No universal face mask requirement for the State Fair

The new guidelines are short of what have started to appear elsewhere. There will be no universal mask mandate. Fair officials are urging people to think of attending at non-peak times, like during weekdays, to try and avoid at least some crowding at the fair.

Fair general manager Jerry Hammer said that the huge crowds that show up make enforcement impractical. But he said fairgoers need to understand that their decisions won’t just affect their own health.

Minnesota's wildfire situation is worsening.

The latest estimate on a major wildfire burning in northeastern Minnesota shows it has grown to about five square miles.

The Greenwood Fire has forced the evacuation of about 80 homes and cabins near Isabella.

So far aircraft dumping water on the fire have been able to slow its spread northward. But fire officials warn conditions can change quickly. Fire danger is still high, with strong winds, hot temperatures and a parched forest.

Fire management officer Nick Petrak says the Superior National Forest is hoping for more aircraft and personnel to fight the fire. Petrak says they're competing with other fires burning out west and in Canada for resources.

The Forest Service also closed more than a dozen lakes and portages to paddlers because of the Whelp fire, and the state’s Interagency Fire Center says it has reports of more than 60 wildfires starting around the state in the last week.