Minnesota Now

It’s been 25 years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 unfolded and left nearly 3,000 people dead. We reflected on how that day forever changed our lives.

We heard stories about Minnesotans who were on hijacked planes, inside the Twin Towers, and watching with horror from home.

We also spoke to a Minnesota social studies teacher and his former student, who belongs to a generation born after 9/11, about the impact of that day.

Plus, fires that burned through northern Minnesota this summer are now contained. We got an update from Ely’s mayor ahead of the town’s fall festival.

And a preview of the 25th annual Selby Ave. JazzFest!

The Song of the Day was “Piano Concerto in G Major” by Maurice Ravel.

This weekend will be the 25th annual Selby Ave. JazzFest in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood. What started as a way to bring people together post-9/11 has now grown into a community celebration.

We got a preview this year’s big festival from Ernest Bisong, festival director and the artistic director at Walker West Music Academy, which hosts the festival.

The wildfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are officially fully contained after nearly two months. That doesn’t mean all the fires are fully extinguished. There are likely some hot spots smoldering, deep in the soil that won’t be out until the first snowfall.

However, it’s good news ahead of the fall tourism season for the region.

This weekend, the city of Ely is celebrating fall with their 32nd annual Harvest Moon Festival. The festival will hopefully be a business boost as the region continues to recover from wildfires.

Ely Mayor Heidi Omerza joined Minnesota Now to share an update.

As the tragic events of 9/11 began to unfold 25 years ago, millions of teachers and students were just starting their school day.

Among them was Waseca High School social studies teacher John Hanson and his students. They were in the midst of class when a colleague came knocking on the door.

She told him something had happened and that he needed to turn on the TV.

That was when Hanson and his students saw what was going on — and what began as just another Tuesday quickly became a day unlike any other.

Twenty five years later, Hanson is again beginning a new school year. He’s still teaching the same subject, at the same school. But now, he’s teaching a generation of students born after 9/11 without any living memory of that day.

This included Jack Conway, who was born two years after the tragedy and was a student of Hanson’s. Conway is studying to become a social studies teacher himself.

As we mark 25 years since 9/11, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with both Hanson and Conway to ask them how they grapple with the legacy of this historical moment from two very different perspectives.

A Somali man who had been living legally in the Twin Cities is now in ICE detention in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Adam Abdullah was arrested in St. Paul in December and has no criminal record. MPR News reporter Matt Sepic talked with him from detention.

Dunwoody College of Technology is launching a new program to help high school students learn trade skills.

Plus, the pastor of a rural Lutheran church is trying to reduce mental health stigma by talking with his congregation and producing a podcast.

The state has had some pleasant fall-like weather. MPR Chief Meteorologist Ben Cathey joined Minnesota Now with a detailed forecast.

For the first time, the national Hispanic Heritage Awards will be held outside Washington, D.C. The ceremony in Minneapolis Thursday will honor the people of Minnesota alongside famous Latino artists and leaders.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Stone” by Prince and “Summer Child” by Karate Chop, Silence was the Song of the Day.

Hispanic Heritage Month officially begins next Tuesday. Congress established the month in 1988 to celebrate Latino history, identity and culture in the U.S. Since then, it’s kicked off with an award ceremony in Washington, D.C.

This year, the Hispanic Heritage Awards are leaving D.C. for the first time and coming to Minneapolis. During Thursday’s ceremony at Orchestra Hall, the people of Minnesota will receive a humanitarian award for resistance to Operation Metro Surge.

Other honorees include singer-songwriters Mon Laferte and Ximena Sariñana, musician Oscar D’León, rapper Eladio Carrión and Democratic U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas. Past award winners Los Tigres del Norte, a regional Mexican band, will perform at the event, which will be hosted by comedian Anjela Johnson Reyes.

Hispanic Heritage Foundation President and CEO Jose Antonio Tijerno joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the honorees and the significance of this year’s awards.

September is National Recovery Month. It’s observed nationally to raise awareness about addiction and mental health and celebrate people in recovery.

Pastor Seth Perry of Elim Lutheran Church in Scandia has spent the past few years trying to reduce mental health stigma in his community. He told MPR News in 2024 that opening up about his own struggles with mental health changed the way he approached his work as a pastor.

Since then, his congregation has created a mental wellness outreach committee, and he’s launched a podcast about mental health and recovery. He joined Minnesota Now to share what he’s doing for recovery month.

There’s growing demand for workers in fields like construction, manufacturing, robotics and other skilled trades, but sometimes getting students interested in those careers can be a challenge. Dunwoody College of Technology is trying a new approach by launching a program that brings college-level technical courses into high school classrooms. Students will receive college credit. The pilot begins this fall in six Minnesota school districts.

Dunwoody College President Scott Stallman joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain how the program works and what the college hopes it will accomplish.

The man who allegedly killed two people and injured several others in Minneapolis had a permit to carry a gun and had been accused of violence in the past. MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty about what legal steps could prevent other shootings.

Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador expires Wednesday. A legal expert joined the show to talk about what this means for Salvadoran immigrants who have lived in Minnesota for decades under that program.

A documentary about Operation Metro Surge premiered at the Venice Film Festival this weekend. Two of the people who made it joined the program from Italy.

We met the mother-daughter duo behind a new art exhibition at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Back at School” by The Bazillions, and our Song of the Day was “Teacher Teacher” by 38 Special.

A mass shooting at an apartment building in Minneapolis is raising fresh concerns about gun violence and accountability. Three people died, including the alleged shooter, on Wednesday in what started as a domestic violence incident. The shooting began during a custody exchange between the alleged shooter, Carlton Johnson II, and the mother of their child.

Johnson, who had a permit to carry a gun, was facing eviction after alleged gun threats against a neighbor in the building earlier this summer. He also had a history of domestic-related cases.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the case.

Following this live interview, MPR News reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department for comment on filing an Extreme Risk Protection Order in this case.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with a partner, there is a 24-hour statewide domestic and sexual violence hotline. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.