Minnesota Now Full Show for July 11, 2022

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CATHY WURZER: It's Minnesota Now. I'm Cathy Wurzer A new law allowing some THC edibles has been confusing to a lot of Minnesota residents. And now, local officials from across the state are also looking for answers. We'll find out what's confusing them. Speaking of the new THC law, it's a game-changer for some Twin Cities breweries. We'll get that story in just a few minutes.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot of things, including the amount of garbage we throw out. A new recycling plant in Rogers, Minnesota hopes to help. A new sleep studies focus on the unique needs of first responders. We'll hear how experts are trying to help them get better rest.

And have you ever been to the Bell Museum? If you're a kid from the Twin Cities, chances are good you have. A new book details its weird and complicated history. All that plus the song of the day and the Minnesota Music Minute right after these headlines.

AMY HELD: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Amy Held. The House Committee investigating the insurrection says Steve Bannon, an ally to former President Donald Trump. Is finally willing to testify. The Justice Department, however, is skeptical. NPR's Claudia Grisales reports, in a court filing, the DOJ says it looks to be an unsuccessful stalling tactic by Bannon ahead of his criminal trial.

CLAUDIA GRISALES: In the filing, the Justice Department says an attorney representing former President Trump confirmed to investigators that Trump did not extend executive privilege claims over Bannon's testimony or evidence. The Department went on to say in their filing that Bannon's last minute offer to testify before the select panel appears to be a stalling tactic ahead of his criminal trial for defying his committee subpoena.

For example, the Justice Department said in its filing, one clue that Bannon's offer is not serious is that he has not turned over any documents to the panel or offered to do so to the committee. Claudia Grisales, NPR News, Washington.

AMY HELD: Wall Street is awaiting this week's corporate earnings reports. NPR's Scott Horsley reports, high prices and rising interest rates could be a drag on business profits.

SCOTT HORSLEY: Investors will be on the lookout for any signs of an economic slowdown, fears that were eased somewhat by last week's better than expected report on job growth. Twitter shares are down after billionaire Elon Musk's abrupt announcement on Friday that he wants out of a $44 billion deal to buy the social media company. Twitter says it plans to enforce the contract, setting the stage for a possibly messy court fight.

AMY HELD: With the end of Roe versus Wade, some states are moving to implement abortion ban laws passed years ago. NPR's Ximena Bustillo has more on how decades-long lobbying efforts are playing out today.

XIMENA BUSTILLO: Groups like the National Right to Life Committee and Americans United for Life are designed to help State lawmakers write, introduce, and pass bills that limit or ban abortion. For decades, these groups have worked alongside local affiliates to introduce legislation most likely to pass in each state to restrict abortion access. In some cases, that led to the trigger laws going into effect now, years after they were passed, triggered by the Supreme Court's reversal on Roe versus Wade last month.

The groups utilized the makeup of the Supreme Court to weigh which bills could withstand legal challenges and therefore be successful laws. Now that there is no constitutional right to abortion, the groups will likely change their strategy once more ahead of state legislature sessions. Ximena Bustillo, NPR News, Washington.

AMY HELD: In Sri Lanka, the parliament says it will reconvene on Friday and elect a new president July 20. Opposition leaders are working to create a new all party government after mass protests spilled into the homes of the President and Prime Minister over the weekend. Both men agreed to step down. Protesters say they won't budge until the resignations are official. You're listening to NPR News.

CREW: Support for NPR comes from NPR stations. Other contributors include Fisher Investments Wealth Management, offering guidance on retirement income, Social Security, and estate planning. More at FisherInvestments.com. Clearly different money management. Investing in securities involves the risk of loss.

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CATHY WURZER: Around Minnesota right now, it's raining in parts of northern Minnesota from International Falls, and the line extends down to just East of Sandstone. Temperatures today lower 70s, lower 80s.

Right now, there's a thunderstorm in progress at the Duluth Airport, where it's a 62. It's sunny in Rochester and 76. And outside the Red Goat Restaurant in Watkins, Minnesota, it's sunny and 81. I'm Cathy Wurzer with Minnesota news headlines.

The first witness will be called this afternoon in the murder trial of Jamal Smith, a Chicago area man who's accused of shooting and killing a Twin Cities youth baseball coach, Jay Boughton in a road rage incident last summer on Highway 169. In his opening statement, Smith's attorney says the evidence does not support the allegations. But prosecutors say they can prove guilt either if Smith is the shooter or if he aided the shooter.

Hennepin County officials say they are investigating two complaints against Sheriff Dave Hutchinson who is on extended leave after a drunken driving crash last year. Tim Nelson has more.

TIM NELSON: Hutchinson has already pleaded guilty to drunken driving, taken a leave from daily operations of the sheriff's office, and announced he won't seek re-election in November. Now, a report from Fox 9 says sheriff's office personnel have provided investigators with a series of allegedly racist and homophobic text messages that are part of a hostile work environment investigation focused on Hutchinson.

County officials confirmed two pending complaints but said they could not provide further details. Fox 9 also reported that Hutchinson confirmed he has applied for a permanent PTSD disability.

Three candidates are running to replace him, including Bail Agent and former Police Chief Joseph Banks, Bloomington Police Officer Jai Hanson, and Hennepin County Deputy Sheriff, Dawanna Witt, a Major overseeing the agency's adult detention and courts division. I'm Tim Nelson.

