Stories from August 18, 2022

Olympic champion Suni Lee surprises students at St. Paul elementary school
Olympic gold medalist and international celebrity, gymnast Sunisa Lee paid a special visit Thursday to St. Paul’s Battle Creek Elementary, where she was once a student. She also remembered how teachers and coaches challenged her as she sought Olympic greatness from an early age.
The Bible is among dozens of books banned in this Texas school district
The books under review were previously challenged and placed back on shelves, but now the Keller Independent School District wants them to undergo another review with new criteria.
Attorneys representing Minneapolis residents who sued the city for not having the required minimum number of police officers, praised Mayor Jacob Frey's proposed budget Thursday. They said the plan makes significant investments in recruiting and retaining police officers. Also, St. Paul would see a more-than-15 percent property tax levy increase under a 2023 budget proposed Thursday by Mayor Melvin Carter. This is the MPR News afternoon update for Aug. 18, 2022. Hosted by Mike Mulcahy. Theme music by Gary Meister.
Digi-Key unveils big expansion in a small town
Electronic parts supplier Digi-Key is opening a $400 million dollar warehouse expansion in northwest Minnesota to meet global demand for the products it sells.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter proposes 15% property tax levy increase in next year's budget
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter is proposing a 15 percent hike in the city's property tax levy in his 2023 budget. Part of that increase is from ending fees for street maintenance and street lights — and shifting those costs to the city’s general fund.
Streaming outperforms both cable and broadcast TV for the first time ever
Streaming platforms outpaced broadcast and cable in July's total TV viewership. The change came as new seasons of hits on Hulu and Netflix debuted and live sports and traditional shows went on hiatus.
Could psychedelics be the future of mental health?
A resurgence in clinical trials and a new Netflix series are stoking interest in using psychedelics to treat mental health disorders. All Things Considered host Tom Crann talked to a researcher at the U of M about her work.
Muralist's latest work honors people of Latin American, Caribbean nations
Cadex Herrera’s mural will be unveiled in September during Fiesta Latina, an annual celebration hosted by CLUES, a social service agency that has served the state’s Latino communities for 40 years.
Despite what it seems, the COVID pandemic isn't over yet
The COVID-19 pandemic is still here. Mayo Clinic's Greg Poland talked with Cathy Wurzer about the different subvariants, masking and how to best avoid COVID. Check out our website for the latest COVID coverage in the state.
Northern lights and lightning create a show
Parts of Minnesota’s North Shore saw enough breaks in the clouds to see both lightning and northern lights at once overnight Wednesday night.
Are you avoiding the news? Why news fatigue and avoiding the news matters
Does the news leave you feeling overwhelmed and depressed? You’re not alone. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a journalist and a researcher about why more people are avoiding the news, why it matters and what to do about it.
For one 'non-outdoorsy' Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe member, a solo backpacking trip on the North Shore is surprising, scary and spiritual
Leah Lemm is a citizen of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and spent most of her life in cities - first the Twin Cities suburbs and then college in Boston.  But recently she’s been venturing outside more.
Mosquitoes surprise researcher with their 'weird' sense of smell
That's how neuroscientist Meg Younger describes her team's findings about how skeeters hone in on human aromas. And that could lead to better ways to keep us bite-free.
Trump Organization CFO pleads guilty in tax evasion case
A top executive at former President Donald Trump’s family business has pleaded guilty to evading taxes. The deal could potentially make him a star witness against the company at a trial this fall.
More rain Thursday into Friday; cooler Friday and Saturday
After some incredible isolated downpours Wednesday, Thursday will bring more showers and thunder, especially later in the day. Clouds and occasional showers will keep temperatures cooler Friday.
Scattered slow-moving thunderstorms continued to drop torrential rain on parts of Minnesota early Thursday, following flash flooding in some communities on Wednesday night. This is a morning update from MPR News, hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Music by Gary Meister.
Meet this year's child Mullet Championship finalists
It can take years to grow the perfect mullet, and these kids have put in their time to take home the 2022 USA Mullet Championship trophy. Here's a peek at some of the most remarkable contestant 'dos.
Scattered showers, storms late Thursday into Friday
We’ll see an increase in the number and frequency of showers and thunderstorms across much of Minnesota late Thursday. We’ll still squeeze out a high temperature near 80 in the south between showers with peeks of sun.
Slow-moving storms cause flash flooding in parts of Minnesota
Scattered slow-moving thunderstorms continued to drop torrential rain on parts of Minnesota early Thursday, following flash flooding in some communities on Wednesday night. The city of Cambridge was particularly hard-hit.
Mahle exits early; Twins beat Royals 4-0 for 3-game sweep
Emilio Pagán pitched two scoreless innings after Tyler Mahle departed with right shoulder fatigue, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 for a three-game sweep.
Many were denied Minnesota 'hero pay,' advocate says there were barriers
More than 214,000 applications Minnesota’s “hero pay” were denied. That’s 18 percent of all who applied. While some were issues of duplicates, identity verification or income limits, Matt Riley says the process still had barriers for some communities.
Experts say the U.S. approach to countering violent extremism has worked well against foreign terrorists. They question whether it will work as well to identify credible domestic threats.
Serena Williams' new focus could help diversify the venture capital game
When the tennis megastar announced her plans to retire from competition last week, she said her future will involve a renewed focus on a venture capital firm she quietly founded eight years ago.
The week in politics: From Washington to Minnesota
When President Joe Biden signed another major spending bill into law this week Democrats in Minnesota were excited and Republicans protested. And in the campaign for governor, Republican Scott Jensen wants more debates with DFLer Tim Walz.