Minnesota Now

After Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Tennessee this weekend, she hopped on a plane to Texas for a game against the Dallas Wings. The Lynx won 85-77, making way for Reeve to tie the WNBA record for coaching wins. Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about the latest in basketball and other sports news are contributors Wally Langfe...

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday. Reeve was named the Lynx coach in 2009. Since then, she's won four championships and four WNBA coach of the year awards, coached the U.S. women's basketball team to three Olympic gold medals and had six of her players inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. MPR News digital producer An...

Extreme heat is expected across much of central and southern Minnesota Monday, including the Twin Cities metro. Experts are urging people to limit time outdoors and drink plenty of water. For those who are trying to keep cool, the pool may be a popular place. MPR chief meteorologist Ben Cathey joined Minnesota Now with the latest on the heat. And Kevin O’Brien will be making sure things run smooth...

The Trump administration announced earlier this month the Department of Health and Human Services will take over responsibility of the special education office from the Department of Education. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services oversees programs to support students with disabilities and accommodations for public education. Supporters of the move say it makes sense since t...

The Minneapolis City Council decided Thursday to put a moratorium on data center projects in most of the city until November. The ordinance makes an exception for downtown, where some say data centers will help boost declining property values. The Minnesota School Safety Center has a new director. We spoke with her about her ideas for preventing violence in schools. And a new law lays out regulati...

Thousands of people from the Ethiopian community will be in the Twin Cities for a soccer tournament hosted by the Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America. Starting Saturday, June 27, and stretching through July 4, Minnesota will host to the largest gathering of Ethiopians anywhere outside Ethiopia, making the event not only a soccer tournament but also a cultural celebration. Elias Meles, who...

Every time thunder booms or the wind thrashes trees around, anxious minds wonder, will my roof survive this storm? It’s a reasonable thought. Last summer, five severe weather disasters in Minnesota caused an estimated $13 billion in total damage, according to the nonprofit research group Climate Central . In this next installment of Professional Help, we learn about a new resource that aims to hel...

Many people use banks or credit unions to manage their money. But soon, these same institutions could help some people manage their cryptocurrency. A new law taking effect Aug. 1, 2026, in Minnesota lays out the rules for financial institutions wanting to become so-called “crypto custodians.” Advocates for the legislation say it’s an important step in ensuring local banks and credit unions stay co...

Minnesota has a state agency dedicated to helping schools prepare, respond and recover from all kinds of threats and emergencies. From school shootings to cyberattacks, the Minnesota School Safety Center’s mission is to keep schools safe. MPR News host Nina Moini spoke to the agency’s new leader, Connie Forster, about her ideas as she steps into the role.

The Minneapolis City Council voted 7 to 5 on Thursday to put new data centers on hold for most of the city until November. Council member Aurin Chowdury introduced the ordinance. The moratorium exempts downtown data centers that take up 350,000 square feet or less. Supporters of that carveout say data centers could be the answer for declining property values and a shrinking tax base downtown. We s...

Twin Cities Pride returns this weekend with the annual festival in Loring Park and parade in downtown Minneapolis on Sunday. Over the past 53 years, the festival has grown to attract thousands of people to come see performers, check out vendors, and celebrate with friends and family. This year's celebration comes during a challenging moment for many LGBTQ+ people, with ongoing political battles ov...

Under current law in Minnesota, kids have to be at least 10 years old to be prosecuted for a crime. On Aug. 1, that bar will be raised to 13. The change is a result of legislation originally passed in 2024. Once it takes effect, Minnesota will become one of only three states with a minimum age of delinquency of 13, joining Maryland and New Hampshire. But some county officials say their agencies ar...

Starting July 1, Medicare will begin a new pilot program that will allow some users to access popular GLP-1 weight-loss medications at a reduced cost. Originally developed to treat diabetes, GLP-1 medications like Wegovy have exploded in popularity. Dr. Carolyn Bramante is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School who specializes in obesity and weight loss. She joined MP...

