🌱 Beaches Reopen After Bacteria Closure + Busy Travel Weekend Ahead

Good morning, Minneapolis! Patch is back in your inbox with a guide to the headlines for July 1, including:

• How the Supreme Court student loan decision affects Minnesotans.
• Why the Park Board changed the closure hours for Stone Arch Bridge this weekend.
• When the last video store in the Twin Cities is closing.

But first, today's weather: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 89 Low: 65.

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Here are the top 5 stories in Minneapolis today:

1. Two Minneapolis beaches reopened Friday after high levels of e. Coli were found in the water, KARE11 reports. Thomas Beach on Bde Maka Ska and Lake Hiawatha Beach were closed earlier this week due to bacteria. (KARE11)

2. More than 700,000 student loan borrowers in Minnesota will be affected by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down President Joe Biden’s loan forgiveness plan, BMTN reports. The ruling “has been met with criticism from Minnesota's democratic lawmakers.” (BMTN)

3. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board changed the hours for this weekend’s Stone Arch Bridge overnight closures. “Community backlash” led officials to adjust the closing time to 10 p.m. Nightly closures will end at 6 a.m. Wednesday. (BMTN)

4. This holiday weekend is expected to set travel records across the U.S. “We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend,” Senior Vice President of AAA Travel Paula Twidale said. (KARE11)

5. Last month was the second-driest June in Minnesota’s recorded history, according to the National Weather Service. Less than one inch of rain fell over 30 days. (CBS)

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Today in Minneapolis:

• Stop by one of eight farmers markets open today across the city. (Times vary)
• Take a bird-watching trek at Bass Ponds. (8 a.m.)
• See "Into the Woods" at Guthrie Theater. (1 p.m.)
• The Minneapolis Pops Orchestra performs at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. (7 p.m.)
• Watch an outdoor screening of "Dog" at Lake Harriet. (9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• State officials extended the deadline to Aug. 1 for residents reapplying to Medicaid. (MPR News)
• Minneapolis Public Schools officials assured residents this week that “the state is not taking over” the district in spite of financial challenges. (Reformer)
• Applications opened Friday for an executive director position at the state’s new Office of Cannabis Management. (MPR News)
• Wild defenseman Brock Faber told CBS he is “processing” back-to-back postseason losses with the Minnesota Gophers and his NHL team earlier this year. (CBS)
• Robbindale’s Video Universe, the last video store in the Twin Cities metro area, closed Friday. (KSTP)

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That's all for July 1, Minneapolis!

I’m sad to say this is my last day curating the Minneapolis Patch Newsletter. It was a privilege to write your digest every day, and I hope to see you down the road.

Have a safe and healthy holiday weekend.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her writing has been recognized with awards from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.