State and federal authorities on Monday offered a mixed bag of hope and grim reality in the battle against wildfires burning across northeastern Minnesota into Canada.

Added rain, more firefighters and a temporary reprieve from skies clogged with heavy smoke have helped crews better pinpoint and attack roughly 25 fires scorching the landscape. At the same, officials continue to caution against complacency and warn this fire season will slog on into the fall.

“We have a lot of fire on the landscape and we still have a long season ahead of us,” Nick Petrack, fire management officer for the Superior and Chippewa National Forests, told reporters at an early afternoon briefing. “We'll just see what Mother Nature brings to us in August.”

The Echo Trail Corridor near Ely remains a main focus of firefighting efforts as fires move south out of wilderness areas and closer to more populated areas. Crews are also working to protect a hydroelectric plant along the Fernberg Road to the northeast of Ely that provides power to the region.

“The fire is mostly north of Echo Trail, and that’s where we want to keep it,” said Shane Sturgill, the federal official overseeing efforts to put down 15 fires. While crews are doing all they can, Sturgill urged residents to make sure they have a plan in place in case they have to evacuate.

The U.S. Forest Service estimates 63,000 acres burning now in northeastern Minnesota with another 8,400 across the border in Canada. Nearly 800 firefighters are battling blazes, close to double the number from last week. Forest Service officials said three firefighters have sustained minor injuries.

State and federal officials on Monday also told reporters:

• Fire restrictions. Minnesota ratcheted up private burning restrictions near fire areas. No campfires are allowed, including on private property, in Cook, Lake, north St. Louis and Koochiching counties, as well as a small part of Itasca County. No fireworks are allowed outside of municipalities.

• BWCA. The entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness remains closed but officials are assessing opportunities to reduce the closure order “in areas that make the most sense,” said Tom Hall with the Superior National Forest. He said he didn’t know when a decision might be made.
  
  Hall said authorities have recently noticed some cars showing up in some BWCA entry point lots and said they’re working with local enforcement to identify owners. Some would-be paddler might be “frustrated” and “starting to push those boundaries” to get back into the wilderness. Local outfitters have said they have no clients left in the BWCA, he added.

• Weather outlook. Beneficial rain has fallen but the wind is back, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kari Fleegel. Drizzle and cooler temperatures are coming Tuesday but Wednesday will be dry, although with much lighter winds. Temperatures will be back in the 80s later in the week into the weekend but still above normal “and we have a lot of fire season left.”

Watch: State and federal officials Monday with the latest on NE Minnesota wildfires

Thousands of people in northeastern Minnesota remain displaced or on standby as wildfires continue to burn across the region. Wildfires in northeastern Minnesota have burned an estimated 70,000 acres, and the U.S. Forest Service has extended its closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness through at least Friday.

About 8,000 campers have been evacuated, and countless others have had to leave resorts, cabins and permanent homes in the area. Many more are packed and waiting, just in case they're ordered to leave.

On Saturday evening, Forest Service pilot Jeremy Harmon returned from an observation flight in a vintage de Havilland Beaver. For nearly two hours, he flew over the locations of known lightning strikes to check for any new fires.

Harmon taxis the vintage aircraft to the dock at the Forest Service float plane base in Ely and emerges with good news.

“Did not see any new starts. Without going and actually putting eyes on that area, detecting any smoke, that’s where we still have to go out and take a look at it. Otherwise, we just have a dot on the map,” he said.

A lightning strike or an ember caught in an updraft could ignite a new wildfire with little warning.

That’s why Harmon and his fellow pilots are constantly scanning the forest below, serving as the eyes on the ground that incident commanders rely on to make daily decisions about where to deploy resources and which areas to evacuate.

Ely itself is not in immediate danger. But authorities have designated rural areas to the north, west and east of the city as “ready,” “set” and “go” zones.

Molly Olson and her family live just outside Ely, a hop and a skip from the evacuation zone along Fernberg Road.

Stacked near the front door of the timber-frame home that her husband, Mark, built are plastic tubs packed with clothes and other essentials, along with a picnic basket full of important personal documents.

“We just have a pile of stuff in the entry of the house, and more things in the car. And it’s just been stressful and a lot of waiting.”

Olson says they got a “go” order to evacuate Tuesday, but incident managers soon reversed it.

“We have a plan, but it’s just a waiting game.”

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Liz Engelman did have to evacuate.

She runs the Tofte Lake Center, an artists’ retreat in an area threatened by the Camp Fire. A group of parents and children had to leave soon after they arrived. Engelman and her dog are staying with a colleague in Ely.

After a recent community gathering at City Hall, Engelman said she’s glad everyone got out safely, and she’s hoping things will return to normal soon.

"I’m concerned in the sense that I, as everybody is, hope that their property is safe. But I feel that we’re in such good hands. I feel like the threat is being monitored, precautions are being taken. So I’m less worried about that and more worried about when I can get back."

At a community meeting Sunday at Minnesota North College in Ely, Forest Service fire behavior analyst Art Gonzales, who recently arrived from Arizona, said the conditions are unlike anything he's seen before.

"I will tell you it is mind blowing to see how this fire was island hopping. It would burn over a half mile to a mile of water, land in available fuels, burn those fuels, get up, and go to the next island. That’s incredible. That’s a lot of energy."

Gonzales says the fire is burning plant material two to three feet below ground, and it'll take a sustained effort — and heavy rain — to get it under control.

And he was blunt.

"I say there’s more fire season ahead of you than there is behind you."

Incident Commander Kyle Smith said there are nearly 800 firefighters from across the country working in Minnesota. He said that no one has been injured, and no buildings have burned.

For now, firefighters continue working to keep the flames from spreading while families wait for word on when they'll be able to return home.

Deb Weigel is 71 years old, and she said lately, she’s been feeling like a young newlywed again.

But not in a good way.

“We’re back to trying to make ends meet, like we're just starting out right now,” she said.

She’s the manager of Corner Parcel in Pembina, a town of 500 in the northeast corner of North Dakota, right on the border with Minnesota and Canada.

The shop caters exclusively to Canadians, helping them avoid international shipping costs by acting as their U.S. address. It’s one of many in Pembina.

The business model depends on Canadians crossing the border, but fewer of them are. Many say they’re feeling cold about America because of President Trump’s tariffs and rhetoric about annexing Canada.

The number of passengers crossing the Pembina border was down by nearly 35 percent in 2025 compared to 2024, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation.

Weigel’s shop has been hit hard. She said they're getting less than half of the packages they used to and have cut their staff significantly, down from at least six workers a shift to just one.

For Weigel, the drop in business means no bonuses or raises, which is particularly tough because her husband’s income also relies on Canadian traffic — or rather, as a Canadian truck driver, he’s part of it.

“He [works] as much as he can, but there's a lot of … sit and wait, because there's no loads,” she said. “It’s hard. We're having a very hard time making ends meet, and I'm too old for that.”

She’s unable to retire, she said. It would be too much of a strain on her husband.

“It makes me glad that my kids are all grown and gone in that aspect, because I don't know how these young parents can raise children anymore,” she said. “We don't go anywhere, and we don't do anything, we just do what we have to, day to day, so I don't know how people are surviving.”

Border business blues

The parcel business has been particularly affected, but other border town businesses said they’re feeling it too.. Pembina’s grocery store, D & K Grocery, has been owned by Deanna Hager and her husband for more than 20 years.

Canadians would frequently cross the border to buy food that’s expensive or hard to get back home. But now, business is down by 15 percent because of a decline in Canadian customers, she said.

“We used to have our regulars that would come two, three times a week from Canada, and now they don't,” she said.

Like Weigel, Hager said the downturn has started to have an impact on her finances.

“There's things we don't do that we used to do, you know,” she said. “Just travel here or there, you just got to mind your Ps and Qs till things start picking up again.”

The story is similar in Lancaster, Minn., a small town just 25 miles east of Pembina. The border crossing there gets much less traffic, but still, local businesses said they’re feeling the cold shoulder from their northern neighbors.

“A lot of people are not coming down anymore,” said Shannon Langerud, who has owned the town’s grocery store, J & S Foods, with her husband since 2019.

The decline in Lancaster seems to be multi-faceted. Lake Bronson is nearby and is usually a tourist attraction for Canadians, but it’s been closed since 2024 as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources replaces its dam.

Some Canadians also said the weakening of the Canadian dollar makes it too expensive to travel.

“I just wish that we would get it just figured out (and) go back to the way it used to be,” Langerud said. “Our small town communities are hurting a lot right now with everything that's going on in the world.”

In every county with a rural point of entry, jobs in the retail sector and the leisure and hospitality sector were down last year, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

It's impossible to determine how much of the decline in tourism-dependent jobs is tied to fewer international travelers, said Anthony Schaffhauser, the department's regional analyst for northwest Minnesota. But, he added, "I think it's fair to say that it didn't help."

It could also be due to factors that make people spend less generally, including high inflation.

“People drop off their spending if they're strapped for cash,” he said. “We don't have any way to separate out just how much of that would be from U.S. consumers cutting back, and how much of that is from fewer international travelers,” he said.

Downstream damage

While some Canadians may stop in border towns for snacks or a parcel, many keep driving south to spend time and money in other parts of the region, and those areas may be getting caught in the crossfire too.

“There’s a lot of Canadian visitors that come to shop in the US,” Schaffhauser said. “Some of the more urban areas and centers — that would affect the retail trade in those areas”

For example, many Canadians travel to shop in the Grand Forks metro area. It’s about 80 miles south of the border.

Pat Boppre owns the Blue Moose Cafe in East Grand Forks, Minn. He said the restaurant used to attract about 400 Canadians every weekend.

