>>Tornado Touchdown Reported near Cotton in Northeastern Minnesota
(Duluth, MN) — The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is reporting a tornado touched down Tuesday evening near Cotton in northeastern Minnesota. National Weather Service Meteorologist Krystal Lynum in Duluth says they weren’t able to confirm it with video or pictures but did receive a report of a tornado on the ground near Kelsey. Lynum says there was flash flooding in Duluth and several communities on the Iron Range where two to five-plus inches of rain has fallen. Several highways in the area were closed. One-and-a-quarter-inch hail was reported near Grand Rapids.
>>Tree Falls on Tent in BWCA Injuring 9-Year-Old Boy
(Grand Marais, MN) — Authorities in Cook County say a nine-year-old boy is injured after a tree came down in the storm and struck a tent in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Sheriff’s deputies say search and rescue crews were working to locate the boy Tuesday night and medevac him out of the B-W-C-A. They planned to use boats to rescue the victim.
>>Rainfall Forcing Some Minnesota Farmers to Replant Crops
(St. Paul, MN) — The past two years in Minnesota the problem was not enough rain for many farmers, and this year there’s too much. State Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen says some farmers in east-central Minnesota and up in the Red River Valley couldn’t get their crop in. Peterson says a southwest Minnesota farmer he talked with has already replanted his crop once and is probably going to have to replant again next week. He notes the Lower Sioux Indian Community is going to have to replant some corn and soybeans. He says this is also hay-cutting season to feed dairy cows and livestock, but the sun hasn’t been shining enough to get the hay put up.
>>US Senator Smith Celebrates Juneteenth in Minnesota
(Minneapolis, MN) — Today (Wed) is Juneteenth in Minnesota and across the nation, marking the day in 1865 of the final enforcement in Texas of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, two years after he declared that enslaved people in the Confederacy were free. Senator Tina Smith attended Saturday’s Juneteenth celebration on Minneapolis’s North Side. She says we have so many strong community partners out there, really building community around the values of Juneteenth and the idea — just recognizing the incredible resilience and strength of that community in Minnesota. Smith carried the bill and helped make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
>>Minnesota State System to Freeze Tuition for Next School Year
**MEDIA REFERENCE – 2ND LINE**
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota State college and university system will freeze tuition next school year for most undergraduates per the direction of state lawmakers, who did allow exceptions for programs with costs that “have increased due to extraordinary circumstances.” Among those five programs chosen by administrators, reports the Star Tribune, are a computer network administration class at Pine Technical and Community College, and some construction management courses at Minnesota State Moorhead. Vice Chancellor Bill Maki told trustees they attempted to be “pretty surgical” in choosing programs that would get tuition increases. Students could still see increases for housing, parking or fees for specific programs.
>>Hibbing Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2019 Killing on Mesabi Trail
(Duluth, MN) — A northeast Minnesota man will spend the rest of his life in prison for a fatal January 2019 shooting on the Mesabi Trail in Hibbing. St. Louis County prosecutors say 23-year-old Deshon Bonnell was sentenced to life without the possibility of release Tuesday for the first-degree murder of Joshua La Valley. Bonnell was found guilty of shooting La Valley twice in the face on May 29th. Bonnell initially pleaded guilty, but later appealed and the Minnesota Supreme Court determined his plea was inaccurate and sent his case back to district court.
>>Robbinsdale Man Indicted for Illegal Possession of Machineguns, Ammunition
(St. Paul, MN) — Federal prosecutors say a Robbinsdale man has been indicted for illegally possessing machine guns, firearms, and ammunition. Court documents say 42-year-old Ronnie Shaka possessed rounds of ammunition, three nine-millimeter pistols, and two guns equipped with an “auto sear,” a machine gun conversion device in November 2023. Due to Shaka’s previous felony convictions, he is prohibited from owning firearms or ammunition at any time.
>>3000 Combat Veteran Motorcyclists in Rochester for National Convention
(Rochester, MN) — Rochester is welcoming nearly three thousand Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association members this week for their national convention and meeting. State Motorcycle Safety Administrator Jay Bock is warning riders to be on the defensive. Bock is reminding drivers to always look twice before entering a roadway, turning left, or changing lanes, and to watch specifically for motorcycles this weekend, as their smaller size makes their speed and distance more difficult to judge. An honor ride to Preston is scheduled for Friday and a gathering in Faribault on Saturday.
>>50th Annual Back to the 50s Weekend at State Fairgrounds
(Falcon Heights, MN) — The 50th annual “Back to the 50s Weekend” kicks off Friday on the State Fairgrounds. Wally Burchill of the Minnesota Street Rod Association says they’re expecting more than 11 thousand customs, street rads, restorations, trucks and rat rods Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. None of the cars are newer than 1964. Burchill says there will be 190 vendors, lots of State Fair food vendors, a Kids World, live music, an appearance by racing legend Richard Petty Saturday, and a huge swap meet on Sunday. Adult tickets are 15 dollars and kids ages 15 and under are free. Discount tickets are available at Napa Auto Parts stores in Minnesota.