Minnesota Now

Minnesota is recognized as one of the leading states for school-based mental health care. A three-part series from MinnPost explores how that came to be and where gaps in care still exist.

Andy Steiner is mental health and addiction columnist for MinnPost. She joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the series, which she wrote as part of a fellowship with the Solutions Journalism Network.

Minnesota is facing a heat wave that harkens back to the dog days of summer, not the start of October. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner joins Minnesota Now to explain.

The U.S. government has shut down after the Senate failed to pass a stopgap spending bill. That means some U.S. government services are coming to a temporary halt and many federal workers are furloughed or working without pay through the shutdown.

Republicans and Democrats could not come to an agreement on the spending bill before the deadline, which was at midnight.

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith from Minnesota is one of many Senate Democrats who voted against the Republican-backed spending bill. MPR News host Nina Moini talks with her about that decision and what’s ahead.

The United States Department of Justice is suing Minnesota, Hennepin County, and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul over what it calls sanctuary policies, limits on local officials collaborating with ICE. A law professor joins us to talk about the case.

A Native American community leader is calling for discussions about encampments and drug overdoses to include the people who've been hit hardest by these issues. We talk to him.

Plus, neurodiversity is a concept that embraces differences in how peoples brains work. We learn how companies can include employees with ADHD, autism and other conditions.

And we talk about the beloved Red Wing Environmental Learning Center, which turns 55 years old this weekend.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Halfway up the Lawn” by runo plum. The Song of the Day was “She’s Everything” by JT & the Gunslingers.

On Wednesday, representatives from several large Minnesota companies will gather in Minneapolis to learn about neurodivergence, an umbrella term for a variety of ways someone’s brain may work differently from what’s considered typical. Neurodivergence includes conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia.

The disability advocacy group PACER Center is hosting Wednesday’s workshop, which is led by Wells Fargo and the University of Connecticut. The idea is to design hiring and workplace practices to include neurodivergent employees. PACER Center executive director Tonia Teasley joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the workshop.

In Minnesota, Native Americans experience homelessness at a much higher rate than other racial or ethnic groups. Many Native people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Minneapolis live in encampments, which have been criticized as areas ripe with violence and drug use.

What to do with encampments — and whether to close them — has become a divisive issue in Minneapolis. The issue has risen to the forefront again following a shooting earlier this month at a homeless encampment in south Minneapolis that left one dead and six others injured.

Joe Hobot is the CEO and president of the American Indian Opportunities and Industrialization Center in south Minneapolis and has a doctorate in education from Hamline University. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share his perspective.

The Department of Justice is suing Minnesota, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Hennepin County, the Hennepin County Sheriff and the attorney general over sanctuary policies.

These policies, which jurisdictions often call separation ordinances, limit local government and law enforcement’s collaboration with ICE. The federal government says the policies interfere with federal immigration enforcement and are illegal.

In response to the lawsuit, both mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul say they are committed to the city’s ordinances.

Ana Pottratz Acotsa, a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota Law School and the Binger Center for New Americans, spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini about what impacts the lawsuit could have in Minnesota.

In the past two weeks, federal prosecutors have charged nine people with defrauding two Medicaid programs. Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson sits down with MPR News host Nina Moini to share more about how his office has been tackling fraud in the state.

The National Rural Teacher of the Year is from a school district in Wright County. We'll hear how his approach to teaching has changed over the past three decades.

And after a devastating loss, the Lynx are out of the WNBA playoffs. We'll talk with our sports contributors Wally and Eric to break down what happened and whether the Vikings can secure redemption across the pond.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Break” by Gully Boys.

The last 20 minutes of Minnesota Now was preempted by NPR special coverage.

It’s a mournful day for Minnesota Lynx fans. The team lost Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals to the Phoenix Mercury Sunday night. That means they’re out of the playoffs. The Lynx were ranked No. 1 in the league this season and favored to make the finals.

Head coach Cheryl Reeve was not at the game. The league suspended her for behavior during and after the previous game in Phoenix.

Reeve and some other coaches have said the play in the WNBA is becoming too physical.

Joining Minnesota Now host to talk about this and the Vikings games across the pond are our sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

Minnesota teachers have done a three-peat for the National Rural Teacher of the Year.

The National Rural Education Association bestowed the honor last year to Melissa Oberg, who teaches special education in Grand Marais. In 2023, it went to Morris teacher Jenny Maras.

This year’s honoree is Jeff Granrud. He teaches math at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School. That’s a district of about 1,300 students an hour west of the Twin Cities in Wright County. Granrud joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about his nearly 30-year career in teaching.