Several memorial events this weekend are happening in south Minneapolis at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, where Floyd was killed — and where activists and neighbors are still at odds with the city over how best to remember him.

MPR News reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox has been tracking the story for years. She joined Minnesota Now to talk about that debate and also the events planned this weekend.

Meanwhile, a federal judge has sentenced the ringleader of the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal to nearly 42 years in prison. Our reporter Matt Sepic was inside the courtroom for Aimee Bock's sentencing.

The city of Minneapolis is set to memorialize Birdell Beeks by placing her name on the street sign above the intersection where she was killed by a stray bullet ten years ago. Her daughter reflects on the work she's done to honor her mother's life.

Plus, six years after George Floyd's murder, a look at construction at George Floyd Square.

And we learned about an effort working to provide music education in Duluth and Haiti.

It happened in broad daylight while she sat in her minivan in the middle of crossfire she had nothing to do with. Bunny Beeks joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini in the studio to reflect on the time that has passed since her mother’s death and the work that remains.

They’ll have their final performance Thursday night.

Their instructor, Terrell Grier, and Rudy Perrault, president of the Kako Foundation, shared more about the program.

A new scorecard on school test results nationwide found large achievement gaps at Minneapolis Public Schools.

Plus, Minnesota's Muslim community is tackling safety concerns after the mosque shooting in San Diego.

We heard from the state's next Supreme Court Chief Justice.

Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard gave the holiday weekend forecast.

And a Minnesota-made podcast is helping kids navigate puberty.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Down Home Blues” by Deb Jenkins and “500 Dollars” by The Lamont Cranston Band was the Song of the Day.

The show’s host and executive producer, Molly Bloom, joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.

The findings are based on average test scores from 2022-2025.

MPR News host Nina Moini talked with two guests who have worked to address educational disparities in Minneapolis about what to make of the numbers.

Bernadeia Johnson was superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools from 2010 to 2015. She is currently a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Jennifer Stern is CEO of Great MN Schools, a nonprofit that works closely with public and charter schools in Minneapolis.

MPR News has reached out to Minneapolis Public Schools for a statement.

The state legislative session is over. Among the proposals that did not pass was relief money for businesses struggling from impacts of the federal surge.

College students have finished another school year transformed by AI. We'll talk to a professor who's been writing his way through the changes.

We'll go to Rochester, where the city's pre-professional women's soccer team is getting ready for their first game against Eagan-based Minnesota Aurora.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Um Dia” by D. Santos and our Song of the Day was “Valkyrie Drive” by Cardboard Fishtank.

Rochester Coach Eric Feil and team captain Rachel Jackson joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about how the team has evolved since it launched a few seasons ago.

Chris Wells is chair of the Environmental Studies department at Macalester College. Like most other educators over the past few years, he’s constantly navigating his students' relationships with AI and the classroom. He admits like most educators, he’s still figuring it out. He writes a newsletter about what AI means for college teaching called Teaching Upside Down.

Wells joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the shifts he’s noticed in the classroom, how he’s changed assignments with AI in mind and how he’s rethinking what getting an education means when generative AI can accomplish so much.

Several proposals were introduced, including legislation to establish a $100 million relief fund for businesses that may have lost revenue or faced other difficulties due to the surge. Gov. Tim Walz also put forth a $10 million relief package in February.

Both proposals did not pass.

Aaron Sepulveda is legislative and policy director with the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs. He’s been talking to businesses across the state and he told MPR News more about where things go from here.

In April, ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. was charged with assault for allegedly pointing his gun at two people during a February road rage incident.

A judge has issued nationwide warrants for the arrests of both agents.

What happens next is unclear. Lauren Bonds, executive director of the National Police Accountability Project. She said it’s novel legal territory. Bonds joined Minnesota Now to explain.

According to a new investigation, Minnesota's hospitals are some of the least generous in the nation when it comes to helping patients cover their bills. A closer look at why.

Data also shows the percentage of Black Minnesotans in the Twin Cities who own a home has declined for the first time after rising for several years.

Plus, the season may be over for several Minnesota teams after playoff losses. But for others, it's just getting started. Our sports contributors will have the rundown.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Kdot (Untitled 05) ft. Desean Jones” by L.A. Buckner and our Song of the Day was “Disco 3 Love Sick” by Karate Chop, Silence.

Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined the program to help with the transition.

