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Stories from June 10, 2021

Passenger says Winston Smith did not have a gun

An attorney for a woman who says she was in Winston Smith's vehicle when he was killed says she did not see a gun on him.  Smith was fatally shot last week in Minneapolis by two sheriff's deputies working with a federal task force trying to arrest him. This is the evening MPR News update for Thursday, June 10, 2021. Hosted by Nina Moini. Theme music by Gary Meister.
by Peter Cox

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Drought: 100% of Minnesota now 'abnormally dry'

Drought: 100% of Minnesota now 'abnormally dry'

Our hot, dry weather pattern is causing drought to rapidly expand across Minnesota.
by Paul Huttner

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Line 3 opponents challenge pipeline's state water permit in court

Line 3 opponents challenge pipeline's state water permit in court

The Minnesota Court of Appeals heard arguments Thursday over a challenge to a key water quality permit that it granted to the Line 3 oil pipeline project.
by Kirsti Marohn

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The decline of the classic American teen summer job

The decline of the classic American teen summer job

The traditional summer job for teens has been on the decline since its late 1970s peak. In the years since, the employment rate among teens has maintained its downward trend. Aside from the economic downturn brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, what has accounted for the changes in teen employment? 
by Kerri Miller and Ariana Rosas

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Explainer: Chauvin's lawyer asks to probe alleged jury bias

Explainer: Chauvin's lawyer asks to probe alleged jury bias

Defense attorney Eric Nelson's request for a new trial for Derek Chauvin is fairly routine, but the request to investigate the jury is not. Prosecutors have until Wednesday to submit written arguments in response to Nelson’s requests. It's not clear when the judge will rule. Here’s a look at some of the issues Nelson raised.
by Amy Forliti, Associated Press

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Winston Smith killing: Passenger says Smith did not have a gun

Winston Smith killing: Passenger says Smith did not have a gun

A woman who says she was in the car when Winston Smith was killed by sheriff’s deputies said through her attorney that she never saw a gun, contradicting the initial law enforcement report. Attorneys for George Floyd’s family also said they are now representing Smith’s family.
by MPR News Staff and The Associated Press

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How Midwest dairy farmers are cashing in on California's clean fuel standards

How Midwest dairy farmers are cashing in on California's clean fuel standards

Minnesota state lawmakers are trying to hammer out a deal on clean car rules. Meanwhile, Midwest dairy farmers are cashing in on California's clean car standards by supplying the state with perhaps the smelliest clean fuel out there.
by Paul Huttner

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With an eye to history, Biden and Johnson try to rekindle the 'special relationship'

With an eye to history, Biden and Johnson try to rekindle the 'special relationship'

President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed a 21st century Atlantic Charter, an update of a document that tied the countries together during World War II.
by Asma Khalid, Frank Langfitt and Franco Ordoñez

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El Chapo's wife pleads guilty to helping run the global drug cartel

El Chapo's wife pleads guilty to helping run the global drug cartel

Emma Coronel Aispuro faced charges of conspiring to distribute drugs into the U.S. from Mexico and laundering the profits. Investigators say she helped stage her husband's tunnel escape from prison.
by Vanessa Romo

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Rep. Omar says she wasn't equating U.S., Israel and terrorists

Rep. Omar says she wasn't equating U.S., Israel and terrorists

Rep. Ilhan Omar tried edging away Thursday from a bitter fight with Jewish Democratic lawmakers who'd accused her of likening the U.S. and Israel to Hamas and Afghanistan's Taliban, saying her remarks were "in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries."
by The Associated Press

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Millions could face eviction with federal moratorium ending and a logjam in aid

Millions could face eviction with federal moratorium ending and a logjam in aid

Congress approved $47 billion to help struggling renters avoid eviction. But that money still isn't reaching many who need it. And an eviction moratorium from the CDC expires at the end of the month.
by Chris Arnold

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Minnesota saw a tax gusher in May: $1.8B extra

Minnesota saw a tax gusher in May: $1.8B extra

An update from the state’s finance agency shows about $1.8 billion more than expected had arrived in Minnesota’s treasury last month, in part from the delayed income tax filing deadline but also due to a red-hot economy.
by Brian Bakst

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What do we really know about UFOs?

What do we really know about UFOs?

The Department of Defense revived an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force to gather what is known about UAPs. The task force’s assessment is due to Congress by June 25. On Thursday, host Kerri Miller explored the possibilities with two experts: an astrophysicist and a conspiracy theory debunker.
by Kerri Miller and Ariana Rosas

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Homicides are up, but GOP misleads with claims about blame

Homicides are up, but GOP misleads with claims about blame

Some police organizations and Republican politicians are blaming Democrats and last year's defund the police effort for a troubling rise in homicides in many cities across the country. But the claims by Republicans overlook the fact homicides are up in many cities, including ones that increased police spending or have Republican mayors. 
by The Associated Press

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Judge sends man to prison for beheading bear on reservation

A federal judge has sentenced a Brainerd man to 15 months in prison for killing and then beheading a 700-pound black bear on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota.
by The Associated Press

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High school graduation rates remain steady; gaps persist