“The last two years are probably down about six to 10 percent of traffic, just from Canadian traffic,” he said.

He said it’s a relatively small portion of the business, but still, the decline means they’ve had to cut hours.

“With the downturn in business, obviously, the money isn't coming in, so you do have to cut some certain things,” he said.

But the data is a bit brighter heading into summer, which is typically when border crossings peak. The number of personal vehicle passengers driving into Minnesota from Canada in March, April and May was higher than last year, but still below what they were in 2024. Boppre said he’s feeling it.

“It's kind of starting to turn around at this point,” he added. “We're starting to see this summer, we've probably seen the most Canadians that we've seen in the last two.”

In Pembina, things are slowly turning around too. Border crossings in April and May were higher in 2026 than 2025.

Deb Weigel, the manager of Corner Parcel, is more at the mercy of the border than many. She said she’s encouraged by the uptick in crossings and customers.

“I'm a very firm believer [that] neither country can survive without the other one,” she said.

Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of a woman who hurled racial slurs at a young Black autistic child last year on a Rochester playground.

The incident, which was caught on video and went viral, led to Rochester City Attorney Michael Spindler-Krage charging Shiloh Hendrix, 37, with two counts of disorderly conduct. Hendrix has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count.

The jury will decide if Hendrix’s actions were unlawful and likely to cause violence, as the prosecution alleges, or if they are protected under the First Amendment, as Hendrix’s attorney Brian Karalus contests.

Karalus did not respond to MPR News’ request for comment. Spindler-Krage’s office declined interviews before the trial begins.

Walé Elegbede, Rochester NAACP chapter president, said everyone should pay attention to the Hendrix trial.

“It really talks about the fabric of society that we live in,” said Elegbede, who is running for Rochester mayor. “If we want a society where we have freedoms, where we have love and respect for one another, we can't have adults going about traumatizing children. We just can't have that.”

Hendrix berated an 8-year-old boy who reached into her diaper bag at Soldier's Field Park and took an applesauce pouch in April 2025. According to court documents submitted by the state, the boy’s father said his son is profoundly and visibly autistic and does not understand typical boundaries.

Observers at the park said Hendrix chased the Black child and repeatedly hurled the N-word at him. Rochester resident Sharmake Omar filmed himself confronting Hendrix, which went viral.

After the video took off, Hendrix posted online that she received threats and asked for money to help relocate her family. She has raised almost $850,000 from supporters.

“Our freedom of speech is under attack,” Hendrix wrote on the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo in June. “Europeans are under attack. We see it more and more everyday. It's sickening. It needs to stop. We have to keep fighting. I refuse to let our folk be silenced and erased.”

Elegbede said the crowdfunding component is particularly concerning.

“As a society, that's a very, very dangerous message, and so we had to act,” Elegbede said. “We had to act on behalf of the family. We had to act to counter the message of hate with love. And we galvanize our community together.”

The NAACP began a separate fundraising campaign to support the young boy’s family and pushed the city of Rochester and the state to hold Hendrix accountable.

Rochester has experienced similar incidents in recent years. In 2024, Rochester police investigated a racial slur posted on a pedestrian bridge. That same year, DFL Representative Kim Hicks of Rochester reported that Nazi symbols and racial slurs had been spray-painted on her home.

While Hendrix’s team argues her case is about freedom of speech, Elegbede said it is about actions that cause serious harm.

“No child should ever be subjected to what occurred in Rochester,” Elegbede said. “No child should ever have to feel dehumanized and unsafe by the actions of an adult based on the color of your skin.”

On a typical Sunday morning in Grand Marais, the line for World’s Best Donuts is out the door and around the corner.

But over the weekend, that line all but disappeared. Kristin Christenson and her family sailed in and out the door.

"We just got here yesterday and we couldn't believe how not busy it was,” said Christenson, who travels here every year from Fergus Falls. “I don't think we've ever come to World’s Best Donuts and not had a line.”

Grand Marais is situated on the shores of Lake Superior and at the gateway to the Gunflint Trail. Every summer, tourists like Christenson flock to the area to canoe and hike, and their spending fuels this community of 1,300.

But a week ago, tourists stopped coming when the U.S. Forest Service closed the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Smoke from fire burning far west of the town has created hazardous air conditions.

The closure comes at the peak summer season for World’s Best Donuts and many other businesses nearby.

“We're open from May to October, so this is like prime time,” said Malorie Brazell, who owns the shop.

Brazell said she’s sent staff home early the last few days.

“Just this weekend, we made a little bit of staff changes. Normally, we have three people helping customers, and we really can get by with one,” she said.

Another closure, another financial hit

Brazell is among small business owners here who are wondering how long the smoke and Boundary Waters closures, which have been extended through at least the end of the week, will linger. Every day they do, business takes another hit.

Angry Trout owner Jessy Goble says this time of year, every seat on her patio would normally be full, the kitchen working to serve seafood to 400 to 500 people a day.

But smoke and poor air quality prompted her to close the restaurant for a few days.

­“We opened yesterday for the first time since the big plume of smoke came down the trail. We'll open it up for inside seating only to help keep our staff feeling comfortable and safe,” she said. “It's kind of depressing to come down here and see nobody sitting on the deck, when it's this time of the year where it's just such a coveted place to eat.”

Indoor businesses are getting hit hard, too, said Abby Tofte. She owns The Big Lake, a gift store in downtown Grand Marais. Foot traffic is way down compared to just a week ago, she said.

“The summer is where we make all of the money, and September. So July through September, that's when you make the hay. That’s why this is pretty scary,” said Tofte.

Tofte said she’s getting calls from vacationers who planned to travel there, asking if the area is safe.

“A lot of people just don't have the information to know where the fires are, and you just kind of clump all of Cook County together, and really, we're very far away from where the actual fire is happening,” she said.

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Tourist Kristin Christenson said her family didn’t consider cancelling their trip.

“We want this town to survive. We love it so much. We want to keep coming back. And in order to survive, they need to be full the third week in July,” she said.

So this year, Christenson said that instead of lots of long hikes in the wilderness, she and her family will stick closer to town so they can support the local businesses they’ve grown to love so much.

Police said they are not aware of any connection between the two.

According to police, Sunday night’s shooting happened at about 8:20 p.m. outside a business on the 1800 block of Nicollet Avenue.

Officers responding to a report of gunfire found four men injured at the scene — including a 28-year-old man who later died at a hospital.

A fifth injured man later arrived at a hospital.

Police have not released further information on the circumstances of the gunfire and said there were no arrests in the case as of Monday morning. The name of the man who died has not been released.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the weekend’s gun violence “intolerable” and said the city would work to hold the perpetrators accountable.

“This is a stark reminder that keeping our streets safe requires every tool available,” Frey said in a statement posted on social media. He called for the perpetrators to be arrested and prosecuted, along with continued police hiring and the use of technologies including drones and ShotSpotter.

The shooting on Nicollet Avenue followed a shooting early Sunday morning outside an Uptown nightclub that left nine people injured. Minneapolis police said all of the people wounded in that shooting were expected to survive.

A 2024 survey found that nearly half of the participants experienced discrimination when accessing healthcare services. Consequently, one in three individuals chose to forgo necessary care.

In June, the Minnesota Department of Health’s Health Economics Program published findings from this survey regarding patient experiences with discrimination in healthcare settings.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, experiencing discrimination in a healthcare environment can undermine trust in the system, causing patients to avoid care or delay treatment.

Healthcare discrimination occurs when a patient feels unfairly judged or treated disrespectfully by healthcare professionals. This discrimination can arise from various factors, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, or the type of health insurance a person has.

20 percent of survey respondents stated that the main reasons they experienced discrimination were related to age and body weight.

Different population groups experienced various types of discrimination. Among them, Black, Indigenous, and people of color were the most likely to report race-based discrimination, with 17 percent citing this experience.

Transgender and nonbinary individuals reported experiencing discrimination related to gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation at a rate of 72 percent.

A significant majority of survey respondents who experienced discrimination, totaling 86.3 percent, felt that their experiences led to negative health outcomes. 95 percent of participants said it affected their mental health. One-third of participants who faced discrimination in a healthcare setting reported that it led them to discontinue their care prematurely, and 33 percent said they avoided seeking healthcare altogether, except in emergencies.

Among all participants who reported experiencing discrimination, 60 percent indicated that it happened to them more than once, while approximately 20 percent reported experiencing it four or more times. Repeated experiences of discrimination were particularly prevalent among non-elderly adult Minnesotans with public health coverage, as well as among transgender, nonbinary, and Indigenous Minnesotans.

Almost all survey participants who reported discrimination had reduced confidence in their healthcare provider’s management of their care and diminished trust in the provider's intentions.

Participants proposed several changes to the healthcare system to improve patient experiences. They suggested simplifying the feedback process for reporting unfair treatment and emphasized the need for more affordable and accessible healthcare to eliminate barriers to care.

They also identified expanding access to mental healthcare as essential for addressing discrimination’s effects. Survey respondents noted that providers should dedicate more time to caring for patients and listen attentively to their needs in order to reduce or eliminate discrimination.

The Minnesota Health Access Survey is a comprehensive population survey conducted every two years in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and the State Health Access Data Assistance Center. This survey explores how Minnesota residents access health insurance and healthcare services. The findings help shape policies to improve healthcare access and health insurance coverage for all Minnesotans. In the 2024 study, over 16,000 households from across the state participated.

Speeding in your car to work, to pick up your children from school, or go from one errand to the next not only wastes money in gas and sends harmful emissions into the air, it barely saves you time, new research says.

It is something to think about as gas prices stay elevated throughout the summer months and add pain to day-to-day driving and seasonal road tripping.