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CATHY WURZER: When Minnesota's new law allowing hemp-derived THC edibles kicked in July the 1st, a lot of people were surprised. Including local leaders across the state. The law sets the rules for maximum legal dosages for edibles and beverages, packaging, warning labels, and the age of purchase. But the law is mostly silent on the issue of how and when those products can be sold and under what circumstances.

Joining us for more is Patricia Beatty, the General Counsel for the League of Minnesota Cities, which is an advocacy organization that offers supports to local governments. Patricia, welcome to the program.

PATRICIA BEATTY: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

CATHY WURZER: This law felt like it came out of the blue. It seemed to surprise many people. Was it on your radar?

PATRICIA BEATTY: So we were not included at the table, we being the League of Minnesota Cities and our city members when it was passed. And so, we did not have input on the local implications.

CATHY WURZER: Who have you heard from since July the 1st?

PATRICIA BEATTY: Well, we have been working with a number of our members. And just to give you a little bit of what the landscape is, the League of Minnesota Cities has 98% of the cities in Minnesota as are members, from Minneapolis and Saint Paul to the smallest of cities, cities like Orr, with a population of about 211 people.

And so, we have heard from a few cities. But mostly, we are working with those who are at the local level in their communities, studying the law, trying to consider what local regulations might be possible that are available to-- in the interim before there is any further state regulation to see what local communities can do with these products.

CATHY WURZER: What are the issues facing cities and counties with this new law?

PATRICIA BEATTY: Well, cities are a membership. And so, I'm not certain exactly at the county level. I think there might be some public safety enforcement issues for the counties but our cities are looking at what they can do in the way of the sales, as you said, in terms of who and how these sales might be occurring in their communities.

There are no restrictions under the statute right now as to the limits on how they can be sold or how many can be sold. And so, some of our cities are looking at things such as point of sale. They're looking at where these products might be. Are they behind the counter, are they excluded from any self-checkout, how do they enforce the 21 age requirement, things like that is what our member cities are looking at.

CATHY WURZER: So really, can anybody who can get a hold of Delta 9 products sell it, right now anyway?

PATRICIA BEATTY: Within the statutory framework-- and then local governments will need to look at that and decide whether or not they want to go further. The statutory framework does talk about packaging, and warning labels, and again, the age, and how these products must be derived from a certain process and certified hemp, that sort of thing.

So there are regulations in the statute. I think that's maybe the thing that's not very clear out there. There certainly are regulations in the statute. But there are some things that are left unanswered for our local communities, for our cities. And that's what various cities across the state, again, are studying the law, trying to figure out do they want to be part of some local regulations to put more frameworks or guardrails on the sale of these products.

CATHY WURZER: Any difficulties, Patricia, for some of the smaller cities?

PATRICIA BEATTY: That is too soon to predict. I think some of the smaller cities may not see this as on their radar and may wait until the state puts in further regulations. I don't know if there's any particular regulation-- or particular concerns for the smaller cities versus the larger cities. It's a new product.

And again, it's something that individual cities, individual communities are going to need to look at and decide on an individual basis whether this is a priority or an issue for their community.

CATHY WURZER: Zoning is an area where local governments are empowered to establish some rules such as requiring that businesses are not located within a certain distance of schools, that kind of thing. Are you seeing some cities go in that direction when it comes to zoning?

PATRICIA BEATTY: At this point, again, this is very new. The law went into effect just July 1. And cities were not necessarily ready out the gate to decide, is it going to be zoning, is it going to be a licensing framework or something else. But all those things are on the table.

And right now, what we are doing with our members is just trying to vet some of these things, provide some reliable information and resources as to what the options might be for communities. And zoning is one of those, yes.

CATHY WURZER: So it sounds like you might be recommending to follow the rules already set up for other substances like alcohol and tobacco?

PATRICIA BEATTY: I think some cities are considering that. There's already a framework in place in their ordinances. And adding this as part of that framework seems like it would be a clear way to go. But the League is not going to be making any particular recommendations other than helping guide cities.

Again, this is going to be-- until there's statewide regulation, this is going to be an individual community's decision. And they may do something different than fitting it within the framework of the licensing for tobacco.

CATHY WURZER: Sounds like from where you sit it could be kind of an interesting few weeks and months.

PATRICIA BEATTY: It's going to be a little bit of just roll up your sleeves and let's figure this out. But I am confident our cities are used to responding quickly. I mean, cities local level, they're very nimble units of government. And they'll be busy.

I know a number of our cities, mostly the ones that have already been out there in the news, the larger suburbs are this week meeting with their city councils, again, rolling up their sleeves trying to figure this out. But yes, I think it's going to be a busy couple of weeks here or months.

CATHY WURZER: Do you expect cleanup legislation next session?

PATRICIA BEATTY: That is our understanding. And we certainly want our local governments, our cities to be at the table for those future discussions at the legislature. Our anticipation is, yes, there will be--

CATHY WURZER: Is this--

PATRICIA BEATTY: --discussions and hopefully--

CATHY WURZER: Sure.

PATRICIA BEATTY: --discussions and hopefully some better guidance from the state.

CATHY WURZER: Do you see this as a step toward full legalization, and if so, what's the League planning on doing about that?

PATRICIA BEATTY: I don't have an opinion on that, Cathy, actually. We don't have a policy, or the League of Minnesota Cities does not have a policy on or opinion on the legalization of marijuana, recreational use. And so, we don't know where that's going to go.

