Wednesday has brought remarkably warm and sunny weather to Minnesota. Thursday may counter with clouds and rain showers. MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joins MPR News host Emily Bright with details on the forecast, plus the latest on funding for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate centers.

It is the time of year when bears are coming out of hibernation and looking about for their next meal. Maybe you have seen a bear this season or heard of one in the neighborhood. This is a possibility not only for people who live in northern Minnesota. There have been bear sightings in the Twin Cities region this year.

Andy Tri, bear project leader for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, joins MPR News host Emily Bright to talk about the state of bears in Minnesota.

More than 300 college presidents and administrators from around the country signed a letter denouncing “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in higher education. By noon Wednesday, at least eight Minnesota colleges had joined the growing list of signees.

Since President Donald Trump was elected to office, his administration has worked to revoke Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies at colleges, launched investigations into antisemitism and trans athletes on campuses and threatened to withhold universities’ federal funding.

The American Association of Colleges and Universities released the letter Tuesday. Suzanne Rivera, president of Macalester College in St. Paul, is on the board of the association. She joins MPR News host Emily Bright to talk about the letter, which she also signed.

Starting in May, the federal government plans to get tough on student loan borrowers who are far behind on their payments. A financial counselor broke down what that means and what to do if you're struggling to keep up with your debt.

For many Hmong elders who don't read their native language, written translation doesn't mean much. That's why one author worked with a Minnesota professor to turn her work into a Hmong audiobook.

In the latest of our Wander and Wonder series, we met a woman determined to help victims of human trafficking.

We heard from a Minnesota college student in Rome who is witnessing a historic moment of mourning for Pope Francis.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was ‘Song for the Seeds’ by Humbird and ‘Easter Best’ by Lucy Michelle.

Tuesday night at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, a show will explore the intersections of grief and humor in Native culture. It’s called “Death, Grief and Dying: Indigenous Humor While Crying” and it’s a show very personal to its creator Trish Cook.

Cook is a comedian and a citizen of the Red Lake Nation. She joined MPR News host Emily Bright to talk about the intersection of grief and humor.

You may not know that many Hmong elders do not read or write their native language. It's a language with a strong oral tradition and was not formally written until the 1950s. A new audiobook aims to meet Hmong listeners where they're at. It's one of few English books translated into Hmong and recorded in Hmong.

'The Hungry Season: A Journey of War, Love, and Survival' is about a Hmong immigrant. Its author is Lisa Hamilton. Its translator is head of the Hmong language program at the University of Minnesota Bee Vang-Moua. They both joined Minnesota Now to talk about the project.

The death of Pope Francis Monday is still fresh for Catholics around the world. It kicked off a nine day mourning period. That means there's a lot going on in Vatican City, especially since there are many Easter tourists still in town from the holiday over the weekend.

Clare Willson is a St. Thomas University sophomore in a Catholic studies course in Rome. She joined Minnesota Now to talk about being at the Vatican during this historic time in the Catholic church.

The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday it will begin collecting student loans that are in default starting in May.

According to data from The New York Federal Reserve, Minnesota has about 844,000 student loan borrowers, for a total balance of $28 billion. Of those borrowers, about one percent are delinquent. In an uncertain economy, there are many others worried about paying off their debt.

April Sanderson is a student loan financial counselor with Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and is based in Virginia, Minn. She joined Minnesota Now to talk about the status of federal student loans.

The playoffs have begun for the Wolves and the Wild. The Timberwolves dominated their first post-season game against the L.A. Lakers on Saturday. They were up against not only LeBron James, but also Luka Dončić, who you may remember helped keep Minnesota out of the NBA finals when he played for the Dallas Mavericks last year. But that didn't stop the Wolves from winning by 22 points.

The Wild, meanwhile, lost their playoff opener against Las Vegas Sunday night. But for both teams, this weekend was just the beginning of a best-of-seven series that continues Tuesday.

Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined Minnesota Now with the latest sports headlines.

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. He was the first non-European head in centuries to lead the Roman Catholic Church. We'll hear how Catholics in Minnesota are mourning and reflecting. We'll also learn more about the Pope's impact and his legacy as a changemaker in the church.

New data shows how tribally-owned businesses across the country are impacting local economies. We'll dive into that research.

Plus, the FDA has halted the sale of copycat versions of Ozempic and Wegovy, a move that will cut thousands of Americans off from cheaper obesity drugs. We'll learn how that's impacting Minnesota patients.

And the Wolves dominated against the Lakers in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series. We'll break that down and more from our sports guys Wally and Eric.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “When Doves Cry” by Prince and our Song of the Day was “Aspen” by My Grandma’s Cardigan.