Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves won’t be in the NBA finals this year, a Minnesotan will be on the court.

Before he was a starter for the Western Conference Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnehaha Academy graduate Chet Holmgren was just a tall kid in youth basketball learning the game with guidance from his coach, Larry Suggs.

Suggs coached Holmgren on a club team starting in elementary school, a team that also included Suggs’ son, Jalen, now a point guard for the Orlando Magic. Suggs joined Minnesota Now to talk about Holmgren’s childhood and his NBA success.

Ten years ago, when Anna Hover was at the height of her career and raising her children in St. Paul, she got sick. She asked for help online, and the kindness of her neighbors helped put her life back together.

Minnesota Now producer Ellen Finn spoke to Hover for our Thank You, Stranger series.

Thank You, Stranger is our series about unexpected kindness in our lives. If you have a story to share about a stranger who made your life a little brighter, we want to hear it.

Contact us at [email protected] or ‪(612) 361-1252‬.

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

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The state of Minnesota recently announced $1.3 million in grants for projects that it says will make the state a better place to live as an older person. This includes funding for accessible design, housing and health care access.

One of the projects hinges on the complicated relationships, choices and disagreements that families navigate as loved ones age. Community Mediation Minnesota, a network of nonprofits that provide mediation services, is receiving $60,000 from the state to do more work with older people.

Katie Arnold, the co-executive director of Community Mediation Minnesota, joined Minnesota Now to talk about the grant and how their work can make a difference in the lives of families with aging loved ones.

President Donald Trump is banning travelers from 12 countries and partially restricting travelers from seven others, starting on Monday. He announced the ban Wednesday in a proclamation that said the move will protect U.S. national security.

It’s an echo of Trump’s first term, when he signed an executive order blocking travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries. That ban led to protests at airports around the country, including in Minnesota, and a lengthy court battle.

Mitchell Hamline School of Law Professor Ana Pottratz Acosta joined Minnesota Now to provide insight into the latest ban.

Nearly 44,000 Twin Cities students crossed into another district to attend school this year, using a process known as open enrollment, according to a new report published by Axios Twin Cities, a digital news outlet. According to their analysis, the number of students participating in open enrollment has grown every year for at least a decade.

Meanwhile, research also shows racial segregation is worsening in schools, and some critics of the policy argue that open enrollment is one reason why. Kyle Stokes, a reporter with Axios, and Myron Orfield, the director of the University of Minnesota Law School’s Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity, joined Minnesota Now to talk about the history of open enrollment and how it’s reshaping school districts in the Twin Cities.

Dozens of federal agents surrounded a Minneapolis restaurant Tuesday. The incident sparked protests from some who believed it was an immigration raid, but officials say it was unrelated to immigration enforcement. We learn more from Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt.

It's been a wild week of record smoke throughout the state. When will we get relief? MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner shares the latest forecast.

And a new program is encouraging more doctors to work in rural parts of Minnesota. We hear about the new residency program in Grand Rapids.

Plus, you may have read one of Tim O'Brien's books in school. He's a famous novelist from Minnesota. We talk to the author of a new book about his life.

And we hear about the future of a Minneapolis sambusa business that sells the frozen Somali pastries to schools and stores around the state.

Today’s Minnesota Music Minute was “Just Another Sucker” by 94 East and “Solo Cups” by Fred the Bear was the Song of the Day.

Since its founding ten years ago, a Minneapolis-based business has grown to sell frozen sambusas to grocery stores and school districts across the state.

Now the business, Hoyo, is moving to a commercial kitchen that owners say will allow them to double production of the savory pastries, which are an essential part of Somali cuisine.

Hoyo CEO Ghita Worcester joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about what’s next.

If you’ve spent much time in Minnesota or a high school English class, chances are you have heard of Tim O’Brien. Maybe you have even read his award-winning short story collection about the Vietnam War called “The Things They Carried.” A new book recounts O’Brien’s life, including his childhood in Worthington and early adulthood at Macalester College.

Author Alex Vernon joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the biography, which is titled “Peace is a Shy Thing: The Life and Art of Tim O’Brien.”

The state has really been through it weather-wise this week. In a bizarre sight on Tuesday, many Minnesotans witnessed rain pouring through smokey air. MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner joins MPR News host Nina Moini to explain these wacky weather events and what’s to come.

The University of Minnesota Medical School is expanding rural physician training in the state with a new residency program planned for Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital in Grand Rapids.

The new program joins a similar one in Willmar, where the first cohort will start their residencies next week. With these two programs, the U says it aims to create more opportunities for students to specialize in rural healthcare.

Dr. Shailey Prasad, the associate vice president for global and rural health at the University of Minnesota Medical School, joins MPR News Nina Moini with more details on this effort.