Instead, abiding by posted speed limits can save U.S. drivers millions of dollars at the gas pump and eliminate millions of gallons of fuel each day, according to a study published Thursday in the Nature journal Communications Sustainability. That is fuel that, when burned, emits planet-warming gases into the atmosphere. To top it all off, changing driving habits wouldn't even add a full minute to a driver's commute.

University of Minnesota researchers analyzed 120 million vehicle trips across the United States from four Wednesdays in 2021 using driving data on national road networks, speed limits and U.S. Geological Survey elevation data. The analysis included roads with speed limits of 45 mph (72 kph) and higher.

More than 43% of the studied trips included at least one instance of speeding, and drivers spent nearly 12% of their driving time going faster than the speed limit.

They found that if drivers of light-duty, conventional internal combustion engine vehicles actually drove at posted speed limits, it could save an average of $22 million, based on fuel costs at the time, 6.7 million gallons of fuel and 57,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide every day. The researchers said that is comparable to taking about 5.5 million passenger vehicles off the road.

And while drivers say that speeding saves them precious time, researchers found that is not really the case. With an average daily driving distance of 28.6 miles (46.03 kilometers), driving at or below the posted limit corresponds only to about 54 seconds longer per day.

“If your goal is to shave one minute off your time, then you’ve got to drive fast. If your objective is to get to your destination safely and to save fuel, then you might drive slower than the speed limit,” said William Northrop, mechanical engineering professor at the University of Minnesota and study co-author.

The research considered battery-electric vehicle efficiency only in California given the level of EV adoption in the U.S. at that time. Based on the California modeling, “We find that driving slower is beneficial for EVs as well,” he said.

Interestingly, the study found differences among states. Nevada saw elevated speeding prevalence as well as high speed excess. There was high speeding prevalence in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, though those states did not necessarily exhibit high speed excess. Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and South Dakota showed both low speeding prevalence and speed excess.

The cost of faster driving today

Driving faster increases a vehicle’s energy use and the emissions from its engine, as well as reduces efficiency. Vehicle engines have become increasingly more efficient over the past several decades even as vehicles have gotten bigger and more powerful. But speed limits have also climbed since the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act was implemented, which mandated 55 mph national speed limits amid the 1970s energy crisis.

Accounting for the average cost of gas today and more vehicle miles traveled, that increases to roughly $26 million and 7.2 million gallons of fuel that Americans collectively could save each day this year just by not putting the pedal to the metal.

One limitation of the research is that slower driving could impact traffic patterns, which could play a role in efficiency.

However, it is especially timely as U.S. drivers remain price-sensitive to volatile gas prices as the war in Iran has sent the cost for a gallon of fuel above $4 this year. Experts have said there are a number of ways to improve one’s gas mileage, including something as simple as slowing down. Less fuel needing to be purchased because of better efficiency could influence oil market demand, which in turn could impact pricing.

Rob Middleton, associate research scientist of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan who was not involved in the research, said the study was well-done. But he also noted that the fuel saved from driving more slowly still only represents a fraction of daily gasoline consumption in the U.S., which is about 375 million gallons daily.

“It’s a big number, but it’s a small fraction,” Middleton said. “This is a ‘freebie’ in that it doesn’t really cost anyone anything to do.”

“The market penetration of selling EVs is still small, so we still need fuel, we still need ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles, we’re still going to have them for a very long time,” he added. “Things that we can do to either make the new ones better or to improve our fuel supply, we need to do.”

While air quality conditions have improved across most of the state, there were more than a dozen active wildfires in northeastern Minnesota as of Friday.

The fires have burned an estimated 77,000 acres so far.

Officials said fire conditions remain volatile and they expect to fight wildfires through the fall.

The best way to help firefighting crews is to avoid closed areas, according to Karen Miranda-Gleason, a spokesperson for the emergency response effort. She also asked people to stay out of the water where aircraft are working and not fly drones near fire areas.

“Any needed rescue takes resources away from fighting the fires, and aircraft must be grounded if idling boaters or drones are in their working area,” Miranda-Gleason said.

Here are other ways to help in Minnesota.

Donate to area efforts

As of Friday afternoon, there is no need for food, items or volunteers in northern Minnesota, according to the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota, which is working with local and regional emergency response leaders to offer direct assistance.

The U.S. Forest Service at a press briefing Friday said firefighters have all the supplies they need.

United Way is instead directing donations to its Crisis and Disaster Recovery Fund which residents can access to rebuild homes, replace lost items, recoup costs of displacement like hotel stays and for other needs.

“We're here for the long-term recovery as well, when a lot of people are maybe no longer thinking of the fire, or think everything's okay and it's settled,” said Emily Unhjem, volunteer and engagement coordinator for the charity.

People donated over $20,000 in two days, Unhjem said.

The Minnesota Incident Command System — the group of state and federal partners coordinating emergency response in Lake, Cook and St. Louis counties — also shared suggestions in a Facebook post Thursday.

It recommended supporting local American Red Cross chapters, local food pantries or other community organizations aiding displaced residents.

Donations to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation offer valuable support to injured firefighters and their families, the post said.

The American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region encouraged donations to United Way’s fund, as well as American Red Cross disaster relief.

“These donations help provide food, shelter, relief supplies, comfort, financial assistance and other aid, as well as support the vehicles, warehouses and people that make this help possible,” wrote spokesperson Carrie Carlson-Guest in an email Friday.

Friends of Boundary Waters additionally encouraged donations to

• Ely Area Food Shelf

• Northwoods Partners — a nonprofit serving Ely area elders and their families

• Ely Community Resource — an organization offering youth programs, community education and outdoor experiences.

Shop local

Emily Roose is part of a group that formed the Ely Community Response, a resource hub at the city’s State Theater, to ensure charitable giving is effective.

She said Ely residents have sought N95 masks and air purifiers with wildfire smoke causing hazardous air quality. Volunteers are keeping track of people who have offered other help and donations.

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She said while resident needs are met, northern Minnesota businesses need support.

Roose, an economic developer and city council member, said restaurants and storefronts have reported less traffic. Outfitters and other outdoor-adjacent businesses have been especially hit hard, with clients canceling upcoming bookings and those later in the season.

“This is the season where they make most of their money that carries them through the winter,” Roose said. “And so it is really hard when there's these big slowdowns in our busiest season.”

People can support northern Minnesota businesses by shopping online, purchasing gift cards and booking future stays, Roose said. If feasible, she encouraged would-be visitors to not cancel scheduled trips or ask for refunds.

She said air quality conditions have improved greatly over the last few days and there are other lakes and forests to explore.

“There is a lot more to offer in Ely than the Boundary Waters,” Ely Mayor Heidi Omerza said at the Friday press briefing. “We are open for business. Come on up and check us out.”

Be prepared yourself — and check on your neighbors.

State officials recommend residents near wildfire areas look out for evacuation orders and that all Minnesotans keep track of air quality conditions.

Unhjem said people should keep an eye on elders, youth and others most at risk outdoors in particular this summer.

“The big concern right now is probably just health in general with the smoke and air quality,” she said.

This is a non-exhaustive list. Know of additional needs or suggestions? Email MPR News at tell@mpr.org.

Nine people were shot early Sunday morning outside a nightclub in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood.

Minneapolis police say gunfire erupted just after midnight outside the Reign Event Center.

Officers found four people in their 20s shot outside the club, one with potentially life-threatening injuries. They were all taken to Hennepin Healthcare.

An 18-year-old with a gunshot wound later walked into Hennepin Healthcare.

Four more people in their 20s with gunshot wounds arrived at Abbot Northwestern Hospital, including a man with potentially life-threatening injuries. That man was transported to Hennepin Healthcare

Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson said at a Sunday afternoon news conference the two mean with potentially life-threatening injuries are expected to survive.

Peterson, alongside Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette, urged anyone with information on the shooting to come forward.

“It takes strong partnerships throughout the criminal justice system, continued investment in more police officers and the use of proven technology that helps law enforcement officers respond quickly, investigate effectively and prevents future crimes,” Barnette said. “It also takes community.”

Peterson said off-duty officers were stationed near Reign and were the first to arrive, but investigators still need information to identify a suspect.

“I think anytime there's you're in an entertainment district where lots of people are around, there's going to be tons of cameras everywhere,” said Peterson.

Police said forensic scientists had processed the area around Reign and collected evidence. They had not made any arrests as of Sunday evening.

Corey Hanson, who grows soybeans in Gary in the Red River Valley, has waged many battles against Iron Deficiency Chlorosis, also known as IDC, in his crops.

“It's always there someplace,” said Hanson. “Just depends on how severe it is, depending on what the spring did, how the [snow] melt happened, and how much rain we've received throughout the spring.”

The condition appears when the soybean plants aren’t able to access the iron they need to grow. Affected soybeans’ leaves turn yellow early in their life cycle. When that happens, the plants aren’t actively photosynthesizing, which stunts their development.

Hanson has been trying multiple different treatments over the last 20 years. Lately, he’s been applying liquid iron to his fields, which he says has helped mitigate the severity of IDC. But that increases his costs.

Those cost increases come at a time when many farmers’ operating expenses are already high. Soybean prices are also lower than they were a few years ago. Hanson said that paying for liquid iron to improve yield, in hopes of higher profit, feels like a gamble.

"We don't know right now what the full price of our soybeans will be next year. We can have an idea, a hope, but we don't know," said Hanson. "All my cards to play to get a better yield in hopes of a profit could be all for naught, but I don't know that now."

Western and central Minnesota are the areas most affected by IDC. That’s because those zones tend to have soils with poor drainage, weather and soil conditions. That makes it harder for plants’ roots to absorb the nutrients they need for growth and development.

