Minnesota Now Minnesota Public Radio

An update on Minnesota’s long-lasting drought came Thursday morning and the news is looking good! For the first time since 2020, the vast majority of Minnesota is no longer in a drought at all. That news came just before Gov. Tim Walz is to announce the air quality forecast for this summer at 2 p.m.

The hope is that the lack of drought means less wildfire — and smoky air — for the next few months. The end of the drought is also a huge relief to farmers statewide. For perspective on what this report means, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with state climatologist Luigi Romolo and Lindsay Pease, a professor of nutrient and water management at the University of Minnesota.

If you are under the age of 33, then you’ve never seen a Minnesota team take home a championship in men’s pro football, baseball, hockey, or basketball. Lately, fans are letting themselves hope that this year is the year that changes.

You may have heard, the Timberwolves beat reigning champions the Denver Nuggets by 26 points on Monday. And the team is getting nationwide attention, with multiple players winning awards from the NBA. But they’re still in the middle of the second round of the playoffs. It’s not over yet.

Sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to help guide us through this moment and other sports news. Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and co-host of the sports talk show, 10K Takes. Eric is the other host of that show and a Vikings reporter for CBS Sports.

Saturday marks the 46th anniversary of the longest running queer radio show in the country —Minnesota’s own Fresh Fruit on KFAI. The show has been on air since 1978, talking about everything queer in our state. Alfred Walking Bull is one of its hosts and he joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer ahead of the anniversary.

You can listen to Fresh Fruit Thursdays at 7 p.m. on the radio at 90.3 KFAI or online.

The entire state of Minnesota is no longer in a severe drought, after several years of dry conditions. We hear from a climatologist and a hydrologist on what this good news means for our water and soil.

KFAI’S “Fresh Fruit” is the longest running weekly queer radio show in the country. And this weekend it’s celebrating 46 years. We hear from one of the show’s hosts on the program’s decades of impact.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are shattering statistics in their playoff run. They have a 2-0 lead against the reigning champions. Can they get another series sweep? Our sports contributors join us to talk about how far they’ve come and if they can take their success all the way to the finals.

Emergency medical services might get their own state agency. The DFL proposal passed the House, and supporters say it will address problems with rural EMS response. However, fifty representatives voted no, including a volunteer EMT.

We’ll get the Mother’s Day forecast from our chief meteorologist and an update on tornado season.

After being abused in Catholic school, she became a nun. 70 years later, she shared her wisdom with senior contributor Chris Farrell.

And you might have heard about the young Twins fan whose signed ball was stolen from him at a game. We’ll hear the happy ending in this week’s Thank You, Stranger.

Sam Cleveland and his son Camden are big Twins fans. They moved to Maryland awhile ago, but they still catch Twins games as often as they can.

The pair were at a game a couple of weeks ago when Byron Buxton signed a ball for Camden. But before he could even have it, someone grabbed it from the usher and ran away. His story went viral, and the Twins came back and gave Camden much more than a signed baseball.

Thank You, Stranger is our series about unexpected kindness in our lives.