For MPR, Elizabeth Shockman writes: “The Hennepin County District Court this week decided not to exempt Minnesota charter schools from a lawsuit aimed at addressing school segregation. The Cruz-Guzman case claims that persistent school segregation effectively denies Minnesota children an adequate education. Several charter schools sought to be exempted from whatever ruling might be made in the case, but a judge on Monday decided not to exempt them.”

KSTP-TV’s Frank Rajkowski reports: The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has voted to officially change the name of Lake Calhoun Park to Bde Maka Ska Park. It’s the latest move related to a long struggle over the name of the nearby lake. The lake’s name was officially changed to Bde Maka Ska in early 2018 after the Minnesota DNR approved the results of earlier votes by the MPRB and the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners. But in April, the Minnesota State Court of Appeals ruled the DNR did not have the authority to change the name of the lake — a decision the DNR is currently appealing.”

The Pioneer Press’ Frederick Melo reports: “Members of the St. Paul City Council gave the St. Paul Port Authority’s planned purchase of the defunct Hillcrest Golf Club the verbal equivalent of a thumbs-up Wednesday, without going so far as to approve the $10 million deal.”

For the Star Tribune, Erin Golden writes: “A new Minnesota law that provided relief to school districts struggling to catch up after a long run of weather-related cancellations is prompting a new debate over when and how custodians, bus drivers, educational assistants and other hourly workers should be compensated for missed days. … Walz and legislators who backed the provision said their aim was simple: to make hourly workers whole after a particularly unpredictable school year. But in practice, it’s been far more complicated … .”

Article continues after advertisement

Catherine Richert at MPR writes: “Mayo Clinic says severe staff shortages may speed up a massive consolidation of services between two satellite campuses in Albert Lea and Austin in southeastern Minnesota.… Moving labor and delivery to Austin — the final step in the consolidation — was slated to happen in 2020 to coincide with the construction of a new birth center there. But Dr. Sumit Bhagra, medical director for both Mayo locations, says severe staffing shortages may require a faster timeline.”

From the AP: “President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for spring storms and flooding that caused nearly $40 million in damage to infrastructure across Minnesota. Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that the declaration will provide federal emergency relief money for 51 Minnesota counties and four tribal governments. Walz had requested the federal aid in a letter to Trump two weeks ago.”

For the Pioneer Press, Jasmine Johnson writes: “A 21-year-old woman died Monday after she was pulled from a pool in Woodbury. Woodbury police received a call Saturday about 10:15 p.m. reporting that a woman was removed from a townhouse complex pool in the 2600 block of Tahoe Road. She had no visible injuries, police said. The woman wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse, and officers began CPR, said John Altman, who is in charge of Woodbury police patrol services.”

The Star Tribune’s John Reinan writes: “WHIPHOLT, Minn. – As Minnesota gears up for cabin season, this placid vacation community some 200 miles northwest of the Twin Cities finds itself embroiled in a testy dispute between a St. Cloud businessman and a former reality TV star from Wayzata. Turns out that amid the more than 111,000 acres of Leech Lake, there’s not room for both of them to put in their docks. At least, not in a way they can agree on.”