Plus, we met the Metro Transit’s new police chief.

And a coalition of Latino-led organizations is asking lawmakers to keep local government from cooperating with federal immigration agents.

Also, meat packing workers are facing faster factory lines. Union leaders say it could be dangerous. We heard from one of those leaders.

And local news reporter Courtney Godfrey is co-hosting the Paralympics at NBC. We talked to her about the games.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Easy Silence” by Dan Wilson, and “Playing House” by Anna Devine was the Song of the Day.

State Senators voted 35-32 on Wednesday to send one-time funding of up to $40 million to county and tribal governments. The measure passed nearly along party lines with Democrats supporting and all Republicans but one opposed.

Over in the House, which is tied between the two parties, lawmakers have introduced a similar bill, but it faces a tougher road to passage.

A similar debate has been underway in Minneapolis, where Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed an eviction-related proposal Wednesday. It would have required landlords to give 60 days notice, instead of 30, before filing evictions.

MPR News politics reporter Dana Ferguson joined to explain more about the conversations taking place at the state Capitol.

Some plants have waivers that allow them to exceed those rules. Industry groups have praised the move to loosen requirements across the board. But labor representatives say a faster pace puts greater strain on workers’ health and safety.

Rena Wong is president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 663. It represents several meatpacking plants in the state of Minnesota. Wong spoke to MPR News host Nina Moini about her concerns about faster speeds in the plants.

But there is another Minnesotan in the spotlight: Fox 9 reporter Courtney Godfrey. She is co-hosting the games with NBC.

Godfrey lost her lower leg in a boating accident in 2017. Since then, she’s been a member of the U.S. Para snowboard team and, at one point, had a goal of making it to the Paralympics.

She talked with Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about her journey from athlete to co-host.

The group, called the Minnesota Latino Leadership Alliance, has laid out a set of legislative priorities. That includes support for the proposed STAR Act, which would limit how state and local governments cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Aaron Sepúlveda, legislative and policy director with the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, is part of the alliance. He shared more about the coalition on Minnesota Now.

Dotseth has nearly 25 years of law enforcement service, all with the Metro Transit Police and he’s worked in nearly every role with the department.

He spoke with Minnesota Now about his priorities stepping into the role.

The use of psychedelics for treating addiction and severe mental illness is one step closer to becoming legal in Minnesota. We learn about the legislation.

Plus, we look into why ACL injuries are becoming more common for high school athletes, especially in girls’ sports.

Hopefully, you didn't put your shovels away for the season. Paul Huttner has a look at how much snow may be on the way.

And we meet an entrepreneur who created a sensory-friendly hijab.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Trouble” by Turn Turn Turn and “Hope” by Grant Glad was the Song of the Day.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full episode.

Two members of the task force joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain the therapy and their support of the bill.

Neuroscientist Jessica Nielson is chair of the task force and professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. Stefan Egan is also a member of the task force and a veteran. He testified in support of the bill this week and shared his personal experience using therapeutic psilocybin.

Inspired by her siblings’ experience with autism, Najma Omar set out to design a hijab that could help make loud noises less overwhelming. That led to SereniHijab, a hijab made of lightweight fabric with padding that covers the ears.

Najma Omar joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.

Walz said the current system, which is split among counties, managed care organizations and the state, has become increasingly difficult to administer. He laid out a plan Wednesday that would have DHS take over eligibility determinations for Medicaid programs. He also said the state would take the lead in modernizing what he called an “outdated system.”

The plan would need lawmaker approval. It received immediate pushback from both Republicans and Democrats.

For reaction from the county perspective, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Julie Ring, executive director of the Association of Minnesota Counties. She also spoke with a Josh Berg, a board member with the Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota, or ARRM. He advocates for service providers that receive Medicaid funding.

A study by the National ACL Injury Coalition suggested the rates of serious knee injuries increased 32.3 percent in girls’ sports over the 15 years between 2007 and 2022. That’s almost double the 14.5 percent increase the study found in boys’ sports.

The ACL is a ligament that helps hold the knee in place. An injury usually means the end of an athlete’s season; sometimes, it means surgery. For young athletes, it can also have particular social, emotional and economic impacts.

For more, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Jill Monson, lead physical therapist for the Complex Knee Injury Clinic at Twin Cities Orthopedics in Eagan.

Keith Secola is a renowned Anishinaabe songwriter and a member of the Native Music Hall of Fame. Gary Farmer is a Cayuga actor known for roles including Nobody in the 1995 movie “Dead Man” and Uncle Brownie in the hit TV show “Reservation Dogs.” He also has a band, Gary and the Troublemakers.

