Minnesota Now

Minnesota Now podcast art — Minnesota Now
MPR News

Journalism that doesn’t take itself too seriously and puts people first. Live, down to earth, unscripted interviews that aim to inform and entertain. Tune in weekdays at noon mprnews.org.

Listen: Missed the show? Want to hear the individual conversations? Check out the podcast.

Minnesota music: One of the pillars of Minnesota Now is featuring great Minnesota-based music. Each month, we put together a playlist of the songs heard on our show so you can enjoy them, too. Here’s this year’s playlist.

Thank You, Stranger: Has someone ever taken you by surprise by doing something kind that made your day a little easier? Your life a little fuller? Our new series, “Thank You, Stranger,” looks at those special people and their impact. Read the stories here.

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A sketch of a pretrial hearing

Lazzaro trial update: Fourth day of sex trafficking case

March 27, 2023 12:50 PM

By Cathy Wurzer

Testimony resumed Monday morning in the sex trafficking trial of Tony Lazzaro, a former political operative and top donor to the Minnesota Republican Party. Lazzaro is charged with sex trafficking five minors, girls who were 15 and 16 years old. MPR News reporter Matt Sepic has been following the case and he joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

A person stands at a podium next to posters

'Forever chemicals' pose serious health risks. Here's what Minnesota can do to address them

March 27, 2023 12:29 PM

By Alanna Elder and Cathy Wurzer

Lawmakers and activists gathered Monday morning in support of tougher restrictions on a suite of chemicals known as PFAS, or forever chemicals. This comes days after state agencies asked lawmakers for more than $45 million dollars for cleanup and management of PFAS.

Residents rally to save old Homer town hall building

March 27, 2023 12:12 PM

By Cathy Wurzer and Alanna Elder

Old buildings can carry a lot of meaning for some people. That's why a group in Homer Township near Winona, Minn. is organizing to save their old town hall building. Jeanne Nelson is a retired schoolteacher who lives in Homer. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about her efforts and why the building is so special to her.

A woman buys refills for her Juul at a smoke shop

Jury selection begins in Minnesota lawsuit against e-cigarette company Juul

March 27, 2023 11:42 AM

By Cathy Wurzer and Alanna Elder

Jury selection begins in the state of Minnesota’s lawsuit against e-cigarette company Juul and tobacco giant Altria, which used to own part of Juul. Out of dozens of states that sued Juul beginning in 2019, Minnesota is the only one that did not settle.

Lawmakers introduce legislation to ease first time homebuying

March 24, 2023 12:30 PM

By Cathy Wurzer and Lukas Levin

If you’re trying to buy a home in the Twin Cities, prices last month cooled a bit, much like the temperatures. But they’re still up a couple thousand dollars from a year ago.

Karl-Anthony Towns,De'Andre Hunter

Karl-Anthony Towns is back in the Timberwolves lineup, the road to the Frozen Four and other Minnesota sports news

March 23, 2023 1:22 PM

Karl-Anthony Towns is back!

James Beard nominee Ann Ahmed tells us what's for lunch

March 23, 2023 1:09 PM

By Cathy Wurzer, Melissa Townsend, and Ellen Finn

Four chefs and one pastry chef from the Twin Cities have been nominated by the prestigious James Beard “Best Chef Midwest.” Finalists will be announced March 29. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Ann Ahmed, chef and owner of the restaurants Khâluna, Lat14 Asian Eatery and Lemongrass.

HannahToutge

Growth amid 'ambiguous loss': How the pandemic has changed us

March 23, 2023 12:59 PM

By Cathy Wurzer and Gretchen Brown

The pandemic has made it common for people to have endured extraordinarily difficult circumstances and lost something or someone dear to them. Without any sense of closure, that can be hard to deal with.

Michael Osterholm, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm reflects on three years of COVID-19 and looks toward the future

March 23, 2023 12:48 PM

By Cathy Wurzer and Gretchen Brown

Three years ago, Gov. Tim Walz called for Minnesotans to “shelter in place” because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan was to flatten the curve, or decrease the number of people who were infected all at once so hospitals and ICUs were not totally overwhelmed. Today, there have been more than 1.7 million documented cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota.

Minnesota Now podcast art

Minnesota Now: March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023 12:31 PM

By Cathy Wurzer, Melissa Townsend, Ellen Finn, Gretchen Brown, Alanna Elder, and Britt Aamodt

Listen to the full show here.