Friday, July 17, 2026
An Air Quality Alert remains in effect until 11am this morning for most of Minnesota, Air Quality Alerts have been posted from Minnesota east and southeast to the far East Coast and south to North Carolina because of wild fire smoke and haze. A Heat Advisory has been issued from 1-9pm tonight as daytime highs are expected to reach the low to mid 90s today with humidity levels very high as dewpoints in the 70s making head index values of 100 or hotter this afternoon and evening. As winds become north and northeasterly this weekend and next week that means more likely more smoke and haze is possible Saturday, Sunday and into the middle of next week with one chance of rain the forecast only on Sunday night into early Monday.
Morrison County Public Works has shifted the lane work on County Road 76 on Thursday as the eastbound lanes are paved and are now being used for traffic travel, the westbound lanes are now closed. Watch for the lane shifting to the newly paved lanes when traveling 76 north of Little Falls, road work is scheduled to continue through the middle of August.
Officials have expanded evacuation orders in northeastern Minnesota as crews battle 15 active wildfires burning across the Superior National Forest. The most urgent evacuation order is in Lake County, where officials have issued a "GO" evacuation for the Highway 16/Fernberg Corridor from the Garden Lake Bridge to the end of Fernberg Road at Lake One because of the Camp Fire. A public shelter has been established at the Babbitt Municipal Building, 71 South Drive in Babbitt, according to the MNICS Incident Management Team. In St. Louis County, a "GO" evacuation remains in place for portions of the Echo Trail from Big Lake to the 200 Road due to the Sioux Fire. Additional areas affected by the Marian Creek, Ridge, Beaver Tail, Coffin and Echo 2 fires remain under "SET" status, meaning residents should be prepared to leave if conditions worsen. In Cook County, officials have maintained a "SET" evacuation status for the end of the Gunflint Trail because of the Little Knife Fire. The Midtrail area west of Hungry Jack Lake Road and northern portions of the Schroeder, Tofte and Lutsen townships have been placed under "READY" status, signaling residents should stay alert for changing conditions. Officials have also expanded "GO" evacuation status across portions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) to reflect the area's closure. The Superior National Forest has expanded its BWCAW closure order to protect public and firefighter safety, according to the release. Forest officials say permit issuance is being reviewed daily, with permit holders notified four days before their scheduled entry date. Forest-wide fire restrictions also remain in effect. Officials say cloud cover, lighter winds and higher humidity helped slow fire growth Wednesday, although dense smoke limited the use of aircraft for firefighting and reconnaissance. Conditions are expected to remain active on Thursday as dry vegetation continues to fuel fire behavior. Fire crews plan to take advantage of slightly more favorable weather and chances for rain to continue suppression efforts, while aircraft will look for opportunities to fly despite poor visibility caused by smoke. The forest currently has 15 active wildfires, including three burning within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Rain is forecast in the northern Minnesota this weekend which hopefully can help ease some of the fires but National Guard, DNR and many firefighters are all working on trying to suppress the large wildfires in the northern part of the state.
Many statewide sporting and outdoor events were cancelled Thursday as the smoke and haze continued to cause issues across the state. American Legion Baseball for Little Falls and St. Cloud, a number of events including their large garden tour and sheriff's office root beer float event both in St. Cloud Thursday were cancelled due to the air quality issues. Valleyfair was forced to close Thursday due to the poor air quality from the smoke. Twin Cities leaders and organizers moved some arts fair that was to start Thursday now only to Saturday and Sunday. Maple Grove cancelled their Thursday night parade for their Maple Grove Days. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board announced all outdoor programs, activities, and events scheduled for Thursday are canceled. Even the Minnesota Wild Block Party scheduled for Thursday night was postponed due to the smoke and haze. There are many large events scheduled for today and this weekend you will need to monitor their websites and social media posts if any changes occur.
