Laurie Putnam is the superintendent of St. Cloud Public Schools, and the first woman to lead the district. 

Her husband, Aric Putnam, is a DFL state senator, representing District 14, which includes St. Cloud. 

Together, they’re navigating politics, education, family life and the challenges of leading in the public eye.

MPR News host Angela Davis continues her Power Pairs series with a conversation about how they support each other and why they picked careers that serve their community.

Guests:

• Laurie Putnam is the superintendent of St. Cloud Public Schools.  
• Aric Putnam is a DFL state senator representing District 14, which includes St. Cloud and surrounding communities. 

Check out Angela’s previous Power Pair conversations.  

Do you know a Power Pair?

We’d love to hear your ideas for Power Pairs to interview. Send us your suggestions.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

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

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed into law the major domestic policy bill that cuts about $1 trillion dollars from federal Medicaid spending over the next ten years.

The changes to Medicaid are estimated to result in nearly 10 million more people going without health insurance by 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office.  

Medicaid is the public insurance program that covers most health care and long-term care for 83 million low-income and disabled people in the United States. Nearly a quarter of Minnesota’s residents are on the state’s Medicaid program, which is known as Medical Assistance. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks about what this means for Minnesotans, including new work requirements and restrictions that will reduce funding for the program.  

Guests:

• John Connolly is deputy commissioner and state Medicaid director for the Minnesota Department of Human Services.   
• Sue Abderholden is the executive director of NAMI Minnesota, the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Steve Grove’s career spans journalism, public service and Big Tech.  

He helped shape content at Google and YouTube, led Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development, and now serves as publisher and CEO of the Star Tribune. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Grove about the future of media, the role of public service, the influence of technology and what it means to come home to the Midwest.

Guest:

• Steve Grove is the CEO and publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune. He was commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development during Governor Tim Walz’s first term. Before moving back to his home state, Steve built a career in Silicon Valley as an executive at Google and YouTube. He is the co-founder of Silicon North Stars — a nonprofit he started with his wife, Mary — to educate and inspire young Minnesotans to pursue careers in technology. He is also the author of the new book, "How I Found Myself in the Midwest." 

Retirement is often seen as the time to finally slow down, enjoy life and live off your years of savings. But that’s not reality for many people.  

More older Americans are entering retirement weighed down with debt in the form of mortgages, credit card balances, medical bills and even student loans.  

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with guests about what’s behind the trend of rising debt in retirement, what lies ahead and ideas for tackling it.

Guests:

• Chris Farrell is the senior economics contributor at MPR News and Marketplace and author of the recent 12-part series on Marketplace and Next Avenue, Buy Now, Pay Later, about the debt burden of older Americans nearing and during retirement.
• Henry Rucker is associate director of Homeownership and Financial Coaching at Project for Pride in Living, a Minneapolis nonprofit organization that focuses on affordable housing and career readiness for low-income households.  

After a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd, calls for justice were loud and urgent. 

Some community leaders began asking: How do we make real, lasting change — especially when it comes to racial and economic justice? 

That question sparked the creation of the Groundbreak Coalition — a multibillion-dollar effort to close the racial wealth gap by rethinking how we invest in homes, businesses, and communities. 

Listen to a conversation moderated by MPR News host Angela Davis about how a moment of crisis inspired a long-term strategy to build Black wealth — and why economic justice is essential to racial justice. 

The discussion was recorded at a national conference in Minneapolis organized by the Council on Foundations.

Panelists:

• Tonya Allen is president of the McKnight Foundation whose leadership has helped shape a philanthropic vision rooted in equity and systemic change. She is also the chair of the Groundbreak Coalition. 
• R.T. Rybak is the CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation and former mayor of Minneapolis. 
• David Mortenson is the chairman of M.A. Mortenson Company — one of the nation’s leading construction and real estate development firms. He also serves on the board of directors for the Mortenson Family Foundation. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.     
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.     

Many of us have an intuitive sense that spending some time outside is good for us — and in recent years, science is backing that up.  

Whether it’s going on a walk down a tree-lined street, splashing in a lake or just eating outside with a view of a garden, spending time in a natural setting can boost our mood.  

And that’s not all.

Growing research shows that spending time in nature can lower blood pressure, improve attention and reduce symptoms of ADHD, prevent near sightedness and strengthen the immune system.

MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks with a health researcher and the director of a nature center about the healing power of the outdoors and ways to incorporate more nature into your summer.

Guests:

• Cathy Jordan is a pediatric neuropsychologist and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Her research interests focus on how environments, especially natural environments, shape children’s physical and mental development and health. She is also a consulting research director for the Children & Nature Network based in St. Paul.
• Colleen Foehrenbacher is the executive director of Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in Lanesboro. The center is situated in 250 acres of restored prairie and mixed hardwood forest and runs a nature-based preschool, field trips for and other outdoor education programs for children, families and adults.  

Partisan polarization has long been a fact of political life in the United States. And it seems like politics is everywhere these days — at the dinner table, in the classroom and on every screen.

That raises some big questions for parents. How do we talk to our kids about what’s going on without passing along fear or cynicism? How do we raise thoughtful, respectful people amid divisive rhetoric?

MPR News host Catharine Richert and her guests explore how parents can talk with their kids about politics without anger, divisive rhetoric and polarization. 

Guests:  

• Lindsay Cormack is an associate professor of political science at the Stevens Institute of Technology. She is also the author of, “How to Raise a Citizen (And Why it’s Up to You to Do It)”  
• Bill Doherty is a professor emeritus in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. He is also co-founder of Braver Angels, a nonprofit that seeks to restore trust, respect and goodwill in American politics.

The way younger people get their news looks a lot different than it did a generation ago.  

For many millennials and Gen Z, it’s not about watching the 6 o’clock news or reading the headlines in the Sunday paper. 

Instead, it might be watching a quick video on TikTok, spotting a trending post on Instagram or listening to a favorite podcast on a commute. 

MPR News host Catharine Richert and her guests talk about what’s shaping the way young people stay informed, what holds their attention, what doesn’t, and why it matters for the future. 

Guests:

• Anne Guttridge is a video producer for MPR News and part of Reverb — an MPR News initiative and reporting team focused on serving younger Minnesotans.
• Olivia Cordova Kramer is a high school student at the Breck School in Golden Valley. She was a newsroom intern at the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Lately, it seems like no matter where you drive in Minnesota, you run into road construction — lane closures, detours, backed-up traffic and a lot of orange cones. 

If you’re wondering, “Why now? Why so many projects all at once?” — you’re not alone. 

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests take a closer look at what’s behind this busy construction season. 

Guests:

• Anne Meyer is the media relations coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.  
• Charles Carlson is with the Metropolitan Council. He serves as the executive director of Metropolitan Transportation Services. 

Have you been thinking about what your life might look like with less alcohol?

Whether it's for health, mental clarity or out of just plain curiosity, more people are choosing to rethink why they drink alcohol.

MPR News host Angela Davis explores what it means to be “sober curious.”

Guests:

• Alexandra Zauner is the owner of Lucille’s Bottle Shop, a St. Paul business that sells non-alcoholic drinks and organizes alcohol-free events for the sober and “sober curious.” 
• Alyssa Heim stopped drinking five years ago at age 25 and now runs the Instagram page talkthemock where she shares non-alcoholic drink recipes and promotes a sober lifestyle.