Certainly, again, if it's impacting our cities, our 800 plus cities in Minnesota, we want to be there so we have a voice and that we can be prepared and better prepared to address it for whatever the city's role might be.

CATHY WURZER: As far as you know, which are the larger cities that are moving towards some kind of regulation, Bloomington, those cities?

PATRICIA BEATTY: Yeah. I don't have the full list in front of me. And I think again this is a work in progress. So more and more as we are in contact with our members, stakeholders, we'll hear more. But I know that Golden Valley, Saint Louis Park, Edina, Bloomington, Stillwater, some of the ones that already have sessions scheduled with their city councils and have talked about addressing this sooner rather than later.

CATHY WURZER: Before you go here, Patricia, because this is so new, things are changing, have you had an opportunity to maybe chat with some of your colleagues in other states who have maybe a similar law?

PATRICIA BEATTY: I'm not sure there's a similar law out there, Cathy. There's nothing that looks exactly like this or even really that close. But we are looking at other states' regulatory frameworks. Colorado has had recreational use for a long time. And they have a lot of local government regulations.

So yeah, we are looking at other states for examples, for ideas, and vetting them, again, with our cities and our communities and seeing what might fit or what might work. But this statute is very much a unique statute.

CATHY WURZER: All right. Patricia, I appreciate your time. Thank you so much. Best of luck.

PATRICIA BEATTY: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

CATHY WURZER: Patricia Beatty is the General Counsel for the League of Minnesota Cities.

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This is the Minnesota Music Minute, it's Guinea Pig by Minneapolis band, Bruise Violet. Their grunge punk is inspired by the riot girl movement of the 1990s. You can find their music at BruiseViolet.Bandcamp.com.

[MUSIC - BRUISE VIOLET, "I CRIED FOR 45 MINUTES BECAUSE OF PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE GUINEA PIGS"]

(SINGING) With a smile on your face. You said I could trust you. But you're falling from grace. You stabbed me in the back. You left me out to die. And now, my friend, I need to ask you. Answer your damn phone when I'm trying to call. La, la, la. I'm trying to--

CATHY WURZER: I'm glad you're with us here on Minnesota Now from NPR News. I'm Cathy Wurzer. The medical community has been loud and clear about this for a while now. Most of us need more sleep. First responders especially often run on erratic sleep schedules. That's why researchers at the University of Wisconsin Superior are conducting a sleep study on firefighters there.

Why? We'll ask Dr. Kim LeBard-Rankila. She's here to tell us all. She's a Field Work Director at the Health and Human Performance Department at UW Superior. Welcome, Doctor. How are you?

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: Good morning, Cathy. I'm doing great this morning. How are you doing?

CATHY WURZER: I'm fine. Thanks for being with us. Say, I'm curious here. How did you choose firefighters as your subjects for the study?

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: The city of Superior and UW Superior collaborate. We've been doing this for about 10 years now. And we supply a employee wellness intern each semester to work with the city employees. And as the fire department is one of the departments within the city building, we survey each department and ask what interests the employees.

And the fire department shared with us probably five years back pre-COVID that they would be interested in sleep education because they were tired. They have these 48-hour shifts where you can literally get 17 calls in a 24-hour span. And you really don't-- you're not able to sleep.

And so, after COVID-- we attempted to do this pre-COVID, wrote a grant, didn't get the funding. COVID hit. We ran another grant, got the funding. And as soon as we were able to start it without any COVID restrictions, we were ready and able and just hit the road running with them. It was their idea. And so, we just facilitated it.

CATHY WURZER: It's a good idea. My friends who are first responders all have sleep problems to some extent. Is that a byproduct of the stress of their jobs?

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: It is. It's the stress of the job. Being a first responder, fire firefighters, police officers, I would almost gander to say maybe ambulance drivers, nurses, doctors, anyone in any type of Allied Health public service type job where you have shift work. I will also throw in radio broadcasters.

CATHY WURZER: [LAUGHS] Get up early.

[LAUGHTER]

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: Yes. Yeah. And so, the sleep cycle isn't what our genetic internal clocks are regulated to do. And it's, yeah, it is very detrimental. Sleep is so vitally important. Not-- I mean, it contributes to our metabolism, our memory, our immune system, our bodily functions, every aspect of our health. And I think it's overlooked often.

CATHY WURZER: I know you're just starting this. But do the firefighters tell you that the sleep problems affect their performance on the job at all?

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: You know what, they actually didn't complain about sleep at all. They were just aware and had a gut sensation that they could get better sleep. So one of the issues-- so Superior is a rural community. And we're the Twin Ports with Duluth. But Superior still has the emergency alarms go off at all three stations. Which means all three stations wake up even though only one station has to address the medical emergency or fire emergency.

And I think our hope is when we bring the data to the powers that be, they will see the detriments of sleep deprivation. And hopefully, we can run like bigger cities and only have the fire alarms go off at the station that needs to address the fire or the medical emergency. And then, if it is a larger concern, then the fire alarm can go off at all three stations.

CATHY WURZER: Say, how are you studying this? I understand you're using smartwatches?

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: We are. We are using a MorePro fitness tracker watch. And it is what-- we had to find a watch that was waterproof. And it tracks sleep cycles per day. So when they fell asleep, when they woke up, when they got up, the deep sleep, late sleep, and hours up.

