MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for the Twin Cities starting Friday. 

Air quality alert in Twin Cities

What we know:

MPCA says that ground-level ozone will be at unhealthy levels in the Twin Cities on Friday. An air quality will be in place from noon to 9 p.m. 

An air quality alert in the Twin Cities. Graphic courtesy of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.  (Supplied)

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Sunny skies, low humidity and warm temperatures make for favorable conditions pollutants to react with sunlight to make ground-level ozone. MPCA says the ozone will subside as the sun sets. 

Who is most affected by poor air quality?

Dig deeper:

People with asthma or other breathing conditions like COPD, chronic bronchitis and emphysema will be affected by poor quality. They can experience symptoms like difficulty deep breathing, shortness of breath, throat soreness, wheezing, coughing and unusual fatigue. 

Additionally, children, teenagers and people of all ages who are doing heavy physical activity outside. 

What you can do:

MPCA recommends taking it easy while outside and limiting physical activity.

To help reduce pollution, use public transit or carpool when possible, fill up your car’s tank at dawn or dusk and avoid backyard fires.

After the murder of George Floyd, the Minneapolis Police Department lost hundreds of officers and was a “depleted police department,” a statement from former Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara’s attorney said. 

The chief “made significant progress in rebuilding community trust and pride within the ranks of MPD,” the statement reads.

At the memorial to Alex Pretti, who was killed during Operation Metro Surge, part of the attorney statement hits home. It says the city was constantly on the “precipice of igniting the spark that would set the city on fire again” and it claims O’Hara helped mitigate the violent clashes.

Most people WCCO spoke with around several Minneapolis neighborhoods say O’Hara had their respect.

“I was watching the Twins game on my phone and the announcement came over and I was like, ‘Whoa, what’s that all about?’” said Marta Knick as she was heading to the Guthrie Theatre.

“I was very sad because we’re more than the sum of our mistakes,” said Minneapolis resident Howard Dotson.

Hours after the announcement, community members were eager to learn more about the one challenged with leading the most scrutinized police department in the country.

“What’s heartbreaking the most is he was in a high-level position of leaderhip and he dropped the ball,” said Michael Wilson, who works at Pimento Jamaican Kitchen.

Some are giving grace more than others.

“He may have made a mistake but that doesn’t erase his four years of transformational work in the MPD,” Dotson added.

O’Hara joined the department in November 2022, two-and-a-half years after the murder of Floyd.

“You have to reestablish culture. I feel like he did an amazing job at that and was front-facing, which is good,” said Wilson.

That wasn’t the chief’s only challenge. Just within the past year, he responded to the Annunciation Catholic School shooting and Operation Metro Surge.

“I was pleased with the whole way he handled the Metro Surge thing,” said Ruth Lipker on the Stone Arch Bridge.

In the statement from his attorney, O’Hara says he was “proud to serve Minneapolis and remains grateful to the officers and community partners who did difficult work under extraordinary pressure.”

“Yeah, he was invested in his job and the community. but he had personal investments in that job as well,” said Minneapolis resident Donald Turner.

Now, Minneapolis residents are looking ahead.

“We have change, again, and because we have change, I think we’re in the place to create a positive outlook or negative outlook,” Wilson told WCCO.

“I always have hope for the city. The city’s bigger than any of us and I love living here,” another man added while walking the Stone Arch Bridge.

In the recent statement from his attorney, there was zero comment on the investigation that occurred. Those WCCO spoke to continued to have questions about that.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The search for the next Minneapolis police chief will soon get underway, but the city’s divided political climate could make the process challenging.

City leaders optimistic ahead of search for next chief

What we know:

At a news conference on Tuesday night announcing Brian O’Hara’s resignation as police chief, Mayor Jacob Frey said, “We’ll recruit a top-notch talent.”

City Council Member Michael Rainville is also optimistic.

“The force is coming back, recruitment is great, the morale is high,” he said. “We’re very – for someone that’s [an] up-and-comer, we’re a very attractive candidacy to be a chief of police.”

But it is not an easy job. The Minneapolis Police Department has faced myriad challenges over the last several years, often grabbing national headlines. It dealt with the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a police officer, a Justice Department report on rampant civil rights violations and ongoing staffing issues.

In addition, the city council has routinely clashed with the mayor, especially on law enforcement matters.

This year, the council twice rejected the mayor’s reappointment of Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette, who oversees the police department. And even before his abrupt departure, some council members expressed concerns about O’Hara’s leadership.

What they’re saying:

“I think that Minneapolis is attractive to candidates who want big city experience,” said FOX 9 political analyst Blois Olson.

Olson does not expect any problems finding candidates and noted the mayor’s influence in the process.

“I don’t think you can try to make all 13 members happy, but you have to get to six or seven members that are happy and then convince the council that the mayor is the mayor, he won the election, and he gets to appoint who he gets to appoint,” he said.

What’s next:

It is unclear when the search for the next police chief will begin.