Minnesota Now Minnesota Public Radio

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off a loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the first game of the Western Conference finals. The teams stayed within a few points of each other for the entire game but Dallas prevailed with 108 points to Minnesota's 105. Guard Anthony Edwards said after the game that the Wolves weren't at their best - and will come back better for their game on Friday.

They aren't the only Minnesota team in a playoff series right now. PWHL Minnesota is tied with Boston in the league's first-ever championship series. Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to review the week in sports.

A bill to fund Emergency Medical Services in rural Minnesota will become law today. But it may just be a short term solution to a long term problem. We’ll talk to an EMS leader in Perham about the impacts this new funding will have.

Policing reform changes are still unfolding four years since the murder of George Floyd. We’ll break down where reform stands and what still is in the works.

Many are struggling to build community and something called a “third place” may help solve that problem.

A lost sled dog in the Boundary Waters finds its way home thanks to dozens of strangers.

Even with a Game 1 loss, it’s not nearly over for the Timberwolves. Our sports contributors will lay out a road to the finals.

Many popular sitcoms center around what’s known as a “third place.” For example, Central Perk in Friends, or The Bull and Finch Pub from Cheers.

Like the theme song for “Cheers” goes, it’s somewhere where everybody knows your name. Where you can socialize in a place other than your home or work and build community.

But with the whole world accessible on your smartphone, it’s hard to resist the call of the couch. It’s hurting us more than we think.

Richard Kyte is a professor of ethics at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis., and researched third places extensively for his upcoming book, “Finding Your Third Place.” He joined Minnesota Now to talk about it.

In the week leading up the the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder on May 25, Minnesota Now examined DEI efforts, activism and the state of Lake Street, which saw a number of buildings burn during riots.

This segment covers the state of policing four years after a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on Floyd’s neck on a city street captured on video.

His murder set off peaceful demonstrations and violent confrontations locally and across the country. Protestors called for changes to policing. That change has been slow, as expected.

We are still seeing reform efforts develop and play out today. MPR News senior reporter Jon Collins joined Minnesota Now to talk about what has changed in policing since Floyd’s killing shook the world.

On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Tim Walz will be in Hoyt Lakes to sign into law one of the bills that passed in the final days of the legislative session.

It sends $30 million to Emergency Medical Services in the state. Twenty-four million dollars will go to short-term aid for rural EMS providers, who say they are struggling to meet the needs of large geographical areas with thin staffing levels and budgets.

The other $6 million sets up pilot programs meant to cut down wait times in three counties: Grant, St. Louis and Otter Tail.

The money is about a quarter of what EMS advocates and some greater Minnesota lawmakers asked for. Becca Huebsch is director of EMS and Emergency Preparedness at Perham Health in Otter Tail County. She joined Minnesota Now with perspective on the issue.

It is always stressful when a pet goes missing. That is especially so when they get lost in an unfamiliar area, hundreds of miles from home. That’s what happened when Linda Newman took some of her dogs from her home near Hovland to the veterinarian in Ely. She relied on social media and the kindness of hundreds of strangers to find her prized Hedlund Husky named Zhing after nearly a week of searching.