Morning Edition

Cathy Wurzer
Cathy Wurzer
MPR

Morning Edition, with Cathy Wurzer in St. Paul and NPR hosts in Washington and Los Angeles, brings you all the news from overnight and the information you need to start your day. Listen from 4 to 9 a.m. every weekday.

Morning Announcements | Weather chats with Mark Seeley

When and how to watch the solar eclipse in Minnesota, where it’ll be about 75 percent visible
While Minnesota won’t be in the path of totality on Monday, an eclipse in any form is still “the most unearthly experience you can have on the earth,” according to longtime UW-La Crosse Planetarium Director Bob Allen. Here’s how and when can you can safely look skyward to witness the cosmic event.
High nitrate levels in southeastern Minnesota prompt aid plan at state Capitol
Gov. Tim Walz and state lawmakers are discussing ways to address water with elevated levels of nitrate in southeastern Minnesota. The attention comes following the EPA’s formal request that state agencies address the contamination in eight counties. 
‘Literacy is not just about words’: Music director responds to potential cuts by MPS
One of the programs on Minneapolis’ potential chopping block is fifth grade band and orchestra. Reed Wixson, director of bands and orchestras at Minneapolis Southwest High School, helped create the universal music program.
Leif Enger’s ‘cheerful refusal’ to accept despair infuses his new dystopian adventure novel
Duluth author Leif Enger’s dystopian novel “I Cheerfully Refuse” is set in and around an alternative Duluth where many of the things Minnesotans take for granted have just stopped working. It’s an adventure story with a bass-playing housepainter at its center, who is forced to take off in a sailboat across Lake Superior after a brush with evil.
Stearns County debates location of new jail, justice center
Stearns County officials face some major decisions on replacing its outdated jail and sheriff’s office, while adding more court space. Other Minnesota counties are facing similar costly choices, as their jails reach the end of their life expectancies and expectations of care change.
Art Hounds: Folk tales cast in silver
Norwegian folk silver in Duluth. Plus “Voices Unveiled” celebrates the Persian New Year (Nowruz) and “Phantom Loss” tells a story of family, ghosts and generational trauma.
With eyes on past and on future, Walz makes his way to Owatonna for State of State address
Gov. Tim Walz took center stage in a southern Minnesota high school auditorium Tuesday and touted a laundry list of policy and spending changes approved last year. Walz pointed to areas where lawmakers can “keep on making as much progress as we can.”
Every drop counts: Recent rain, snowfall making a dent in lingering drought
The season’s biggest snowstorm is not done yet, with more snow, sleet and freezing rain pounding Minnesota on Tuesday and nearly 17 inches of snowfall dropping on Two Harbors. But is it enough to make a dent in deepening drought conditions?