Minnesota Now

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether banning LGBTQ+ conversion therapy for minors is unconstitutional.

Twenty-four states, including Minnesota, have banned the practice. Oral arguments were held earlier this month on a case originating from Colorado, and if the justices decide the ban is unconstitutional, it could be repealed in Minnesota.

Joining Minnesota Now to give a little context on this issue in Minnesota is Jess Braverman. They are the legal director at Gender Justice in St. Paul, a nonprofit that seeks to advance gender equity through law.

About 158,000 Minnesotans are looking for new options for Medicare now that the local company UCare is dropping their Medicare Advantage plan. The insurance company isn’t the only one to no longer offer Medicare Advantage— it's not as financially beneficial as it once was.

Enrollment opened last week, and this shift is causing people to scramble for new affordable options for medical insurance.

Kelli Jo Greiner is a health care policy analyst for the Minnesota Board on Aging and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. She joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to explain coverage options.

Minnesota has layers of laws and procedures designed to prevent inappropriate relationships between teachers and students. The case of a former high school teacher raises questions about how well that system works.

Education reporter Elizabeth Shockman joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini in studio to share more.

A warning, this story might be difficult for some listeners — especially if you have kids nearby.

Read the full story at the MPR News website: Teacher showed ‘predatory grooming behaviors’ with Eagan High girls, police detective concluded

Thousands of Minnesotans are shopping for MNSure health insurance plans as the marketplace opened up this week, but some are bracing for higher premiums. We explore how rates have changed and whether a compromise in Congress would provide relief.

It's been one month since Minnesota's first state-licensed recreational cannabis business opened in Duluth. We learn about the triumphs and hiccups so far.

And we stay in Duluth to hear from our reporter Dan Kraker about sustainability in cemeteries.

Plus, our show Minnesota Now turns 4 this week! We talk to the composers behind the program’s theme music.

For Prince fans, we get the glimpse of the new Prince musical debuting in Minneapolis.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Purple In The Sky”, by Nur-D. Our Song of the Day was “Particle Physics” by Motion City Soundtrack, featuring Patrick Stump.

It’s been one month since Minnesota’s first state-licensed microbusiness dispensary opened in Duluth. Legacy Cannabis began selling flower and other products on Sept. 16, more than two years after recreational cannabis was legalized in Minnesota.

Legacy Cannabis Duluth lead consultant Josh Wilken-Simon joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share how business has been going.

The MNsure health insurance marketplace opened Wednesday for Minnesotans to shop for 2026 plans, but the costs they’ll see may be discouraging.

Premiums on the individual marketplace are 22 percent higher on average compared with 2025. That increase does not account for the expiring federal tax credits that are at the center of the federal government shutdown. If the credits do expire, premiums will be even higher.

About 190,000 Minnesotans get their health insurance through the marketplace. They can’t sign up for a plan until open enrollment begins on November 1st. In the meantime, navigators like Jonathan Marchand are beginning to walk people through the options.

Marchand is the Community Services Manager for United Community Action Partnership in Willmar. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini on Minnesota Now.

This Saturday marks four years since MPR News kicked off the noontime news program, Minnesota Now. The show was started to give our audience longer conversations with newsmakers, experts, and our neighbors around the state to help us understand our world better.

The show is full of different guests and music every single day, except for one key element that stays the same — the theme music. To celebrate Minnesota Now’s fourth birthday, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke to local musicians Aby Wolf and Joe Horton, who composed the show’s theme music.

There's a growing interest in green burials, where people are buried without toxic embalming chemicals, expensive caskets and burial vaults. But there aren't many places in Minnesota to do this.

MPR News correspondent Dan Kraker recently published a story about a proposed green cemetery near Duluth and some of the pushback the proposal has received from local residents. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share more, as part of a weekly check-in with MPR News reporters in Greater Minnesota.

After years in development, the stage adaptation of “Purple Rain” is finally making its debut in Minneapolis, where the story and the music first took shape.

Inspired by Prince’s 1984 classic, “Purple Rain” tracks a young Minneapolis musician chasing stardom while wrestling with love, rivalry and the echoes of his past. Performances begin Thursday at the State Theatre in Minneapolis.

MPR News arts reporter Jacob Aloi has been following the show and joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share more.

Several Minnesota mayors are asking state lawmakers to let them regulate guns at the city level, after the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School. We talk to Rochester's mayor about why she joined these calls and what restrictions she wants to bring to her city.

As we march into the third week of a federal government shutdown, we talk to a national and a local leader about how it could impact hunger levels in the state.

We talk about our state's wet weather this week and get the forecast for the weekend from MPR’s chief meteorologist.

Plus, you may have heard of actor Dallas Goldtooth, who has roots in the Lower Sioux Indian Community in Minnesota. His background is in comedy, but he's taken on a more serious role in the new show “The Last Frontier.”

The Minnesota Music Minute was "Countryside" by Brian Just and "The Ghoul on the Hill" by Los Straitjackets was the Song of the Day.