The data also shows that compared to 11 other similar metro areas in the U.S., the Twin Cities has the largest gap between Black and white homeownership rates at nearly 47 percent.

AsaleSol Young is the executive director of Housing in Action, a local housing justice organization that works with socioeconomically disadvantaged families to find affordable and safe housing. They joined the program to talk about what may be behind the numbers and potential solutions.

That’s according to a recent investigation by the Minnesota Star Tribune and the health outlet KFF News. Star Tribune reporter Jeremy Olson joined Minnesota Now to talk about what their report found.

Meanwhile in Crow Wing County, north of Brainder, is the Flanders Fire. It’s about 20 percent contained and evacuation orders remain in place.

William Glesener has been following both of those fires and helping coordinate firefighting efforts. He is the wildfire operations supervisor at the Department of Natural Resources and spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini with a status update on the wildfires across the state.

Peter Cox has an ear on the House and the Senate but took a quick break to bring the latest on Minnesota Now.

A new Minneapolis-based study shows that hospitals are an important place for gun violence prevention.

And, there's a growing list of cities choosing to fly Minnesota's old flag instead of the new one. A look into the debate.

Plus, a new project is mapping 50 years of Hmong history in Minnesota.

And, Art-A-Whirl is a big weekend for painters, photographers and other artists. But it's becoming a landmark event for music, too. We'll look at the lineup.

Led by the Hmong Museum, the Hmong StoryMap Project shares the stories behind more than 20 places across the state. It covers some 50 years of history since the first Hmong family arrived in Minnesota. And after a yearlong effort, the digital map will finally be unveiled on Saturday.

We heard more about the project from two people who were a part of it. Bee Vang-Moua is a writer and researcher for the story map. Pheng Her is the founder of Guerilla Pastures, which is one of the places on the map.

Joining Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to dig into the data is two authors of the study. Jillian Peterson is with the executive director of The Violence Prevention Project and Dr. Derek Lumbard is a trauma surgeon at HCMC.

But there's another side of the weekend, too, that's been growing larger and larger since the festival began in 1995. It's live music! The venues and schedules are stacked this year with bands out to show their stuff.

Diane Miller, host of the Local Show on The Current, joined to help us parse through the thick lineup.

It includes anti-fraud measures, cuts to vehicle tab registration fees and money to help a critical hospital in Minneapolis stay open.

MPR News Politics Editor Brian Bakst joined Minnesota Now to talk about the deal and what remains unresolved.

The Minnesota Department of Health says the individual is not currently showing symptoms and the risk to the public remains very low.

Hantavirus is normally passed on by rodents but the Andes strain linked to the cruise ship outbreak is the only known type that can spread person-to-person.

Dr. Ruth Lynfield, epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health, shared more about the steps being taken and what to know about the virus.

You might be looking at gas prices and thinking it’s time to go electric. We checked in on the state of the EV industry in Minnesota.

Plus, prediction markets are on their way to being banned in Minnesota. But the ban is likely to face legal obstacles.

It's a picture-perfect spring day. We got an extended forecast from MPR News Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard.

This weekend, a herd of bison will be released in the St. Croix River Valley. We learned how the animal is crucial to habitat preservation.

The herd sticks around for the summer and helps create a healthy habitat. Belwin Conservancy naturalist Lynette Anderson joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the incoming bison herd.

The bill is the latest move by states and tribal nations that want to reign in these platforms. If what’s happened elsewhere in the country is any guide, the bill will likely attract lawsuits. A federal agency has sued five states for their attempts to regulate prediction markets. The platforms themselves have also filed lawsuits.

Todd Phillips has been surveying this legal landscape. He’s an assistant professor of law at Georgia State University, where he specializes on financial regulation. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain.

But data shows the number of Minnesotans buying electric dropped by 50 percent in the last few months of 2025. From January through October of 2025, EVs made up 8.4 percent of vehicle registrations in the state. In November and December, that dropped to 3.9 percent, according to the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association.

Association President Scott Lambert said high gas prices are unlikely to reverse the trend. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini for a check-in on the EV industry.

For three families, this season marks five years since a series of shootings in north Minneapolis killed two children and critically injured another. We spoke with the grandfather of one of the victims and heard about the status of the investigations.

The Trump administration is suing Minnesota over the state’s climate change lawsuit against fossil fuel companies. A legal expert joined us to explain the case and its broader implications.

