Minnesota Now

A bill to help cover rent costs for Minnesotans impacted by the surge of federal immigration agents has cleared the state Senate.

State Senators voted 35-32 on Wednesday to send one-time funding of up to $40 million to county and tribal governments. The measure passed nearly along party lines with Democrats supporting and all Republicans but one opposed.

Over in the House, which is tied between the two parties, lawmakers have introduced a similar bill, but it faces a tougher road to passage.

A similar debate has been underway in Minneapolis, where Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed an eviction-related proposal Wednesday. It would have required landlords to give 60 days notice, instead of 30, before filing evictions.

MPR News politics reporter Dana Ferguson joined to explain more about the conversations taking place at the state Capitol.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to allow pork and poultry plants to speed up the pace of work. The agency says existing speed limits are outdated.

Some plants have waivers that allow them to exceed those rules. Industry groups have praised the move to loosen requirements across the board. But labor representatives say a faster pace puts greater strain on workers’ health and safety.

Rena Wong is president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 663. It represents several meatpacking plants in the state of Minnesota. Wong spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini about her concerns about faster speeds in the plants.

The Winter Paralympic Games in Milano-Cortina are well underway. And Minnesota has the most athletes competing out of any other state.

But there is another Minnesotan in the spotlight: Fox 9 reporter Courtney Godfrey. She is co-hosting the games with NBC.

Godfrey lost her lower leg in a boating accident in 2017. Since then, she’s been a member of the U.S. Para snowboard team and, at one point, had a goal of making it to the Paralympics.

She talked with Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about her journey from athlete to co-host.

A coalition of 13 Latino-led organizations across Minnesota is pushing lawmakers to take action on immigration enforcement and economic support for communities affected by the recent surge of federal agents.

The group, called the Minnesota Latino Leadership Alliance, has laid out a set of legislative priorities. That includes support for the proposed STAR Act, which would limit how state and local governments cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Aaron Sepúlveda, legislative and policy director with the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, is part of the alliance. He shared more about the coalition on Minnesota Now.

The Metro Transit Police Department has a new chief – and he’s a familiar name. Joseph Dotseth was announced Monday as the new permanent leader. He’s been the interim head since the fall of 2024 after the last chief resigned only more than a year into his tenure.

Dotseth has nearly 25 years of law enforcement service, all with the Metro Transit Police and he’s worked in nearly every role with the department.

He spoke with Minnesota Now about his priorities stepping into the role.

Gov. Tim Walz has a new plan to remake the way Minnesota provides Medicaid services, in an effort to combat fraud. Part of the plan includes changing the role counties play. We talk to a county administrator and a social service provider about what the proposed changes could mean.

The use of psychedelics for treating addiction and severe mental illness is one step closer to becoming legal in Minnesota. We learn about the legislation.

Plus, we look into why ACL injuries are becoming more common for high school athletes, especially in girls’ sports.

Hopefully, you didn't put your shovels away for the season. Paul Huttner has a look at how much snow may be on the way.

And we meet an entrepreneur who created a sensory-friendly hijab.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Trouble” by Turn Turn Turn and “Hope” by Grant Glad was the Song of the Day.

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

A bill that would allow psilocybin, a psychedelic, to be used for therapeutic purposes to treat addiction and severe mental illness in Minnesota is one step closer to passing this session. The legislation would launch a state-run trial psychotherapy program using psilocybin. The bill is based off recommendations from a 2025 report by the state's Psychedelic Medicine Task Force.

Two members of the task force joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain the therapy and their support of the bill.

Neuroscientist Jessica Nielson is chair of the task force and professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. Stefan Egan is also a member of the task force and a veteran. He testified in support of the bill this week and shared his personal experience using therapeutic psilocybin.

A Minnesota occupational therapist has created a sensory-friendly hijab.

Inspired by her siblings’ experience with autism, Najma Omar set out to design a hijab that could help make loud noises less overwhelming. That led to SereniHijab, a hijab made of lightweight fabric with padding that covers the ears.

Najma Omar joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.

State leaders are reacting to Gov. Tim Walz’s proposal to centralize the way Minnesota provides Medicaid services. This comes as part of the Governor's push for anti-fraud changes at the state Department of Human Services.

Walz said the current system, which is split among counties, managed care organizations and the state, has become increasingly difficult to administer. He laid out a plan Wednesday that would have DHS take over eligibility determinations for Medicaid programs. He also said the state would take the lead in modernizing what he called an “outdated system.”

The plan would need lawmaker approval. It received immediate pushback from both Republicans and Democrats.

For reaction from the county perspective, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Julie Ring, executive director of the Association of Minnesota Counties. She also spoke with a Josh Berg, a board member with the Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota, or ARRM. He advocates for service providers that receive Medicaid funding.

Medical professionals and sports journalists have zeroed in on a problem that appears to affect women athletes at higher rates than men: ACL injuries. There’s another trend in the data, as the Minnesota Star Tribune and New York Times recently pointed out. High school athletes are tearing their ACLs at higher rates than before, especially in girls’ sports.

A study by the National ACL Injury Coalition suggested the rates of serious knee injuries increased 32.3 percent in girls’ sports over the 15 years between 2007 and 2022. That’s almost double the 14.5 percent increase the study found in boys’ sports.

The ACL is a ligament that helps hold the knee in place. An injury usually means the end of an athlete’s season; sometimes, it means surgery. For young athletes, it can also have particular social, emotional and economic impacts.

For more, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Jill Monson, lead physical therapist for the Complex Knee Injury Clinic at Twin Cities Orthopedics in Eagan.