Together, the artists are bringing contemporary Native blues rock and traditional sounds to Virginia, Bemidji and Grand Rapids, Minn., starting Thursday, and they’ll meet up with some other local acts along the way. The Ancestral Fires Music Tour will finish Sunday with a stop in south Minneapolis.

Farmer and Secola chatted with MPR News host Nina Moini about their upcoming tour.

On March 7, 1965, state troopers attacked marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The day what would become known as Bloody Sunday and helped spur the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

A contingent of Minnesotans from various civil rights and immigration rights groups were among the thousands who gathered at the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the weekend. They participated as a part of a trip organized by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organization founded by Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

Christina Ojo is with the group Ayada Leads and Rico Durán is with COPAL MN. They joined MPR News host Nina Moini for a conversation about their time in Selma.

Reporter Gabrielle Nelson is an environmental reporter and Report for America Corps Member for the Indigenous news outlet Buffalo’s Fire, based in North Dakota. She recently dug into this story and talked with MPR News host Nina Moini about her reporting.

Dan Glessing is the president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau and a farmer in Waverly, Minnesota, about an hour west of the Twin Cities. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the impact to Minnesota farmers.

One of the jurors from the first Feeding Our Future trial talked with MPR News about his experience in the courtroom.

We learned how a polluted site is impacting life on the Leech Lake Reservation, more than 40 years after cleanup began.

Two Minnesotans shared their experience in Selma, Ala. They took a recent trip honoring a critical moment of the civil rights movement.

Two iconic Indigenous artists are traveling the state on the Ancestral Fire Music Tour.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Fifth Element” by Let Joy.

A package of bills regulating the use of artificial intelligence across various industries is getting a hearing at the state capitol. We'll hear from the state Senator behind those bills.

State lawmakers are also considering legislation that would prohibit schools from denying students an education based on immigration status. We'll hear more about what's in the bill and the Constitutional right to public education.

Plus, we’ll recap the big wins from the state boy’s hockey tournament and the Vikings are looking to add to their roster in free agency.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Hey, Bluebird” by Ber and our Song of the Day was “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” by Roma di Luna.

Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson shared who the Vikings might have their eye on for quarterback; and how the Minnesota Gopher’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are shaping up ahead of March Madness.

On Monday, the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee is hearing a package of bills from State Sen. Erin Maye Quade (DFL-Apple Valley) that would put regulations on how AI can be used in everything from health insurance decisions to chatbots used by children to dynamic pricing in the marketplace.

Sen. Maye Quade joined Minnesota Now to talk about it.

A coalition of some 20 different organizations are behind the legislation, which got a hearing in both the state House and the Senate last month.

Alex Vitrella is a program director with the nonprofit Education Evolving and David Aron is general counsel with Education Minnesota. Both joined Minnesota Now guest host Chris Farrell to talk about the bill.

To help us understand the outlook for Minnesotans at the pump, Tyler Schipper joined Minnesota Now. He’s an associate professor of economics at the University of St. Thomas.

Mike Moyski and Jackie Flavin are the parents of 10-year-old Harper Moyski, who was one of two children who were shot and killed in the mass shooting.

In the last six months, they've welcomed more than 20 state lawmakers into their home — Republicans and Democrats — to have one-on-one conversations about gun violence and school safety. Mike and Jackie sat down with me for a conversation about how they’re working to make sure no other family has to go through what they’ve gone through.

A group of former top DHS lawyers say an ICE policy violates the Constitution. We heard more from one of them.

And Stillwater's Jessie Diggins will retire later this month as one of the most decorated cross-country skiers in U.S, history. She shared her reflections on the end of an amazing career.

Plus, did you know Minnesota is the most represented state in the Paralympics? We'll talk to one para-nordic skier preparing to compete.

A leaked Department of Homeland Security memo from 2025 told agents they can force entry with only what’s called an administrative warrant. Legal experts have said that guidance is illegal in that it violates the U.S. Constitution.

A group of former top DHS lawyers from Republican and Democrat administrations made this argument in a New York Times opinion piece. Kara Lynum is part of that group.

She was acting DHS general counsel and deputy general counsel under former President Joe Biden. Before that, she was an immigration lawyer in Minnesota.

She spoke to host Nina Moini more about the issue.

Among the competitors is Prairie Farms Dairy, which manufactures cheese in Faribault. But it’s not your ordinary manufacturing plant. The cheese is aged in caves.

