Morning Edition

The heat is on at the Capitol this week, as state lawmakers look for agreement on a new two-year budget. One sticking point has been the public safety budget bill.

After a year of high-profile police killings, mass protests and a surge in gun violence and civil unrest, Minneapolis residents are getting ready to elect a new mayor. Seven mayoral candidates, including incumbent Jacob Frey, are vying for this week’s DFL endorsement. 

Hoping to make things a little lighter for everyone, MPR News associate producer and working comedian Aron Woldeslassie has been serving up his observations on life during these unusual times.

Minnesota officials have been reaching out to people on unemployment in hopes of linking them with jobs. Some blame enhanced unemployment payments for the worker shortage, but others underscore the labor shortage preceded the pandemic. Challenges with child care and transportation have prevented some from joining the workforce.

With the public welcomed back to observe, Minnesota lawmakers return to the Capitol for a special session that will continue until a new state budget is enacted.

One person was killed and three injured Sunday night after the driver of an SUV drove into a crowd of protesters in the Uptown area of Minneapolis, near the site where Winston Smith was shot by sheriff's deputies earlier this month.

This month’s heat wave prompted an MPR listener to ask about the statewide record for consecutive days with temps at or above 90 degrees.

We get occasional dispatches from wildflower chasers Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo, as they roam the state looking for what’s in bloom. Their latest postcard comes from the bog boardwalk at Lake Bemidji State Park, where they caught the beginning of orchid season.

Billy Franze, who passed away in April, thrilled cheering bar crowds with Dr. Mambo’s Combo for more than three decades. He’s being remembered as an extremely talented musician and a good-natured soul who helped many other musicians get a foothold in the Minneapolis music scene.

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.