Stories from June 5, 2025

249 businesses win in Minnesota’s first lottery to license cannabis businesses
Aspiring cultivators, manufacturers and retailers in Minnesota’s budding recreational cannabis industry reacted with joy and disappointment after the state held a lottery to determine their future.
Minnesota immigrants face uncertainty amid Trump travel ban
To find out how the news is landing with members of Minnesota’s affected communities, MPR News host Catharine Richert spoke with Nasreen Sajady, executive director of the Afghan Cultural Society.
Minneapolis leaders call for review of police role in federal search on Lake Street
The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday to request the Office of City Auditor to look into whether the police department violated the city’s separation ordinance, which forbids local police from enforcing federal immigration laws.
The Minneapolis City Council Thursday approved the terms of a $900,000 settlement in the case of a person who was 16 years old when she was sexually assaulted by a Minneapolis police officer.
A Homeland Security agent from the Twin Cities is jailed and charged with producing child sex abuse material. And Gov. Tim Walz says his office did not get a heads-up about a federal raid of a south Minneapolis restaurant earlier this week.
Chet Holmgren’s former coach on the Minnesotan’s rise to NBA stardom
Before he was a starter for the NBA’s Western Conference champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnehaha Academy graduate Chet Holmgren was just a tall kid in youth basketball learning the game with guidance from his coach, Larry Suggs.
Thank You, Stranger: How a ‘Buy Nothing’ Facebook group helped a woman rebuild her life
Anna Hover was at the height of her career and raising her children in St. Paul, she got sick. She asked for help online, and the kindness of her neighbors helped put her life back together.
Ever argued with an older loved one about their care? A mediation group is helping families work it out
The state of Minnesota recently announced $1.3 million in grants for projects that it says will make the state a better place to live as an older person
Politics Friday: Lawmakers slog toward budget conclusion as special session is set
MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with House leaders about the work on a tardy state budget and what could happen if it’s not finished soon. Plus, a look at the return-to-office for many state employees.
How open enrollment is reshaping Twin Cities school districts and impacting students
Nearly 44,000 Twin Cities students crossed into another district to attend school this year, using a process known as open enrollment. That number has grown for at least a decade, according to an analysis from Axios Twin Cities.
Drought, abnormally dry conditions still grip Northern Minnesota
Dry conditions remain firmly in place across northern Minnesota, according to this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor report. A changing weather pattern could bring much-needed rainfall to those drought-stricken parts of the state.
Ryan Jeffers and Harrison Bader hit HRs as Twins win 6-1 over A’s, who have lost 9 in a row
Ryan Jeffers hit a solo shot in the first inning and an RBI single in the ninth, Harrison Bader added a two-run homer and Minnesota Twins extended the Athletics’s losing streak to nine games with a 6-1 win. 
Power Pair: Sportscaster Lea B. Olsen and filmmaker Daniel Bergin
Forget sibling rivalry. Let’s talk about some sibling excellence. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her next Power Pair, award-winning filmmaker Daniel Bergin and his award-winning sister, sports broadcaster Lea Olsen.    
Pampers maker Procter & Gamble to cut up to 7,000 jobs under tariff, consumer uncertainty pressure
Procter & Gamble will cut up to 7,000 jobs, or approximately 6 percent of its global workforce, over the next two years as the maker of Tide detergent and Pampers diapers wrestles with tariff-related costs and customers who have grown anxious about the economy.
FEMA was starting to fix long-standing problems. Then came the Trump administration
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a long history of failing to help those who need assistance the most after disasters. Biden-era changes meant to fix some of those problems now face an uncertain future.
Frost duo Thompson, Jaques sign with Vancouver PWHL expansion team
Boston captain Hilary Knight is heading to the PWHL’s expansion team in Seattle, while Vancouver landed the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost’s blue-line duo of Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques to start the league’s expansion signing period. 
Reporter’s notebook: How Minnesotans perceive Asian people and notions of success
Recently released polling data found Minnesotans think it’s harder for Black, Hispanic or Indigenous people to succeed here compared to people who are white or of Asian descent. The results around Asian Minnesotans were intriguing.
‘Lovers and Comrades’: Bart Buch’s queer poetic puppet adventure at Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis
Bart Buch’s “Ode to Walt Whitman,” now at Open Eye Theatre, is a multimedia puppet performance inspired by Whitman and Lorca’s poetry and queer identities, reimagining their dialogue through modern gay dating apps to explore love, connection and democracy in troubled times.
Minnesota cities maintain plans to remove ‘forever chemicals’ from drinking water
The extended deadline for cities to lower levels of “forever chemicals” in drinking water could give municipalities struggling to pay for expensive treatment systems more time to seek financial help from the state or federal government.
Native-led nonprofit receives grant for youth horse program
Dakota Wicohan, located in Morton near the Lower Sioux Indian Community, was recently named a recipient of the Minnesota Community IDEAS Grant. Funding will help to expand programming opportunities for their program that empowers youth to work with horses while learning traditional teachings. 
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