Minnesota Now host Nina Moini spoke to the head cheesemaker at the plant, Francisco Zepeda.

A Minnesotan was among the soldiers killed in an air strike in the Middle East. We learned about Nicole Amor.

Plus, a national philanthropic organization is creating a new fund to support Latino communities impacted by the ICE surge.

A judge will soon decide whether to hold the U.S. Attorney in Minnesota in contempt for violating court orders in immigration cases.

And we talked to the “big cheese” who is creating award-winning cheese in caves in southern Minnesota.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Not Today” by Guytano and “Closer to Fine” by Indigo Girls was the Song of the Day.

MPR News reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox joined Minnesota Now to share more about Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, who was killed in an airstrike on Sunday, according to the military.

Plus, Google has identified itself as the company behind a proposed data center in Duluth.

And state lawmakers are considering a ban on immigration enforcement agreements between local law enforcement and federal agencies. More on the bill and the arrangements it seeks to outlaw.

We also heard more about the results from a survey looking at the impact of the federal surge on local businesses.

And scholars from across the country met in the Twin Cities this week to talk about what ethical research looks like in a time of funding cuts and artificial intelligence.

Neighborhood Development Center, or NDC, heard from more than 130 businesses and shared the results with a state Senate committee in February. Almost two thirds of respondents said the impact has been “high or critical.” Nearly 80 percent saw emergency financial assistance as the top priority.

Natalia Mercado, director of business services with NDC, shared more of the findings with host Nina Moini.

So, what happens to the ethical guardrails meant to protect patients and public trust when both funding and technology behind scientific research are shifting at the same time?

National experts will convene Wednesday to answer that question at a research ethics conference through the University of Minnesota.

Susan Wolf, conference organizer and regents professor of law and medicine at the University of Minnesota, gave a preview of the gathering.

If passed, the legislation would prohibit and terminate any agreements with the federal government that gives authority to state, county and local agencies to enforce civil immigration law.

A new national ACLU report shows that since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, the number of local municipalities with these so-called 287(g) agreements has grown tenfold. In Minnesota, nine counties have signed agreements.

The bill’s lead author, State Representative Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul, and Julio Murphy Zelaya from the ACLU of Minnesota joined Minnesota Now to talk more about the legislation and the report.

It was Noem’s first congressional appearance since the shooting deaths of the two protesters galvanized widespread opposition to how the Trump administration is executing its mass deportation agenda, a centerpiece policy of President Donald Trump's second term. At the time, Noem portrayed the protesters, two U.S. citizens, as agitators, although accounts from local officials and bystander video contradicted assertions from her and other administration officials.

In one exchange, retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called her leadership a “disaster” and skewered her handling of the immigration crackdown and her management of emergency response.

In the hearing, which stretched nearly five hours, Noem defended her agency’s treatment of immigrants caught up in enforcement activities, and blamed activists and others for attacks against officers.

“I want to address the dangerous environment that our ICE officers face on the streets today," Noem said. “They are facing a serious and escalating threat as a result of deliberate mischaracterizations of their heroic work and rhetoric that demonizes our law enforcement.”

Since the deaths in Minneapolis, the administration has taken steps meant to tone down tensions, including drawing down the operation there. But the administration has continued pressing restrictions against both legal and illegal immigration, has been buying up warehouses for immigration detention and persisting in federal enforcement in areas around the country. Noem said about 650 investigators remain in Minnesota as part of a broader fraud probe.

The immigration tactics of Noem's department have triggered a clash in Congress over its routine funding, which remains unresolved, although a spending bill passed last year granted it a significant infusion of cash for the Republican administration’s mass deportation policy. Noem called the partial shutdown “reckless” and blamed Democrats for a move she said put national security at risk.

Her appearance in front of the Judiciary Committee also comes after a weekend shooting at a bar in Texas that is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, leading to concerns that the escalating conflict in Iran could have repercussions for security in the U.S.

Noem blames chaotic situation for her characterization of killed protesters

In what was initially billed as an effort to root out fraud in Minnesota, Homeland Security sent hundreds of officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to the state. They were met by protesters who organized marches, patrolled neighborhoods for ICE activity with whistles and ferried food to immigrants too afraid to leave their homes.

Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE officer on Jan. 7, setting off intense protests demanding an end to the operation. Then on Jan. 24, Customs and Border Protection officers opened fire on another Minnesota resident, Alex Pretti, who had been filming enforcement operations.

