Shows

Minnesota’s new cannabis classes drawing a different kind of student
Minnesota’s move last year to legalize cannabis is cultivating a new market for education. Three public colleges offer noncredit classes now and they’re seeing a mix of retirees, career changers and other nontraditional students looking to take their lives in a new direction.
St. Olaf election project drives turnout, primes students for more productive political conversations
St. Olaf College in Northfield has one of the highest voter turnouts in the country. In 2020, nearly 90 percent of eligible Oles cast a ballot. Getting out the vote is a big part of the school’s civic engagement work. But equally important is an effort to train students on better ways to discuss politics with people they disagree with.
Minnesota veteran walks 1,000 miles to eclipse in Texas to spread hope
Daniel Crawford walked from Austin, Minn., to just outside Austin, Texas, to raise awareness and money for Duluth-based charity 23rd Veteran, which Crawford credits for helping him become sober.
MPR News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard live from the eclipse
Many parts of the country saw a total solar eclipse Monday. Minnesota experienced a partial eclipse, but the clouds blocked most Minnesotans from seeing it. MPR News’Sven Sundgaard was in the path of totality in Indiana and joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer live to talk about what he was seeing.
A new bill could make ‘swatting’ against public officials a felony in Minnesota
A Senate committee will hear a bill that could make false emergency calls on public officials a felony. We spoke with the bill’s author about the danger of swatting, plus why he’s acting now.
A Republican and a Democrat make the case for civility in politics
Former North Dakota U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, and former North Dakota Gov. Ed Schafer, a Republican, encourage people to break out of a cycle of cultural divisions to work toward bipartisan civil discourse.
Tackling the burden of medical debt
The Minnesota Legislature is considering a proposal to change how medical debt is handled. Listen back to a conversation with MPR News host Angela Davis about the burden of medical debt and what can be done about it.
Solar eclipse excites Minnesota despite clouds across much of state
A solar eclipse was visible across a swath of the U.S. on Monday afternoon. Minnesota was not in the path of totality, but a roughly 75 percent partial eclipse was visible, peaking around 2:02 p.m.