Sergio Cabello Leiva, director of research at the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, said that affected plants may mature around harvest time. That’s problematic because farmers want to harvest soybeans when they’re ready and dry.

“When they grow out, they're gonna be late, probably two, three weeks [behind] the rest of the field,” said Cabello Leiva. “So, when the crop matures, and the farmers go in mid-September, early October to harvest, the other plants are gonna be dry without leaves, ready to harvest. But these [other] acres are gonna be green because they were late.”

Hanson, the farmer, will often find clusters of green soybeans in his fields around harvest time. He says he has to either harvest around them or take them as is. Those soybeans could have higher moisture content, which makes them of lower quality.

“It becomes very much more of a harvesting nightmare, and then the yield is not even close to [ideal] because they've been delayed so long,” said Hanson.

Cabello Leiva said there is no silver bullet for Iron Deficiency Chlorosis. So he recommends farmers reach out to an ag specialist for a personalized assessment, as each field is different.

Minnesota Lynx jerseys aren’t a rare sight in the Target Center, but you don’t expect to see one being repped by the opposing team’s bench.

Saturday night was an exception as former Lynx star center and current Portland Fire assistant coach Sylvia Fowles donned her old number.

Following the Minnesota Lynx’s 101-93 win, Minnesota honored Fowles by revealing a Hall of Fame banner on her retired number in the rafters.

Fowles broke into the WNBA in 2008 as the second-overall draft pick out of LSU for the Chicago Sky.

The 6-foot-6-inch Miami-native sat out the first half of the 2015 WNBA season, refusing a contract extension. The Sky deemed all trade offers insufficient, and Fowles held out until July that year for one specific reason: the opportunity to join Minnesota.

“She knew she wanted to play in Minnesota and was waiting for the opportunity to do that. She felt that strongly,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said before the game Saturday. “The choosing of us and the passion, the commitment that she has for this franchise, for the teammates that she played with, for the coaching staff, to this day remains one of the most special things that I've experienced.”

She was a key member of the Lynx for eight seasons before retiring in 2022.

During her time in Minnesota, she earned the nickname “Sweet Syl” for her nurturing off-the-court spirit that sharply contrasted her fierce on-court playing style, which earned her four defensive player of the year awards throughout her career, the second most in league history.

She was an eight-time All-Star and named the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2017.

Reeve said Fowles’ commanding style is “non-existent” today.

“It was a dominance on the interior, defensively, rebounding,” Reeve said. “I mean, there's no one. No one in the league is like her.”

Fowles helped the Lynx win two WNBA Championships in 2015 and 2017. She played alongside greats like Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus, four of whom have also become coaches in the WNBA or NCAA Division I colleges.

“None of us saw Syl coaching. I seen her crocheting some pillows or some blankets or something like that, but never coaching,” Augustus said, who also played with Fowles at LSU. “But if anybody's gonna coach, it would be someone like Syl, because she's so caring and nurturing. You know the intensity of basketball, you kind of need that happy mixture of intensity, but then that coddling to help players get through. So it's good to see her in there and coaching up these post players to be great, as great as she was.”

It’s a leadership role that started in Minnesota during her final years as the team entered a rebuild, Reeve said.

“Syl poured into the next era. She was the one that, after everyone was gone, she was the one that was still here,” Reeve said Friday during practice.

At that point, Reeve spoke to Fowles telling her she understood if she wanted to go to a different team to compete for another championship.

“She shut the conversation down really fast, and she said, ‘This is home and this is where I'm going to finish,’” Reeve said.

Fowles nodded along recalling that story when it was shared during the ceremony and said the Lynx are part of her identity.

“I'll forever bleed this blue and green,” Fowles said in a pregame press conference. “This is home at heart forever.”

While at Minnesota, she was an advocate for youth health and wellness, hosting biking and gardening events to share her hobbies. She and the Lynx launched “Syl’s Final Ride” campaign, teaming with local nonprofit Free Bikes 4 Kidz MN to provide children in need with bicycles.

The Lynx named the Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award after her, recognizing a player who embodies kindness, selflessness and care for the well-being of others in the community. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier received the inaugural 2023 honor. Both Bridget Carleton and Natisha Heideman, who have both left the Lynx, were also recipients of the honor.

“She's just thoughtful to her core. Like that's her space, always giving.” Reeve said. “It's important as a Lynx player. In general, we like the selfless nature and doing things for others, but Syl just always took it to another level.”

Reeve recalled wanting to do something special to remember the high standard of selflessness Fowles set. Fowles said it was amongst her highest accomplishments.

“I am honored to be able to give an award every year, but it just speaks to who I am,” Fowles said. “Like basketball is the plus, and it has always been a plus. But who you are as a human, I think, comes first.”

Fowles grew emotional when she reminisced on Reeves laying a road map for successful coaching. Fowles now implements the same style at Portland with honed attention to detail and steadfast support for her players to build their confidence.

“Cheryl, I can't thank you enough for the things that you have done for my career,” she said. “Being here and wearing this jersey definitely prolonged what legacy looks like and I don’t think I could have done that without being a Minnesota Lynx.”

Fowles was the eighth Lynx player Inducted in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, preceding Reeve by a year. She’s also a four-time Olympic gold medalist with the USA Basketball Women’s National Team.

Beyond the court into fans’ heart: ‘She's just such a beautiful human’

Coming back just 74 days after giving birth, another fan favorite, Collier, said her goal in 2022 was getting to play with Fowles again before her retirement.

“It was just a handful of games, but it was really touching. It was amazing,” said Alex Schneider of Minneapolis, a fan of nearly 10 years wearing a t-shirt with Fowles and a squiggly font listing all of Fowles' accomplishments.

Phee’s return to join Fowles is a favorite memory for St Paul’s Michelle Fure because it solidified why Fowles’ character was so unique.

“She's just such a beautiful human and really offers so much joy and love in everything that she does to both her players and the people in her life,” Fure said in a retro Lynx blue-green Fowles jersey.

Fure has been a fan since before Fowles arrived to Minnesota. She remembered watching Fowles’ talent permeating the team. Fowles’ crispest shot-blocking moments play on rewind in her mind years later.

Sherry Gwegorryn of St. Paul called Fowles’ influence “groundbreaking.”

“It changed the whole team,” she said. “We had a great team before with Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus and all that, but then when Sylvia came in, it just took off, and it was really amazing to see. We had defense and offense.”

What Fowles added is undeniable. She averaged 15.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.77 blocks per game. In the postseason, she added 14.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.68 blocks per game in 41 contests.

But it was what she offered off the court that ultimately stole fans’ hearts. Fowles’ bike trips with kids and community-centered wellness events are why they’ll never forget her, Fure said.

“Justice and community, it's just really part of who they are. It's part of the fabric of Minnesota, but it is certainly a part of this franchise and this organization, and she embodied that.”

Early Thursday evening, under an eerie and smoky haze, Willy Vosburgh eased his motor boat up to a dock at the south end of Moose Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Vosburgh, a resort owner and canoe outfitter, had just picked up two paddlers who had endured a harrowing escape from the fires burning in Quetico Provincial Park, across from the Boundary Waters in Canada.

This was just one of the dozens of groups of paddlers who Vosburgh and other resort owners helped evacuate from the wildfires this week. It started Monday afternoon, when Vosburgh said he got a call from the U.S. Forest Service asking him to pick up canoeists on nearby Basswood Lake.

"As we departed here, boats were coming out of everywhere, because as we were heading up, we realized other outfitters had gotten the same call,” Vosburgh told MPR News. “And all of a sudden there were 10 watercraft sitting queued up at Prairie Portage."

They portaged across to Basswood, and motored down to pick up paddlers who Forest Service crews were evacuating from Pipestone Bay, which was surrounded by wildfire. Ash was falling from the sky. The flames were getting so close, that many groups had to leave their canoes behind.

"We were able to grab a family that had no equipment, no gear," said Vosburgh.

Resort owners and outfitters in Ely played a critical role this past week by using their motorized towboats to help evacuate canoeists from the lakes in and around the BWCA.

Bob LaTourelle also responded to the call for help. His resort sent out four towboats. He says three generations of his family have helped with emergencies in the wilderness.

"I think we all are helping folks out in times of need quite often, and, yeah, you're not really, you know, thinking about it too much, and if it's your duty or not or whatever, you're just kind of helping out when the need arises."

When the Forest Service closed the Boundary Waters early Tuesday, agency officials estimated there were as many as 10,000 canoeists still in the wilderness. For most, their journey out was uneventful. But some escapes were dramatic. Wilderness rangers spent days rounding up campers to get them out of the million acre wilderness.

But they needed help from outfitters who use towboats in areas of the Boundary Waters where motors are allowed to ferry paddlers and their canoes deeper into the wilderness.

The boats are usually motorized aluminum fishing boats equipped with a rack that holds the canoes and gear above, and because they have motors, they’re not allowed in many parts of the BWCA.

On Wednesday, Vosburgh got special permission from the Forest Service to take his boat to a spot where motors typically are not permitted to pick up a family from Illinois.

It was an emotional experience for Brandon and Laurie Hoopingarner and their son Gabriel.

“[We] could see the smoke everywhere,” Gabriel Hoopingarner said. “Sun was almost blocked out.”

“And there was ash everywhere,” added Laurie.

Asked if it was pretty scary,” Brandon paused, and said “yeah,” as his wife told him, “it's okay."

Many people are praising towboat operators for rescues like this one, but the use of towboats has long been controversial in the Boundary Waters. Some argue the motors take away from the natural quiet which is essential to the wilderness experience. The group Wilderness Watch has sued to limit how many towboats outfitters can operate.