We looked at a growing housing trend in Minnesota: luxury single-family rental homes.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “the noise” by Vinny Franco and our Song of the Day was "Climbing High" by Clover and the Bee.

LaDavionne Garrett Jr, a ten-year-old at the time, was shot and seriously injured on April 30, 2021. On May 15 and May 17, 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith and 6-year-old Aniya Allen was hit by stray gunfire. Both girls died. Despite a 180-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to arrests, only Ottoson-Smith’s case has been solved.

For years before, Aniya Allen’s grandfather KG Wilson worked to prevent gun violence in the neighborhood and support families who lost their loved ones. He joined Minnesota Now to talk about the toll of Aniya's unsolved killing and how, all these years later, he’s keeping her memory alive. Then, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans about the two open investigations.

Supporters argue the communities offer flexibility and another option in a tight housing market, while critics worry they could further complicate affordability and reshape the path to homeownership for many Minnesotans.

MPR News host Nina Moini spoke to Laura Russ, the executive director of the Shenehon Center for Real Estate at the University of St. Thomas, about the rise of built-to-rent housing developments and what they could mean for the future of housing in Minnesota.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed the complaint in early May, arguing Minnesota is overstepping its authority by trying to hold companies accountable in state court for global greenhouse gas emissions. The original lawsuit, first filed by Ellison in 2020, targets ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute. It alleges the companies misled the public about the risks of climate change in order to protect their business interests.

University of Minnesota law professor James Coleman joined MPR News host Nina Moini to discuss why the new federal lawsuit could have implications for climate litigation cases across the country and what options Minnesota may have moving forward.

A bill creating an Office of Inspector General received final approval in the Senate on Monday in a unanimous vote. The new office will have the power to review payments for public programs and take action if it spots irregularities. The office is expected to be fully operational by Sept. 1, 2027.

Legislative Auditor Judy Randall is familiar with this type of work. Her office conducts routine audits of state agencies. She joined MPR News host Nina Moini to discuss the potential impact of the new office and the challenges it may face as it launches.

The deficit facing Minneapolis Public Schools is shrinking after district leaders say they caught a budgeting error. We'll have more on what went awry.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration's Justice Department is challenging Minnesota's lawsuit against three major fossil fuel companies.

Plus, we'll meet Minnesota's first ever youth poet laureate — Sienna Lee of Moorhead.

And get a rundown on the playoff runs for the Wolves, Wild and Frost!

Our Minnesota Music Minute was the official state song of Minnesota, “Hail! Minnesota,” and our Song of the Day was “Minnesota” by The Push Stars.

Monday night though is for hockey playoffs. The Frost play Game 5 and the Wild play Game 4 in their respective series.

Joining Minnesota Now to break it all down are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

The youth poet laureate program was established in 2025 by the state Legislature and is overseen by the Minnesota Humanities Center along with its national partner, Urban Word.

Lee joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about her poetry.

But as first reported by Minnesota Reformer, this isn’t the first big budget blunder in the district. Education reporter Melissa Whitler has looked at several issues within the district's finances. She joined Minnesota Now with more on her reporting.

We also have the story of a St. Paul family living with the aftermath of one person being detained by ICE and deported.

Teenagers are doing drugs less than they did a decade ago. A school district's health services lead spoke more about that steady decline along with her observations on drug use — and mental health — for Bloomington's high schoolers.

Plus, Minnesota's favorite bird is back for the season and looking for a nice place to raise their chicks. But the DNR has spotted fewer loon babies recently and is encouraging more human-made, floating nests to help.

Four percent of students in grades 8, 9 and 11 said they had used cannabis in the last year, compared to about 10 percent in 2013. It’s continued to decline since the state legalized marijuana for adults in 2023.

Lani Lovas oversees school nurses and sets policies as health services director for Bloomington Public Schools. She joined to provide more perspective on the findings.

But volunteers with the DNR have spotted fewer and fewer chicks growing up on Minnesota lakes in recent years. It’s led the agency to study ways to make raising a loon family on one of Minnesota’s lakes more desirable.

One option they’re looking at: human-made floating homes that loons can nest in. The DNR’s loon program coordinator, Tim Mitchell, told MPR News host Nina Moini more about it and what the state bird is up to this time of year.

Diesel gas prices are nearing a record high. We heard how that’s impacting Minnesota’s trucking industry and your wallet.

Plus, urban flocks of turkeys are hard to miss this time of year. We got some answers about the bird from an expert.

