>>Severe Storms Packing Damaging Winds & Hail Knock Out Power in Minnesota
(Chanhassen, MN) — Parts of the state are cleaning up after severe thunderstorms packing damaging winds and hail moved across central and southern Minnesota Monday night. The National Weather Service is reporting 65 mile-per-hour wind gusts in Silver Lake, 63 miles an hour in Eden Prairie, and 62 in the Willmar area. One-point-75-inch hail fell in Lester Prairie in McCleod County and Parkers Prairie in Otter Tail County. Officials say funnel clouds were spotted near Essig in Brown County and Kerkhoven in Swift County. There’s wind damage and trees are down in Waconia, Isanti and North Branch. Xcel Energy said nearly 100 thousand customers lost power during the storms. The Happy Together Grandstand concert was cancelled at the State Fair.
>>Military Appreciation Day at the Minnesota State Fair
(Falcon Heights, MN) — Thousands of veterans are expected at the State Fair today (Tues) for the 13th annual Military Appreciation Day. The official opening ceremony is at 10 a-m at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell. Minnesota Veterans Affairs Commissioner Brad Lindsay says there’s a recognition ceremony for military spouses at 12:30 in Dan Patch Park and there will be a flyover from four Black Hawk helicopters from the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade of the Red Bull Division. Lindsay says there are 50-plus educational and resource booths in Dan Patch Park with information about services and benefits for veterans, spouses and survivors. Discounted gate admission is 13 dollars for veterans, active duty personnel, and their families.
>>Secretary of State Simon Launces “Here We Vote” Campaign
(St. Paul, MN) — Secretary of State Steve Simon is launching “Here We Vote,” which he says aims to get Minnesota back to its rightful place of number-one in voter turnout in the U-S. He says we were number one in three out of the last four, but Maine was the number-one state in the country in the last election. He lists Oregon and Wisconsin as other top competing states for voter turnout. Simon says the campaign includes public service announcements, on-line digital toolkits, and other resources. The central source for election information in Minnesota is mnvotes.gov.
>>2nd District Republicans Decide Whether to Endorse Primary Winner
(Undated) — Republicans in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District decide tonight (Tues) whether they’ll endorse Joe Tierab, who won the primary election earlier this month and will be on the ballot against Democratic incumbent Angie Craig in November. Second District Republicans originally endorsed Tayler Rahm, who later dropped out of the race to work for the Trump Minnesota campaign but remained on the ballot. The 2nd District G-O-P committee decided at that time not to hold another endorsement convention. The Star Tribune reports 2nd Congressional District Republican Chairman Joe Ditto says it will be a toss-up whether Tierab gets the endorsement this time around, because some committee members want to unite behind the primary winner while others are still bitter about the way things went down.
>>Ex-Hawaii Democrat Gabbard to Moderate Trump Town Hall in La Crosse
(Undated) — The Donald Trump campaign says former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will moderate his town hall meeting Thursday night in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Trump is employing the same tactics Democrats used last week at their national convention in Chicago, when they featured several ex-Republicans supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Gabbard, from Hawaii, was among the earlier contenders vying for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, and about two years later, citing Democrats’ positions on foreign policy and social issues, left the Democratic Party to become an independent. Earlier this month, Gabbard endorsed Trump. Harris and Walz kick off a bus tour Wednesday in Georgia.
>>2 Boys Arrested in Deadly Shooting of 15-Year-Old Girl in Minneapolis
(Minneapolis, MN) — Two teenage boys are in custody in connection with the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old girl Saturday in north Minneapolis. Officers say a 16- and 17-year-old suspect were arrested and booked in juvenile detention for aiding an offender. Police found the girl with a life-threatening gunshot wound and she died at North Memorial Hospital. The family identified the victim on social media as 15-year-old Tyra Terry. An M-P-D spokesperson says the investigation remains open and active. Police Chief Brian O’Hara called the loss of a 15-year-old girl “an unacceptable tragedy.”
>>Funeral for 14-year-old Girl, Fargo Man Accused of Murdering Ex-girlfriend
(Various) — There is a funeral today (Tues) in West Fargo for 14-year-old murder victim Jaelyn Walker. Bail is set at one million dollars for her ex-boyfriend who’s accused of stabbing her more than a dozen times after they met at a park in Moorhead and then dragging her body to near the Red River. Eighteen-year-old Isaac Arndt told authorities Jaelyn Walker confronted him about his new girlfriend, he refused to tell her the name, and Walker started kicking and hitting him. Arndt said he cut his own hand while taking out a knife and then slashed Walker about 13 times. He initially claimed they had been followed in Goosebery Park. Arndt is charged with second-degree murder and could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
>>MN Court of Appeals Overturns Rochester Man’s Threats of Violence Conviction
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals has overturned the conviction of a Rochester man who threatened to kill people on social media. Kyle Ketterling was arrested in 2022 after making threats to kill members of the “deep state” earlier that spring. He was convicted on three charges, but only his conviction under the threats of violence law was reviewed by the Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel ruled yesterday that Ketterling’s post was not a true threat because no one was specifically targeted. The court also ruled that Ketterling’s language was “disturbing” but was ultimately political speech protected by the First Amendment.
>>Police Ask for Help Locating Missing Foley Man
(Foley, MN) — Authorities in central Minnesota are asking for help locating a man reported missing from Benton County. Forty-year-old Joshua Woolsey was last seen in Foley on August 9th. An alert issued by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says Woolsey is a diabetic and did not have his medication with him at the time of his disappearance. Investigators believe he may be in the Twin Cities area. Woolsey is described as five feet, seven inches tall, weighing 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
>>Minnesota DNR Looking for Advisory Group Members
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota D-N-R is seeking new members to serve on key advisory groups related to fish and wildlife conservation, gaming policies, and more. Most three-year terms begin in 2025, with group meetings four to six times a year. Advisory groups open include multiple Fisheries Work groups, Hunter and Angler Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation Council, and committees for Minnesota Parks and Trails, Aquatic Invasive Species, Natural Heritage, and Fish and Wildlife. More information and applications can be found on the D-N-R’s website.