"We appreciate the work that the towboaters have done in helping to safely evacuate people out of the boundary waters, and it's risky work," said Kevin Proescholdt, conservation director of Wilderness Watch.

"But that is an emergency situation, and it's very different from the day-to-day ongoing towboat use that occurs inside the Boundary Waters."

Towboat operators like Vosburgh say their local expertise is critical in emergency and crisis situations. He also says towboats allow more people to experience the wilderness.

“If you got 25 groups a day that are trying to go up Moose Chain and the west wind or east wind is cranking, everybody's going to clog the [nearest] campsites, and there'd be no place to camp,” that all canoeists could reach, Voshburgh explained. “So [without towboats] the quota [of people allowed into the BWCA] would have to get cut."

Vosburgh's towboat runs are now done for the foreseeable future, with the Boundary Waters now closed indefinitely. He finally has time to turn his attention to his resort, where guests have had to evacuate because of the growing fires.

A U.S. District judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuits against state and local governments over what the Justice Department describes as “sanctuary city policies.” The Trump administration argued policies prohibiting local authorities from enforcing federal immigration law are unconstitutional. Chief Judge Eric Tostrud dismissed claims against the state, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and Attorney General Keith Ellison.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is seeking public feedback on the social and economic impacts of large-scale dairies in the state. That follows the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s decision not to require an environmental impact statement for a proposed dairy expansion near Morris. The expansion would make it the state’s largest dairy. The Department of Agriculture will host two online public meetings Tuesday, July 28, and will accept online comments through Oct. 1.

A St. Paul iron foundry is due in court Tuesday as state regulators try to revoke its permit over pollution concerns. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says Northern Iron removed some pollution control equipment in 2023, violating its permit. The agency says that could have led to more pollution in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood. Foundry leaders say a shutdown is unnecessary and that the foundry is not violating its permit.

A St. Paul iron foundry will appear in court Tuesday as state regulators continue a yearslong legal battle to revoke its operating permit over pollution concerns.

Regulators with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced last year they were taking the rare step to revoke the Northern Iron’s permit.

That decision stemmed from a 2023 review in which regulators determined the foundry in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood violated its permit by removing pieces of pollution control equipment without informing the state. Regulators fined the foundry and said it could have led to excess air pollution.

The parties are still in conflict over whether the foundry is emitting excessive pollution. The agency says modeling based on Northern Iron’s reports indicates the foundry is emitting lead and other particulate matter at higher levels than its permit allows. But the foundry has argued actual air quality readings from monitors near the foundry have not shown excess pollution.

Minnesota’s administrative court system is hearing the case over whether or not to revoke the permit.

Community organizers have pushed for a shutdown of the foundry, too. Several say they plan to be at Tuesday’s hearing.

“Northern Iron continues to pollute the residential neighborhood in which it resides, evading accountability, scorning transparency and flouting regulations,” local advocate Kalani Matus said in a statement. “Meanwhile, lead soot accumulates inside neighbors’ houses and bodies.”

Local residents filed a class-action lawsuit against the foundry for polluting the neighborhood. In the lawsuit, neighbors near the foundry said they find black dust inside their homes and fear for their health.

In another case currently moving through district court, Northern Iron sued the state after regulators attempted to set limits to the foundry’s operating hours. That case is on hold while the foundry and state attempt to settle the the foundry’s permit.

The foundry is still operating while the many legal disputes move through the courts.

A U.S. District Judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuits against the Twin Cities, Hennepin County and the state over what the Justice Department describes as "sanctuary city policies."

Chief Judge Eric Tostrud granted motions Monday to dismiss claims against the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, the state of Minnesota and state Attorney General Keith Ellison.

The administration argued that the policies — which prohibit local authorities from enforcing federal immigration law — are unconstitutional and should be eliminated.

The government argued that federal law preempts such local policies and laws and that they burden the federal government.

Tostrud said the government’s preemption claims “failed.”

“They do not command the federal government or its contractors to act. They do not forbid the federal government or its contractors from acting,” Tostrud wrote in his ruling. “They do not control how the federal government or its contractors undertake their work. Rather, they regulate how state and local officials perform their duties.”

The U.S. Department of Justice also took aim at an advisory opinion issued by Attorney General Keith Ellison that found the Minnesota Constitution didn’t allow jails to hold people in custody longer because the federal government wanted them on civil immigration violations.

The judge found that the federal government’s claim that Ellison’s advisory decision prohibited local officials from contracting with federal immigration enforcement was not plausible.

This is not the first time the courts have blocked the president’s efforts to punish cities with similar policies. In 2025, a federal judge stopped Trump from withholding federal funding from cities that refuse to assist with immigration enforcement, including Minneapolis. Minnesota has also been threatened with cuts to federal Medicaid funds and SNAP benefits by President Donald Trump’s administration, which local officials said were politically motivated.

Keir Starmer is out, Andy Burnham is in.

On Monday, outgoing Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to King Charles III. Shortly afterward, his successor, Andy Burnham, made the same journey and was invited by the king to form a new government.

Burnham then returned to Downing Street, where he delivered his first remarks as prime minister. He said, "it requires my generation of politicians to raise our game." He said politicians are "acknowledging that many voters have grown frustrated with politics."

"I want to be honest with you: we have not been good enough and we need to be better. We will be," Burnham said.

Burnham becomes the U.K.'s seventh prime minister in a decade, since Britons voted in June 2016 to leave the European Union. That decision ultimately shrank the British economy, triggered anger at the governing class, and contributed to a revolving door of prime ministers.

Starmer exits after two years

Starmer delivered his final speech outside 10 Downing Street earlier on Monday before heading to Buckingham Palace to formally resign as prime minister, declaring: "My work is done."

"In six and a half years I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country, and won a landslide general election victory in 2024," Starmer said. He described serving as prime minister as "the privilege of my life" and said he was leaving office confident Britain was "stronger and fairer" than it was two years ago.

Closing his final address outside Downing Street, Starmer said, "I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything we have achieved."

Starmer led the U.K.'s center-left Labour Party to a landslide victory two years ago. But his personal approval ratings sank. Polls show voters believe he failed to deliver palpable change. He was also criticized for appointing Peter Mandelson, a close friend of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as British ambassador to Washington. Starmer later fired Mandelson.

After Labour lost seats to a populist anti-immigration party in May's local elections, more of Starmer's own lawmakers joined calls for his removal.

Starmer resigned as Labour leader on June 22, and Burnham assumed that role Friday. Under Britain's parliamentary system, the ruling party can replace its leader — and therefore the prime minister — without a general election. The next election is not expected for another three years.

Burnham's first remarks as prime minister

Burnham previously served as a Member of Parliament for 16 years, holding several cabinet roles in the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He ran twice for the Labour leadership, receiving a nomination from Starmer during the 2015 contest, before leaving Parliament to become mayor of Greater Manchester.

As mayor, Burnham championed investment and devolution in the post-industrial region, and has pledged to bring a similar approach to the U.K. nationally. He returned to Parliament in a special election last month.

Standing outside Downing Street Burnham said he will announce measures to help with the cost of living on Tuesday, promising immediate support for households while setting out plans for longer-term change.

The new prime minister said his government would be "a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years."

"I can do something to give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living," Burnham said.

He added, "I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction: to end rough sleeping in our country." Burnham also said he would unveil a 10-year plan for Britain later this year.

A new prime minister, familiar challenges

Born and raised in the grittier north of England, Burnham has cultivated a working-class hero vibe, often wearing T-shirts rather than suits, and advocating for blue-collar workers. He moonlights as a DJ on Manchester's indie music scene. His social media videos have been compared to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's.

Polls show he's one of the most popular U.K. politicians.

In terms of policy, Burnham has said he'll scrap plans for digital ID cards, reverse the privatization of public transit and utilities, and devolve power away from the capital, London, toward municipal and regional authorities.

In recent days, there have been reports that Burnham might ease a ban on new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea — which won him immediate praise from President Trump on social media on Sunday. Trump wrote that with North Sea drilling, Burnham would transform the U.K. from "a Poverty Stricken Disaster, to one of the Richest Countries anywhere in the World!"

European leaders have begun congratulating Andy Burnham on becoming the U.K.'s new prime minister, with an invitation for his first foreign trip already arriving from Berlin.

Ireland's Prime Minister Micheál Martin welcomed Burnham's appointment, saying he hoped to work with him to strengthen ties between the U.K., Ireland and the European Union.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Britain and Germany remained "close allies and partners," and invited Burnham to visit Berlin.

But Burnham is likely to face some of the same challenges that stymied Starmer: Rising costs of living, slow growth, and that volatile American ally across the Atlantic.

Copyright 2026, NPR

Spain substitute Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to give his team a 1-0 win over defending champion Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday.

Spain was absolutely dominant in terms of possession and shot attempts. Lionel Messi and Argentina found a way to hang on and force extra time — but barely.

And in the opening moment of the second 15-minute period of extra time, Torres pounced on a bouncing ball in the box and used his left foot to bury a shot just under the crossbar and into the back of the net.

Enzo Fernandez was sent off in second-half stoppage time after getting his second yellow card, meaning Argentina was forced to finish the match with only 10 players. Fernandez was carded for a reckless play that sent Spain defender Pau Cubarsi cartwheeling into the air, and the card came out immediately.

Another foul about two minutes after play resumed gave Lamine Yamal a chance to win it from about 22 yards out on a free kick. Yamal’s strike was curling toward the right post, and Martinez dived to knock it away for his 10th save of the afternoon — the most ever in a World Cup final.

He leaped to his feet, punching the air and imploring the crowd to get loud. Not long after that came the whistle, sending the game to extra time.

