Minneapolis, MN
Minnesotans flock outside despite smoke from wildfires in Canada
(FOX 9) – Wildfire smoke drifted from Canada into the Twin Cities on a weekend when the weather had many hoping to get outside.
But at parks around the metro, people were sticking it to Mother Nature on Sunday. Many Minnesotans went outdoors to ride bicycles, play volleyball, kayak, or sunbathe.
Some say they recognized that air quality was compromised but wanted to do things anyway.
“It’s not the best… definitely the air quality is not great,” Sid Shad told FOX 9. “We do have to live our lives… you have to deal with it.”
Advice from an expert
What they’re saying:
FOX 9 Meteorologist Cody Matz says he expects the smoky air to linger through Monday. June 2, until winds shift to give us a bit of a reprieve.
In the meantime, Matz suggests, “if you smell smoke, then it’s usually thick enough to where you’re going to run into some health issues. It’s not instantaneous, [but] if you’re spending large amounts of time outside, at some point your lungs may start to burn a little bit. You may have some breathing trouble, so it’s just a recommendation to get inside, seek filtered air to help relieve that stress on your body,” Matz said.
The backstory:
Summer season is wildfire season in Canada, and already this season, at least a dozen wildfires have scorched over a million acres of land in Canada.
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Minneapolis leaders are divided over whether to keep paying for ShotSpotter as the city weighs a new contract for the gunfire detection system.
A public hearing at City Hall focused on the technology as Minneapolis negotiates a new contract with SoundThinking, the company that provides ShotSpotter. Deputy Chief of Investigations Travis Riddle told the council the system supports gun violence strategies and can alert police no later than 60 seconds after shots are fired.
Critics at the hearing said the technology is not proven enough and argued the money could be spent in other ways. The proposed deal would cost $3.7 million through 2029 and would expand ShotSpotter into new areas of Minneapolis.
“We have actually had a contract with SoundThinking for their ShotSpotter services since 2014, and even with this technology for over 12 years now, MPD’s solve rates for homicides and non-fatal shootings were some of the worst in the country,” Council member Robin Wonsley said.
Council members pushed back on the long-term proposal and said they want a one-year deal instead. Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw disagreed with concerns raised by her colleague during the debate.
“In my opinion, and in folks I’ve heard from the North Side who have shown up here time and time again to say that we want this technology, we believe that ShotSpotter is a tool that the police use to save lives,” LaTrisha Vetaw said
City Council is set to take up the issue again on June 17. Minneapolis police are expected to return with a one-year contract instead of the three-year contract brought forward at the hearing.
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