Good morning,

Welcome to Tuesday, Aug. 3.

Yesterday I learned that the summer of 2021 was Minnesota's third warmest meteorological summer on record. Keeping in mind our ongoing drought, there are rain chances Wednesday through Sunday. Fingers crossed. Today is sunny with wildfire haze and highs in the lower 80s to lower 90s.

Here's what's happening around the state:

Activist Toshira Garraway (left) and Katie Wright (center), mother of Daunte Wright, are joined by hundreds of others for a march to the Brooklyn Center Police Department in May. | Kerem Yucel, MPR News file

What has changed in Brooklyn Center?

Brooklyn Center made major commitments after one of its police officers shot and killed Daunte Wright during traffic stop in April, saying it would lower the profile of its police department and overhaul its public safety. Mayor Mike Elliott said it was his job to listen to protesters who demonstrated for days outside the Brooklyn Center police station. He aims to have the overall done by April 2022 — one year since Wright was Killed.

Nina Moini reports on what progress has been made against the mayor's promises.

Hopkins Public Schools staff member Molly Warden gets her first COVID-19 vaccine dose in January. | Evan Frost, MPR News

New, active COVID cases are rising. The U, First Avenue and others react

Minnesota is averaging around 500 COVID-19 cases a day, which is up significantly from around 90 cases a day at the start of July. While this is concerning, data doesn't yet signal the explosive case growth we saw in mid-April or late fall. Nearly 70 percent of residents 16 and older have at least one vaccine shot.

"Heading up in case counts is a direction that no one wanted to go," health commissioner Jan Malcom told reporters Monday, noting that the delta variant is now responsible for about 85 percent of new cases in the state.

On Monday, the University of Minnesota announced it'll reinstate its mask requirement for all students, faculty, staff and visitors to mask up indoors — vaccinated or not. And First Avenue is requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to attend a show at any of its venues.

Low rivers affect many

Rivers across the state are very low because of the severe drought, and it's affecting people who rely on rivers and streams for their livelihood, like a Cannon River water recreation company. It's hard to canoe when the boats hit the river bottom.

MPR News reporter Kirsti Marohn checked in with Welch Mill, farmers and the DNR about the current state of the drought and some of its many impacts.