Good morning.  It’s National Hot Dog Day and it's pretty much hot enough to cook one just standing outside.

Gov. Tim Walz and top emergency management officials will give updates on the latest wildfire conditions in northern Minnesota today. Fast-spreading fires are sweeping through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, leading to a rare closure and evacuation of the BWCA. Many nearby residents to the wilderness area are being put on alert that they might have to go on a moment’s notice. State and federal authorities are teaming up to try to contain the spread in a dry region where the forests are combustible. Walz will hold a 9:30 a.m. update from the State Emergency Operations Center in Blaine, which you can watch at mprnews.org.

Meanwhile, Walz is standing by a state-issued pardon of a man convicted of sexually abusing a child. The Department of Homeland Security has since arrested 42-year-old Tou Lue Vang and deported him to his native Laos, citing concerns about Vang’s potential threat to the public. In 2006, Vang was convicted of first-degree sexual assault against a 10-year-old girl beginning when Vang was 18. He was sentenced to 30 years probation. More recently, he sought a state pardon. An immigration judge ordered him removed from the U.S. in 2006, but he remained under federal supervision. Minnesota's Board of Pardons granted Vang's petition in June, with members citing the survivor’s statement endorsing a pardon as key. "When a victim comes, it's very powerful. In this case, the victim proactively came and said, 'You should grant this because it's best for the community,’” Walz told reporters yesterday. The Department of Homeland Security arrested and deported Vang last week, in spite of the pardon. The Trump administration, along with some officials in Minnesota, criticized Walz and others for granting it. Walz said that while federal officials had the authority to deport Vang, he questioned whether his removal actually made the state safer since Vang hadn’t committed another offense since. More broadly, the governor said the Board of Pardons is considering more cases of people facing deportations because members felt it was unfair that the federal government pursue removals decades after convictions if people had made amends for prior acts. “We're bringing up some of these because it feels like it's being forced, because the federal government is jumping out of line to go after these folks, they could have got them any time,” Walz said.

The demise of Minnesota’s conviction review unit is dashing the hopes of some incarcerated people and their families. The Minnesota attorney general’s office’s unit was lauded by an independent review as a “model” for other states and led to three men’s sentences being vacated, but it was shut down earlier this month due to lack of funding. Attorney General Ellison blamed the Trump administration for not renewing a federal grant that supported the program, but families of people with innocence claims say conviction reviews should be a state priority and the state should fully fund and reopen the program. Cait spoke to two men whose cases were mid-review when the unit closed. The attorney general’s office said about 160 cases were pending when the conviction review team was shut down.

The GOP-endorsed state auditor candidate acknowledges he exaggerated his fraud-fighting credentials. As Matthew Blake of MinnPost reports, Republican candidate Nate George has repeatedly claimed to be a “certified fraud examiner” to draw a distinction between himself and his DFL-endorsed opponent, Zack Filipovich. Turns out, a certified fraud examiner is a credential you can earn from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners after passing a three-part test. But the organization said George hasn’t earned the designation or applied for it. After Blake presented this information to George’s campaign, the campaign acknowledged George didn’t have the qualification but said that he planned to apply for it this fall. Jay Reeves, the Forward Party-endorsed candidate for state auditor, is calling on George to drop out after inflating his resume.

Royce White is the first U.S. Senate candidate to officially file in the latest round of campaign reports, giving a full look at his finances — not just select figures. But the Republican U.S. Senate candidate doesn’t have all that much to crow about. From April through June , he took in about $80,000, bringing his campaign total to $744,571. During the three months, he spent more than what came in: $112,000. So coming into July that left him with $48,231. White was the GOP nominee for Senate in 2024, but faces endorsed candidate Adam Schwarze, former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya and others in the August primary. Much of White’s spending was on fundraising itself. But his report shows the campaign’s appetite, too. His campaign spent just shy of $1,000 combined on several visits to Chipotle and Jimmy Johns. All campaigns have until midnight tonight to get those second-quarter fundraising reports in, which will give a picture of who has the most firm footing heading into August and beyond.

The political campaign that revolves around an issue rather than a candidate and has no clear opposition is under way. Efforts by school boards, administrators and other advocacy groups have begun in hopes of winning passage of a constitutional amendment that would free up more money for schools by tapping more deeply into an established trust fund. The Minnesota Permanent School Fund constitutional amendment proposal is on November’s ballot. If passed, it would increase the annual distribution from the fund from as much as 2.5 percent to up to 4.5 percent. School districts could see 40 percent more per student in their annual allocation. The fund dates to 1858 and is fed by revenue from public lands, whether that’s forestry or mining extraction. Most of the covered acreage is in northern Minnesota. Lawmakers voted by wide margins to put the question to voters that asks if they want to boost distributions starting next July. To pass, the amendment not only needs a majority of people voting "yes," but a majority of people voting in the midterm election to do so. Voters who leave the question blank are counted as though they voted "no." That’s why the campaign has sprung up to promote the ballot measure.

A new round of candidate filing for this year’s ballot has begun. This one applies to various municipal or school district races where there are not primaries. Several suburbs are among them. The filing period runs through July 28. In local races where primaries are held to determine nominees, the filing period closed in early June.

Bottles were popping and joy was bubbling over yesterday as lawmakers joined residents at a Champlin assisted living facility to raise a glass — all before 10 a.m. Gov. Tim Walz ceremonially signed a bill — the real law was signed months ago — allowing residents in senior housing settings to partake in happy hour events with their peers or loved ones. Staff at Amira Choice in Champlin wanted the option to host social gatherings with alcoholic beverages for residents but ran into regulations that prevented that. But starting Aug. 1, it’s bottoms up: at least in moderation. Anita LeBrun, a resident of the community who pressed lawmakers to act on the issue this session, said it’s a meaningful change. She’s ready to enjoy a glass with friends. “The law gives us more freedom to make choices about our social activities. It affirms that living in assisted living doesn't mean giving up everyday pleasures or independence,” LeBrun said. “Personally, I'm excited now that I can enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio with friends during events and make these moments even more special.” While not the most serious issue of the legislative session, Walz joined Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, and Rep. Danny Nadeau, R-Rogers, in marking its passage. They said it was proof that lawmakers could work together in the narrowly split Legislature. They even clinked glasses of non-alcoholic bubbly to celebrate.