Minnesota Now

New details have emerged in the shootings of Minnesota lawmakers. A grand jury has indicted the suspect on federal charges. Plus, we recap day one of the burglary trial for Democratic state Senator Nicole Mitchell. Traffic cameras in Minneapolis will crack down on speeding drivers. We learn about the new program. We hear how proposed federal cuts to public housing could impact Minneapolis residents that rely on housing vouchers. We are halfway through meteorological summer. What will the second half bring? Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner will join us with that answer. Each year Minnesota and North Dakota students launch mini-canoes in the Red River Valley. One of them may be floating down a river near you. The Minnesota Music Minute was ”Pouring Rain at Dawn” by The Jayhawks and “More to Me” by Amateur was the Song of the Day.

Water in the Red River Valley takes a path that may look odd on a map. That’s because the Red River flows north to Lake Winnipeg in Canada. From there, it heads for saltwater, emptying into the Hudson Bay and eventually reaching the ocean. Somewhere along this route, lodged in a beaver dam or trucking downstream, are small wooden canoes that were decorated and launched by students from about 40 elementary schools in Minnesota and North Dakota. Each boat has a QR code and postcard instructing anyone who finds it to share the location. For more on the program called River of Dreams [https://riverofdreams.org/], MPR News host Nina Moini talks with Taylor Lemieux and Ashley Loe. Lemieux is a watershed education coordinator for the International Water Institute, based in Fargo, and Loe is a fifth-grade teacher in Grand Forks, N.D.

Minnesota has had an eventful 24 hours of weather, with lots of rain and a big drop in temperatures. It all comes at the halfway point of meteorological summer. To find out how the second half of the season could unfold, MPR News host Nina Moini talks with MPR Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner on Minnesota Now.

Now that President Trump has signed his “Big Beautiful Bill” into law, Congress will shift focus to next year’s budget. Congress is considering some initial budget proposals this week. Trump’s original budget request to Congress back in May outlined a 44 percent cut to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees federal rental assistance programs and Section 8, or Housing Choice, vouchers. Dominic Mitchell is the executive deputy director of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and joins MPR News host Nina Moini to explain how the proposed cuts would impact his agency as well as renters who use the programs.

When you are driving in Minneapolis, you may get a speeding ticket without even getting pulled over by police. The city has announced the installation of speeding cameras at five intersections around the city. Eventually there could be more than 40 of these cameras. They are part of the city’s Vision Zero plan, aimed at reducing traffic accidents. Vision Zero coordinator Ethan Fawley joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the new program.