Yikes. WCCO reports: “Police say a passerby found body parts in northeast Minneapolis Thursday morning, and the incident has prompted a homicide investigation. … ‘The body parts that were found would lead us to believe that the injuries caused by the removal would not be life-sustaining,’ Director of Police Information John Elder said. ‘These would be life-ending injuries.’ … Elder did not say which body parts were found, but said a 911 caller reported finding them on the 300 block of Main Street Northeast around 9:30 a.m.”
More funding for Minneapolis police. The Star Tribune’s Liz Navratil reports: “Minneapolis City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to release an additional $5 million to cover police overtime, offsetting some of the cuts it made to police funding last fall. … The vote came one week after Police Chief Medaria Arradondo asked council to release the money, saying it would help cover a small percentage of the overtime shifts needed amid an officer shortage and costs associated with the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering George Floyd.”
Getting back to work. The Forum’s Matthew Guerry reports (via the West Central Tribune): “The unemployment rate ticked down slightly to 4% in Minnesota last month, according to the latest figures from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development. … Having added 14,800 private sector jobs, the state in May recorded its fifth straight month of job gains. The state’s labor force participation rate also increased for the first time in three months, and is up two-tenths of a percentage point to 67.9%.”
Approaching a low-water mark. MPR’s Paul Huttner reports: “It’s another sign of the deepening drought of 2021 in Minnesota. River levels are approaching record lows in parts of Minnesota. … The St. Croix River hydrograph at Stillwater, Minn. shows the river level at 75.48 feet Wednesday. That’s just a few inches above the record low river level of 75.10 feet recorded in 1988. … St. Croix River at Stillwater NOAA/North Central River Forecast Center … The Mississippi River at St. Paul is running at 3.2 feet Wednesday. That’s a few inches above the record low of 2.6 feet set in 1976.”
In other news…
The Market Bucks stop here: “Nonprofits lobby Legislature to fund program that helps low-income residents buy at farmers’ markets” [Star Tribune]
Not cool: “Someone’s dumping junk in Superior National Forest” [Duluth News Tribune]
Grandma’s is on: “The first major marathon to be held since COVID is in Duluth” [KARE]
Sounds divine: “Basilica Block Party returns in September with AJR and Avett Brothers” [Star Tribune]
