The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for the Twin Cities metro area from noon to 9 p.m. Friday. Air quality may reach the orange category — meaning unhealthy for sensitive groups.

People serving time in Minnesota prisons are helping choose this year’s Inside Literary Prize, a national book award determined by a jury of entirely incarcerated readers.

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation chose the people of the Twin Cities for a “Profile in Courage” award “for risking their lives to protect their neighbors and immigrant communities” during “Operation Metro Surge.”

Wakaŋ Tipi Center in St. Paul opens its doors to visitors on Friday. The center is located at Wakaŋ Tipi, an Indigenous sacred site formerly known as Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. The public space will offer an exhibit hall, classrooms and a community gathering area for ceremonies and educational programming.

On warm, windy days you might spot a spinning column of dust dancing across a field, parking lot, or prairie. At first glance, it can look like a tornado, but not every spinning vortex is created equal.

Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill into law aimed at preventing the sexual grooming of children. Championed by a former student, the bill passed with rare unanimous bipartisan support in a divided Legislature.