Minnesota Now

An ICE detention facility three hours west of the Twin Cities is open. MPR News went to Appleton, where the new center is located, and heard from an immigration lawyer about they are preparing to represent clients. On Veteran's Day, we learned about a unique program that helps military medics attend medical school at the University of Minnesota. Plus, a new fellowship will help Dakota youth preser...

A documentary out this week follows the experience of Native American basketball players at the University of Minnesota Morris. Director Leya Hale joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the film, which is called Medicine Ball.

A new fellowship set to begin next year will provide six Dakota youth ages 18-24 with the opportunity to research and tell stories of their communities' history in the Winona area. The program comes from the Winona County History Center in partnership with Prairie Island Indian Community and Lower Sioux Indian Community. The goal for the fellows is to answer the questions: What do I want Winona to...

Growing up in New Prague, Lauren Kitner was interested in science. After high school, she joined the Minnesota National Guard as a medic. “It seemed really interesting to be able to learn how to take care of patients in more resource-limited environments,” she said, adding that working alongside physicians as a medic “solidified” her interest in a medical degree. Now in her first year of medical s...

The first detainees have arrived at a new western Minnesota immigration detention center. Observers and lawyers say the center in Appleton, Minnesota opened earlier this week. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has not added the facility to its public list of detention centers or responded to requests for comment. MPR News immigration reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox went to Appleton Tuesday and jo...

A Minneapolis woman is suing the federal government for alleged assault, battery and false imprisonment, nearly 10 months after ICE agents dragged her from her car. Reporter Jon Collins joined the program with details on the lawsuit filed Tuesday morning. Jobs like police officer, paramedic and firefighter come with a higher risk of mental health crises. A Minnesota group is working to respond whe...

A woman who was dragged out of her car and detained by federal agents in January has filed a lawsuit against the federal government for violating her constitutional rights. In the lawsuit, Aliya Rahman is alleging assault, battery, false arrest and imprisonment. MPR News reporter Jon Collins shared the story with MPR News host Nina Moini.

New Ulm in southern Minnesota is known as the polka capital of the nation. The history of polka in Minnesota stretches back more than a century to the Polish, Czech and German immigrants who brought with them the music and dance they loved. Generations later, the tradition is still alive but there are concerns it could fade away. Pete Mrozinski is a board member of the Midwest Polka Association an...

In the southern Minnesota town of Mapleton, childcare provider Brooke Garvey is nearly a year into a new job. She runs a daycare out of a house purchased by the local government. Garvey had wanted to open an in-home daycare, but her old farmhouse outside of town didn't meet the requirements. She couldn't afford to make the necessary upgrades, so the city-owned house gave her another option. She wa...

First responders and veterans are at a significantly higher risk for suicide, due to the trauma they face on the job. And in the last two weeks, a local mental health organization shared that three current or former first responders have died by suicide in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The Invisible Wounds Project works to support those on the front lines and intervene in crisis. Founder and ex...

U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will light up Monday night with the Vikings playing the Buffalo Bills. This could be a turning point for Minnesota: either they return to their early-season winning pattern or lose their second game in a row. Starting quarterback Kyler Murray is out with an injury. The Timberwolves are on a winning streak, winning four in a row. And they now are playing eights game...

Stephen Miller has taken the helm as President Donald Trump's chief of staff. We'll hear more from a reporter about his role shaping the administration's aggressive immigration agenda and his push against supposed fraud among Somali Minnesotans. From Stephen Miller to midterm candidates, we'll dig deeper into how anti-Somali rhetoric is animating politics and showed up in campaigns leading up to l...

Democrats scored major victories across the country in Tuesday's midterm elections, flipping seats that had been held by Republicans for decades. They won control of both the U.S. House and Senate, picked up governorships and made significant gains in state legislatures. So how big was this wave, and what might history tell us about what comes next after a wave like this? Andrew Karch is a profess...

Monday is Stephen Miller's first day as the White House chief of staff. He was tapped for the role by President Trump shortly after Democrats swept the midterm election. He's been one of Trump's closest advisers for years, and a driving force behind the administration's hard-line anti-immigration policies. A new report from The Washington Sun shows how Miller pushed federal officials to focus spec...

Republicans in Minnesota and beyond echoed President Donald Trump in fixating on Somali Minnesotans ahead of the midterms. Governor candidate Lisa Demuth and U.S. Senate candidate Michelle Tafoya made "Somali gangs" a key campaign issue. Ads supporting Tafoya also denounced quote "Somali fraudsters" and attacked Democrat and Gov.-elect Amy Klobuchar for speaking a few words in Somali to a crowd. V...

Minnesota Now’s series called “Thank You, Stranger” explores the small acts of kindness that make a big impact. Kyrra Rankine’s morning started off like any other — then she found out her car had been towed. It was a classic bad day, the kind that any of us could have. But the kindness she encountered in the aftermath only comes along once in a while. Minnesota Now producer Aleesa Kuznetsov spoke...

A southern Minnesota congressional race is too close to call. Democrat Jake Johnson has around 300 votes more than Republican incumbent Brad Finstad. That likely means it’s headed for a recount. We talked to the Secretary of State about how the recount process works. With a new ICE detention facility opening in Minnesota soon, lawyers and immigrant advocates are gathering to discuss detention and...

On Saturday, some 200 middle and high school-aged girls and gender-expansive youth from across Minnesota will come together for the third annual “Girlhood Summit.” It’s a day-long event organized by the Ann Bancroft Foundation. And young people will get the chance to learn about everything from personal finance to managing stress and bringing their ideas to life. We heard more about the summit fro...

Minnesotans know that the state has been through a lot over the past six years. The COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, fraud scandals, the Annunciation Catholic School shooting, the killings of Melissa and Mark Hortman and Operation Metro Surge. It’s kept the state under a microscope — and affected each of us in very different ways. A new report from the mental health advocacy group NA...

The most recent data from the Deportation Data Project shows more than 2,300 non-citizens who were arrested in Minnesota during the federal immigration enforcement operation this winter were deported or left the country. Immigration lawyers and advocates are still working with people who have been deported or are in ICE custody — navigating the complex legal system that comes with it. That’s the f...

The race for the 1st Congressional District in southern Minnesota is likely headed for a recount. Unofficial vote totals show Democrat Jake Johnson with a 323 vote lead over Republican incumbent Brad Finstad. But the 1st District is not the only race that’s likely going to a recount. There are three other races for the state Legislature that are within a margin of less than a tenth of a percent, i...

Large-scale data centers were a hot-button political issue across the country in Tuesday’s election. They played a major role in high profile races in Texas, Ohio and elsewhere. They were also a factor in some local elections across Minnesota where data center proposals have been controversial. MPR News reporter Dan Kraker joined Minnesota Now from Duluth to explain.

Minnesotans delivered big wins to the Democrats in the midterms. DFL House leader Zack Stephenson shared what he'll push for with full control of the Legislature. And MPR News reporter Dana Ferguson gave the latest on the close races that could be headed for a recount. Two political strategists analyzed Democratic wins around the country, as the party prepares to take control of Congress, and cons...

The Twin Cities northeast suburbs of Maplewood elected a new mayor last night in a historic first for the city. Chonburi Lee received 58 percent of the vote, unseating incumbent Mayor Marylee Abrams and making him Maplewood's first Hmong mayor. Lee is currently a member of the city council, where he's served since 2023. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about his win and his plans for off...

Candidates across the U.S. made history Tuesday by becoming firsts. Senator-elect Peggy Flanagan is among them. A citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan will go to Congress next year as the first Native woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Melanie Benjamin served about two decades as Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe before completing her final term in 2024. She now consul...