Those deaths led to cries for accountability and transparency. Noem, whose initial comments portrayed both Good and Pretti as the aggressors, has come under withering criticism by Democrats and some Republicans, who have called for her to resign.

Democrats repeatedly questioned Noem about her initial comments and called on her to apologize.

“You and your agency rushed to brand these victims as, quote, domestic terrorists,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee. “We have ample video evidence and eyewitness testimony proving you are wrong. Your statements caused immeasurable pain to these families.”

Noem said she was relying on information from people on the scene and blamed “violent protesters” for contributing to the chaos officers encountered.

“I was getting reports from the ground from agents at the scene, and I would say that it was a chaotic scene,” she said.

After public outrage over the deaths, Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take control of operations. Homan has since announced a drawdown of the ICE and CBP officers who had been sent to Minnesota to carry out what had been dubbed Operation Metro Surge, although he’s been adamant that the president’s mass deportation agenda will continue.

Noem also faced some Republican criticism

Republicans largely kept the focus on the large numbers of migrants who came into the country under former President Joe Biden, portraying Noem as the leader of a cleanup effort of the former administration’s mess.

But she did come under some harsh questioning by members of her own party. Tillis, who called on Noem to resign following the shootings in Minneapolis, criticized her for erroneously arresting American citizens, for failures in her disaster recovery agency and for how she shot her own dog.

“What we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership, Miss Noem, a disaster," Tillis said. “What we’ve seen is innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens.”

Tillis, who has already announced that he is not running for another term., added: “We’re beginning to get the American people to think that deporting people is wrong. It’s the exact opposite. The way you’re going about deporting them is wrong."

Another Republican, Sen. John Kennedy from Louisiana, also pushed her to explain why her department paid more than $200 million for an ad campaign she appeared in last year encouraging migrants to leave the country voluntarily and questioned whether Trump knew about the price tag ahead of time.

Noem, who is set to appear Wednesday in front of a House committee, defended those ads, saying they were effective and went through the regular department bidding process.

“Well, they were effective in your name recognition,” Kennedy said.

A local group says they're hearing widespread stories of Minnesotans being unable to pay their rent as a result of the surge of federal agents in recent weeks. How they're providing support.

And we'll meet a Minnesota GOP leader and Trump backer who's trying to reconcile his political beliefs in light of the Trump Administration’s massive immigration enforcement surge.

Plus, a new design competition begins Monday, allowing students to submit ideas for a future George Floyd memorial in Minneapolis.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Plumes” by HEYARLO and our Song of the Day was “Mississippi” by The Cactus Blossoms.

After Floyd was murdered by police in 2020, the site became an organic memorial, as people made art and left offerings there. Late last year, the Minneapolis city council approved a plan to reconstruct the area known as George Floyd Square.

The student design contest will run until mid-May. One or more of the winning designs could become a permanent installation.

Two of the people behind the design competition joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini. Niall-Julian Universe is with the nonprofit Rise and Remember, and Anjali Ganapathy is director of undergraduate studies in architecture at the University of Minnesota.

Joining Minnesota Now to talk about where Minnesota teams stand, plus other sports updates, are sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

In some families, a breadwinner has been deported. In others, people have stopped going to work out of fear, or workplaces have temporarily shut down.

Over the past few months, staff at HOME Line say they’ve heard story after story like these. The organization is a nonprofit that provides free legal help and advocacy for Minnesota tenants.

Jess Zarik is co-executive director of HOME Line, and she joined Minnesota Now to talk about what her team has been hearing, and what she expects in the weeks ahead.

Parham Alaei is the co-founder of the Minnesota Committee in Support of a Democratic Iran, a group that organizes Iranian Americans advocating for democracy in Iran. He joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about his reaction to the war.

There is a push for Governor Tim Walz to enact an eviction moratorium before March rent is due to ease the impacts from the ICE surge. We looked at what would be required for the governor to make that decision.

Plus, some people are getting released from ICE custody without crucial documents. We heard one man's story.

Plus, writers gathered to reflect and celebrate Ramadan at an event organized by Mizna, a group that promotes the work of Arab and Southwest Asian and North African artists.

And a doctor who trained in Minnesota skied in the Olympics for Mexico. She shared more about her journey.

For one new Olympian, regular life includes treating patients as an emergency room doctor in Miami. At this year’s games, Regina Martinez Lorenzo became the first woman to compete for Mexico in Olympic cross-country skiing. She raced in the 10k freestyle event.

She got her start with the sport here in Minnesota while she was going to medical school. Regina Martinez Lorenzo joined Minnesota Now to talk more about her journey from Minnesota to the Olympics.