And dozens of venues across Minneapolis are inviting the public to behind-the-scenes visits for Doors Open Minneapolis this weekend.

The Minnesota Music Minute was "The Window” by We are the Willows and “Get Up and Dance” by Sonny Knight and the Lakers was the Song of the Day.

So, we took the chance to get some turkey testimonials from Minnesotans about encounters they're having with our big-feathered friends and get questions they'd ask a turkey expert if they could.

Roy Churchwell, resident gamebird consultant with the DNR, joined Minnesota Now to answer those questions.

Fuel prices have skyrocketed since the war on Iran began more than two months ago. John Hausladen, president of the Minnesota Trucking Association, spoke about how these changes are putting truckers in a tough spot.

For details, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Heidi Swank, the executive director of Rethos, which puts on the celebration.

In another immigration case, a Brooklyn Park man detained for more than three months may avoid deportation, thanks in part to a last minute pardon from the state.

We'll check in on the Minneapolis emergency rent relief program and how much money has been distributed so far.

A new book is sharing a different framework for research that centers often underserved communities. We'll talk to the author, Brittany Lewis.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Black Butterfly” by Sounds of Blackness.

The $2 million rent relief fund is being administered through Hennepin County, along with three partner organizations. And we’re going to check in on the progress of the program.

Will Lehman is the area manager of homelessness prevention for Hennepin County and Jackie Pérez, vice president of programs at CLUES, Minnesota’s largest Latino-led nonprofit organization, and a community partner organization helping disperse rent relief funding.

Lewis is out with a book Tuesday that outlines a different framework. It’s called "Building a New Table: A Community-Centered Handbook for Transformative Social Change." She talked with MPR News host Nina Moini about how she realized she wanted to put her new book into the world and what it looks like when research does not effectively include the communities they are supposed to be focused on.

Lewis will celebrate the launch of her book at the Loft Literary Center on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

One detainee's experience has gotten the attention of lawmakers. First reported by the Minnesota Reformer, Andrea Pedro-Francisco of Burnsville has a tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst. She was scheduled to have surgery to treat the cyst, but was detained days before it could happen.

While in ICE detention, Andrea says she has not gotten the medical care she needs for her cyst. Democrat U.S. Representative Angie Craig, whose district includes Burnsville, went down to visit Andrea at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, on Monday. Congresswomen Angie Craig talked to MPR News host Nina Moini about her visit.

It was decision day for many high school seniors this weekend, as they chose where they will be headed in the fall for college. Thousands of those students could get free tuition at Minnesota schools thanks to the North Star Promise program. A check in on the program ahead.

And the Wild and the Wolves are starting the second round of their playoffs. It's the first time in Minnesota history that's happened.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was a performance of Gustav Mahler’s “ Symphony No. 5” by the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony.

Minnesota Now sports contributor Eric Nelson joined Minnesota Now with latest in the playoffs and a big announcement about the World No. 1 golf player coming to Minnesota.

The program is believed to be a factor in boosting enrollment at Minnesota state schools, who have seen the largest single-year enrollment increase since 2010.

Meghan Flores, the director of state financial aid programs, spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about how the program has grown over the last three years.

Minnesota Now host Nina Moini spoke to two people on both sides of the issue. Maggiy Emery is the executive director of Protect Minnesota, a gun violence prevention group. And Anna Leamy is the director of government affairs and advocacy at the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, a gun owners advocacy group.

Minnesota is also close to passing the nation's first ban on the use of artificial intelligence that generates fake nude images of real people.

Plus, an effort is being launched to train Minnesotans on how to tell their stories about the ICE surge in the state.

Also, this weekend, West St. Paul will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a parade.

And, we bid farewell to MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner who’s retiring with a special lookback at his career.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Spirit Horse” by Annie Humphrey. The Song of the Day was “I Will Dare” by the Replacements.

Joining Minnesota Now to talk about this is someone who championed this legislation after being harmed by these technologies, Molly Kelley.

The annual Cinco de Mayo event kicks off Friday with a car show and continues into Saturday with a parade and performances. Organizers of the celebration of Mexican culture say they want to lift people’s spirits after a winter that was challenging for many in the community.

Minnesota Now host Nina Moini spoke with Santino Franco, co-chairman of West Side Fiestas, the group behind the event, to learn more about the celebration.