Google will host an open house Wednesday night for its proposed data center in Hermantown, in northern Minnesota. The project has become a hot-button issue for the small town of 800 residents, and is one of many data center proposals popping up in greater Minnesota. MPR News reporter Dan Kraker has been following the story in Hermantown and joined Minnesota Now with details.

A group of Minneapolis City Council members is asking the mayor's office to share its plans for the Minneapolis Police Department, after Chief Brian O'Hara resigned amid misconduct allegations. MPR News host Nina Moini talked with council member Robin Wonsley ahead of Tuesday’s meeting. Minnesota-born journalist Justin Ellis is out with a new book exploring the history of racism in his home state,...

Minnesota is hosting thousands of athletes, coaches and fans this week as the Special Olympics USA Games get underway in the Twin Cities. The games bring together athletes from across the country to compete in more than a dozen sports, from swimming and gymnastics to bocce ball. Bocce ball may not be as widely known as some other sports, but for many athletes, it's a chance to compete, build confi...

Following the murder of George Floyd, many asked the question: “How was Minneapolis, of all places, at the center of a global racial reckoning?” For Minnesota-native Justin Ellis, it wasn’t surprising. And now, the journalist is out with a new book that lays out Minnesota’s long quiet history of racism to help answer that question. The book is titled “The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is...

Traditional tobacco is at the core of many Native American cultural and spiritual practices. But commercial tobacco, packaged in cigarettes or vapes, contributes to higher rates of lung cancer among Native Americans. Many of the people working with these two sides of tobacco are in Minneapolis for the National Tribal Tobacco Conference, held Tuesday and Wednesday on the University of Minnesota cam...

Leadership is in limbo at the Minneapolis Police Department after the abrupt resignation of former Chief Brian O’Hara. On Tuesday, city council members asked Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for more information on the direction of the department. Council member Robin Wonsley is the lead author of the request to the mayor about MPD’s path during this period of change. She joined MPR News host Nina Moi...

Months after the peak of the surge of immigration agents this winter, mutual aid groups and organizers helping Minnesotans stay in their homes say there's still a crisis as eviction filings look on pace to break last year's record high. A 48-year-old Hmong man from St. Paul was deported to Laos in May. A new story from Sahan Journal follows his journey and looks at how his wife and five kids are n...

A story by Sahan Journal out Monday follows a Hmong family separated by deportation. It starts with the day in February when Linda Yang learned ICE agents planned to detain her husband Zong. He’s now in Laos. Linda and their five kids live in St. Paul. Sahan Journal Reporter Katelyn Vue plans to keep telling the story of how the family is dealing with this new reality in a series of articles this...

In the early 2000s, people all over the country could get insight into their dreams by calling up a different radio program. The Dream Doctor was a nationally-syndicated show hosted by Charles McPhee. He died of ALS in 2011 at the age of 49. His sister, Larkin McPhee, lives in Minneapolis. She’s won Emmys and Peabody Awards for her documentary films. But for her brother’s story, she turned to writ...

More than six months after Operation Metro Surge began, many mutual aid groups and organizers are still triaging a crisis. The state recently passed $40 million in rent relief, but it likely won't reach local providers until late in the summer. Rent organizers worry many who need that help won't qualify or get it soon enough, as eviction filings threaten to pass last year's record. Cari Spencer sp...

A group documenting human rights abuses around the world released a report Thursday focused on Operation Metro Surge. It found violations that took place in Minnesota and shared recommendations for state and federal officials. We spoke with the leader of the research team. Federal prosecutors say 15 Minnesotans conspired against federal agents during this winter’s immigration surge. We took a look...

For the better part of 2026, Annunciation Church and School parents were engaging with lawmakers to advocate for policy change following a mass shooting in their community. The legislative session has ended, but the work of the Annunciation Light Alliance has not. They are now turning to public engagement. On Monday, the group is partnering with CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman to show his Osc...