Minnesota Now

Parts of the Minnesota River Valley remain under flood warnings following torrential rain over the weekend. A Waseca County official says an emergency declaration in the region may be necessary. He'll join us to talk about cleanup efforts.

Deportation fears are upending prosecutions in Hennepin County. We'll learn how the Trump administration's policies are impacting local cases.

Plus, a Marshall Project investigation found many in-custody deaths are reported inaccurately to the federal government, or not reported at all. We'll hear from two reporters behind the story.

And the Minnesota Lynx have now defeated the reigning WNBA champs, the New York Liberty, three times this season. We'll get the latest sports news from Wally and Eric.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Bee Sting” by Davina and the Vagabonds. Our Song of the Day was “Ain't Wastin' Time No More” by The Allman Brothers Band.

The Minnesota Lynx will face the New York Liberty Tuesday night, marking the fourth time the two teams meet this season. New York beat the Lynx 3-2 in the best-of-five 2024 WNBA Finals to win the franchise's first championship. Since then, Minnesota has won three straight against the Liberty.

And the Minnesota Twins pulled off a win against the Detroit Tigers Sunday night 8-1. Part of that is thanks to shortstop Brooks Lee, who hit a home run with the bases loaded. It was the first grand slam of his career. The Twins lost their previous three games against the Tigers. They go on to play the Athletics Tuesday at home.

Under the federal Death in Custody Reporting Act, anyone who dies in law enforcement custody must be reported to the Department of Justice. A Marshall Project investigation into the data found that many in-custody deaths are reported inaccurately to the federal government, or not reported at all.

One of many deaths that was reported inaccurately was George Floyd’s.

Marshall Project reporters Anna Flagg and Ilica Mahajan worked on this story and joined Minnesota Now to share more.

The White House has described its immigration policies as a “landmark public safety effort” to arrest and deport people who have committed crimes. Data from the Deportation Data Project that was analyzed by NPR shows ICE has also increased arrests of people with no criminal record.

And in Hennepin County, officials say deportations and related fears have disrupted criminal cases. That’s according to a story published Monday by Sahan Journal criminal justice reporter Katrina Pross. She spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about her reporting.

In Waseca County, in southern Minnesota, basements flooded and crews are out Monday fixing washed-out gravel roads. More than 6.5 inches of rain fell from midnight Sunday to 6 p.m. in the city of Waseca. Other parts of the county had reports of more than 11 inches of rain from multiple rounds of storms, according to Waseca County Administrator Michael Johnson.

Johnson spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about storm damage.

The USA Wheelchair Softball World Series is in full swing outside of the Mall of America. The event, hosted by the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, started Thursday morning and runs through Saturday.

The event brings together more than 300 athletes and their families from around the world. This year, the Minnesota Rolling Twins are seeking to defend their 2024 World Series title.

National Wheelchair Softball Association Tournament Director Jeff Downes and Ryan Trench, the supervisor of the sports and recreation department at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, joined Minnesota Now to talk about the tournament and the sport's impact on athletes who use wheelchairs.

Find more information about this year’s tournament on the National Wheelchair Softball Association’s website.

As the state's first nontribal cannabis businesses are preparing to open, Governor Walz appointed an official director of the Office of Cannabis Management. Eric Taubel joins Minnesota Now to talk about the issues he's confronting.

We head to the factory floor of a speaker company with an executive who says federal tariffs that are meant to help them are making it harder to keep their business in the U.S.

Plus, a common practice of barricading lakeshores with large rocks comes with an environmental cost. MPR News correspondent Kirsti Marohn explains.

Can you believe the start of school is right around the corner? We get tips on how be thrifty with school supplies.

And the USA Wheelchair Softball World Series is in full swing.

School supply shopping is a marker of summer winding down and a new year of learning about to begin. For many kids, it is also a chance to express themselves through the stuff they pick out.

But many families are concerned about the price of that fresh start. Several years of inflation has pinched budgets, and there is concern that tariffs will drive up prices further. A survey by the National Retail Federation found more families started their shopping early this year because of that worry.

For the latest in the Minnesota Now series Professional Help, Minnesota Now producer Alanna Elder talked with Julie Granning, PTO president for Valley View Elementary School in Columbia Heights, as well as Sarah Lancaster, who teaches first grade in Onamia and was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2022.

Lancaster noted there are school supply giveaways across the state, including one happening Tuesday at Onamia Public Schools. The blog “Thrifty Minnesota” rounded up a list of other events in the state. And the Little Canada-based organization Kids in Need Foundation also provides supplies to eligible students and teachers.

Our ask: Help me shop for school supplies on a budget

Our guests: Julie Granning, PTO president for Valley View Elementary School, and Sarah Lancaster, a first grade teacher in Onamia and 2022 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

Have you ever noticed how many lake homes have large rocks lining their shorelines?

Those layers of rocks, known as riprap, are often meant to fight erosion and keep soil from crumbling into the lake due to waves or high water. But rock riprap brings a whole raft of other problems with it.

Kirsti Marohn has been reporting extensively on the subject and joined Minnesota Now to share what she’s learned as a part of a check-in with MPR News reporters in Greater Minnesota.

Minnesota is armoring its shorelines with rocks, but lakes are paying a price

Business owners have been on a rollercoaster this year from tariff battles between President Donald Trump and leaders of China, Canada, Mexico and other countries. Some businesses are pushing back against the tariffs that are meant to help them, including one here in Minnesota.

Dan Digre is the CEO of MISCO Speakers, which has been making loudspeakers in the Twin Cities for 75 years. They sell their speakers to customers who make everything from airplanes to video games to fast food drive-throughs. MPR News senior economics contributor Chris Farrell met Digre at the MISCO Speakers headquarters in St. Paul.