Suni Lee of St. Paul is a gold medal winner. Lee took the top spot in the women’s gymnastics all-around at the Tokyo Olympics. State Representative Kaohly Vang Her has known Suni’s family for years and she was at the Lee family and friends’ viewing party in Oakdale when Lee won the Gold. Her says “when [Lee] stuck that landing in bars, we knew, you could tell in that space, we knew that something great was going to happen and we still kind of held back a bit and when that floor routine came up was electric we could not contain ourselves.” Representative Her says it was “like we carried all of our hopes and our dreams of our ancestors through Sunisa” and her win was “amazing.” 18-year-old Lee is the first Hmong American to make a U-S Olympic team. Here is more with Rep. Her.
Sen Smith calling on MLB to reverse decision about Caledonia, MN plant
U-S Senator Tina Smith says that all Americans should be outraged by Major League Baseball (MLB) and San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler’s involvement in the closure of a major employer in rural Caledonia, Minnesota. The closure is expected to eliminate approximately 80 jobs in the community, with many of them moving offshore to China. Miken Sports in Caledonia is a long-time local employer that produces baseball helmets for the MLB and non-wood bats for other baseball and softball players across the country. Smith says “to me this is just completely wrong MLB is not only America’s favorite pastime, but it’s the beneficiary of billions in taxpayer dollars to support new stadiums and in other ways that major league baseball is supported by Americans.” Here’s more with Sen. Smith.
BWCA Wilderness closures due to wildfires across the border in Ontario
Officials at the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota are announcing closures in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness effective Saturday (7/17), due to wildfires in Quetico Provincial Park along the international border in Ontario. Fire managers have identified two blazes that could spread across the border. The closure order will remain in effect for at least seven days, or until it’s safe to open the area again.
The BWCAW closure area includes:
o Tick Pristine Management Area
o Sundial Pristine Management Area – Zones 1, 2, and 5
o #22 Mudro-Restricted Entry Point – No BWCAW entry.
o #23 Mudro Entry Point – No BWCAW entry.
o Iron Lake travel zone closure -From Bottle Portage/Bottle Rapids to Iron Lake and adjoining bays and islands of Iron Lake including Peterson bay and Three Island. Adjoining portages include the 320-rod portage west of Iron Lake from Lac La Croix, the 72-rod Dark Lake portage south of Iron Lake, the 110-rod Bear Trap River portage Southeast of Iron Lake, and the 140-rod portage to Curtain Falls.
o Crooked Lake travel zone closure – All campsites on Crooked Lake and adjoining bays from Curtain Falls to Lower Basswood Falls including Sunday Bay, Saturday Bay, Friday Bay, Thursday Bay, and Wednesday Bay. This includes the portage at Lower Basswood Falls.
Campsites North of Gun Lake – Closure begins at the 300-rod portage Northeast of Gun Lake and includes campsites on Wagosh Lake, Niki Lake and Chippewa Lake.
State Fair announces new foods for 2021
Get ready for some new food at the Great Minnesota Get Back Together:
Banh Minn Bun and Banh Minn Bowl: Asian-inspired sausage in a crusty French baguette with Sister’s Sriracha sauce, shredded and pickled carrot, radish, chopped jalapeño and a sprig of fresh cilantro. The bunless bowl starts with a five-grain blend and is topped with shredded and pickled carrot, radish, Asian slaw, chopped jalapeño, sausage slices, cilantro and a drizzle of Sister’s Sriracha sauce.
Bison Bites: A North Woods spin on ravioli with ground bison, braised fennel, portobello mushrooms and fresh basil wrapped in classic egg dough, deep-fried and served with a sweet bourbon sauce with a little kick.
Blue Raspberry Blitzed: Traditional hand pie filled with a raspberry, blueberry and apple blend infused with UV Blue Vodka and topped with cotton candy sugar.
Buffalo Chicken Doughscuit: Fluffy biscuit-style doughnuts stuffed with shredded chicken, glazed with a sweet & spicy buffalo icing, and topped with crispy bacon bits.
Caramelized Banana Pudding: Layers of homemade vanilla pudding, fresh bananas, toasted ‘nilla wafers,
caramelized cocoa crispy cereal, caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream.
ChoriPop: Chorizo by The Herbivorous Butcher dipped in a classic corndog batter, deep-fried on-a-stick with choice of avocado salsa or mole sauce drizzled on top or on the side. Served with Mexican BBQ chips. (Vegan)
Cracklin Prime Nachos: Deep-fried chicharrón covered in prime rib slices, ¡Que Bueno! nacho cheese, pico de gallo and green onion slices.