Spain took 15 shots in regulation, Argentina none. Spain took nine corners, Argentina one. And somehow, 90-plus minutes of that sort of dominance wasn't enough.

With its victory, Spain became the first nation to simultaneously hold the World Cup crowns in both men's and women's soccer.

It was the 104th and last match of the biggest World Cup ever, a 48-team event that played out over the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Because there were more matches than any previous World Cup, it was no surprise that there were more goals than all other editions — 308.

The spectacle was not limited to simply soccer.

Celebrities — from all walks of life — were there. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Will Ferrell, Cillian Murphy, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Hudson, Jon Hamm, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker were among the actors at the game.

The NBA had enough talent there for a full All-Star Game, with the list of players attending including Stephen Curry, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Bronny James, Cade Cunningham, Cooper Flagg, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Draymond Green, Jalen Brunson, Jalen Williams, James Harden, Jaylen Brown, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant and Tyrese Haliburton.

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz were among the tennis royalty watching, the NFL had names like Eli Manning, Patrick Mahomes, Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley in attendance, two of the greatest U.S. skiers ever in Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn were at the match — and, of course, there were soccer royalty with the likes of Kaka, David Beckham, Didier Drogba and Zinedine Zidane.

Post Malone headlined the closing ceremony, which started about 90 minutes before the final was set to begin and just a few minutes after Messi and Argentina arrived at the stadium. The halftime show — a first for FIFA and part of a 27-minute break — featured Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS, along with Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the PS 22 Chorus with Coldplay, and even characters from Sesame Street and the Muppets.

President Donald Trump was present as well, with plans calling for him to be part of the trophy presentation at the conclusion of the match.

“I won't pick sides,” Trump told Fox Sports in an interview released Sunday afternoon before the final. “I just think it's very hard to bet against Messi. He's great.”

Kayla McBride scored 24 points to move into the top 20 on the WNBA career scoring list and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Portland Fire 101-93 on Saturday night for their fifth straight victory.

McBride was 9 of 14 from the field, making four 3-pointers to help Minnesota improve to a league-best 20-6. McBride topped 20-plus points for a sixth straight game and upped her career total to 5,846. She hit a 3-pointer to move past No. 20 Becky Hammon (5,841) and give the Lynx an 86-76 lead with 5:14 left to play.

Natasha Howard had 16 points for the Lynx, who finished off a four-game homestand. Rookie Olivia Miles added 14 points and 10 assists, Courtney Williams scored 15 points and reserve Dorka Juhasz had 12.

Bridget Carleton had 22 points and Carla Leite and Sarah Ashlee Barker both scored 21 to pace Portland (11-15).

Miles sank a 3-pointer for a 7-4 lead and the Lynx stayed in front from there.

Carleton hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 53-50 with 6:11 remaining in the third quarter, but Nia Coffey and McBride answered with back-to-back 3s and Portland got no closer.

Up next

Fire: Hosts Dallas Wings on Wednesday night.

Lynx: At Seattle Storm on Monday night.

The winner of the World Cup will hoist a trophy, receive championship rings for the first time and gain a lifetime of glory in what will be a defining moment in the country's sports history. It'll also lead to a significant payday.

The World Cup winner earns $51 million. The second prize is $34 million.

FIFA expanded the payout for the 2026 World Cup, setting a record with a combined $871 million paid to the 48 participating teams. That tally includes more than $100 million that was added in April after some federations in Europe lobbied for help to cover costs at a tournament across three countries that has required extensive travel and lodging costs.

The $51 million for either Argentina or Spain is a large sum, but it also pales in comparison to the fortunes that are spent on global soccer. It's also smaller than what last year's Club World Cup winner earned in a tournament also played in the U.S.

For perspective, the $51 million for the winner is less than the transfer fee paid Tuesday by English club Brighton for a 19-year-old defender who spent most of the World Cup on the bench, Croatia's Luka Vušković.

Here’s what to know about the World Cup prize money:

All teams get paid

FIFA pays money to the 48 national federations in two categories: Prize money bonuses based on how far each team advances in the tournament and across-the-board payments to cover training and preparation costs.

All 48 get at least $12.5 million for competing in the World Cup, including $10 million in prize money for qualifying and playing in the group stage. Each receives $2.5 million for pre-tournament training and expenses. That upfront money was agreed at past World Cups to help avoid pre-tournament tensions when it wasn't uncommon for players to claim that bonuses had not been paid by their federation.

The prize money goes up depending on how far the teams advance.

The higher amounts come after demands from federations

Some federations, especially from Europe, had told FIFA that the prize money structure and payments for preparation costs that had been set last year would see them lose money on the tournament unless their team went deep into the knockout rounds.

France federation president Philippe Diallo told sports daily L'Equipe he had for several months drawn FIFA President Gianni Infantino's attention to World Cup teams not being properly rewarded, compared to what Club World Cup winner Chelsea got one year ago. That was $115 million, after FIFA had to promise a nine-figure reward that persuaded storied European clubs to play in the revamped competition.

World Cup teams playing games in the United States also faced some tax obligations that are exempted in Canada and Mexico.

World Cup champion gets the big bucks

The eventual champion receives $51 million, compared to Argentina’s federation $42 million for winning the 2022 tournament in Qatar. That 32-team edition had a total prize fund of $440 million.

Here is what the others are getting:

Runner-up: $34 million

Third place (England): $30 million

Fourth place (France): $28 million

Quarterfinalists (fifth to eight): $20 million each

Round of 16 (ninth to 16th): $16 million each

Round of 32 (17th to 32nd): $12 million each

Group stage (33rd-48th): $10 million each

Flights and hotels are covered

In addition to the payout sums and under World Cup regulations, FIFA is already obliged to pay for business‑class return flights for each federation to travel to the tournament plus board and lodging for a 50-person delegation, which includes the players. The hotel payments start five nights before a team’s first game and one night after it is eliminated.

FIFA also covers the cost of domestic travel for up to 50 delegation members, and “a dedicated fleet of vehicles, including an equipment truck.”

The soccer federations of World Cup teams must pay for “adequate insurance ... including but not limited to injury, accident, disease and travel,” plus “incidental hotel costs” and housing additional members of a delegation.

The World Cup trophy

The greatest honor, of course, is the World Cup trophy.

On Sunday, the champions will celebrate with it after the final whistle during an award ceremony. The original trophy is not awarded permanently. Instead, the winners will be presented with a gold-plated replica, which they get to keep.

As for World Cup prize money, that's paid by FIFA to the federations — not the players. It's up to each federation's rules how they handle the money.

For example: U.S. soccer will get to keep 20 percent of the prize money. The remaining 80 percent that the U.S. men’s national soccer team receives will be split evenly between the men’s and women’s national teams following a 2022 milestone agreement to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally, making the American national governing body the first in the sport to promise both sexes matching money.

In late June, shortly after the United States and Iran agreed on a ceasefire, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced an operation to move trapped ships and more than 11,000 seafarers out of the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic international waterway has been effectively closed by the Iranian regime since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February.

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The IMO said the operation would be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal states in the region, the United States and the maritime industry.

The ships were directed to take a route along the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz, hugging Oman's coastline, rather than a route along Iran's coastline on the northern side of the strait.

"Over 100 ships out of the 600 plus that were in the area … managed to get out," says John Canias, a former seafarer and now a maritime operations coordinator with the International Transport Workers Federation, who took part in discussions about the evacuation.

The operation ground to a halt a couple of days later after a vessel, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship called the Ever Lovely, was attacked while using the route closest to Oman, according to MarineTraffic, which tracks ship movements. Ship traffic around the Strait of Hormuz stalled again.

Although no one claimed responsibility, Iran's Revolutionary Guard criticized the operation because it was done without any kind of Iranian involvement, according to the state broadcaster IRIB, and that only Iran could decide what routes ships would take. Canias says the attack was frustrating.

"This is almost like a Groundhog Day, right? There is a potential opening and there isn't," he says.

Before the war, about a fifth of the world's oil and gas passed freely through the Strait of Hormuz. Now Iran controls the strait, threatening freedom of navigation and setting a dangerous precedent for other waterways. The ongoing fighting between the U.S. and Iran is largely over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Gregory Brew, senior analyst at Eurasia Group, a global political risk research and consulting firm, says Tehran sees itself as having the upper hand in the conflict with the U.S. and is trying to impose a new status quo in the strait.

"Any ships coming and going have to coordinate with them, have to get clearance from them," he says. "And they're pushing back against any effort by the United States to undermine that position."

But the Strait of Hormuz is considered an international waterway, critical for the global economy. Todd Huntley, director of the National Security Law Program at Georgetown University, and a retired Navy lawyer, says trying to claim ownership of the strait goes against a long tradition of freedom of navigation.

"The entire reason the U.S. Navy was reformed after the Revolutionary War was to ensure that … U.S. commercial vessels and other vessels were free to transit anywhere in the oceans," he says.

Huntley says officially recognizing Iran as having control of the Strait of Hormuz could set a dangerous precedent because other countries could also claim important waterways.

"You know, the U.K. or Morocco claiming control over the Strait of Gibraltar or Malaysia … claiming control over the Malacca Strait," the main shipping channel between the Pacific and the Indian oceans, he says. "There is the risk that other countries are going to claim control and then either surcharging or imposing restrictions on how ships can transit."

Countries with unilateral control could also use strategic waterways to settle territorial disputes, or as weapons, says Ami Daniel, the CEO of Windward, a maritime intelligence group.

"Russia could say, well, we're not going to let U.S. ships go through the Northern Passage or the Arctic," he says. "Or China could say, well, you know, if you're an American business, you're not going to ship through the Taiwan Straits."

