MPR News AM Update
 
 
☀️ Happy summer solstice! (Even though it's felt more like spring with all the rain lately.) It's the longest day of the year with the sun setting just after 9 p.m. in Minnesota.

🌧️ We likely won't see any more dry weather until next week. Scattered showers will develop Thursday for portions of central and southern Minnesota. And heavier rain and storms are possible Friday into Saturday.

Get the latest weather news on Updraft.

Coming up on Morning Edition

☔ Another round of storms is headed our way today, and more are possible through the weekend. That's after more than 6 inches of rain fell across parts of Minnesota this week. And for the first time in two years, the state is not in a drought. What does all this mean for farmers and the agriculture industry? Thom Petersen, Minnesota's commissioner of agriculture, joins us.

🚜 Are emerging and minority farmers facing more headwinds, especially in a changing climate? We speak with Marcus Carpenter of Route 1, and organization providing resources for BIPOC emerging farmers. 

🏠 And the northern Minnesota city of Grand Rapids — Judy Garland's hometown — is hoping there's "no place like home" for a storied pair of ruby slippers.
Coming up at 9 a.m.

⛪ Millions of Americans are leaving church. Are they also leaving their faith? MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon talks with a researcher and a pastor about the historic exodus from Christian congregations — what some have called the “great de-churching.”

📞 And we want to hear from you, too.  Did you grow up in a church and no longer attend one? Tell us why. Are you thinking of leaving your faith community? Have you found a new church? And, if you’re in ministry, are you seeing more people choosing to leave organized religion? Call 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828 during the 9 a.m. hour. 
 
Minnesota families struggle to find quality child care for their children with disabilities

Early intervention can help kids with disabilities succeed in school, but finding child care that can manage their needs is a massive challenge. Parents often ride a roller coaster of hope and frustration searching for a spot.

St. David’s Center for Family and Child Development is an education and care space in Minnetonka that specializes in children with disabilities or developmental delays. St. David's serves more than 4,000 children at its Twin Cities locations, in partner sites and homes. It has 2,000 kids on a waiting list for services. Many will likely age out before they are able to get a spot.
 
Celebrate the longest day of the year with these summer solstice events in Minnesota

Press pause on that summertime sadness, the solstice has arrived. The longest day of the year lands on Thursday this year.

Across Minnesota there are events celebrating the Midsummer holiday and this year, June’s full moon coincides with the event. The strawberry moon in Capricorn is extra special this year: the Farmers’ Almanac says it is the lowest moon in many years. This means the moon will look extra large and have a reddish-orange color.
 
Photos: Soul of the Southside Juneteenth celebration in south Minneapolis

South Minneapolis celebrated the Juneteenth holiday on Wednesday with its Soul of the Southside festival on Lake Street.

Juneteenth became a national holiday in 2021. In February 2023, Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill making Minnesota the 26th state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday.
 
What else we're watching:

👠 Judy Garland’s Minnesota hometown hopes to bring back Dorothy’s ruby slippers. Minnesota lawmakers set aside $100,000 for the famous shoes this year. Now the Judy Garland Museum is hoping a benevolent figure can help win them at auction.

🛟 Historic Lake Superior lighthouse sold at auction 5 years ago is available once again.  A historic Lake Superior lighthouse that a Californian won at auction five years ago with dreams of converting it into a quiet getaway — and possibly even a vacation rental — is now being offered for free to a government agency or nonprofit that agrees to maintain it.

🏘️ Northside Minneapolis modular housing project unveiled. North Minneapolis developer Devean George unveiled plans this week for a $32 million project on the northside that will create more than 150 jobs and manufacture residential and commercial modular housing out of an old printing plant.

🏕️ George Morrison-inspired Overlook Landing completed at Grand Marais Recreation Park. The project creates an entryway of sorts to the campground, marina and waterfront area between the Recreation Park and the North House Folk School. A significant component of the project features artwork inspired by the late George Morrison, a Grand Portage artist.

🏳️‍🌈 Art Hounds: Recommendation for Pride, a play about looking for romance. Also, “Babe Train Presents: B24 Improvised Films” parodies independent movies. And in Winona, two dancers make a connection with the Mississippi River.

— Anna Haecherl, MPR News
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