It tracks blood pressure, pulse, step. And you can also program it to track different physical activities. But the sleep, blood pressure, and pulse are the three tools on the watch that we are using.

CATHY WURZER: Have you heard at this point from the firefighters, have you made recommendation-- any recommendations at this point to them?

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: Yes. So prior to the sleep study, our interns have been doing multiple educational presentations, stress reduction, different sleep environment, good sheets, good blankets, good air quality, reduced noise, not using any blue light equipment prior to, not eating spicy food, getting enough exercise, all the realms of the fitness world.

During the sleep study, we actually have an intervention tool being used. And it's white noise. We were thinking about using essential oils. And then we were thinking about using weighted blankets. But not everybody would like lavender, the smell of lavender, which is supposed to help you sleep. The weighted blankets need to be dry cleaned. So that became a conscious financial strain.

So we chose white noise machines. So the last month and a half of the study, we have white noise machines in each sleeping quarter of the fire stations. And the firefighters are to pick the white noise that they find enjoyable, or tolerable, or they like, and then use that at the station only. Because we couldn't-- well, basically, the grant didn't cover bringing white noise to everyone's homes.

And the feedback is, they-- some of them already were using white noise and they like it. Some of them had never used it before and actually found that they also liked it. And it was a variety. Some of them like rain. Some of streams. Some of them like the fan noise. Some of them like-- it's called a drone. It's a drone noise. And then, there's some relaxation music type options also.

So the white noise machines have been received very well. They're open to anything that is beneficial to their overall health. They're really a great group of people to work with.

CATHY WURZER: Say, do you know, Kim, are there similar studies being done in other cities in Wisconsin, Minnesota to help first responders?

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: Well there is research on firefighters and sleep. So I know others have done research on it. I don't know currently if anyone else in Minnesota or Wisconsin are doing any type of research.

But because we are a rural community and we're still-- and I'm just going to use this term lightly-- still doing the old-school alarm going off at all stations, the bigger cities like in Minneapolis and Milwaukee and such, they only have the alarms go off at the station that needs to make the call.

So they have moved to that process already. And Superior hasn't. So we're hoping once the powers that be see the sleep study and hear both the data outcomes and offer in more research to them, that they will accommodate and only have the alarms go off at one station.

CATHY WURZER: Say if this works, which appears that it is working right now, could you see maybe doing a sleep studies on police officers, EMS individuals? I mean, there's-- this could be kind of interesting.

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: It is. Actually, we have already been kind of brainstorming a little bit of doing a sleep study with the Superior police department. Because like you said, first responders, multiple different careers with these altered schedules, not working during the day but working day through night, or night, or getting up at the crack of dawn when even the birds aren't awake yet, it is detrimental.

So yeah. We-- our next step now, we have to write another grant to get more watches and what have you, would be to see if the Superior police department would be interested in this.

CATHY WURZER: OK. Sounds great. I appreciate your time, Kim. Best of luck.

KIM LEBARD-RANKILA: Thank you. We are very lucky to have the first responders we do in Superior. They're a wonderful group of people.

CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to Dr. Kim LeBard-Rankila. She's the Field Work Director at UW Superior.

CREW: Support comes from Saint Paul Farmers Market. You'll find fresh fruits and veggies, plants, humanely raised meats, eggs, cheese, and other locally produced foods at more than 20 metro markets. More at SaintPaulFarmersMarket.com.

CATHY WURZER: Course you know it's kind of tough to get around some places around the state of Minnesota because of road construction. A lot of road construction in the Twin Cities. You're driving up 35 to Duluth you're going to run into that as well. MnDOT says it's going to block off the median at two intersections along Highway 14 just west of Rochester in an effort to make the roadway safer.

By mid-August, traffic on Olmstead County Road 44 and 7th Street Northwest won't be able to cross Highway 14. Drivers will only be able to make right turns to and from those side roads. It's all part of an effort to reduce the number of collisions along Highway 14 between Rochester and Byron, Minnesota. So MnDOT says it's going to close off the median. They think it'll help prevent the most serious t-bone crashes which have been occurring.

Additional changes to intersections in the area are planned for next year along with the installation of more cable barriers in the median, which will make that effort-- that whole area a little safer perhaps. Looks like we have a pretty decent day around Rochester at this hour. It's partly sunny and 76 degrees. Worthington had a little rain earlier this morning. It's now partly sunny and 75. In Winona, it's 81.

If you head north, there is some rain, still some light rain at the Duluth Harbor. We're at 61. That thunderstorm at the Duluth International Airport, that has moved on. It's also 61 degrees at the airport. A thunderstorm right now in progress in International Falls where it's 63. It's raining in Bemidji, where it's 64 degrees.

The rain right now really in portions of northern Minnesota extending into Wisconsin. Of course, we'll have your forecast along with news headlines. Joining us right now with all of that is Emily Bright. Emily?

EMILY BRIGHT: Hi, Cathy. President Joe Biden is hailing a new bipartisan law meant to reduce gun violence as real progress but says, more has to be done. The bill passed after recent gun rampages in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. It incrementally toughens requirements for young people to buy guns and denies firearms to more domestic abusers among other things.

But Biden's White House event this morning came a week after gunman in Highland Park, Illinois killed seven people at an Independence Day parade, a stark reminder of the limitations of the new law.

