Today, why some Minnesotans are losing housing protections. Then, what experts say about a toxic algae bloom in the Northern Lakes. And, a warning about two new scams targeting seniors.
—–Executive Producer: Victor Palomino Producer: Maija Hecht Anchor: Chantel SinGs Reader scripting: Victor PalominoFact checking: Joel Glaser, Victor Palomino Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood
Transcript
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live. Today in Minnesota…
ANCHOR: …why some Minnesotans are losing housing protections. Then, what experts say about a toxic algae bloom in the Northern Lakes. And, a warning about two new scams targeting seniors.
I'm Chantel SinGs.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services, or DHS, is ending its Housing Stabilization Services program. The program was designed to help people with disabilities, including those with mental illness or substance use disorders, and seniors find and keep housing. According to the DHS temporary commissioner, the program has been plagued by widespread allegations and evidence of fraud. The agency is now working to redesign and relaunch the benefit, with input from the Legislature, providers, community partners, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. DHS is notifying enrollees, service recipients, and providers about the change.
In today's main story, warm temperatures are creating toxic algae in the northern lakes. Maija Hecht talks to experts about the consequences for humans and the environment.
Maija Hecht: Toxic algae blooms are becoming more common in Lake Superior. Cyanobacteria, the organism driving the blooms, occur naturally in these ecosystems. However, some cyanobacteria can make people sick and kill pets and fish. It can even kill livestock.
Cody Shiek: Having these toxic cyanobacterial species present that creates a whole other can of worms. That's
Maija Hecht: Cody Shiek, associate biology professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He works with freshwater lake scientist Chris Filstrup, who said--
Chris Filstrup: We tend to see them during warmer times of the year, just from a seasonal perspective.
Maija Hecht: Although the largest and coldest of the Great Lakes, Superior is also the fastest warming.
Chris Filstrup: It's going to move away from the optimal growth conditions of things that grow in colder waters, right? Things like diatoms.
Maija Hecht: Diatoms, a type of algae, produce oxygen, so much that they are responsible for every fourth breath you take, and they struggle as temperatures warm.
Chris Filstrup: Certain cyanobacteria can float to the surface and like shade out everything underneath that.
Maija Hecht: This shading out blocks sunlight and uses up available oxygen.
Chris Filstrup: And what that causes is a lot of fish kills and things like deaths of other macro invertebrates.
Maija Hecht: But the interest of this research extends beyond just the big lake.
Chris Filstrup: One other perspective I want to add to this from our farming community in previous areas where I've worked, you would get a call from a family farm operation that maybe has 40 head of cattle, and 10 of them die from drinking contaminated water that is due to toxic cyanobacteria blooms in that stock tank.
Maija Hecht: However, support for this kind of research has been uncertain. Funding cuts for National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration programs like Sea Grant are on the horizon for 2026.
Cody Shiek: Yeah, we've been kind of like sitting on the edges of our seats for a lot of our projects.
Maija Hecht: Biologist Cody Shiek said there are ways the public can help.
Cody Shiek: Seeing these blooms and responding to them is actually really, really helpful. If people just take a picture and like a screen grab of their coordinates or where they're at.
Abby Snayson: It's definitely something to look out for.
Maija Hecht: Abby Smayson is a grad student on Cody's lab team at UMD. In June, they made an exciting discovery in Duluth harbor.
Abby Smayson: Basically, what we found was a genome for Microcystis aeruginosa.
Maija Hecht: Microcystis aeruginosa is a type of bacteria. In a lab, they got a close look at its DNA for the first time. They confirmed that it was producing the same toxins linked to sickening people and animals.
Abby Smayson: It is helpful to know that there's not just one species that can make this toxin that we knew was in the harbor.
Maija Hecht: This discovery places researchers one step further along the way to understanding what causes blooms and what we can expect as our climate changes. Maija Hecht for North Star Stories.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
The Itasca County Sheriff's Office in Northern Minnesota is warning about two new scams targeting Minnesotans. In one case, someone is pretending to be a representative of Medicare. Medicare provides health insurance for individuals over the age of 65. In the other scam, someone is claiming to represent Publisher's Clearinghouse, which is actually a free online sweepstakes and more popular among older adults. The Sheriff's Office says the scams are very convincing and that residents should be incredibly cautious. Scammers often target seniors because they typically have more money saved, and many tend to be more trusting.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.