🔥 Wildfires in northeastern Minnesota continue to burn. The U.S. Forest Service said late Tuesday morning that an estimated 63,000 acres have burned in northeastern Minnesota and 780 firefighters are battling blazes. Here's the latest:
Minnesota wildfire efforts looking 'real good' after rain. Up to one-quarter inch of rain fell on affected areas which aided progress. But officials are
still monitoring windy, dry conditions that have made the area susceptible to spreading fires.
💰 One lucky Minnesota lottery player is now a multimillionaire. A Lotto America ticket purchased at a Coon Rapids Holiday gas station was worth $34 million in the jackpot over the weekend. Minnesota Lottery officials say it's the largest Lotto America prize in state history.
In sports news:
🏀 The Minnesota Lynx beat the Storm Monday 105-102. Those teams play again today at 2 p.m. in Seattle. Star Napheesa Collier is probable when they play Wednesday. It would be her first game since injuring her left ankle in last year’s playoffs.
⚽ The Minnesota Loons are back after the World Cup. They play Sporting KC tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Kansas City, then they take on Vancouver on Saturday at home.
⚾ The St. Paul Saints lost to Columbus 13-2. They continue their five-game stay at home tonight against Columbus.
🏒 The Minnesota Wild are among four NHL teams that will have their game broadcasts produced and distributed in-house by the league this coming season. The team says games will be offered through cable, satellite and streaming. A few Wild games will also be broadcast over-the-air, for free.
Weather
☀️ Today: Sunny. Highs in the mid-70s.
🌙 Tonight: Clear. Lows in the 50s.
☀️ Tomorrow: Sunny and warmer. Highs in the upper 70s to upper 80s.
The wildfires burning in northeast Minnesota have forced the evacuation of dozens of homes, cabins and resorts around Ely. For 94-year-old Donna Arbaugh, that’s interrupted a 71-year connection to her cabin.
Right after a 10-day heat wave for the Twin Cities, the Minnesota State Fair released their new, cool, specialty beverages that will premiere or that can only be found at the Great Minnesota Get-Together. The list of new brews includes alcoholic soft serve, slushies, seltzers with fruit pairings and classic beers.
NEWS ROUNDUP
👮🏻♂️ Mpls city leaders search for answers after a string of shootings. The shootings took place outside Reign nightclub in Uptown and near the intersection of 19th and Nicollet Avenue in the Steven’s Square neighborhood just south of I-94. Monday night, another person was shot at the same intersection.
🕯️ Deaths of Brainerd middle schoolers prompt calls to address bullying, mental health. The community is grieving after two middle-school students died by suicide within a few weeks. The deaths have sparked difficult conversations about the roles of schools and communities in protecting young people.
🧑⚖️ Prosecutors say Boelter should ‘never be free ever again’ in Minnesota lawmaker shootings. Sentencing memos filed Tuesday are aligned in calling for dual life sentence for Vance Boelter, but he asks to do the time at a Florida prison.
🚨 Suspect charged with killing three people in St. Paul apartment leasing office. The charges state the shooting was captured on surveillance video and claim that Tsegaab Ademassu Binessu also confessed to his roommate. Court documents allege that Binessu “executed” the three victims.
🌲 In Cook County, where 80 percent of economy relies on tourism, wildfires prove devastating. Tourism in northern Minnesota is taking a hit from the closure of the BWCA and concerns about air quality. Visit Cook County is asking people not to cancel their trips to the North Shore, which is farther from the fires.
💵 Feds announce new freeze of Medicaid money for Minnesota over fraud concerns. Federal officials are withholding nearly $200 million in federal Medicaid payments to Minnesota, attributing the move to suspected fraud in the state’s public health insurance programs.
🛣️ After three summers closed and chronic flooding, Highway 93 reopens. The project
addresses chronic flooding that would force the highway to close down for days at a time and cut off access points for first responders and drivers.
🗳️ Peggy Flanagan’s U.S. Senate push brings Sen. Bernie Sanders to First Avenue. There are now three weeks to go before the Aug. 11 primary, where Flanagan and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig are vying to be the party’s nominee for an open seat. Republicans are also settling on a nominee that day.
⚖️ President Trump rejects commutation request by former Minnesota Republican operative. Trump rejected a request by a former Minnesota Republican operative for a commutation of his sex trafficking sentence. Anton “Tony” Lazzaro sought a presidential commutation after losing multiple federal court appeals.
👨🏻⚖️ Jury seated in trial of woman who called a Black child a racial slur in Rochester. The incident, which was caught on video and went viral, led Shiloh Hendrix, 37, being charged with two counts of disorderly conduct. Hendrix has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
💨 Dozens pack court room in support of stripping St. Paul foundry permit. Regulators and the foundry argued over the merits and scope of the
alleged pollution violations.
MUST LISTEN
🎧 Little House on the Prairie reboot brings beloved series to new generation. Netflix announced it’s renewing the show for a second season that will be set in Walnut Grove in southwestern Minnesota. Julien Nolan, director and curator of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, talks about the series.
🎧 What to know about the cyclospora outbreak and the risks. MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, about the parasite and the public health response.
🎧Why Americans are reading less — and how to pull out of the reading slump. MPR News guest host Kerri Miller talks about what’s behind the decline in reading and why some people say it points to a fundamental shift in how we entertain ourselves, learn and think.
