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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is comprised of a weekly 30-minute magazine-style newscast and daily, five-minute headlines segments that shine a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
INTRO: YOU ARE LISTENING TO NORTH STAR STORIES: VOICES FROM WHERE WE LIVE, A DAILY NEWSCAST ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE IN MINNESOTA.
XAN HOLSTON: WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
THREE EGG GIANTS ARE ACCUSED OF SECRETLY GAMING A PRICE SYSTEM TIED TO PRICES FOR GROCERY STORES ... AND SHOPPERS.
TOM COTTER: THE COMPLAINT HERE INDICATES THAT THIS WAS NOTHING VERY SUBTLE AT ALL.
XAN HOLSTON: WHAT THE STATE GAINS BY HELPING TO PROSECUTE AN ANTI-TRUST LAWSUIT COMING UP...
BUT FIRST...
WILDFIRES AND BURN BANS IN BWCA ACROSS NORTHERN AND NORTHEAST MINNESOTA ... AND EXTREME HEAT CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST IN MUCH OF THE STATE THROUGH TUESDAY.
THE FOREST SERVICE’S LATEST COUNT IS 17-ACTIVE WILDFIRES IN SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST ... WITH MULTIPLE AREAS CLOSED INSIDE THE BOUNDARY WATERS.
U-S FORESTRY RANGERS ARE SEARCHING FIFTEEN LAKES FOR ANY PADDLERS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN OUT ON THE WATER BEFORE THE CLOSURE ORDERS.
AS OF YESTERDAY ... NO CAMPFIRES, CHARCOAL GRILLS OR WOOD-BURNING STOVES ARE ALLOWED ANYWHERE IN THE NATIONAL FORESTS ... INCLUDING THE BOUNDARY WATERS.
STATE BURN RESTRICTIONS WENT INTO EFFECT IN COOK, LAKE AND NORTHERN SAINT LOUIS COUNTIES.
RED FLAG WARNINGS MAY EXPAND IN THE NORTHERN REGION ... MONITOR LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATIONS.
ACROSS MANY PARTS OF THE STATE... MULTIPLE BEACHES ARE CLOSED BECAUSE OF HIGH BACTERIA LEVELS.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY HEAVY RAIN … GROUND WATER RUN-OFF... WILDLIFE AND PET WASTE … AND EVEN PEOPLE SWIMMING WHILE THEY’RE SICK ALL PUSH BACTERIA LEVELS HIGH ENOUGH TO CLOSE A BEACH.
NOW … MINNESOTA IS IMPLEMENTING A NEW WAY TO CHECK BEACH CLOSURES... BEFORE YOU GET TO THE WATER.
EPIDIMIOLIGIST TRISHA ROBINSON SAYS THE NEW WEBSITE GATHER ALL LOCAL WATER QUALITY ALERTS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE STATE TO TRACK BEACH WATER PROBLEMS OVER TIME …
TRISHA ROBINSON: A ONE STOP SHOP FOR MINNESOTANS TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT A BEACH IS OPEN AND ANY OTHER ALERTS THAT MIGHT BE IN PLACE FOR THAT BEACH.
XAN HOLSTON: BEACH MONITORING IS LARGELY HANDLED LOCALLY … AND MANY ARE NOT MONITORED AT ALL.
SO ROBINSON SAYS TO AVOID THE WATER AFTER HEAVY RAIN … STAY OUT IF THEY’VE BEEN SICK … AND DON’T SWALLOW LAKE WATER.
THE PORTAL OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES LATER THIS MONTH … BUT YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT NOW … AT M-N BEACHES DOT ORG.
IN ROCHESTER... NEIGHBORS IN THE KUTZKY PARK AREA ARE PUSHING BACK ON THE LATEST PLANS FROM MAYO CLINIC FOR ITS NEW DEVELOPMENT AT THE SITE OF A HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD CATHOLIC SCHOOL.
