Minnesota Now with Cathy Wurzer

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Minnesota Now with Cathy Wurzer is journalism that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s reporting that puts people first with live, down-to-earth, unscripted interviews that aim to inform and entertain. Tune in to Minnesota Now weekdays at noon on the radio or the live audio stream at mprnews.org.

Listen: Missed the show? Want to hear a specific conversation? Check out past episodes and segments on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Minnesota music: One of the pillars of Minnesota Now is featuring great Minnesota-based music. Here’s this year’s playlist of songs heard on the show.

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January 5, 2022 3:50 PM

An animal rescue tries to keep pets with families before they're surrendered

Rachel Mairose, founder and executive director of Secondhand Hounds, has been rescuing pets for years, but now she’s trying to keep pets and families together. Mairose told host Cathy Wurzer why her rescue has merged with a pet food shelf and opened a pet wellness center.

by Cathy Wurzer and Alex Cheng

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January 5, 2022 1:35 PM

A breakout star of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' hails from just outside Rochester

If you’re a fan of “RuPaul's Drag Race,” you likely already know and love season 13 star Utica Queen. Utica’s creator, Minnesotan Ethan Mundt, joined host Cathy Wurzer to share stories from “RuPaul's Drag Race” and a sneak peek at his exhibition “Homecoming Queen” at the Rochester Art Center.

by Cathy Wurzer and Lindsay Guentzel

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January 5, 2022 1:34 PM

MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm on the state of COVID in Minnesota

Leading the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning has been state Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. Host Cathy Wurzer checked in with the commissioner on the state of the pandemic as we enter 2022.

by Cathy Wurzer and Lindsay Guentzel

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January 4, 2022 5:23 PM

A live comedy show about basketball dreams developed during the pandemic

Minnesota-based comedian Jon Savitt aspired to be a star basketball player when he was a kid, but instead — he ended up writing a comedy show about his story. He joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk about “King of the Court” and what it was like to develop a comedy show during the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Cathy Wurzer and Alex Cheng

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January 4, 2022 4:51 PM

An 86-year-old organist who fled the Nazis writes his story for the first time

Gerrit Lamain is an 86-year-old Dutch immigrant in Rosemount, Minn., who is sharing his stories — some of them for the first time — in a collection of essays about his life called “Gerrit’s Notes.” Lamain and his daughter, Carla Laetham, joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the project.

by Cathy Wurzer and Melissa Townsend

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January 4, 2022 4:31 PM

An artist shares the stories of trans and queer immigrants in Minnesota

“The Letter Formally Known As Q” is a collection of multimedia stories from trans and queer immigrants in Minnesota. Nancy Musinguzi, the Minneapolis artist behind the project, told host Cathy Wurzer about the work and played her a few stories.

by Cathy Wurzer and Kelly Gordon

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January 4, 2022 3:03 PM

How staffing shortages grounded thousands of flights over the holidays

Over the holidays, thousands of flights were canceled or delayed at airports across the U.S. due to staffing shortages, as COVID-19 infections race through flight crews. Host Cathy Wurzer took a closer look at the state of the travel industry with Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler.

by Cathy Wurzer, Lindsay Guentzel, Kelly Gordon and Alex Cheng

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January 3, 2022 3:51 PM

A leader in the fight against oil pipelines reflects on lessons learned

The contested Line 3 replacement pipeline, which runs through northern Minnesota, was completed in 2021 despite the efforts of many to stop it. Indigenous attorney Tara Houska, a leader of those efforts, reflected on her activism with host Cathy Wurzer.

by Cathy Wurzer and Melissa Townsend

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January 3, 2022 12:45 PM

Helping kids find themselves through their stories

The Wildling is a project in Minneapolis helping kids learn how to tell their own stories. Two of the leaders of the project joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk about their work and how it’s changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Cathy Wurzer and Kelly Gordon

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January 3, 2022 12:13 PM

Tips for combating seasonal affective disorder

The dead of winter is the toughest time of year for people who are affected by seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. To talk about how to combat it, Dr. Sabine Schmid, a clinical psychologist at the University of Minnesota Medical School, stopped by Minnesota Now.

by Cathy Wurzer and Kelly Gordon

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