Minnesota Now

Mar 06 2025 70 ep. 18 mins 95

Minnesota Now Podcast artwork

Live, down to earth, unscripted interviews that aim to connect, inform and entertain. Real people share real stories with MPR News host Nina Moini. It’s journalism that doesn’t take itself too seriously and puts people first.

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Minnesota Now: March 6, 2025

Mar 06 2025 56 mins

Lawmakers are getting a better picture of how much money they'll have to hammer out a budget. And they're finding they might have less money than they planned. We'll learn more about the future of the state's finances from our politics reporter.Farmers in Minnesota know that their job is tough. But some LGBTQ+ farmers are speaking out about additional challenges the

State grant gives Minnesota students the chops for meat processing

Mar 06 2025 9 mins

A state grant is helping Minnesota schools teach meat processing to students. Applications are now open for the MEAT grant, which stands for Meat Education and Training. In the first round of grants, $350,000 was dispersed across nine districts to establish or enhance meat cutting and butchery training. One of those districts was West Central Schools in Grant County. The district w

Professional Help: Help me budget during uncertain economic times

Mar 06 2025 7 mins

In our current economy, there is a lot of uncertainty. Tariffs are threatening to raise prices of everything from gas to groceries. And thousands have lost their job or are worried they may with federal cuts impacting state and non-profit work. U.S. consumer confidence plummeted last month. It was the biggest monthly decline in more than four years. And it is leading people to chan

Exhibit highlighting nearly 100 works of Black artists makes stop in Minneapolis

Mar 06 2025 8 mins

A new exhibit opens at the Minneapolis Institute of Art Friday. The exhibit, called “Giants,” marks the first major showcase of the Dean Collection, owned by Swizz Beats and Alicia Keys. The show is organized by the Brooklyn Museum and highlights nearly 100 significant works by Black artists. Kimberli Grant is the curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum an

Breaking down the state budget forecast

Mar 06 2025 4 mins

On Wednesday afternoon, state economic officials will present their important forecast. It’s the one that sets parameters for lawmakers building a new budget. We already know the top line items: the state is on track to have a smaller cushion in the next budget than was previously predicted. And Minnesota could have a nearly $6 billion deficit in the budget two years down the roa

Minnesota’s first ‘Ag for All’ conference provides resources for LGBTQ+ farmers

Mar 06 2025 9 mins

Farmers know that the pressures of making it through unpredictable weather, crop or livestock disease and rural life make the job tough. LGBTQ+ farmers say they face additional struggles, like isolation from fellow agricultural workers. Some LGBTQ+ farmers are coming together to talk about it — and connect with each other. This Saturday the state agriculture department and the Un

Minnesota Now: March 5, 2025

Mar 05 2025 56 mins

A winter storm is leaving behind a mess and high winds are still causing trouble in parts of the state. We get the latest on snow totals from MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner and an update on hazardous road conditions in southern Minnesota from MnDOT. President Donald Trump's address to Congress highlighted a stark partisan divide. We talk with our Gen-Z political panel abo

Director of Twin Cities-based group shares how federal cuts are impacting the Horn of Africa

Mar 05 2025 9 mins

The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday morning ordered the Trump administration to immediately pay $2 billion dollars owed to USAID contractors for work they have already done. But the ruling does not change the administration’s move to cut $60 billion dollars in aid delivered through the agency. Countries that would have received that aid are already feeling the impact. Countries in t

As boys state hockey tournament takes off in St. Paul, a look back at its 81-year history

Mar 05 2025 5 mins

The puck drops Wednesday on high school hockey's biggest stage, the Boys Hockey State Tournament. Downtown St. Paul is filled with high school hockey families who have driven from all corners of the state to compete. The annual tournament has a storied history that goes back to 1945.The book “Tourney Time: Stories from the Minnesota Boys' State Hockey Tournament" by

State of Democra-Z: Three young voters weigh in on Trump’s first weeks in office

Mar 05 2025 10 mins

In a speech Tuesday night that echoed his campaign rallies, President Donald Trump celebrated his first six weeks in office and the electoral win that came before. His words were punctuated by protests from Democrats and cheers from Republicans.Trump won the popular vote by 1.5 percent over former Vice President Kamala Harris. His win was clear, but the results were close enough to