High school graduation rates remain steady; gaps persist

Minnesota's high school graduation rate held steady for the Class of 2020, despite an abrupt shift toward the end of its senior year as the early stage of the pandemic shuttered school buildings across the state. But schools haven’t managed to shake their nearly worst-in-the-nation education inequalities.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Theater Mu’s Lily Tung Crystal: The more people hear Asian Americans’ stories, the more they'll treat us as the Americans we are

Theater Mu’s Lily Tung Crystal: The more people hear Asian Americans’ stories, the more they'll treat us as the Americans we are

“I feel like there is a contingent in American society that doesn’t see us as real people,” she said. “And part of that is because our stories are not told widely in the media, in film, or on television.” As Theater Mu’s artistic director, she’s working to change that.
by Jaida Grey Eagle

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Former longtime Split Rock Lighthouse keeper on what the job was really like

Former longtime Split Rock Lighthouse keeper on what the job was really like

Lee Radzak was resident site manager at Split Rock for more than 30 years, and is out with a new book about the experience: “The View from Split Rock,” written with Curt Brown.
by Cathy Wurzer

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See the stunning photos of Thursday's 'ring of fire' solar eclipse

See the stunning photos of Thursday's 'ring of fire' solar eclipse

If you didn't wake up early enough to see Thursday's solar eclipse yourself, photographers from the U.S. to Asia to Europe snapped images of the striking astronomical event.
by Joe Hernandez

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It's not over yet: Dangerously hot and humid for much of Minnesota Thursday

It's not over yet: Dangerously hot and humid for much of Minnesota Thursday

The string of 90-degree days across Minnesota continues for an eighth consecutive day Thursday, and with the humidity climbing in recent days, much of the state will see the heat index go dangerously high. Stay hydrated and take it easy if you’re outdoors today.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Officials: More than 200 arrested in northern Minnesota Line 3 protests

Hundreds of people blocked access to an Enbridge pipeline pumping station being built a few miles south of Itasca State Park during a day of protests Monday. Some locked themselves to construction equipment on the Two Inlets pump station site or to a boat that protesters were using to block a road that leads to the station. This is an MPR News morning update for Thursday, June 10, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister

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Why do some people get side effects after COVID-19 vaccines?

Why do some people get side effects after COVID-19 vaccines?

Temporary side effects after COVID-19 vaccines are normal and a sign your immune system is revving up. That said, everyone reacts differently. If you didn't feel anything a day or two after either dose, that doesn't mean the vaccine isn't working.
by The Associated Press

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An emotional play on adoption expands its reach as a graphic novel

An emotional play on adoption expands its reach as a graphic novel

The final product of a successful theatrical script is usually a play — but not always. A St. Paul theater's deeply emotional show about adoption will live on as a 300-page graphic novel.
by Euan Kerr

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Art Hounds recommend visual art that explores science, spirituality

Art Hounds recommend visual art that explores science, spirituality

Nature photographer Nicole Zemple takes “otherworldly” pictures of the forest floor, Fawzia Khan’s embroidery and sculpture celebrate women’s stories, and Anne Pryor paints with scents and her breath.
by Emily Bright

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This family saga finds grace and beauty in ordinary lives, fully lived

This family saga finds grace and beauty in ordinary lives, fully lived

Simon Van Booy's new novel “Night Came With Many Stars” follows several generations of a Kentucky family, their crossroads and choices, their curses and hard memories, their luck and their chances.
by Jason Sheehan

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‘Uno tiene que soñar en grande': La ayuda de mentores, la familia, la pasión y la perseverancia (el “grit”) iluminan el futuro de un adolescente

‘Uno tiene que soñar en grande': La ayuda de mentores, la familia, la pasión y la perseverancia (el “grit”) iluminan el futuro de un adolescente

Edgar Omar Dominguez Casalez está a punto de convertirse en el primero de su familia en ir a la universidad. Su historia, que incluye un mentor, un caballo y la pandemia, dice mucho sobre las cosas buenas que pueden suceder cuando jóvenes decididos en circunstancias difíciles, conectan con adultos que pueden ayudar a guiar sus sueños.
by Kathryn Styer Martinez

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‘One has to dream big': Mentors, family, grit help light a teen’s future

‘One has to dream big': Mentors, family, grit help light a teen’s future

Edgar Omar Dominguez Casalez is on the cusp of becoming the first in his family to go to college. His story, which includes a mentor, a horse and the pandemic, says a lot about the good things that can happen when determined kids in difficult circumstances connect with adults who can help guide their dreams. 
by Kathryn Styer Martinez

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Inflation is surging. The price of a Toyota pickup truck helps explain why

Inflation is surging. The price of a Toyota pickup truck helps explain why

The Labor Department will report the latest inflation data on Thursday. It comes after the consumer price index rose 4.2 percent in April from a year ago, the highest in more than a dozen years.
by Scott Horsley

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What causes the northern lights? Scientists finally know for sure

What causes the northern lights? Scientists finally know for sure

An article suggests the natural light show starts when disturbances on the sun pull on Earth's magnetic field, creating cosmic waves that launch electrons into the atmosphere to form the aurora.
by Joe Hernandez

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GOP wants private school option; Walz, DFL push back

GOP wants private school option; Walz, DFL push back

Minnesota lawmakers are heading toward a special session next week with very little settled on the budget they need to pass by month’s end to avoid a government shutdown. One of the big sticking points is education funding and whether some money for public schools should be allowed to flow to private schools.
by Tim Pugmire

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