Cucumber Jalapeño Limeade: Limeade made with juiced Minnesota-grown cucumbers and jalapeño syrup, served with a cucumber slice.
Dual Berry Shortcake: Strawberries and blueberries over a sugar-coated Betty & Earl’s biscuit, topped with whipped cream and balsamic glaze.
Esquites: Mexican street corn off-the-cob topped with mayonnaise, Cotija (pronounced Koh-tee-hah) cheese and pequin (pronounced puh-KEEN) chile powder.
Fudge & Fruit!: Fresh strawberries and fudge brownies dipped in wine-infused dark chocolate, drizzled with wineinfused white chocolate and served on-a-stick.
Greek Stuffed Ravioli: Mediterranean pastry dough stuffed with cream cheese, tzatziki sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoncini, tomato, gyro meat and Dino’s Greek seasoning, deep-fried and drizzled with roasted garlic butter.
Jumbo Donut Sundae: A jumbo frosted yeast-raised donut available in a variety of flavors, topped with vanilla softserve ice cream, hot fudge and blend of sprinkles.
Kerala Fried Chicken Kati Roll: Marinated, battered and fried chicken tenders wrapped in paratha with chutneys and slaw.
The Naughty Biscuit: Smoked pork belly topped with beer cheese sauce, arugula, pickled red onions and candied jalapeños served on a buttermilk biscuit.
Nordic Waffles – Chicken & Macaroni Nordic Waffle and I-Scream Waffle Sandwich: Two new fresh-made
waffle wraps: A Southern-fried spicy chicken drummy and cheesy macaroni, finished with a drizzle of honey on a warm Nordic waffle; and a classic ice cream cookie sandwich, crunchy kettle corn and chocolate drizzle dusted with sprinkles all wrapped in a Nordic waffle.
Paneer Pakora: Seasoned paneer cheese cubes fried in a gluten-free batter and served with tomato butter. (Gluten-free, vegan)
Pizza Lucy: Sausage patty topped with pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, stuffed in homemade Green Mill pizza dough, and topped with Italian seasonings, cheese and crumbled pepperoni.
Sashimi Tuna Tacos: Crisp wonton shells filled with ahi tuna, avocado and sesame soy. Thai slaw with peanut dressing, pickled ginger and wasabi served on the side.
Sidecar Sandwich: Thick-cut cognac-infused bacon smothered with Cointreau (pronounced khan-troe) and citrus marmalade, layered with melted havarti, smoked Gouda and aged cheddar, served on toasted sourdough bread and garnished with fresh orange slices.
S’Mores Funnel Cake: Graham cracker funnel cake topped with marshmallow, milk chocolate chunks and more graham cracker bits.
Spufull Puff: Mashed sweet potatoes blended with sweetened cream cheese then wrapped in dough and fried. Lightly dusted with powdered sugar and served with maple dipping sauce on the side.
Summer Lakes Beverages in 3 varieties – Wedge-Hammer, Lake Storm Lemonade and Bama! Lemon Sweet Tea: These 2021 State Fair-exclusive mocktails are all gluten-free and vegan. The Wedge-Hammer is fresh ginger, orange and other citrus juices, zest, sparkling water and simple syrup. Lake Storm Lemonade is lavender-infused lemon and other citrus juices, zest, sparkling water and simple syrup. Bama! Lemon Sweet Tea is fresh brewed tea, fresh lemon and other citrus juices, zest, sparkling water and simple syrup.
Waffle Burger: Quarter-pound bacon cheeseburger served between two maple-infused candied sweet crunch waffles with a side of maple syrup.
Chauvin sentenced to 22 1/2 years for murder of George Floyd
A judge this afternoon sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 22-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. During victim impact statements, Floyd’s brother, Terrance, told the court, “I wanted to know, from the man himself, why? What were you thinking? What was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother’s neck?”
Derek Chauvin’s mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, told the judge “my son is a good man”, adding, “When you sentence my son, you will also be sentencing me.”
Chauvin told the court he did not want to give a full formal statement at this time due to “some additional legal matters at hand”. He said, “I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There’s gonna be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and I hope things will give you some peace of mind.”
Judge denies defense motion for new trial in Chauvin case
Just hours before the sentencing of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, Judge Pete Cahill this morning denied the defense’s motion for a new trial. He also denied the motion for a hearing over possible jury misconduct. Chauvin’s sentencing remains on schedule for 1:30 pm.
