🌫️ An air quality alert for fine particles pollution continues until 10 a.m. Thursday for northwestern Minnesota. Air quality is expected to reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease, asthma and heart disease.

☀️ Highs Thursday will push well into the 80s across much of Minnesota. Highs will remain in the 80s for the next several days. Get the latest weather news on Updraft.

Coming up on Morning Edition

💵 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tells voters that if he is reelected, he’ll create an even better economy than he says he did in his first term. We’ll ask an economist about the former president's proposals for tariffs, inflation and mass deportations.

🔍 After his work and testimony came under heavy scrutiny, hundreds of criminal cases for which a former Ramsey County Medical examiner provided key testimony have been reviewed by the Ramsey County Attorney's Office. As Peter Cox reports, that investigation is nearly complete and some cases could go back to court.

🛒 Many shoppers blame stores and manufacturers for higher grocery prices. But do the companies' finances prove that to be true? NPR Business Correspondent Alina Selyukh did some sleuthing.

Coming up at 9 a.m.

📰 MPR News host Angela Davis talks about the history and future of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Minnesota’s oldest Black-owned newspaper just celebrated 90 years in print. And we want to hear from you, too.

☎️ What has the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder meant to you? What questions do you have about how the paper has survived when so many other newspaper businesses have closed? And, what questions do you have about its future? Call 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828 during the 9 a.m. hour.

7 Ramsey County homicide cases under review amid scrutiny of former medical examiner

Seven homicide cases in Ramsey County are now under review after questions were raised about the testimony of the county’s former medical examiner.

The seven cases are the last of more than 200 where Dr. Michael McGee provided key testimony. His work fell under scrutiny after a 2021 order from a federal appeals judge called into question McGee’s testimony in the killing of college student Dru Sjodin.

Art Hounds: A legacy of sight and sound at at Modus Locus Expansion

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art.

This week: “Legacy Dream Space” is coming to Minneapolis, History Alive Lanesboro is learning from strong women of the past and a new show by equine portrait artist Nanci Fulmek.

What else we're watching:

📋 Minneapolis City Council considers requiring data collection on encampment clearings. The ordinance amendment would require consistent reporting on encampment clearings — both for what happens to people who are evicted and for how much the removals cost taxpayers.

🐯 Pair of rare Amur tiger cubs debuting at Minnesota Zoo are raising hopes for the endangered species. Andrei and Amaliya got to venture outside and feel the grass under their paws Wednesday for the first time since their 12-year-old mother, Dari, gave birth in May.

🩺 Mammograms will better explain what it means to have dense breasts. Nearly half of women over 40 have dense breasts, which raises their risk of breast cancer. Mammograms should now include an assessment of breast tissue density.

🏆 From Indian Country Today: Native actors, TV show compete for Emmys. The 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards are set to kick off Sunday evening with several Indigenous actors making history.

👭🏿 ‘Sisterhood’ of Black women leaders gather in St. Paul to watch Harris-Trump debate. There were watch parties for Tuesday night’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump across the nation, including one for a group of more than 100 Black women leaders in St. Paul.

— Sam Stroozas and Anna Haecherl, MPR News