Nitya Labh, a fellow in the International Security Program at Chatham House, a London-based think tank, says threats to waterways have existed throughout history. But she says many waterways have mechanisms in place to avoid conflict.

"The Turkish Straits are managed by something called the Montreux Convention, which was specifically designed to protect those waterways during conflicts," she says. The Strait of Malacca, between the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia, she adds, is also carefully managed through a series of agreements between the regional countries in Southeast Asia because there were worries about threats.

"The Strait of Hormuz is one of many that didn't have as many insurance and diplomatic mechanisms built in," she says.

There are international norms and treaties to help govern global waterways, such as the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which neither Iran nor the U.S. have ratified. Labh says maritime law means little to a country like Iran, or to non-state actors like Yemen's Houthis who attacked more than 190 commercial ships in the Red Sea a couple of years ago, causing major disruptions to global trade. Labh says there is concern about how to protect international waterways.

"I think the world is coming to terms with the fact that this international order, these trading rules, these maritime laws didn't necessarily deliver more security the way that they were supposed to," she says.

President Trump's assertion last week, which he quickly backed away from, that the U.S. could control the Strait of Hormuz and collect tolls itself, likely did little to quell concerns about the independence of international waterways.

Copyright 2026, NPR

Ryan Jeffers hit a go-ahead three-run homer, Bailey Ober struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings and the surging Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago Cubs 5-2 on Friday night.

The Twins got back to .500 for the first time since April 22. They have won three straight and 10 of 14.

Ober (7-3) allowed five hits and two runs in his second strong start since returning from the IL on July 9. He made his first start against the Cubs, giving him a start against every team in the majors except Minnesota.

Yoendrys Gómez worked a hitless ninth for his 12th save.

Colin Rea (7-6) struck out six in six innings for the Cubs. He allowed five hits, four runs (three earned), and walked one.

Michael Busch had an RBI single to right in the first for the Cubs. They threatened for more with runners at the corners and no outs, but Ober worked out of the jam.

Trevor Larnach tied it with an RBI single in the third, and Jeffers' eighth homer of the year put the Twins ahead for good two pitches later.

Seiya Suzuki scored on a sixth-inning wild pitch by Tommy Nance to bring the Cubs within one. The Twins got the lead back to three with Ryan Kreidler's RBI single in the seventh.

Smoke from wildfires has led to the cancellations of outdoor music events across Minnesota this week. High temperatures have also caused some to rethink outdoor activities, and while event organizers have to think about the health of performers and audiences, musicians also have to think about the well-being of their instruments in hot weather.

“Usually, the finer instruments are the ones that are more sensitive to the changes in seasons and environment,” said Adam Meyer, who is a luthier based in the Twin Cities—a craftsman who builds and repairs stringed instruments.

“If the humidity changes, the temperature changes, then it's going to change as well. Most of the time, the big changes happen between, like when we're going into winter or going into summer,” Meyer added.

Aside from the tuning of an instrument, extreme weather—both hot and cold—can damage instruments if they aren’t properly stored or taken care of, according to Meyer. This usually doesn’t happen when an instrument is played outside at a concert or a kickback, but when they are exposed to temperatures above 90 degrees for longer periods of time.

“The really tough stuff when I have things come in that are needing repair because of the heat, usually because somebody left their guitar in the trunk of their car…if you're just kind of going out to the park to play at a show that's 90 degrees out, it probably won't shift around a lot for you,” said Meyer, who primarily works on guitars, which can bow or become unglued in some places in heat. Other string instruments, like violins, can also be susceptible to heat.

“I've heard of something recently here in town; somebody left their violin in the car, and the varnish melted into the velvet siding,” said Aaron Janse, a violinist with the Minnesota Orchestra. “When it hardened, it tore off that velvet siding, and then it went into the big cracks in the varnish.”

Janse, who is also a violin instructor, often checks his students' violins at lessons, sometimes having to remind his students of basic, but important, preventative measures.

“I have students that sometimes come in and their violins are obviously hot, and I have a few words with them that's important to not keep your violins out…whatever you do, do not leave your violin in a hot car,” said Janse.

The damage from heat can forever alter the sound of an instrument, and repairs from a professional luthier like Adam Meyer can cost hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars. Meyer has to maintain tight control of the conditions in his repair studio to make sure there isn’t any further damage to the instruments that come in to be fixed. This includes running room humidifiers in the winter and central air during the summer.

If you can’t provide your instruments the kind of meticulous environment that Meyer does, he suggests having a plan to store your instruments.

“I always advise people that if they're not able to monitor their guitar daily, do something like try and keep it in the basement. It may be cool down there, but it's going to be, you know, more stable,” said Meyer. He also recommends that if you don’t have air conditioning, to ask a friend who does to hang on to your instruments.

This seems like common sense, but Meyer said that even after damaging their instruments, some musicians don’t learn their lesson.

“They'll have a really nice guitar, and they have a problem happen to it, and they get it repaired, and then they still don't maintain it properly, and it just keeps coming back,” said Meyer.

After Medicaid officials improperly shared data about millions of people in January with immigration officials, ICE then shared that data with the data analytics firm Palantir, according to new court filings. Palantir operates an app called ELITE that is used by ICE agents to show the addresses of noncitizens who may be subject to deportation.

That revelation was made public in a motion filed Thursday by more than 20 Democratic attorneys general who sued the Trump administration last year over its data-sharing agreement between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and ICE.

Palantir said in a statement to NPR that the dataset in question had been purged.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in California ruled in December that health officials could share with ICE certain details from Medicaid data about immigrants without lawful status from the states that had sued, such as home addresses, dates of birth and immigration status.

Chhabria, who was appointed by former President Obama, then temporarily paused data sharing between CMS and ICE for immigration enforcement purposes in late May after federal officials admitted CMS had shared data with ICE in January that went beyond what the court order allowed. One dataset of refugees in Minnesota included U.S. citizens, and another that was transferred on Jan. 7 contained data of millions of people, including those in the country legally.

ICE was supposed to delete the improperly shared data. Chhabria set a hearing for August to further clarify his order and clear up ambiguity regarding which categories of noncitizens' data could be lawfully shared with ICE.

But in recent days, federal officials have admitted to additional instances of improper data sharing.

In a court filing last week, the Justice Department said that CMS again inadvertently reshared with ICE the dataset with millions of names that CMS had first improperly shared with ICE in January. The government said the error occurred during an effort to share data from states not involved in the lawsuit.

Alberto Briseno, a section chief for ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, wrote in a declaration that ICE personnel deleted the file after it was discovered and it was not used for law enforcement purposes.

Then Briseno revealed that a day later, the agency had done a broader search and discovered that half a dozen users still had a copy of the Jan. 7 dataset.

In that most recent declaration, Briseno said he was not aware of any additional copies of the dataset, but said the recent searches have "highlighted technological difficulties of making a representation that every possible variation of the file has been searched for and located." He added, "ICE will continue to make good faith efforts to delete any copies that may be found in the future."

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is asking the judge to expand his order to allow ICE to receive data on a broader category of noncitizens – to potentially include all immigrants who are not legal permanent residents, citizens or have another form of permanent status.

"ICE's inability to identify Medicaid records in its possession undercuts any claim that the agency should be entitled to more access to that data," the Democratic attorneys generals wrote in their motion filed late Thursday.

Their motion continued, "Each successive revelation of a violation of the Order makes it more difficult for Plaintiff States to have confidence in Defendants' ability to maintain and secure this data in compliance with the Order, and more difficult for Plaintiff States to communicate assurances to Medicaid providers, enrollees (and their counsel), and the public at large about the privacy and confidentiality of their healthcare data."

Palantir provided the following statement to NPR: "Our customers control their own data and manage access to that data. When Palantir employees are granted access to a customer's dataset, it is solely to help integrate and analyze that data — which is what our software does — not to store it or use it for our own purposes. Palantir can confirm that the dataset in question was purged pursuant to government instruction."

DHS didn't immediately return a request for comment about its transfer of data to Palantir.

According to a declaration filed by California deputy attorney general Anna Rich, when plaintiffs asked what federal officials did to ensure Palantir and other contractors had purged the data, defendants responded that the data had been shared over a Microsoft Teams chat and the shared data was deleted from the chat. Rich shared in her declaration a document turned over in discovery from federal officials that shows a redacted transcript of what appears to be ICE personnel asking Palantir to delete the file.

In an April 30 hearing, Chhabria had warned the federal government would not be able to continue using Medicaid data for deportation efforts if it continued improperly sharing the data of citizens and legal immigrants.

"If the federal government cannot be sufficiently careful then it can't use the information, ok?" Chhabria had said.

Copyright 2026, NPR

A construction worker was removed from the south side of Lake Bemidji, Thursday, after jumping into the water to flee U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The man swam approximately 100 yards from shore before being apprehended, according to a release from Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin.

Mastin said the federal agency informed the Bemidji Police Department beforehand that it planned to conduct “targeted enforcement efforts” in the Bemidji area looking for “specific individuals.” Bemidji Police officers responded to the south side of Lake Bemidji to a report of “numerous people running from the area with one individual in the water,” at approximately 11:30 a.m.

According to the release, other “individuals of interest” were also taken into custody by ICE. However, it does not state how many people were detained in total.

Thursday’s immigration operation appears to have targeted a construction crew repairing the SouthShore Hotel. The hotel is being renovated following last June’s derecho storm, which caused millions of dollars in damages to buildings within the city and public infrastructure. It’s owned by David Hanson, who is also the Beltrami County Attorney. It’s operated by Lakeside Management, Inc.

The management company released a statement following the incident, which said masked agents exited vehicles in the hotel parking lot and approached workers on their lunch break. As a result, some of the workers ran, including the individual who jumped into the lake. While that person was arrested after being pulled from the water, it is unknown “what the person was arrested for or if they will be charged with anything.”