NEIGHBORS SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT AT LAST WEEK’S ROCHESTER CITY COUNCIL MEETING... AFTER MAYO DEMOLISHED THE SCHOOL FOR ITS EXPANSION.
MAYO’S NEW ‘GRANGER LINEAR PARK’ IS SUPPOSED TO HONOR THE FORMER LOURDES HIGH SCHOOL SITE.
MAYO SAYS THE PLAN INCLUDES GREEN SPACE, SEATING, A COMMEMORATIVE WALL AND REUSED SCHOOL MATERIALS.
BUT RESIDENTS SAY THEY DON’T SEE WHAT WAS PROMISED … JUST MONTHS OF CONSTRUCTION ON A WAREHOUSE ... AND SAY THE NEIGHBORHOOD FEELS DUPED.
STEPHANIE PODULKI: IT’S NOT FUN OR EASY TO FEEL BAMBOOZLED. OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN BAMBOOZLED SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS PROJECT.
XAN HOLSTON: COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESSED MAYO ON POWER LINES ... SCHOOL ARTIFACTS, AND RENDERINGS ... AND SAY THEY ARE WAITING FOR MAYO TO RESPOND.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS THREE MAJOR EGG PRODUCERS SECRETLY COORDINATED BIDS TO MOVE A WHOLESALE PRICING BENCHMARK... TO INCREASE THE PRICE RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS PAID.
A CIVIL ANTITRUST COMPLAINT SAYS THREE OF THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST EGG PRODUCERS COORDINATED PRICING MANIPULATION FROM JUNE 2022 THROUGH MARCH 2025.
MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON ANNOUNCED THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT EARLIER THIS MONTH. AFTER WORKING WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND 16 OTHER STATES TO SUE THE THREE EGG PRODUCERS.
U-OF-M LAW PROFESSOR TOM COTTER SAYS THE COMPLAINT QUOTES ONE C-E-O'S EMAIL TO THE OTHER COMPANIES’ URGING: “STRONG BIDS, EARLY AND OFTEN.”
THERE WERE EMAILS GOING BACK AND FORTH FROM THESE THREE COMPANIES THAT SEEM TO BE PRETTY CLEARLY ESTABLISHED THAT THIS IS WHAT THEY WERE DOING... THEY WERE COORDINATING THEIR BIDDING ACTIVITY...AND THIS IS A CLEAR WAY TO VIOLATE ANTI-TRUST LAWS.
XAN HOLSTON: PROPOSED SETTLEMENTS ARE NOW AWAITING COURT APPROVAL. THE COMPANIES WOULD HAVE TO PAY 3-POINT-3-MILLION DOLLARS TO PARTICIPATING STATES ... AND DONATE 53-MILLION-EGGS ... ABOUT TWO MILLION WOULD GO TO MINNESOTA FOOD SHELVES.
THE GREAT MINNESOTA GET-TOGETHER IS BACK WITH ADDITIONS TO ITS FAVORITE RECIPE OF ‘PUT IT ON A STICK AND DEEP FRY’.... WHILE ASKING JUST HOW FAR YOU’LL GO FOR A PICKLE.
NEW THIS YEAR: PICKLE PIE… DILL-PICKLE COOKIE CALLED... NATURALLY ... “DILL WITH IT, COOKIE!”
YOU CAN ALSO TRY... DUBAI WHOOPIE PIE … A HMONG CORNDOG… AND AN APPLE-DONUT HAM GRINDER.
BRING WHATEVER-YOU-HAVE-ON-A-STICK AND STOP BY OUR AMPERS RADIO BOOTH IN THE EDUCATION BUILDING...
AMPERS PRODUCES NORTH STAR STORIES ... AND REPRESENTS AND SUPPORTS 17 INDEPENDENT NON-COMMERCIAL COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES ... I’M XAN HOLSTON.
OUTRO: NORTH STAR STORIES IS PRODUCED BY AMPERS, DIVERSE RADIO FOR MINNESOTA'S COMMUNITIES WITH SUPPORT FROM THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA. ONLINE AT AMPERS DOT ORG.