Stories from June 14, 2023

Very unhealthy air; relief Thursday for northern Minnesota
The latest Minnesota Pollution Control Agency forecast shows air quality improving overnight into Thursday across northern Minnesota. Expect air quality to improve statewide by Friday.
Minnesota opens investigation of possible wage theft against HyLife
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry investigates violations at the now closed HyLife pork processing plant. It’s also asking that immigrant workers at the plant who may have experienced the violations be allowed to stay and work in the U.S. for up to two years.
Kids of parents in prison have a higher risk of mental health problems
Having a parent incarcerated is the second most common adversity for Minnesota youth, behind living with someone who has a mental illness. MPR News guest host Catharine Richert speaks with her guests about the mental health of kids in Minnesota who have parents in prison.
'It's gonna be a hot labor summer' — unionized workers show up for striking writers
Film and TV writers on strike may soon be joined by actors currently negotiating their contract. As the writers strike enters its seventh week, unions beyond Hollywood are joining the movement.
The fate of a cell phone seized from a prominent Minnesota businessman and Republican figure sits with a federal appeals court that heard arguments Wednesday. Last September, federal agents seized Michael Lindell’s phone while he was in Mankato. The MyPillow executive is a close ally of Donald Trump. This is the MPR News afternoon update for June 14, 2023. Hosted by Peter Cox. Theme music by Gary Meister.
New airline planes will be required to have secondary barriers to the cockpit to protect pilots
The Federal Aviation Administration rule will apply to commercial planes made after mid-2025, affecting airlines that operate scheduled flights, but not charter operators. Current planes won’t need to be retrofitted.
It Happens Here: how the U.S.-Canada border disrupted existing boundaries
MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer turned to WTIP producer Staci Drouillard and Native Lights Podcast host Leah Lemm for a story about the creation of the U.S.-Canada border. Drouillard and Lemm co-host the podcast It Happens Here: The Roots of Racial Inequity on the North Shore, produced by Drouillard. In a recent episode, they discuss how the border upended spatial relationships in Ojibwe communities.
Here are the legal next steps in the Trump documents case
Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 37 counts against him. While special counsel Jack Smith wants a speedy trial, Trump's lawyers could file motions that would delay it.
Hospitals try new ways to recruit, train and retain staff to cope with pandemic worker shortages
The Minnesota Hospital Association says a pandemic-induced worker shortage may be easing a bit. Because of thousands of unfilled positions, hospitals have been forced to get creative about their efforts to recruit medical staff.
Forest Service plans to fight fire in popular area of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Crews were preparing Wednesday morning to begin suppressing an approximately 30-acre wildfire in the Boundary Waters. The U.S. Forest Service noticed smoke from a survey plane in the evening Tuesday, the same day the agency announced a campfire ban in the wilderness area because of dry conditions.
Thick wildfire smoke plume brings unhealthy air quality to Minnesota
The smoke has reached ground level across much of the state. Air quality readings are in the unhealthy-for-everyone range across most of central Minnesota. Conditions should improve Thursday into Friday.
Isle Royale wolves continue recovery after nearly dying out, while park's moose decline
Gray wolves are thriving at Isle Royale National Park five years after they nearly died out. Authorities airlifted 19 mainland wolves to the Lake Superior park in 2018-19. A report Wednesday by Michigan Technological University scientists says the population has reached 31.
The U.S. Forest Service announced it’s temporarily banning all backcountry campfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness until further notice, and restricting campfires elsewhere in the Superior National Forest. This is an MPR News morning update, hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Music by Gary Meister.
Crews monitoring wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The U.S. Forest Service is monitoring a wildfire detected Tuesday in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The fire, about 10 miles southwest of the end of the Gunflint Trail, was estimated at about 30 acres in size.
The Republican presidential field is the most diverse it has ever been, raising questions about race, identity and immigration for candidates of color in an overwhelmingly white party.
Vikings get Jefferson back for minicamp as star WR takes contract talk in stride
Justin Jefferson’s salient presence was a natural highlight for the Minnesota Vikings at mandatory minicamp. He's had his own training and business agenda and been absent all spring from the team's voluntary offseason program.
Slave cases are still cited as good law across the U.S. This team aims to change that
Michigan State law professor Justin Simard says 18 percent of all published American cases are within two steps of a slave case. His team has spent years documenting them, hoping to force a legal reckoning.
North America's first known case of a rabid moose confirmed in western Alaska
Alaska state game officials say the first apparent case of a rabid moose in North America has been confirmed in western Alaska. The moose was acting aggressively and drooling near the community of Teller on June 2.
ChangeMakers: Seal Dwyer heals trauma, connects LGBTQ+ community in St. Cloud
Dwyer, 42, is a nonbinary licensed marriage and family therapist. As a fifth-generation Stearns County resident, they’re focused on supporting the growing LGBTQ+ community in St. Cloud.