Here's the latest news from across the state to start your day.
WEATHER
☀️ Wednesday will be the last mostly sunny, dry and hot day for a bit. High temperatures will be back in the 80s with low 90s in the west.
🌧️ Our chances for rain and thunder increases Wednesday night into Thursday and will be followed by much cooler weather. Most of Minnesota looks to get at least some rain. Get the latest weather news on Updraft.
Firefighters battling at least three major, out-of-control wildfires in northeastern Minnesota are bracing for more hot, dry, windy weather on Wednesday, making it difficult to contain the blazes.
The latest:
The Camp House and Jenkins Creek fires together have burned more than 30 square miles of forest, and destroyed at least 140 structures.
Authorities have issued evacuation advisories to the residents of more than 100 homes in the area, and some of those evacuation advisories have been extended.
The Munger Shaw Fire northwest of Duluth is also slowly spreading north, which prompted St. Louis County officials to reinstate evacuation orders for some homes late Tuesday.
MPR News will have updates throughout the day on the air and online.
The power demands of data centers for cooling have raised concerns about whether utilities and the electric grid will be able to keep up. LiquidCool offers a different solution: covering computer components with fluid, then circulating it to remove heat.
NEWS ROUNDUP
🏛️ Minnesota Capitol comes to a slowdown as lawmakers await budget outline. Top legislative leaders and the governor have been meeting for more than two weeks to hammer out a budget framework. While they say talks are advancing, their prolonged negotiations could force a special session to wrap things up.
🖼️ From Nye’s to Betty’s Pies: A Minneapolis designer photographs the signs of Minnesota. Kelsi Sharp showcases her photo collection and hand-painted signs in the exhibition “Greetings From” at Augsburg University, reflecting on Minnesota’s visual history through iconic and hidden signage.
🔑 Minnesota lawmakers look to change 2023 law that restricts keys containing lead. Minnesota lawmakers have yet to lock in a session-ending deal. But as they try, one proposal getting new attention could dictate how Minnesotans can legally purchase keys.
📜 Minnesota court scrutinizes gun law tucked into 2024 tax bill. A gun rights group argues that a ban on a certain type of trigger that DFLers added to the sprawling 2024 tax plan violates a prohibition on multi-subject bills.
📉 Suicide rate in Minnesota remains below record highs for second year. Deaths by suicide in Minnesota and across the country have been increasing over the past two decades. However, a new report indicates the number of suicides in the state has fallen below the peak levels reached in 2022.
🪖 Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins visits Minneapolis VA hospital. Since President Donald Trump took office, the VA has cut thousands of staffers. Collins has said the Department of Veterans Affairs has a goal to cut about 15 percent of its staff, but hasn’t unveiled a specific plan to do so.
🎧 Minnesota's tribal radio stations could lose half their funding under CPB cuts. Niijii Radio is one of four tribal radio stations in the state of Minnesota and receives funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. That funding allows the station to report from the community and local events. But local funding threats from President Donald Trump put the station at risk.
🎧 Timberwolves and Frost just a game away from advancing in playoffs. Minnesota Now sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined the show to talk about the outlook for the Timberwolves, Frost and Twins.
