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AP-US-STATE-FAIR-GUNS

Judge rejects bid to allow guns at Minnesota State Fair

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge has rejected a request by a gun owners group for a temporary injunction to require the Minnesota State Fair to allow permit holders to carry their pistols on the fairgrounds. Judge Laura Nelson ruled Wednesday that they’re unlikely to prevail as the broader case goes forward. The judge issued her ruling the day before the State Fair opens. She wrote that the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus failed to meet its burden of proof that the fair’s longstanding ban on guns violates state law or that they have sufficient legal grounds to seek relief. The State Fair has banned guns since 2003.

AP-US-ENBRIDGE-ENERGY-LINE-3

Line 3 opponents descend on Minnesota Capitol to seek a stop

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Protesters descended upon the Minnesota State Capitol to rally against Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline as the project nears completion. The rally is part of a series of events called Treaties over Tar Sands organized by Indigenous and environmental activists. Protesters called on Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden to pull permits and shut down the Line 3 replacement pipeline project. Opponents argue the project violates Native American treaty rights while aggravating climate change and risking spills. Organizers estimated the crowd at more than 2,000 while Capitol Security put it at about 1,000.

CONGRESS-VOTING BILLS-WISCONSIN

Senate Democrats push voting rights bills in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Senate Democrats are bringing their push for a new federal voting bill to battleground Wisconsin. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, of Wisconsin, and Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, argued at a roundtable discussion Wednesday that the sweeping measure is needed to blunt attempts by Republicans to make voting more difficult. Klobuchar expressed optimism that the Democratic bill would pass despite no clear path forward in the face of Republican opposition. Democrats have been holding events like the one in Madison as they try to keep the spotlight on voting issues in the face of uncertainty about the bill passing.

AP-US-MINNESOTA-WILDFIRES

Closure of popular wilderness area extended because of fires

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — U.S. Forest Service officials have extended the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness after Minnesota’s largest wildfire doubled in size. The Greenwood fire burning in the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota has grown to about 34 square miles, and four new smaller fires started within the BWCA this week. Officials are keeping the popular wilderness closed for another week, until Sept. 3, dealing a blow to tourists as well as to the outfitters and other businesses that depend on them. Also closed now are Forest Service lands along the upper Gunflint Trail, including campgrounds and trails, but the road remains open.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Get a COVID shot at State Fair, walk away with $100 reward

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesotans who get their first COVID-19 vaccine dose at the State Fair can walk away with a $100 Visa gift card. Gov. Tim Walz announced the State Fair edition of the state’s $100 reward program Wednesday. The first 3,600 Minnesotans to get their first dose at the fair can claim their gift cards immediately afterward. The State Fair deal follows a $100 incentive program that saw nearly 80,000 Minnesotans claim gift cards. The free shots will be offered at a community vaccine clinic in the North End Event Center throughout the fair, which opens Thursday and runs through Labor Day.

ISLE ROYALE-WILDFIRE

Fire on Michigan’s remote Isle Royale 15 percent contained

ISLE ROYAL, Mich. (AP) — An official says a wildfire on Michigan’s remote Isle Royale has been about 15% percent contained and crews have saved some historic cabins from encroaching flames. The fire began Aug. 10, apparently sparked by a lightning strike on the drought-stricken wilderness island. Liz Valencia, a spokeswoman for Isle Royale National Park, says the wildfire has left a little over 200 acres either scorched or still burning on the Lake Superior island. She says crews used special planes on Monday to collect water from the lake to douse flames and protect some historic cabins that date to the early 1900s on a small island within the park’s Tobin Harbor.

AP-US-ENBRIDGE-ENERGY-LINE-3

Minnesota Supreme Court delivers blow to Line 3 opponents

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal by opponents of Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline, letting stand a key decision by independent regulators to allow construction to proceed. The state’s highest court declined Tuesday to take the case, effectively affirming a decision in June by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. And it left the Native American and environmental groups that have been protesting at construction sites across northern Minnesota with dwindling legal options. Line 3 opponents are holding a series of events at the state Capitol this week, including a march and rally on Wednesday

GOP OPERATIVE INDICTED

Testimony: Minnesota GOP donor paid underage girls for sex

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A police officer is testifying that a prominent Minnesota GOP donor allegedly paid underage girls for sex. The Star Tribune reports that Minneapolis Police Officer Brandon Brugger testified during a detention hearing Tuesday for Anton Lazzaro that Lazzaro groomed his victims with expensive purses, vape pens, alcohol and other gifts. Brugger added that 19-year-old University of St. Thomas student Gisela Castro Medina recruited girls for Lazzaro on SnapChat. A federal grand jury indicted the 30-year-old Lazzaro on multiple sex trafficking counts earlier this month.