Two artists shared more about the gathering on Minnesota Now — Nikki Luna, a Lebanese-American genderqueer poet and organizer of the event, and Nader Helmy, a Cairo-born, Minnesota-raised writer.

Governor Walz said that he can't enact a statewide eviction moratorium without declaring a peacetime emergency. And so far, he has been unwilling to make that move. Professor Larry Jacobs, the founder and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, joined MPR News host Nina Moini for a conversation about what’s at play in the governor’s decision making.

The Trump administration says the state has 60 days to share a plan to address fraud or the freeze could be extended.

But Governor Tim Walz and members of his administration say they’ve been taking such steps. State Medicaid Director John Connolly said the state will have to pay the federal government a quarter billion dollars for services already provided, which is a hit to the state budget. Connolly says the Trump Administration has threatened to withhold more money.

The funding pause affects 14 categories of services funded through Medicaid. Late in 2025, the state began reviewing providers of those services. It has suspended or delayed some payments.

The programs include, in part, treatments for substance use disorder and mental health conditions. Marcus Schmit, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, spoke with host Nina Moini about what the funding threat could mean for mental health care in the state.

Mutual aid, organizing and other forms of protest have not ended since some ICE agents have left the state. We talk about the next phase of organizing.

Plus, we hear from disability rights lawyers on how funding pauses over fraud are impacting access to service.

We get an update on the forecast from Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner.

And we talk to the curator of a University of Minnesota archive of African American literature that spans 250 years.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “My Heart Your Heart” by Bad Bad Hats.

Curator Davu Underwood Seru joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the collection.

Advocates for disability rights say people who rely on these programs are caught in the middle.

At a senate human services committee meeting this week, several presenters described cases where people never received services that were paid for or abruptly lost services after payments were suspended.

A group of legal experts will gather to talk about this issue Wednesday in a panel discussion at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. The event, titled “Disability Rights on Hold: How the fraud allegations and funding freezes are affecting the disability community,” is the opening to an exhibit about disability rights in Minnesota that will travel to three law schools this year.

MPR News host Nina Moini talked with two of the panelists, disability lawyer Shamus O’Meara and University of St. Thomas law professor Elizabeth Schiltz, who is also one of the organizers of the panel and the traveling exhibit.

Thousands of Minnesotans have taken part in demonstrations, mutual aid efforts and rapid response networks to support neighbors and fellow Minnesotans during the surge of federal agents.

A broad coalition of groups across the Twin Cities looks to continue building on that momentum even in light of the drawdown announcement. Unidos MN organizer José Alvillar Hinojosa joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about a week of action the groups began Wednesday titled “Bring the Heat, Melt the ICE.”

MPR News reporter Matt Sepic joined Minnesota Now to break down what the President said.

Deportations of Hmong and Lao people spiked last year, according to groups working with Southeast Asian communities in Minnesota. We heard more from one of the organizations behind a new effort to help Southeast Asian Minnesotans navigate deportations and detentions.

Plus, how boosters of the new "Bear Larp" business district aim to revitalize the greater east side of St. Paul.

And two brothers from Minneapolis are out with a new film about a fellow Minnesotan: cross-country skiing icon Jessie Diggins.

He spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about his experience as a trainer for ICE.

It shows her tough resolve in competition – and her determination to maintain her recovery from an eating disorder. Diggins has been open about going through a relapse in 2023.

Brothers Lars and Torsten Brinkema from Minneapolis are behind the new film, "Threshold," streaming now on Peacock. They gave a preview of the story on Minnesota Now.

The “Bear Larp” district is the new identity for the business corridor at White Bear Avenue and Larpenteur Avenue. The Greater East Side Community Council is spearheading the project and its executive director Lisa Theis joined Minnesota Now to talk more about it.

"The Southeast Asian Defense Response Project" is a collaboration of four different organizations: ManForward, Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN), Immigration Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), and Transforming Generations.

They report that 2025 marked “the highest level of Hmong and Lao deportations in the last 15 years." Minnesota is home to some of the largest concentrations of various Southeast Asian groups, including Hmong, Lao, Karen, Vietnamese and Cambodian, among others.

Xay Yang, executive director of Transforming Generations, shared more about the project with host Nina Moini.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with a partner, there is a 24-hour statewide domestic and sexual violence hotline. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995. You can also call or text the Hmong Family Strengthening Helpline at (877) 740-4292.

