Good morning, Minnesota. Welcome to Friday. We're gearing up for an extraordinarily hot weekend. Today brings record-breaking heat with temperatures in the 90s. Some parts of Western Minnesota could see 100 degrees. There's an air quality alert today, too, due to the combination of heat and stagnant air. This is in effect from noon until 9 p.m. for east central Minnesota, including the Twin Cities. Help reduce air pollution by limiting car trips, skipping lawnmowing and bonfires.
Longfellow rises
A hopeful story: In the past year, the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis has rebuilt and perhaps gotten stronger.
Alicia Smith of the Corcoran Neighborhood Association says the area's walking patrol groups born from unrest in 2020 continue to evolve. When grocery stores burned down, the Midtown Farmers Market became even more important to residents. Read the full story from Jon Collins.
City of Minneapolis attempts to open George Floyd Square Before 6 a.m. Thursday morning, Minneapolis Public Works employees arrived at George Floyd Square to remove barricades that have closed the intersection off for nearly a year. They were joined by local organization the Agape Movement to remove the barricades. Agape has paid contracts with the city tied to the reopening of 38th and Chicago for up to $359,000. We've requested a copy of the contract.
Mayor Jacob Frey pledged to reopen the intersection back in February and says the city will invest in Black-owned businesses and property in the area.
George Floyd Square remains occupied by organizers, protesters and caretakers of the space who placed makeshift barricades where the city removed previous ones — plus additional fist sculptures on the Square's north and south barricades. Many community members want the space to remain closed to honor George Floyd. They've asked the city to meet a list of demands before reopening.
What we know about the Uptown shooting One person was killed yesterday in Uptown Minneapolis by members of a U.S. Marshals taskforce. The shooting occurred on top of a parking ramp at W. Lake Street and S. Fremont Avenue.
U.S. Marshals say they were attempting to arrest the victim and fired when the person displayed a handgun. A spokesperson told MPR News that its deputies do not wear body cameras.
– Grace Birnstengel, MPR News | Find me on Twitter @grace__ | 
