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Each month, Dr. Jon Hallberg joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about topics that are important to your health and take a deep dive into medical news. Hallberg is a family medicine physician at Mill City Clinic and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. In this installment of Vital Signs, he breaks down possible changes to COVID-19 isolation guidelines, measles cases in Minnesota, and the early reappearance of ticks in the state.

You may have heard Alison Bechdel's name from the feminist film tool, the Bechdel test, or through her memoir turned Tony-award-winning Broadway musical called Fun Home. But even before those achievements, Bechdel wove herself into the fabric of lesbian cultural identity when she started publishing her comic strip 'Dykes to Watch Out For' in Minneapolis back in 1983. And the strip had gained a worldwide cult following for its game-changing portrayal of American queer life. It went on hiatus in 2008 but is still getting attention to this day. Alison Bechdel is a MacArthur Genius Award recipient and the author of a New York Times best-selling graphic memoir. Next week on March 4th, she'll be coming back home to speak at St. Thomas University as the Luann Dummer Center for Women, Women's History Month Speaker. We revisit a conversation from 2022, when she sat down with MPR News producer Ellen Finn to look back at the roots of her work in Minnesota.

The United Nations recently came out with its first report on the state of the world’s migratory species and the findings were grim: half of migratory species around the world are in decline and a fifth are at risk of extinction. Olivia LeDee, Regional Administrator of the Midwest Climate Adaptation Center, joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the state of migratory birds and insects that move through Minnesota.

This winter started weak and it’s coming to an end with a wimper. Temperatures in much of the state are soaring today to an unprecedented fifty to sixty degrees. Today, Rogers' on Red, along with many other resorts on Upper Red Lake and around Minnesota, will end its ice fishing season early. The ice just won't be safe anymore with the high temperatures eating away at it. Rogers' on Red co-owner Pat Frost joined Minnesota Now back in December after some anglers were stranded by breaking ice. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer checked in with him to find out how the rest of the season went.

We could see record-breaking warmth today, we're talking 60 degrees in February. Is this the end of Minnesota winter? We could see some snow tomorrow, but one resort owner is pulling the plug on ice fishing season. What is the impact of this warm winter on Minnesota's migratory birds? We'll talk to a local climate expert. And our resident doctor is back for another edition of Vital Signs. We get his opinion on changing COVID isolation guidelines and measles cases that have popped up in Minnesota. Plus, she's known for the Bechdel test, but Minnesota native Alison Bechdel also made her mark as a cartoonist. More than 40 years later, she’ll be home sharing her story.

Saturday marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, beginning deadly battle and changing the lives of millions. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have died, and the United Nations’ refugee agency estimates 3.7 million people have been displaced by the war. Right now, 26 percent of the territory is under Russian occupation. David Guttenfelder, a Minneapolis-based photojournalist, has been in Ukraine to capture everything from the front lines to the toll on everyday Ukrainians over the past two years. Guttenfelder’s work has been on the front page of the New York Times and The New Yorker. He has a long list of accolades for his work including being an eight-time World Press Photo Award winner and a seven-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Guttenfelder is in Ukraine right now on assignment. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer from across the world to talk about his time in the war zone.

On Thursday, the Minneapolis city council unanimously passed a resolution that calls for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to initiate a national recall of specific Kia and Hyundai models that are vulnerable to theft. The council says St. Paul will be signing onto the resolution, and its pressure that city councils nationwide are putting on federal officials. The thefts of Kias and Hyundais have not slowed down since it became a problem during the pandemic. In Minneapolis, police tallied 2,378 Kia and Hyundai thefts in 2022, which was an 836% increase. In 2023, the number is still rising, nearly doubling to 4,085 as of November. Some of those vehicles have been stolen multiple times. The automakers have offered software updates and local departments have offered steering wheel locks, but that hasn't seemed to prevent thefts. Michael Brooks is the executive director for the Center for Auto Safety, a national consumer advocacy organization. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to explain where car owners and city officials can go from here.

Thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles have ballooned in recent years and software updates haven't stopped them. The Minneapolis City Council just passed a resolution calling for a national recall of these cars. We spoke with a consumer advocate about what the options are for companies and city leaders. The war in Ukraine has been going for two years as of Saturday. We talked with a Minnesota photojournalist who’s been on the front lines. A type of home sale that caused financial devastation for some Somali families in Minnesota is under scrutiny at the capitol. Ever heard of a natural playground? We learned about one a children's museum is building in Mankato. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a break for last week's All-Star Game. Our resident sports guys joined the show for a debrief.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a break for last week's All-Star Game. They're among the NBA's top teams this season and they're playing at the Target Center Friday night. MPR News contributors Eric Nelson and Wally Langfellow joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to debrief the All-Star Game, plus we checked in on the Wolves as well as college basketball, Twins baseball, and the start of soccer season. Nelson is co-host of the 10,000 Takes sports talk show and a Vikings reporter for CBS sports. Langfellow is the other host of 10,000 Takes and the founder of Minnesota Score Magazine.

The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota is in the early stages of a 150,000 square-foot expansion, which includes a natural playground, one of the first of its kind in Minnesota. Once finished, the museum will have nearly two acres of outdoor space for kids to get their hands dirty — and their minds busy. The children’s museum is partnering with internationally acclaimed designer of nature-based play areas, Adam Bienenstock, to design and build the space. The CEO of the Children’s Museum, Louise Dickmeyer, joins us to talk about the new playground.

On Thursday, Minnesota senators in the Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee are meeting at the State Capitol. One of the bills on their agenda today would create protections for homebuyers who sign on to a contract-for-deed. That’s where instead of taking out a mortgage loan, you pay in installments. It offers a path to home ownership for people who struggle to get approved for a loan or don’t want one. Many Muslims, for example, do not pay or earn interest as part of their faith, and members of the Somali community have lost homes and huge sums of money to these deals. State and federal lawmakers have introduced reforms in response to work by Sahan Journal and Propublica. Jessica Lussenhop, a Propublica reporter based in in Minneapolis, joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about it.

About 600 nursing home workers are planning a one-day strike and more could vote to join them in the coming days. We talked about their calls for more staffing and higher pay. We also heard from a union leader helping organize the strike across at least seven nursing homes. We're entering the final days of meteorological winter, if you can believe it. Paul Huttner joined us with details on the potentially record-breaking season and the forecast ahead. We met a woman who is weaving her identity from Muslim and Ojibwe belief systems. Comedian Eli Leonard grew up in Minnesota and he's headlining this years' Twin Cities Jewish Humor Festival. We got his take on ‘Jewish humor.’