Morning Edition

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Morning Edition, with Cathy Wurzer in St. Paul and NPR hosts in Washington and Los Angeles, brings you all the news from overnight and the information you need to start your day. Listen from 4 to 9 a.m. every weekday.

Morning Announcements | Weather chats with Mark Seeley | Parting Thoughts

State judge strikes down many of Minnesota's abortion restrictions
Ramsey County Judge Thomas Gilligan on Monday ordered state officials to stop enforcing many Minnesota abortion restrictions including the informed consent law and the two-parent notification law, saying they violate the state constitutional right to privacy.
After a six-year hiatus and the pandemic, Sleepy Eye Community Theater is reviving with a production of “West Side Story.” With the re-opening, reaching into new diverse audiences and actors is a priority for the theater group.
Dry June causes topsoil moisture concerns in southern, central Minnesota
So far this summer has been drier than average, even with recent rain events and a chance for storms this weekend. On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor released a map showing a large swath of central and southern Minnesota abnormally dry, with some areas moving into moderate drought.
Rochelle Cox steps in as interim superintendent for Minneapolis Public Schools
Rochelle Cox is stepping into the role of interim superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share the goals she has for her team and the district during her one-year term.
Ex-cop Chauvin gets 20-plus years for violating George Floyd's civil rights
“I really don’t know why you did what you did. But to put your knee on another person’s neck until they’re deceased is wrong,” Judge Paul Magnuson told Chauvin during Thursday’s hearing. “And for that you must be substantially punished.”
A warm June breaks trend seen in the last five months
June was uniformly warmer than normal across the state, breaking the cooler trend that dominated most of the first five months of the year.
Invasive lupine, a lovely lightning rod on Minnesota's North Shore
Many people along Minnesota's North Shore eagerly await early summer when huge fields of lupine bloom along roadsides. But the flower is not native to the state, making it a beautiful, but controversial species.
In the land of zero natural lakes, Rochester has a pool drought
Recent pool closures have left Rochester with a single public swimming pool, leading to squabbles over pool time and space. Local officials and families alike say the city doesn't have enough pools for everyone who wants to swim and that pool access is increasingly becoming a matter of privilege.
Did the historic flooding on Rainy Lake this summer have to be so bad? 
The historic flooding on Rainy Lake this summer has been driven by record-setting spring rains that fell on top of a late-melting winter snowpack. But many residents believe that more could have been done to prevent the worst impacts of the flooding.