Here's the latest news from across the state to start your day.
WEATHER
☀️ It’ll be a hot start to the week for southern Minnesota. Highs Monday will be in the upper 80s to near 90 degrees while far northwest Minnesota will see highs just in the 70s.
😷 An air quality alert remains in effect for northern Minnesota most of Monday due to Canadian wildfire smoke.
Donovan Dahmen creates large collages of wood at his home in Grand Portage. He sees his art as a way to share knowledge of Ojibwe culture and spirituality. “I believe the wood tells me what it wants to be,” he said.
Jury selection is expected to begin Monday morning in State Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s criminal trial at the Becker County Courthouse. The first term DFL senator from Woodbury is facing two felony counts of burglary for allegedly breaking into the Detroit Lakes home of her stepmother in the early morning hours of April 22, 2024.
Talking Volumes, a collaboration between MPR News and the Minnesota Star Tribune, returns for a landmark 26th season at the historic Fitzgerald Theater.
The White House has proposed a $1.1 billion cut to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, putting vital support for local stations like Minnesota Public Radio at risk. The Senate is expected to vote on public media funding in the coming days. Please ask your senators to vote NO on the rescissions bill that would kill public media funding. Your voice has never been more important.
📲 Minnesota enacts first-in-nation law requiring mental health warnings on social media. Supporters say the pop-up messages could encourage Minnesotans, especially kids, to think twice about how much time they spend on sites. But social media companies argue that Minnesota’s law, the first in the nation to pass, is heavy handed.
🚢 Largest grain terminal in the Duluth-Superior port set to close. The CHS grain terminal in Superior, Wis., with 500 silos will permanently close at the end of August and 25 employees will be laid off. Those silos have loaded around 40 huge cargo ships with grain every year.
🍦 You butter believe it: Cookie Butter Cheesecake is 2025's 'Flavor of the Fair.' This year's signature malt flavor features a vanilla sundae topped with cheesecake pieces and a drizzle of cookie butter sauce, adding warm notes of cinnamon and caramelized brown sugar. The sundae will also have a cookie on top.
📖 Brewery brings the thrill of the elementary school book fair to the state fairgrounds. Inbound BrewCo hosted a book fair for adults Saturday, where readers could enjoy a beer while browsing books and connecting with local authors.
🦅 Bald eagle's new status as the official U.S. bird brings pride and hope to many Native Americans. Some Native Americans traditionally bestow bald eagle feathers at ceremonies to mark achievements. This year, some are doing so with special pride after the bald eagle finally became the official U.S. bird.
🚨 'Panicking': Why recent college grads are struggling to find jobs. Recent college graduates are facing one of the most challenging job markets in years — with the exception of the pandemic period — even as the overall unemployment rate remains low.
🌉 Mendota Bridge to receive $2.5 million railing upgrades. The bridge, which connects Fort Snelling to Mendota Heights, will have its metal railings raised from 42 inches to 54 inches. It is expected to cost an additional $2.5 million.
🎧 Ask a Bookseller: ‘Fox: A Novel’ by Joyce Carol Oates. Angel Dobrow of Zenith Bookstore in Duluth recommends “Fox: A Novel” by Joyce Carol Oates. “It’s interesting; it’s suspenseful. You don’t really know, and until the very end, and even then, you’re not 100 percent sure.," Dobrow said.
🎧 Social media AI bot targets Minneapolis attorney and liberal political commentator. A Minneapolis man was at the center of controversy after an AI bot on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, churned out threatening content toward him.
