Minimum Wage: Minnesota officials confirmed the state minimum wage will rise to $11.87 an hour in 2027 (and the under-20 training wage will increase too), continuing the state’s inflation-linked schedule. Nursing Home Labor: A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to dissolve Minnesota’s nursing home labor standards board, clearing the way for scheduled September pay raises for workers. Election Integrity Watch: Voting rights experts are skeptical of the Trump administration’s plan to send 1,000 election monitors to midterms, questioning whether it can scale and what they’d actually do. ICE & Extradition Fight: Minnesota AG Keith Ellison is escalating a legal battle with Texas over extradition of an ICE agent accused in a Minneapolis shooting, as Texas resists and demands Minnesota address other federal-program disputes. Boundary Waters Mining: The United Steelworkers is blasting Gov. Walz’s executive order pausing environmental review and permitting for certain non-ferrous mining projects near the Boundary Waters. Surveillance Backlash: Outrage over automated license plate readers is boiling over into vandalism, including reports of damaged or stolen cameras in central Minnesota. Local Government: Swift County commissioners are starting budget talks and commissioning a study on jail operations and costs. Culture & Community: The Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum is set for a grand opening in September, timed to the 25th anniversary of 9/11.