The quickly changing coronavirus has spawned yet another super contagious Omicron mutation. That's worrying scientists as it gains ground in India and pops up in about 10 other countries, including the United States.

Scientists say the variant, which is called BA.2.75 may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infection. It's unclear whether it could cause more serious disease than the globally dominant Omicron variant BA.5.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree expanding a fast track procedure to give Russian citizenship to all Ukrainians. It's yet another effort to expand Moscow's influence in war-torn Ukraine. Until now, only residents of Ukraine's Eastern Donetsk and Luhansk and two Southern regions were eligible. Russian missiles pounded Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv today, striking a school, a residential building, and a warehouse, killing six and injuring dozens.

Well, in some more positive news, the White House is unveiling the first images from NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope later today. It's the deepest view of the cosmos ever captured. NASA's Big Space Telescope launched last December.

And after months of shakeout, its first five images are about to be revealed, showing some of the first galaxies to form in the universe. Images that will come out tomorrow include a planet from outside our solar system. We'll have more news at 1:00 here on MPR News.

CATHY WURZER: Thank you, Emily. The pandemic continues, so does the resulting refuse associated with it. The pandemic caused a huge uptick in plastic garbage in the US. Lots of it is from the plastic food to-go boxes and, yeah, masks.

A new recycling plant is set to open in Rogers, Minnesota through an international company called Myplas. Brand owners and other private and public entities have invested millions of dollars into the project to build a 170,000 square foot film recycling plant. Here to talk about the new recycling company is Andrew Pieterse. He's the US CEO of the company Myplas. Andrew, welcome to Minnesota Now.

ANDREW PIETERSE: Hi, Cathy. Thanks for having me.

CATHY WURZER: When I hear film, I think of photos or movie film. That's clearly not what you're dealing with. What will the plant recycle?

ANDREW PIETERSE: So we are going to be recycling mainly film. And by film, I mean anything that stretches. When I think about plastic, it's overly grossly simplifying it, but I think of rigids, which is your milk bottles, and your juice bottles, and all the rest of it, and then film. Which is your shopping bags, the wrap that goes over your cucumber, that kind of thing. So we're going to be focusing on processing film.

CATHY WURZER: How much do you think you'll go through, say, in a month at this new plant?

ANDREW PIETERSE: Oh, gosh. So I mean, clearly, it's like with any manufacturing business. We're going to ramp up. We're looking to ramp up really quickly. And so, when we're at full capacity in about two years from now, we'll be running about 90 pounds million worth of plastic through the facility. So that's 90 pounds million of plastic waste that would have ended up in landfill, or worse, like the ocean, somewhere in the environment.

CATHY WURZER: How are you recycling this film?

ANDREW PIETERSE: So recycling is not the most complex process. It really is a process of grinding, washing, melting, and then re-compounding into pellets. We produce these pellets which are then on sold to what we call converters who then use the pellets to create new applications.

CATHY WURZER: New applications in what way?

ANDREW PIETERSE: So film applications, instead of using what we call virgin plastic, which is the plastic produced by oil companies, we sell recycled pellets. And then, new applications like shopping bags and the cover that-- the little plastic that covers your microwave meal, that kind of thing. That's what I mean by application.

CATHY WURZER: So Minnesota, of course, is the site for this new recycling plant. You could have gone anywhere. But you chose Minnesota. Why did you do that?

ANDREW PIETERSE: [LAUGHS] Yeah. So I get that question a lot. You know what, we didn't choose Minnesota. Minnesota chose us. We've been looking to expand internationally for quite some time. And especially after the National Sword Policy of China, which some people may be aware of. That's when China decided not to accept plastic waste from the US any longer, that really opened up an opportunity for us to bring our technical skills to the US.

And so, we were looking particularly in the Midwest. And through a wonderful coalition called MBOLD, which is part of greater MSB, we were connected serendipitously through fate, whatever you want to call it, to this organization. MBOLD is a coalition of some of the biggest food and ag corporate companies headquartered in Minnesota.

And so, through this coalition we were connected to these companies. And yeah, found our investors and our partners to set up this plant.

CATHY WURZER: I'm glad you mentioned China. The US hasn't really had a chance to build many more recycling plants since China stopped accepting many US recyclables in 2019, as you stated. Where has all the recycling been going to this point?

ANDREW PIETERSE: Yeah, I mean, that's the sad part. We use in the US about 15 billion pounds worth of plastic film, of which only 5% gets recycled. So the rest really does end up in landfill or in the environment. So it's a huge problem. And we are-- once we get up and running, we'll only be tackling a tiny portion of the problem.

So we're hoping that the template that we've got now, this plant that we're setting up will be replicated by ourselves but also other companies. Because this is a huge problem. And it's not going away without us doing something seriously about it.

CATHY WURZER: By the way, where will you get the plastic from? Just public entities, companies sending you their refuse? Do you have a plan for that?

ANDREW PIETERSE: Yeah. And I think that's the beauty of this plant that we're setting up in Rogers. Putting up a recycling plant is one thing. But finding a supply chain that works together is a completely different story. And recycling is one of those businesses, one of those industries, where you really need to have collaboration across the supply chain.

So what we've done is partnered as I say, with some of the biggest companies in the Minnesota region to produce or to send some of their waste to us. We then repurpose it, or reclaim it, or recycle it, and then work with a converter to produce new applications.

