This week’s edition covers stories
from July 3rd to July 9th, 2025.
Today’s issue is 910 words, a 8-minute read
Hey folks, Mateo here.
Downtown Minneapolis came alive over the holiday weekend. With packed sidewalks and booming speakers, the Taste of Minnesota brought a much-needed jolt of energy to the city. Tens of thousands turned out for food, music, and a free Ludacris concert that quite literally reached capacity. For a downtown still rebuilding its rhythm, the festival felt like a turning point and a reminder of what’s possible when community and culture collide.
In that spirit, this week’s newsletter highlights where Minnesota is buzzing, and where it’s still grappling with bigger questions. We cover the return of the Stone Arch Bridge (ahead of schedule!), a controversial new federal bill signed by Trump, and the continued rise of the Lynx both on the court and on Twitch. Let’s get into it.
Downtown Comes Alive for Taste of Minnesota
Downtown Minneapolis was packed last weekend, and not just with food trucks and fried walleye. The Taste of Minnesota drew record-breaking crowds, capped by a free Ludacris concert that brought the event to full capacity on Sunday. Some fans were turned away at the gates, and a few even pushed past barricades trying to get in, but the show went on without major incident.
With an estimated 75,000 people attending on Sunday alone, the two-day festival once again proved its power as a downtown magnet. The event, which returned in 2023 after a long hiatus, continues to play a major role in the city’s economic recovery efforts, filling Nicollet Mall with music, food, and much needed foot traffic. Of course, the challenge now is how to grow without turning folks away. Did you make it to Taste of Minnesota this year?
Stone Arch Bridge to Reopen Ahead of Schedule
Speaking of downtown, one of Minneapolis’ most iconic landmarks is coming back–ahead of schedule. After months of mortar repairs and stonework, the Stone Arch Bridge will officially reopen to the public on Saturday, August 9th, and yes, there will be a party. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a community celebration at Father Hennepin Bluff Park will kick off with a ribbon-cutting, live music, food trucks, and a ceremonial stroll across the newly restored span. Originally slated to reopen in the fall, the early return is a welcome surprise for anyone who’s missed this vital and scenic river crossing. I know I’ve felt its absence, have you?
Trump’s Bill Prioritizes Power Over People
Last Friday, President Trump signed what he’s calling the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” a sprawling, 887-page package of tax cuts and spending changes that passed Congress by razor-thin margins. Despite the fireworks and fanfare, this bill is shaping up to be one of the most harmful pieces of legislation in recent memory.
At its core, the bill makes permanent Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, with most benefits tilted towards high earners and corporations. But the real cost? Deep cuts to programs that millions of Americans rely on, like Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps). According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Medicaid changes alone could push nearly 12 million people off health coverage over the next decade. SNAP eligibility will be harder to maintain, especially for older adults and those in higher-cost states.
Meanwhile, funding for border enforcement and detention balloons to over $120 billion, with fees added for asylum seekers. And in a blow to environmental progress, the bill rolls back key green energy incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, ending EV tax credits, efficiency upgrades, and even gutting the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
All told, this bill will add an estimated $3.4 trillion to the deficit, despite gutting safety nets and denying investments in climate and health. And yet Trump is already celebrating it as a signature win. What we’re left with is a document that reads less like a national roadmap and more like a wishlist for conservative ideologies–short-term gains for the wealthy, long-term pain for everyone else. As with many things in this current political era, we’ll be sorting through the fallout long after the fireworks fade.
Minnesota’s WNBA Powerhouse is
Winning on and off the Court
The Minnesota Lynx are the best team in the league right now. At 17-3, they’ve been dominant, proving that they’re not just built for regular-season hype, they’re contending for a title. But dominance doesn’t always translate to headlines. Despite their top record, the Lynx are sending just two players (Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams) to the WNBA All-Star Game. Collier will be one of the team captains, and in a fun twist, orchestrated a trade to bring Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve in as her team’s coach after Reeve had originally been slotted to coach Caitlin Clark’s squad.
Off the court, the Lynx have become a hub for one of the most viral fan-fueled movements in the WNBA. Williams and Natisha Hiedeman (aka StudBudz) have taken Twitch and social media by storm. Their laid-back livestreams, filled with banter, hair dye sessions, and teammate appearances, have racked up thousands of followers in just weeks. Their chemistry is effortless, and their visibility as proud, funny, masculine-presenting queer women is something that feels both rare and overdue in mainstream sports. Now, the duo is planning a 72-hour no-break stream through All-Star Weekend. It’s a little wild, but totally in line with what they’ve built: a space that’s as much about joy and connection as it is basketball.
The Lynx are winning. The culture is shifting. And Minnesota is at the center of it all.
Stay informed, stay connected.
See you next week!
–
Mateo and the NewPrensa team
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Hi, friend: Mateo here!
I’m a Communications Specialist by day and
wishing I was out on a boat by night!
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