The McDougal Lakes area near Isabella was hardest hit. It's a chain of three lakes south of state Highway 1 and west of Isabella that's dotted with homes and cabins. Firefighters battling the blaze are getting help from a favorable weather forecast for the next several days.
In other news, the state of Minnesota is expanding COVID-19 testing as the delta variant spreads and testing demand increases statewide. Sites in Bloomington and St. Paul will open next week. The announcement comes as kids head back to school, and the state recommends students be tested regularly during the school year. Testing is free and will be conducted through spit tests. No appointment is necessary, and anyone who thinks they need a test can get one.
Scoping out the fair’s first morning in two years, MPR News reporter Tim Nelson writes that diehard fans walking onto the fairgrounds may feel like someone rearranged the furniture in their home. Here’s what he found.
“Summer of Love” is a live, 1960s music and light show. “The Uncertainty Principle” explores the ripple effect of the Vietnam War. Plus, the Austin Artworks Festival is back this weekend with music and art.
Geological wonder? A crack in the soil of a bean field in northwestern Minnesota has caused the ground to collapse 25 feet, creating a quarter-mile-long ravine.
Seven people were injured, including one critically, after two people began shooting at each other outside a business in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood early Thursday, police said.
Two explosions, one just outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and another at the nearby Baron Hotel, caused several casualties Thursday. The attacks came less than a day after the U.S. Embassy warned U.S. citizens to get out of the area.
