>>2023 Minnesota State Fair attendance is sixth-highest ever
(Falcon Heights, MN) — 1,835,826 people went through the turnstiles at the 2023 Minnesota State Fair, making it the sixth-best-attended fair ever. Attendance on Labor Day, the final day of the fair, was nearly 120-thousand as the mercury officially hit 96 degrees at the State Fairgrounds — just shy of 98-degrees at M-S-P Airport, which tied the record for that day.
>>Walz open to special session if needed to address concerns about use-of-force law for school-based officers
(Bloomington, MN) — Governor Tim Walz indicates he’s open to a special session if needed to clarify a new state law on use-of-force by school-based officers — but also says some school districts “have already found a solution without a special session.” House Republican Minority Leader Lisa Demuth says she doesn’t know what the governor’s requirements are, or what obstacles might have prevented him from already calling a special session, “but I would be open to talking with him and seeing what we could do to agree to get us into the special session.” The governor says, “All of us want our buildings safe, and all of us want to make sure that excessive force is not used on our students — and I think finding that middle ground shouldn’t be all that difficult.” A perennial concern of whichever party has a majority, is whether minority party members will bring up unrelated issues during a special session. Demuth says “this potentially could be a single-item session” because “we need to get a fix… as soon as possible.”
>>Northeast Minnesota wildfire threatening structures, no evacuations ordered
(Barnum, MN) — Ground crews and aircraft are battling an estimated 40-acre wildfire southeast of Barnum (and about 7 miles east of Moose Lake) in northeastern Minnesota’s Carlton County. Leanne Langeberg at the Interagency Fire Center says, “Structures do remain threatened. There are no active evacuation orders in place,… and no roads have been closed.” But Langeberg says travelers along County Roads 8 and 11 should slow down and give emergency responders plenty of room. She says the wildfire is not contained but ground crews are working hard to establish control lines around it.
>>Woman Sentenced in Sex Trafficking Scheme Involvement
(St. Paul, MN) — A woman who recruited girls into a sex trafficking ring run by former Minnesota Republican Party donor Anton “Tony” Lazzaro will spend the next three years in prison. Gisela Medina pleaded guilty last December to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors as well as aiding and abetting. Medina testified during Lazzaro’s trial that she used social media to find teenage girls for him. She also faces five years of supervised release after her three-year sentence.
>>St. Paul Schools Begin Updated Safety Measures, Protocols
(St. Paul, MN) — After the stabbing death of a student at Harding High School last February, St. Paul Public Schools are starting the school year with updated safety measures. High schools are using digital hall passes to better monitor students leaving class, tardy students will have to check in at a digital kiosk, and each high school will have up to three school support liaisons — while middle and elementary schools will have at least one.
>>Two Blaine women drown in northwest Wisconsin lake
(Spooner, WI) — Two women from (the Minneapolis suburb of) Blaine drowned on a lake in northwest Wisconsin. The Burnett County Sheriff’s Office says Grace Rhine and Kyree Schaw were swimming on Lipsett Lake near Spooner when they were reported missing late Friday afternoon. Their bodies were found in 15 to 20 feet of water after an extensive search. A third person was taken to the hospital but later released. Police say strong winds and choppy waves contributed to the drownings.
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