For SEAFN’s 24/7 immigration assistance available in Hmong, Khmer, Vietnamese and Lao, call 1-(800) 251-1083. ILCM’s intake line can also be reached at 1-(800) 223-1368.

The state has presented a roadmap for preventing and addressing fraud. We'll hear more about it.

And a 16-year-old asylum seeker is finally back in Minnesota after being apprehended last month by immigration agents and sent to Michigan.

Then to Worthington for the latest on how the federal surge of agents affected the small, southern Minnesota city, where almost half of the population is Hispanic or Latino.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Chorado” by Charles Lazarus and our Song of the Day was “Ferdy” by Sleeping Jesus.

Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about this and other sports news are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

Jaime Salinas is the CEO of Forward Worthington, which is the city’s chamber of commerce. He spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about the impact of ICE on the community and on local business.

Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Susan Du followed his story and spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about her reporting on the young asylum seeker.

Their children attend Annunciation Catholic School and were present during the mass shooting on August 27th. Two children were killed and 28 others injured.

As their community takes steps to heal, the parents also want to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are set to introduce a slate of legislation aimed at gun violence prevention, school safety and mental health resources. DFL State Rep. Emma Greenman will introduce an assault weapon ban on Tuesday. Rep. Greenman joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about the legislation.

It's been a week since border czar Tom Homan announced a plan to significantly reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota. But has that been the case on the ground? What data on flights out of MSP carrying detainees indicates.

Homan also claimed federal agents had located more than 3,000 supposedly missing unaccompanied children during the surge. A local expert breaks down what that might mean.

And we'll meet a Minnesota ER doctor consulting for the hit TV show “The Pitt.“

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Minneapolis Madness” by room3, Alex Brown, David Feily and LA Buckner. Our Song of the Day was “Human” by Brandi Carlile.

Nick Benson is an activist with MN50501 who has been tracking flights leaving Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport chartered by the federal government. He said more than 3,600 people have been flown out of the state on these flights since early November when he began documenting.

Dr. Jacob Lentz is an emergency room doctor at MHealth Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming, Minn. and he served as a medical consultant for the show. Season two is airing now on HBO.

Dr. Lentz spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about his role on the show and how he helped contribute to its medical accuracy.

And Minnesota fans have plenty of reasons to watch. Six players representing the U.S. also play for the Minnesota Frost.

Frost General Manager Melissa Caruso is watching her players compete on the sport’s biggest stage — and she joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about the game.

Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon said getting aid to city governments is the group’s number one ask to state lawmakers.

“We won't be asking for handouts,” said Hanlon, “We are asking for fairness, for justice and resources to fix a crisis we didn't create in order.”

Brooklyn Center Mayor April Graves was part of the creation of this group of mayors and she spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk more about their priorities.

Unaccompanied minors is a term the federal government uses to describe children under 18 who don't have lawful status in the U.S. and who don’t have parents or legal guardians in the country who can care for them. Many live with other family members or connections who are known to the government as their sponsors.

The Trump Administration has pledged to step up tracking of 450,000 unaccompanied minors nationwide. The goal, it says, is to protect them from abuse and child labor. Joining Minnesota Now to talk more about this is Kim Boche from The Advocates for Human Rights. They lead a team of attorneys focused on unaccompanied minors.

It led many immigrants to limit trips outside the house, some not leaving at all. They’ve seen ICE agents racially profile or wrongfully detain family and friends.

MPR News collected stories from several people under those circumstances across the state. They recorded voices memos or spoke to a reporter over three days between Jan. 24 and Feb. 4, sharing what their day was like. They answered questions including: did you leave the house today? What did you not get to do today that you normally get to do? How is this impacting your life?

The result is an intimate portrait of Minnesotans who have been deeply impacted by the surge of federal immigration agents in the state. We are only using first names or first initials due to safety concerns.    

More than a foot of snow has piled on the North Shore with up to 10 more inches on the way as blizzard conditions continue. MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner has been keeping an eye on the storm.

Plus, tenants advocates were at the state capitol Wednesday morning calling for an eviction moratorium and rent relief funding for those economically affected by the presence of thousands of federal agents.

Plus, a new exhibition is showcasing 3,000 years of Chinese artwork that features the horse.

2026 is the first time in 60 years that we are welcoming the year of the fire horse. To usher in this new era, a new exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art showcases the significance of the horse across 3,000 years of Chinese art.

The exhibition, “Year of the Horse: Hoofbeats Through Time” opened Wednesday and will be open through Aug. 30.

Curator Liu Yang joined Minnesota Now to talk about the exhibition.