And so what we're trying to do here is create what we call a circular economy. So the traditional model was produce, consume, waste. And what we're doing here is produce, consume, recycle, produce, consume. And we're doing that with the help of some of the biggest partners, as I said earlier.

CATHY WURZER: Before you go, can you give me a timeline of when the plant will be built and start operations?

ANDREW PIETERSE: Oh yeah. So we are looking to start operations in May next year. We will be-- we've already signed a lease on our site in Rogers. We've got our equipment underway. We started recruitment. And so, if everything goes to plan, we'll be up and running by May.

CATHY WURZER: All right. We wish you well. Andrew, thank you so much.

ANDREW PIETERSE: Thank you very much for having me.

CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to Andrew Pieterse, CEO of Myplas USA.

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Time for a little music. Just a few minutes to shake off whatever's been bugging you this morning. Marie Rock is the Program Director and Morning Show Host at KOJB, The Eagle, broadcasting from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation. She is a big fan of classic rock. And every week, Marie picks a theme and every day plays a favorite song on that theme. She calls it, songs to sing in the car.

Hey, Cathy. What's up. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. And this one goes out to all those folks that are in their car, whether you're on your way to work, or you're just out running around, on vacation, whatnot, it is time to sing in the car. Why? Because you're a rock star when you get behind the wheel.

Our sing in the car theme this week, here, here. Our sing in the car tune today comes from the Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun."

[MUSIC - BEATLES, "HERE COMES THE SUN"]

And that was the Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun." That's your sing in the car tune for today. Have a great day, everyone.

CATHY WURZER: You too, Marie. Marie Rock is the Morning Show Host at KOJB, The Eagle, and the Program Director at that station. She's also the Amper's 2022 broadcaster of the year, which is a big deal.

Say, we're following some breaking news here in the newsroom. I suspect we're going to hear more about this from our Brian Bakst later in the afternoon. A Ramsey County judge has ruled that several of Minnesota's abortion restrictions, including parental notification and the 24-hour waiting period violate the state constitution and order them not to be enforced.

As you know, Minnesota constitutionally protects abortion. But there were these restrictions in place for-- in place, actually, for a number of years. And this district court judge just struck down those restrictions. So we'll hear more a bit later, as I say, not only on the air but also online, NPRNews.org.

CREW: Programming supported by Walker West, providing music education rooted in African-American cultural experience for all ages and backgrounds, to gather, explore, and grow through music. More about their community-centered programs, classes, and events, at WalkerWest.org.

CATHY WURZER: 12:41 here on Minnesota Now. Summer is the season for breweries in Minnesota. Patrick Rehkamp is back today to talk about news in the Minnesota beer and cider industries along with other business news this week, including the health of the housing market. Patrick is a reporter for The Minneapolis Saint Paul Business Journal. Hey, Patrick. Welcome back to the program.

PATRICK REHKAMP: Hey, Cathy. Thanks for having me.

CATHY WURZER: Good. Glad you're here. Hey, I understand that The Business Journal reported on where homebuyers are paying the most above the listed price?

PATRICK REHKAMP: Yeah. So to back up real quick, what we're seeing is the median sales price for homes in the Twin Cities area, which includes the exurbs, it hit $375,000 in May. That's depressing for a lot of potential homebuyers and people looking to buy a house.

But we know that the median sale price was actually about $5,000 less than the median list price. So the list prices are increasing faster than the sales price. That might be a sliver of good news that the market is softening and people just aren't going to keep up-- or buyers won't keep up with what sellers want.

CATHY WURZER: OK.

PATRICK REHKAMP: Generally speaking, it's still the exurbs. We're looking at Waconia, even out to Saint Cloud. Those houses tend to be going for the most. The median sale price is even still. It appears COVID in the remote work is a large part to play for it. If you want a big house with a couple of bedrooms and two home offices, going out to Saint Michael, Waconia, even South of Shakopee, that's where you're going to find it. Houses in the direct urban core, Minneapolis and Saint Paul, they've held steady. They haven't been bad.

But the real explosive sale price is way out in the exurbs still.

CATHY WURZER: All right. Hey, let's move on to the story about the breweries. THC, earlier in the program, of course, we were talking about the new cannabis edibles law that passed July the 1st in the state. And these THC-infused drinks are now legal as are edibles. How are Twin Cities breweries taking advantage of this new law?

PATRICK REHKAMP: So we know of one, Indeed Brewing Company in Northeast Minneapolis is moving in on it. They are going to release a non-alcoholic seltzer that contains two milligrams of THC. They are pretty crafty. They follow the state legislature probably more than most other breweries.

And a couple of years ago, they released one with CBD, which is the other component found in a lot of marijuana. So they've been up to date on this. And they haven't announced when yet, but soon is what they said.

CATHY WURZER: Hmm, OK. So breweries, of course, I also mentioned cideries, cider production went up-- went up way up last year, I understand. What's going on with that?

PATRICK REHKAMP: So if we look at the alcohol industry as a whole, there's different segments that are hot, those that are slow. Cider is really hot. Minnesota cider is way up. 500,000 gallons were produced last year. That's up big time, about 31% from 2020. This is all local ciders too.

It's one of those segments that are real hot. Beer seems to be slowing down and people are going towards cider. This might be a little subjective, but Minnesota ciders tend to place pretty well as far as just the quality goes. And people are flocking towards them.

Overall, it's a pretty small segment of the alcohol industry. You look at global alcohol markets, about $88 billion, cider accounts for about 10% of it. So it's small, but there's a lot of room for growth. And we're seeing that here in the state.