Ahead of Chauvin sentencing, local BLM leader says it’s been “a long time coming” (AUDIO)
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will be sentenced Friday for the murder of George Floyd. Trahern Crews with Black Lives Matter Minnesota says “this is a long time coming for black people and other victims of police brutality to see a day where there’s going to be police accountability in Minnesota.” In April, a Hennepin County jury found Chauvin guilty in Floyd’s murder. Chauvin faces up to 30 years in prison and Crews says “the longer sentence I think would deter it from happening again, so police officers know that if they’re going to kill black people or put their knees on our neck or pepper spray us or sic their dogs on us and try to get away with it that that’s not going to happen.” Chauvin was seen on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, resulting in worldwide protests and unrest, including in Minnesota. Here’s more with Crews:
More body parts found in Mpls, believed tied to previous discovery
Police have found more remains believed to be connected to last week’s gruesome discovery of body parts in northeast Minneapolis. Officers were called to the scene of West River Parkway and Franklin Avenue at around 6:45 am this morning on a report of human remains being located. Investigators say the remains are related to the earlier case. The victim has been identified as 36-year-old Adam Johnson. His death is being investigated as a homicide.
Minnesotan Gable Steveson chasing Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling (AUDIO)
(Minneapolis, MN) — Golden Gopher star wrestler Gable Steveson (STEVE-son) of Apple Valley leaves for Toyko tomorrow, where he will be chasing Olympic gold in free style wrestling. Steveson is a two-time Big Ten champion and a national titlist with the Golden Gophers and earned an Olympic spot as the 125-kilogram U-S wrestler by winning […]
BWCA Wilderness closures due to wildfires across the border in Ontario
Officials at the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota are announcing closures in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness effective Saturday (7/17), due to wildfires in Quetico Provincial Park along the international border in Ontario. Fire managers have identified two blazes that could spread across the border. The closure order will remain in effect for […]
Gopher men’s hockey working hard in offseason (AUDIO)
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Golden Gopher men’s hockey team is mostly on campus and working out, prepping for the upcoming season. Head coach Bob Motzko says his team is working with the strength and conditioning staff in the weight room and also working out on its own on the ice. He says several players are […]
3M Open is open to fans and excitement (AUDIO)
(Blaine, MN) — The opening round of the P-G-A Tour’s stop in Minnesota is one week from today. The 3-M Open tees off with several big names in the field and some local excitement, according to executive tournament director Hollis Cavner. Cavner says they are thrilled that fans will be allowed in the stands and […]
Gopher offensive lineman Andries works hard for good grades (AUDIO)
(Minneapolis, MN) — Golden Gopher senior offensive lineman Blaise Andries (AN-drees) of Marshall has been named an academic all-American for the second consecutive year. Andries was named to this year’s first-team after being a second-team honoree last season. Andries already holds a degree in Mathematics, along with minors in Insurance and Statistics. Andries says he […]
Wild buy out Parise and Suter (AUDIO)
Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club will buy out the final four years of the contracts of forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter. “I want to thank Zach and Ryan for everything they did for our organization over the past nine seasons, both on and off […]
Minnesotan Nyquist leading NASCAR’s social change (AUDIO)
(Daytona Beach, FL) — Last month, the Sports Business Journal named NASCAR as the Pro Sports League of the Year for the first time ever. One of the driving forces behind NASCAR’s big year is a Minnesota native. Eric Nyquist grew up in Albert Lea and went to college at Carleton in Northfield, where he […]
Canterbury Park announces 2021 Hall of Fame class
The newest members of the Canterbury Park Hall of Fame were announced today. The Class of 2021 includes A P Is Loose and Honey’s Sox Appeal, thoroughbreds that are among the all-time leaders in purse earnings in the history of the Shakopee, Minn. racetrack, as well as Steve and Dorothy Erban of Stillwater and Mary […]
Lynx beat LA Sparks 86-61
Lynx Notes • Napheesa Collier lead all scorers with a game-high and career-high-tying 27 points, marking her fifth 20+ point game of the season. She shot 11-of-17 from the field and recorded seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. • Layshia Clarendon finished with 14 points, connecting on 4-of-6 from the field, a game-high eight […]
Bubba Watson added to 3M Open field
Today 3M Open officials announced another collection of player commitments, with strong credentials, who will compete in the third edition of the 3M Open, scheduled for July 19-25 at TPC Twin Cities. Major champions Bubba Watson and Gary Woodland committed earlier this week. Watson, a two-time Masters champion, missed the cut in his only appearance […]