A statewide endangered missing person alert had been issued for a Chatfield man. Thursday afternoon the BCA send out a statewide search for 33 year old Drew Hanson of Chatfield who was last seen walking around downtown Minneapolis between July 5th and 7th. Around 4pm Thursday Chatfield Police reported that Hanson had been found safe and called off the search efforts.
St. Cloud Police officers responded to a motor vehicle crash with injuries Thursday morning at the intersection of 25th Avenue and 3rd Street North after a driver ran a red light, leaving a car resting on its roof. According to police, the crash happened just after 11:22 a.m. when 59-year-old Brenda Sunder of St. Joseph, traveling east on 3rd Street North, ran a red light and entered the intersection at 25th Avenue North. Sunder’s vehicle struck the rear of a passenger vehicle driven by a 45-year-old St. Cloud woman, who was traveling south through the intersection. The collision caused the southbound car to roll over and land on its roof. The St. Cloud woman was rushed to CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital by Mayo Ambulance with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Sunder was not injured, and there were no passengers in either vehicle. She was cited for failure to obey a traffic signal.
Five men have been sentenced to a combined 518 months in federal prison for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking operation in Wadena County, U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced Wednesday. The case began after a fatal methamphetamine and fentanyl overdose at a Wadena County residence in November 2023. Investigators identified one of the defendants as a drug supplier to the victim, which led to the uncovering of a broader distribution network. Robert Joseph Anderson, 40, of Wadena, was sentenced to 132 months, the longest of the five, for his role as a regional distributor who purchased bulk quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine from two suppliers and sold to dealers across Greater Minnesota. The remaining defendants and their sentences are: Aaron Thomas Heifort, 30, of Clitherall: 122 months, Bill J. Rude, 63, of Wadena: 120 months, Carlos Deyvi Valdovinos-Trejo, 39: 84 month and Jesus Alarcon Valdovinos, 44: 60 months. All five were convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. Between December 2023 and February 2024, law enforcement seized more than 9 kilograms of methamphetamine, over a kilogram each of heroin and cocaine, and conducted multiple controlled drug buys tied to the conspiracy.
Entertainment News: longtime actor Hal Williams has died at age 91. Williams starting showing up on television in the early 70s on Sanford and Son, The Waltons, then in the 80s Private Benjamin and 227, his career spanned from 1968 until just last year in an episode of CBS's Matlock series. He died July 15th.
Death Notices: Eva M. Richmond, age 74 of Pierz. Jeanette Killeaney, age 90 of Little Falls.
Weather: Air Quality Alert remains in effect until 11am then Heat Advisory 1-9pm tonight, sunny and hot, today patchy smoke at times, high 95, heat index values near 101 by afternoon. Friday night, clear skies, low around 64. Saturday possible smoke at times, high 87 with light north winds, Saturday night partly cloudy low around 62. Sunday sunny and warm, high 88, storms likely Sunday night near 70 some storms could produce heavy rains overnight. Morning storms on Monday mainly before 7am then becoming sunny and very windy, still warm, high 92 with gusty winds over 35mph, slight chance of an evening shower before midnight then clearing skies, cooler, low near 60. Sunny and much cooler Tuesday, high 77 low Tuesday night around 55. Wednesday and next Thursday sunny skies, highs around 80, lows in the upper 50s.
Sports: Twins open series at the Chicago Cubs tonight at 7:05pm, then Saturday and Sunday the games in Chicago will be at 1:20pm. Minnesota Lynx host Portland Fire Saturday at 7pm then the Lynx will travel to Seattle Monday night. The Open continues in golf in England, Lucas Herbert of Australia had an early lead. World Cup Soccer wraps up this weekend 3rd place game Saturday England vs. France and the Championship Sunday Spain vs. Argentina. Victory League tonight Buckman at Avon, there are 5 games on Saturday, and 9 games on Sunday this weekend in the Victory League. Opole at Royalton at 1:30pm Sunday is the Victory League Game of the Week on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com.