CATHY WURZER: All right. Say, before you go, I see that Target and Best Buy, two Minnesota-based companies are having big sales to rival Amazon summer sales.

PATRICK REHKAMP: That's right. So Amazon Prime Day, it's where you can get a ton of deals online through Amazon if you're a member. Runs July 12 through 13. Best Buy and Target, two local companies are getting in on it too. It's a real competitive thing. You look at these markets right now or these companies, this is a real slow time of the year for these retailers. It's before back to school shopping starts. It's well before the holidays.

They kick in these super deals. And they do pretty well. We've seen it in the past. It's big money for them. They talked to Amazon Prime-- it was about $3.5 billion in sales over just those two days they did it. Target hasn't released similar figures, but we know it's big for them. And these things continue to grow as well as far as the revenue it means for the companies.

CATHY WURZER: Say, by the way, I hear it's your birthday. A little birdie told me it was your birthday today. So happy birthday.

PATRICK REHKAMP: Thank you. I got the greatest birthday gift possible. My wonderful wife dealt with the morning with our infant and took her to daycare while I got to sleep in a little bit. So yes.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, nice. Nice.

PATRICK REHKAMP: That's all I could ask for.

CATHY WURZER: [LAUGHS] All right. Well, enjoy the rest of your birthday. Thank you, Patrick.

PATRICK REHKAMP: Thanks, Cathy. For more on those stories and other local business news, log on to mspbj.com.

CATHY WURZER: All right. Talk to you later. Thank you.

PATRICK REHKAMP: Thanks.

CATHY WURZER: Patrick Rehkamp is a reporter for The Minneapolis Saint Paul Business Journal.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

12:46. A trip to the Bell Museum in Saint Paul is practically a rite of passage for many metro area youngsters. Long known for its dioramas, it's a place with a lot going on and a history that is more interesting and, well, weirder than you thought. A new book is capturing that history.

A Natural Curiosity, The Story of the Bell Museum, tells the story of how this intriguing collection of Minnesota's natural history came to be. NPR reporter Tim Nelson spoke with two of the book's authors, both retired from the Bell Museum, Barbara Coffin and Don Luce.

TIM NELSON: So the Bell Museum, this is a 150-year-old idea, but it wasn't really a museum at first. How did it start and what did it do?

DON LUCE: Well, it started in 1872 with this idea of having a natural history survey of the state of Minnesota. This was not that long after the Minnesota became a state. Like many states in this area, there was a lot of land that was taken from Native peoples. And the idea was that we ought to figure out what was there and document what was there.

Some of it, it might have been for economic reasons. Where is good soil for farms? Where is some ore that could be extracted, timber that could be harvested, et cetera. But also, unlike maybe some other states, the survey was part of the University of Minnesota. So it was headed up by scientists who really wanted to document the diversity of natural resources that were in the state and make a record of what the state was like at that time.

TIM NELSON: And Barbara, it sort of wound up with you. I saw it initially started as a room at Old Main.

BARBARA COFFIN: Yeah. It was actually, basically, at first it was a cabinet of curiosities. The classic collections were displayed in little cabinets. And there is in the original legislation a statement that the collections were to be available and open to the public. So in a sense, it was a museum from the beginning.

TIM NELSON: But it became more of a formal museum early in the 20th century. Most Minnesotans know the Bell for its dioramas, sort of like the Instagram of the 1930s. They sprung up all over the place. You weren't really a major metropolitan area without a collection of dioramas. Why were they such a big deal?

DON LUCE: The idea of the diorama was a radically different way of presenting biodiversity, or nature at that time. I mean, museums in the past were these collections. And the survey, part of what their job was to collect samples of all the plants and animals, minerals, and rocks of the state. And so, that was really the nature of the museum up until the early 1900s.

But what did they say about nature? It was just specimens lined up in a case. And so, this was really the dawn of ecology, of people were concerned about conservation of nature. They were really also concerned about how do you get people inspired to want to preserve nature.

And so, the idea was, let's show this diversity in a way that made a kind of ecological sense. So people could see this, imagine themselves being in this place, and seeing plants and animals arranged in their natural ecological relationships.

TIM NELSON: And Barbara, you talk a little bit about this in the book, particularly the Heron Lake diorama, and the sort of interplay between the diorama and the real location in Minnesota. The conservation efforts that happened out there really became part of Minnesota regulations governing wildlife.

There's a lot going on here behind the scenes at the museum. Museum staff were pioneers in radio tracking of animals, ornithologists developed DNA techniques that really went back and looked at Darwin's landmark work on finches. I mean, there's been some real science and conservation here.

BARBARA COFFIN: Well, yeah. I think a couple of things. One thing that's really unique about our dioramas is that they're all representing real places in Minnesota. You can go back to those places today and visit them. And so, you can travel from the North Shore where the wolf diorama is, or out to the Sand Hill-- the prairie where the Sand Hill Cranes diorama is. So that's unique.

But also, the dioramas, like you say, did really enter into a bit of public policy given that out in Heron Lake where there is the Heron Lake diorama, and some of the very first game management laws were done by citizens. And so, you're right. There is a cross between what the dioramas are saying, and instilling, and promoting conservation, which was certainly part of the intent.

