MPR People

Cathy Wurzer

Host, Morning Edition
Minnesota Public Radio
cwurzer@mpr.org

Follow @CathyWurzer
Cathy Wurzer is the host of Morning Edition for MPR News. She is also the co-host of Almanac, a weekly public affairs program produced by Twin Cities Public Television for Minnesota's statewide public television network. Wurzer has won four Emmy Awards for her work on Almanac. Prior to her return to radio, she was an anchor and reporter for WCCO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis. She has also been a talk show host for WCCO-AM radio, a producer for KMSP-TV, and political reporter for KSTP-AM radio. She holds degrees in broadcast journalism and urban studies from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Wurzer was a trustee for the UW-River Falls Foundation and a member and past president of the Society for Professional Journalists Minnesota chapter. She is the author of "Tales of the Road: Highway 61." In her spare time, Cathy rides, trains and shows horses, fly fishes for trout, and loves clay sculpture and creating mosaics.

Cathy Wurzer Feature Archive

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Better weather dampens wildfire near Menagha

Firefighters will be working to contain a wildfire in northwestern Minnesota today. That fire near Park Rapids has already destroyed at least a dozen homes. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson who was at a charred part of the landscape near Menahga, Minnesota. (05/16/2013)

Budget deal shapes week ahead at the Capitol

State lawmakers are heading into the final week of the 2013 legislative session with a pivotal Senate vote to legalize same-sex marriage, and a framework for balancing the budget and ending the session on time. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Minnesota Public Radio reporter Tim Pugmire about the week ahead at the state capitol. (05/13/2013)

Climatologist says fishing opener to be windy and cold

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley about the weather for the walleye fishing opener in Minnesota this weekend. He also reviews some snowfall records set in parts of southeastern Minnesota earlier in May. (05/10/2013)

A trip of a lifetime, so far, coming up soon for astronaut-to-be

Abby Harrison is a sophomore at South High School. Next week, she'll be leaving for a trip to Kazakhstan in Central Asia to see the launch of a Russian Soyuz space capsule. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Abby Harrison. (05/08/2013)

Proposal preserves parts of collapsed I35-W bridge for history

Five years after the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, the state is still dealing with some of the wreckage. (05/07/2013)

Peter Sagal talks about 'Constitution USA,' and his Harley-Davidson

The host of NPR's 'Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me,' on talks to MPR's Cathy Wurzer about his new documentary, "Constitution USA," and riding across the country on a tricked-out Harley-Davidson to interview Americans for the program. (05/07/2013)

Budget talks to highlight the Capitol agenda

With just two weeks left in the legislative session, conference-committee negotiations will heat up on several key budget bills. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with one of Minnesota Public Radio's Capitol reporters, Tim Pugmire, about the week ahead for state lawmakers. (05/06/2013)

Two Republicans debate legalizing same-sex marriage

Brian McClung, an aide to former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, supports legalizing same-sex marriage. Fritz Knaak, a former Republican state senator, oposes it. They debated the issue with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer. (05/06/2013)

Climatologist talks wintery weather records set in April and May

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley about this spring's winter-like weather that seeped into May, where record daily snow amounts fell on southeastern Minnesota. (05/03/2013)

Kline touts overtime-comp time trade-off bill

The bill aims to lift the requirement from the Fair Labor Standards Act that requires most workers to be paid for overtime, rather than so-called "comp time." (05/03/2013)

Oil and gas boom even bigger than previously thought in North Dakota

North Dakota's boom times seem to be here to stay -- at least for a while. A new government analysis finds the Williston basin of North Dakota holds more than 7.4 billion barrels of undiscovered oil that can be recovered. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with David Flynn an economist at the University of North Dakota about what the new estimate could mean for the state. (05/01/2013)

Senate to tackle taxes and minimum wage

The Minnesota Senate votes today on a tax bill that would erase a projected $627 million budget deficit and pay for spending increases. (04/29/2013)

Fargo and Moorhead to see river crest in days

The Red River will crest this week in Fargo and Moorhead, several feet lower than originally expected. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Minnesota Public Radio reporter Dan Gunderson who was in our Moorhead bureau. (04/29/2013)

Latest online test problems investigated

We're in the middle of assessment testing season for schools in Minnesota. And if that doesn't make students and teachers nervous enough, glitches over the past couple of weeks have caused problems with some online testing. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Minnesota Public Radio's education reporter Tim Post, who reported yesterday that a number of school districts have had problems with online assessment tests. (04/26/2013)

Scientists tracking new bird flu closely

Health officials are on high alert following news that a new strain of bird flu has emerged in China. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He has a team in China watching the disease. (04/25/2013)