Minnesota Now

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...

The federal government has indicted 15 Minnesotans on charges of conspiracy, among others, for efforts to allegedly “violently oppose immigration law enforcement” during the immigration surge this winter. To take a closer look at the case being made against these individuals, MPR News spoke to Richard Painter, a professor of law at the University of Minnesota, about what conspiracy means under the...

For 30 years, Rose McGee has celebrated Juneteenth by sharing her stage performance of “Kumbayah: The Juneteenth Story” across Minnesota. To mark this special anniversary, the performance will include special guest appearances from cast members from previous years who grew up as a part of this important story about the emancipation of African Americans. McGee joined Minnesota Now to talk more abou...

An international human rights watchdog released a report Thursday on the surge of federal agents to the state this winter. Human Rights Watch interviewed 136 Minnesotans and analyzed visuals and court documents surrounding arrests and detentions. The report alleges federal agents used racial profiling and excessive force, and detained people unlawfully in facilities with poor conditions and insuff...

Fifteen people have been charged by the federal government for anti-ICE actions this winter. Prosecutors allege they are part of antifa, a left-wing political movement. A history professor explained what antifa is and how it fits into this moment. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon rule on how law enforcement can track people's locations through their cell phones. We talked to a legal expert. Plus,...

A grand jury indicted 15 people Tuesday in connection to anti-ICE protests this winter. The charges include “conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers” and stalking. Federal prosecutors say these individuals are members of Direct Action Minnesota, which has ties to antifa — or anti-fascist — groups. To help us better understand what antifa is and what these charges mean, Minnesota Now spoke...

Americans will soon have a new option for sun protection. The FDA gave the green light to bemotrizinol, the first new ingredient approved for sunscreen in the U.S. in over 20 years. Minnesota has the nation’s second-highest rate of skin cancer. University of Minnesota dermatologist Dr. Ingrid Polcari considers this development to be a win for local public health. She talked to MPR News host Nina M...

When thousands of runners line up in Two Harbors on Saturday for the 50th annual Grandma’s Marathon, only one will be running his 50th Grandma’s too. John Naslund, 76, was one of about 150 runners when he ran the very first Grandma’s in 1977. Now it’s grown to more than 9,000 participants and come Saturday Naslund hopes to be the sole person who can say he’s ran all 50. He spoke to Minnesota Now h...

The U.S. Supreme Court is nearing the end of its current term. By late June or early July, the justices will announce decisions in a handful of high-profile cases. One of those has to do with how law enforcement uses location data collected by tech companies. Minnesota’s Supreme Court decided a similar case back in April. Investigators have used a tool called geofencing to draw a virtual boundary...