TIM NELSON: You've also worked in the education arm of the museum here. And I can scarcely think of anyone in Minnesota that's grown up in the last 50 years that hasn't been to the touch and see room at the Bell Museum. I think a lot of people take that for granted. You museums were look and don't touch institutions before that. How did the Bell change that?

BARBARA COFFIN: Well, I mean, that sort of started happening in the 1960s when there was exploration of a different way of doing public education. And much of the touch and see room concept can be credited to public education director that we had, Richard Barthelemy, and the idea that you'd put bones out, or you put skins out, or have parts of plants and animals that people can touch-- kids, adults, and this is not a foreign idea anymore because we have lots of nature centers. But at the time, it was really a very pioneering concept.

TIM NELSON: And Don, I was surprised to read what an odd collection the Bell can be as well. George Armstrong Custer's stuffed dog was once here. There was a collection of Filipino artifacts that wound up here after an 1890s real estate scandal. A sizable collection of Pacific Ocean algae. What surprised you most as you've combed through the history of the Bell?

DON LUCE: I think maybe any museum probably from that time period that's old enough gets some of these oddball collections coming in. I think people love this sort of curiosity story about these things that came in. For example, the algae, why would a university in the middle of the continent have a world renowned marine algae collection? [LAUGHS]

And it happened to be this woman, Josephine Tilden, who just-- who was the first female scientist on the staff of the University of Minnesota. She was a botanist. She actually started her career working for the Natural History Survey in the late 1800s. And she became fascinated with marine algae and ended up establishing a field research station on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

And so, for several years, she would take a whole group of students from Minnesota out to Vancouver Island, very isolated. You could only reach this by boat. And they actually lived in log cabins and explored the tide pools and the other diversity that's out there on-- marine diversity on Vancouver Island. It, of course, was not a very practical idea. I mean, for-- and so, eventually, University said we can't maintain this out there.

But it is one of these kind of really curiosity stories that where someone who just has this passion and can run with it and make some major impact from that.

TIM NELSON: And I think one of the themes that runs through this book is just the constant change of the Bell Museum. It's undergoing change all the time. And of course, the biggest, most recent one, the Bell got a new $79 million home in 2018.

Some of us remember the drama at the capital over the funding. And some of the good questions about its mission with institutions like the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Children's Museum, and the History Center nearby. Why did the Bell survive?

BARBARA COFFIN: We're very fortunate here in Minnesota and the Twin Cities that we have a very rich cultural group of institutions. And they all fill a little bit different niche. And certainly, the Bell Museum, why is it survived? Well, it really focuses on Minnesota. And I think that's something different than any of the other museums. And that's important.

DON LUCE: Yeah. But again, it was a struggle. It's trying to find our niche. And so, there are certain many periods of time when the Bell Museum looked like it was a place that never changed. And some people love that.

But having worked here and realizing that the museum does need to change, does need to address what are the expectations of a museum-goer today? A fair amount of my career was spent trying to find that answer. And I hope we have gotten an answer.

But there was a lot of back and forth. The dioramas, which are kind of a hallmark of the museum, many people during my career thought, hey, they should go out in the wastebasket. These are something that this is an old fashioned museum.

Why should the University be retaining something from the early 20th century? But eventually, I convinced people it was one of the unique and irreplaceable assets that the museum had. And what we need to do is think about how do we reinterpret these for audiences today.

TIM NELSON: Now, your book is stancibly about the Bell Museum. But it's kind of really a testament to Minnesota's abiding interest in the natural world. It shares, as you said, a founder with the University. It's named after a one-time General Mills president. The new building here is clad in Minnesota white pine. I walked in here and kids in their grandparents were getting out of their cars to come in here. What does it say about Minnesota?

BARBARA COFFIN: Well, I think it says, Minnesotans love nature. And here, you can go any time of the year and see a bit of Minnesota.

DON LUCE: And I think it's also, yes, some people might think that Minnesota's flyover land. But it's actually a really unique position in North America. It's a place where the three major biomes of our continent come together. And so, in terms of the natural diversity, we really have a lot here that you wouldn't expect to have. And that's one of our goals is to really get people to understand.

TIM NELSON: Well, thank you both. Congratulations on the new book. And good luck to you.

DON LUCE: Thank you very much.

BARBARA COFFIN: Thanks, Tim.

CATHY WURZER: That was MPR reporter Tim Nelson talking with Barbara Coffin and Don Luce, two of the authors of the new book entitled "A Natural Curiosity, The Story of the Bell Museum." It has a nifty website, by the way, if you want to know more about the Bell Museum. It's BellMuseum.umn.edu.

So in case you're just joining us, there's been a big ruling today from a Ramsey County judge. Now, as you know, abortion is legal in Minnesota under the state Constitution. But there are certain restrictions on the procedure that have been in place for years.

But today, the judge ruled that Minnesota's abortion restrictions, which include a 24-hour waiting period, parental-notification and a law requiring disclosure of certain information before most abortions violate the state constitution. So we'll be following this story. We'll have more from our reporters online and on the air.

Around the region at this hour, still raining in parts of northern Minnesota. Duluth Harbor has some light rain where it's 61 degrees. There's a thunderstorm in International Falls, where it's 63. Rain in Bemidji, were it's 64.

It's sunny though in Rochester and Worthington. Temperatures down South in the mid 70s to the lower 80s. 83 right now in downtown Saint Paul. Thanks for listening to Minnesota now here on MPR news have a good day.