According to the release, the arrest was not made on SouthShore Hotel property.

“Lakeside Management, Inc. is not aware of any other arrests that occurred from this incident,” the release said. “The person arrested was not an employee of [the] hotel or Lakeside Management, Inc.”

Stronghouse, formerly Options Exteriors, is the general contractor hired by Lakeside Management for the hotel project. The management company said because employment and immigration records are private, it is unable to “independently verify legal employment status of the employees of contractors and sub-contractors.” However, it said Stronghouse has ensured that all of the general contractor’s employees and subcontractors working at the site have full legal employment status.

Lakeside Management, Inc. said Stronghouse checked all of its workers and subcontractors as recently as last week. And it is actively in the process of “vetting all of their employees and subcontractors.”

Chief Mastin said further information about the incident can be obtained through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez abandoned her Democratic primary campaign for governor on Friday, citing financial concerns she said would be a distraction were she to continue running in the Midwestern battleground state.

The move comes just days after Rodriguez, a leading establishment Democrat from the pivotal Milwaukee suburbs, fired her campaign manager after discovering her campaign had hundreds of thousands of dollars less on hand than expected.

“As we have continued to dig into our financial reports, it has become clear there are issues that would be an ongoing distraction,” Rodriguez said in a social media post Friday. “Part of being a leader is taking swift action, doing the right thing and being as honest as possible when there's a problem."

“And because I believe that, I cannot, in good conscience, allow these questions to become a cloud over an election Democrats need to win,” she added.

The shake-up comes less than a month from the primary election on Aug. 11, when Democrats will be choosing a successor to Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat who opted not to seek a third term.

Rodriguez had been endorsed by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who quit his campaign on July 8, over remaining Democratic candidates, including democratic socialist Francesca Hong, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and others.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration advise consumers to avoid eating shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

Health officials analyzed 190 cases of cyclospora in Michigan where a person who fell ill reported eating at Taco Bell. Officials found that 90% of those people said they ate iceberg lettuce.

More than 1,644 sick people in this multi-state cyclospora outbreak reported eating at Taco Bell in those states starting May 13, according to the agencies. There have been 94 hospitalizations and no deaths reported.

The FDA traced this subset of cases identified nationwide to a single supplier of contaminated iceberg lettuce from Mexico, but did not name the supplier.

FDA says it's working with the supplier to identify other locations where the contaminated lettuce has been distributed. The agency notes this is one large cluster that is epidemiologically related. There are other clusters across the country that may or may not be associated. Cases have been identified in 34 states.

Want the latest stories on the science of healthy living? Subscribe to NPR's Health newsletter.

Taco Bell issued a statement July 16 that it took "immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states." The statement also said the lettuce would be removed from the supply chain nationwide and replaced within 24 hours.

A wide reach for salad suppliers

The Associated Press, citing an unnamed federal official, has reported that Taylor Farms was the supplier of the lettuce. NPR has not independently confirmed that, and Taylor Farms has not responded to a request for comment.

A handful of big players with integrated supply chains and advanced processing infrastructure, including Taylor Farms, dominate the bagged lettuce and salad industry in the U.S.

With such a big reach, a single supplier can provide lettuce products to a number of retailers, so it's possible that additional clusters of cyclospora around the country could be linked to lettuce from the same supplier. It's also possible that there are multiple sources and suppliers linked to other cases around the country.

The FDA and CDC say the investigation is continuing.

How to protect yourself

The symptoms of the illness include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite and fatigue, and people contract it by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.

To protect yourself from the parasite, the CDC advises people to follow standard food safety handling protocols. "Wash your hands and any fresh produce thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. This will reduce the risk of infection. Cooking kills the parasite, so heating food to 158 F or 70 C or higher is effective," said Dr. Gwen Biggerstaff with the CDC's Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases.

If people do develop symptoms, health officials advise people to contact their healthcare providers to be tested specifically for cyclospora. Routine stool tests often don't include that test.

"People with symptoms should stay well-hydrated and avoid preparing food for others while acutely ill, out of general caution, even though person-to-person spread is very unlikely," Biggerstaff said.

Copyright 2026, NPR

Friday night in Ely, as wildfires burn nearby, the Northern Lakes Arts Association is opening its production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

“Our whole thing is about keeping the normalcy,” said Ian Francis Lah, the executive artistic director. “We want the people of Ely and the surrounding communities to feel like yes, there is this thing outside of our control that is happening, and it is big and it is scary, but within that there needs to be a little bit of ease of life.”

Lah said they may not have firefighting resources or lodging for evacuees but the arts association can provide a respite, 90 minutes at a time, in the air-conditioned Vermillion Fine Arts Center. Lah has also made ticket prices pay what you can to remove any obstacles to community members in need.

The show is part of the association’s Broadway in the Boundary Waters series, which brings in performers from across the country to produce professional musical theater alongside local talent.

"Theater for me has the power of super empathy, and it brings people into a room to experience something together that allows us to think and process and enjoy, and have a moment outside of time together," Lah said.

“Jesus Christ Superstar” is an apt story for the moment, Lah said, as it’s about a community weathering hard times together.

“And I think it double plays because it's such an ensemble-based show, it's really shown how people working together can make these incredible things happen,” Lah said.

As for lowering the ticket prices, Lah said that the Broadway series has been doing well this summer so “we're willing to take a hit to open the doors to everyone, to make space, to invite them in, to make sure all are welcome, because that's more important in this moment than maybe breaking even.”

The association has a plan for its performers in case of an evacuation, but as for now, “morale is pretty high.” Rehearsing and preparing for the production has been a good distraction for the artists and staff, too.

“They were so focused in on making sure this production tells the story and has the heart that we want it to have that it allowed them to escape whatever was happening outside of the theater building for an hour or three,” Lah said.

The Northern Lakes Arts Association is also continuing its Stars of the North Youth Theater Camp for teens ages 12-18, which will culminate with two performances on Aug. 1 of “Mean Girls.”

“It's scary times. Most of them have not experienced something like this,” Lah said. “So, let's give them that little something they can ground into and enjoy for the day, and hopefully forget a little bit of the outside.”

The wildfires are likely to continue until winter comes, and Ely has become a command center for fighting them, Lah said. The arts can play a role in grounding the community in the meantime.

“That is what will help this area over the next months is finding these moments of when we can come together, be it for a show, be it for a gathering at a local church, whatever it may be,” Lah said. “These are the moments that are going to keep a community strong, especially if the worst comes to shove.”

Despite some recent rain and a shift in the wind, state and federal officials battling wildfires burning across northeastern Minnesota made clear Friday that fire conditions remain volatile, some of the biggest fires are growing and new fires are likely to ignite.

“We are still very extreme here. Our fuels are extremely dry,” Jason Loomis, incident commander for the National Incident Management Organization, told reporters during an early afternoon briefing. “It’s going to take some significant moisture over time to get a little bit of a reprieve.”

Authorities are focusing now on the area of Big Lake, where the Bear Trap Fire is only about a mile away from resorts, homes and cabins, said Loomis, who’s overseeing efforts to stop the region’s five largest fires. Big Lake sits about 15 miles down the Echo Trail, northwest of Ely.

The community around Crane Lake at the edge of Voyageurs National Park also remains a priority. Crews are working to keep small fires from threatening Crane Lake and the single road that leads there, said Mike Hill with the Minnesota Incident Command System.

Hill’s group is responsible for the fight against 11 wildfires west of Echo Lake and east of Highway 53, outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. He said those fires were relatively small and that crews were “working towards containment on all of them.”

Officials estimated the summer fires have burned some 77,000 acres so far. As in prior briefings, they made it clear they expect to be fighting wildfires through the fall and that the work may not end until it snows.

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“Don’t let your guard down,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Phillip Manuel. Despite the recent rain and a wind shift that temporarily cleared the smoke, residents should not get complacent, he told reporters.

The hotter temperatures and wind will return “and we’re going to be right back at it with these fires moving across the landscape,” he said, adding that storms can also bring more lightning, which is likely to trigger more fires.

Among other topics covered in the briefing:

• Forest Service crews have made it through about 90 percent of the BWCA to find and alert campers that the wilderness is closed, said Drew Stroberg, acting supervisor of the Superior National Forest. The Forest Service was still tracking one group making its way out. It could take three or four days to finish the sweep of the wilderness, he said.

• Stroberg said he wasn’t sure when the BWCA closure might be eased for certain areas and said it’s not likely to be lifted completely any time soon. “We will have active fire on the landscape likely through the rest of the summer, until the snow flies.”

• Officials yesterday estimated 400 to 500 firefighters were deployed across the region. On Friday, Paul Lundgren, wildfire section manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said the number is likely in the 600s now. Four Minnesota National Guard helicopters as well as a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter are availabe to support firefighters, he added.

• Among the five largest fires, the Thumb Fire has pushed its way into Canada “and has progressed pretty significantly” and “remains largely unstopped,” said Loomis, adding that U.S. authorities were working closely with Canadian officials and First Nations leaders.

• After burning “pretty actively,” the Sioux Fire has moderated a bit “but we continue to have progression to the south,” Loomis said.

Loomis indicated more aircraft and elite Hotshot firefighting crews from New Mexico and Mississippi could be deployed if conditions worsened around Big Lake and Echo Trail.

Like other officials, Loomis said the fire conditions he’s seeing are unprecedented for northern Minnesota and that the region’s remote stretches make it particularly difficult to fight fires. “This is the kind of stuff we see in Arizona,” he said, “not in upstate Minnesota.”

Watch: State, federal officials brief reporters Friday on NE Minnesota wildfires