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| | |  | The Minneapolis skyline seen in the distance over Lake of the Isles on Memorial Day Weekend. (Adam Sage / City Cast Twin Cities) |
| Keeping Our Waters Clean | Hot temperatures last week gave us great weather for swimming Memorial Day weekend, but also noticeably more algae than usual for this time of year. While the City of Minneapolis is still getting its lake water quality map up to full speed, researchers and government officials are employing a variety of methods to keep our swimming and drinking water clean. | - Natural filtration: St. Paul's water utility is digging three new ponds to help capture pollutants before they reach East Vadnais Lake, the largest drinking water source for more than 400,000 people connected to St. Paul Regional Water Services. The new ponds are meant to restore some of the wetlands that used to serve as natural filtration for the water before being lost to development. [Star Tribune]
- Mud vs. Bacteria: Blue-green algae (which is actually bacteria, not algae) floats on the surface of lakes in Minnesota and can cause health effects for swimmers. Researchers with the University of Minnesota and the Army Corps of Engineers are experimenting with mixtures of clay and water to sink and kill the bacteria. If the experiments prove effective and don't appear to cause significant environmental impacts, clay treatment for blue-green algae could begin next summer. [MPR News]
- Algae isn't the only problem: We have PFAS to worry about too! PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," are not safe to consume and are very difficult to remove from drinking water. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued new recommendations for cleaning PFAS out of our drinking water after conducting a study funded by an $850 million settlement with 3M in 2018. The agency is recommending drilling new wells around the east metro to pump up groundwater and clean it to prevent the further spread of forever chemicals in the aquifer. [Pioneer Press]
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| What the Cities Are Talking About |
| Eyes in the sky: Police departments around the Twin Cities are experimenting with using drones as first responders for specific situations. Minnetonka has logged over 600 drone flights since launching their program last year, and police officials say that the drones help officers to know what they're walking into before they arrive and cut down on unnecessary patrol dispatches. Minnesota also has some of the strictest regulations in the country regarding how law enforcement can use drones, but some elected officials are weary about drones being used to expand state surveillance. [Star Tribune] | | Feds pay up: A judge has ordered the federal government to pay more than $15,000 in legal fees for Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, a man whose skull was fractured following an ICE arrest in January. Mondragón said agents dragged him from his car, threw him to the ground, and repeatedly struck him in the head with a steel baton. ICE agents claimed that Mondragón was injured by running into a wall, but hospital staff said that story was inconsistent with his injuries. [MPR News] | | Baffoonery inbound: Red Bull's Flugtag event will be returning to Minneapolis on September 26. Competitors will bring homemade, human-powered flying machines and attempt to fly as far as possible off of a ramp into the Mississippi River at Bohemian Flats Park. If you have an idea for a wacky plane with questionable flying abilities, you have until July 19 to apply. [Red Bull] | |  | A view of the Stone Arch Bridge from my favorite park in Northeast, Father Hennepin Bluffs Park. (Adam Sage / City Cast Twin Cities) |
| How well do you know NE? Test your knowledge of Minneapolis's Northeast neighborhoods in this week's quiz – I'm currently feeling very proud of acing it live on today's episode of the podcast. If you have trouble with the quiz, come to Pilllar Forum later this month to get a little taste of the neighborhood and get a coffee on us. City Cast will be covering the bill for the first 25 people to go to Pilllar every day from June 22-26. [City Cast Twin Cities] | | Northern Iron under fire: Residents on St. Paul's East Side gave Mayor Kaohly Her an earful for not doing more to address pollution concerns in the neighborhood. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is currently fighting in court to revoke Northern Iron's operating permits over allegations that the company polluted excessively and modified pollution-control equipment without the required permits. Residents want the city to take a stronger stance, but Her said St. Paul is not involved in the lawsuit and could face defamation claims if city officials publicly weighed in. [Sahan Journal] |
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| | Tuesday, June 2 | | | Wednesday, June 3 | | | |
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I mentioned the Taco Bell 50k that happened on Sunday in a newsletter last week, and now my whole body hurts because I decided to sign up for it on a whim. It was more than twice as far as I've ever ran in my life, and definitely the most Taco Bell I've ever eaten in a day. If you want to hear more about how my tummy handled it, you can hear Sean interview me on today's episode of the podcast. |
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