As state and city leaders continue to assess the full scope of the impact, a local partnership of community organizations is launching an effort to train people on how to collect stories of people’s experiences during what the Trump administration called “Operation Metro Surge.”

The trainings are tied to the “truth council” announced by Gov. Tim Walz in March. The governor said the aim is to document the impacts of these federal operations.

Emilia Gonzalez Avalos is the executive director of Unidos MN, which is working to provide the trainings in partnership with ISAIAH and The Advocates for Human Rights. She shared more about the trainings and the work Unidos MN has been doing.

Plus, prosecutors say Feeding Our Future ringleader Aimee Bock leaked sensitive documents from jail to lawmakers and journalists.

Minnesota farmers could be hurting long-term due to the war in Iran. We heard about the impact of fuel prices.

Plus, we learned how Minnesota and other states are trying to use the legal system to hold corporations accountable for climate change.

We took a deep dive into the rare languages spoken by Minnesotans.

And we had our final forecast on Minnesota Now from MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner ahead of his retirement.

The Minnesota Music Minute was “Come in Close” by Nikki Lemire. “Johnny Law” by Frogleg was the Song of the Day.

Sahan Journal recently profiled several speakers and teachers of languages that are rare in the state. Reporter Shubhanjana Das joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the story.

It's one sign of a changing climate being seen in the state. As we continue to learn about the impacts of climate change, state leaders are taking steps to hold big companies accountable for their role in contributing to climate change.

One route has been through the courts. Another has been through legislation that would make fossil fuel companies pay for their emissions.

To learn where these efforts stand, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with two guests who have been keeping an eye on these efforts in Minnesota and across the U.S.

James Coleman is a professor of law at the University of Minnesota. And Margaret Barry is a climate litigation fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University.

The Trump Administration is seeking to deport At Chandee, who goes by Ricky, due to a criminal conviction from the 1990s. At the time, the government of Laos, where he was born, refused to accept him. Chandee was allowed to stay in the U.S. and check in periodically with immigration authorities, a circumstance shared by many other Hmong and Lao refugees who were convicted of crimes in the U.S.

The Trump Administration argues that deporting people with past convictions makes communities safer. But Chandee's family says he turned his life around since that decades-old conviction, and that his community is better off with him in it.

Reporter Matt Sepic joined MPR News host Nina Moini to break down this latest twist in a case he’s been following for the last four years.

Read the full story here: Feds: Feeding Our Future ringleader tried to ‘minimize her starring role’ by leaking secret documents from jail

We had an update on the case of a Brooklyn Park man who has been in ICE detention for more than three months.

Lakeville is seeing a population boom, but it's putting new housing on hold. We talked to the city’s mayor about the decision.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline appears to be saving lives, particularly for young people, according to a new study. We talked to a local call center director about what’s working.

We took a musical history tour of the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis with the director of a new documentary about the scene.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Airproofing” by Leo Kottke and our Song of the Day was “Sleight of Hand” by Joey Van Phillips.

In Minnesota, regional call centers are part of the nationwide 988 network, responding to calls and texts from people in crisis every day.

Carolina De Los Rios, director of 988 at Greater Twin Cities United Way, spoke with MPR News host Nina Moini about how the center operates.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

A new documentary explores that musical history. Kevin Dragseth is the director of the Twin Cities PBS film, “Wild West Bank Sound.” He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the project.

Lakeville Mayor Luke Hellier joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain why they’re hitting pause on housing and his vision for the future of Lakeville housing.

FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents were seen at several childcare centers and autism therapy providers throughout the morning.

MPR News’ Jon Collins checked on some locations in Minneapolis where state and federal agents have served the warrants, and talked to MPR News host Nina Moini about it.

A new investigation from MPR News and APM Reports shows at least 50 people since 2022 have died in group homes across the state. These are places where Minnesotans with disabilities or mental health challenges can live. More on the findings.

And in Monticello, city leaders will decide tonight on potential new rules for data centers.

Plus, we'll hear about this year's Somali Day at the Capitol.

And the Timberwolves have a chance to move on in the playoffs tonight. We'll learn more about their big rivalry with the Denver Nuggets.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “paper thin” by she’s green and our Song of the Day was “Basil Bouquet” by Local Sports.

Joining Minnesota Now to talk about this and other Minnesota sports stories, are our sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

Fartun Weli is the CEO and founder of Isuroon, one of the organizations supporting the event. Weli spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about the significance of the event this year.