Pretti.

She shared more with Minnesota Now host Nina Moini.

Early voting for the November midterms begins Friday. And ahead of this year’s elections, a Minnesota organization has been working behind the scenes to build out what they’re calling a “democracy protection initiative.”

The effort evolves out of the response to this winter’s surge of federal agents.

COPAL, an organization centered on supporting Latino communities across the state, launched the Immigrant Defense Network, or IDN, last year. IDN trained some 30,000 constitutional observers to document and record interactions between ICE and Minnesotans during the surge.

Now, they’re leveraging the learnings to train “democracy protectors.”

Francisco Segovia, executive director of COPAL, shared more about the initiative on Minnesota Now.

On Thursday, the ICE agent who shot and wounded a man in Minneapolis in January will make his first appearance in state court.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension took Christian Castro into custody Wednesday. He also faces federal charges for allegedly lying about the circumstances that surrounded the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis.

Reporter Matt Sepic joined Minnesota Now with the latest.

Minneapolis Public Schools has announced plans for potential school closures. As many as 16 buildings could lose K-12 programming. MPR News education reporter Elizabeth Shockman laid out the district's plan to address budget issues. And we heard from a parent in the district.

We checked in with the city of St. Paul on homeless encampment closures, police drones, the budget and other issues in a conversation with City Council President Rebecca Noecker.

A new report tracks the paths of high school students after graduation in greater Minnesota.

And, is fall weather here to stay? MPR Chief meteorologist Ben Cathey shared the forecast.

Plus, we talked to therapist Resmaa Menakem about his new Afrofuturist play, "Mothership," now showing at Penumbra Theatre.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “American Midnight” by The Jayhawks and Turn Turn Turn’s “Magnolia Tree” was the Song of the Day.

In a recent interview with host Sanni Brown for MPR’s Carbon Sound, Minneapolis-based therapist and author Resmaa Menakem shared this advice for creatives: “Do the weird stuff. Play!” he said. “Creation springs from those types of things.”

Menakem has a new creation. He teamed up with playwright Kristen Adele Calhoun to write an Afrofuturist play called “Mothership,” about five humans who flee Earth aboard a sentient spaceship. It is showing from Sept. 8 through Oct. 4 as the opening production of Penumbra Theatre’s 50th anniversary season. Menakem joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his latest work.

Minnesota’s most recent high school graduates have spent this summer and fall beginning their next steps. What follows high school is different for each individual, but a new report identifies some patterns in the education and employment records of hundreds of thousands of people who graduated from 2008 to 2023 in greater Minnesota.

Kelly Asche led this work for the Center for Rural Policy and Development. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the findings and what lessons they may hold for educators, policymakers and rural communities facing workforce gaps.

The Minneapolis school district announced plans Tuesday night to close more than a dozen of its schools. MPR News education reporter Elizabeth Shockman joined Minnesota Now to explain the proposal. And MPR News host Nina Moini talked with north Minneapolis parent Shakiya Carter, who opposes the closures. Carter is one of the founders of the group Minneapolis Families for Public Schools.