Golden Valley & West Metro

Authorities in Crow Wing County are investigating a deadly UTV crash that claimed the life of a 70-year-old man on Friday afternoon. According to the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, the driver lost control of the utility vehicle on county land.

Minneapolis

A 16-year-old boy is in critical condition after he went missing while swimming near the base of Minnehaha Falls on Friday. Minneapolis Park Police and rescue crews responded to a 911 call after the teen went under the water and did not immediately resurface.

Severe thunderstorms rolled through the metro on the Fourth of July, knocking out power for thousands of residents. The turbulent weather brought heavy lightning and thunder, forcing delays and cancellations for several local holiday fireworks displays.

A Minneapolis police officer with a history of disciplinary issues was fired in February after an internal investigation revealed he "liked" a social media comment about the lynching of a Black man. The department determined the social media activity violated its code of conduct.

If you were planning to beat the heat with a swim, note that elevated E. coli levels have forced the closure of several metro beaches for the holiday weekend. Lake Hiawatha is among the locations currently marked with yellow warning signs advising residents to stay out of the water.

Over on the Minneapolis subreddit, residents are buzzing about holiday fireworks keeping neighborhoods awake late into the night. Meanwhile, community members are being asked to keep an eye out for two stolen bikes: a red Burley tandem taken near the Hennepin MCTC area, and another bike swiped from a garage near the YMCA in south Minneapolis. A good Samaritan also found a sweet, unchipped dog in Elliot Park Thursday night and is trying to locate the owner.

St. Paul

Saint Paul residents enjoyed their first free Fourth of July fireworks display in nearly a decade last night. The grand return to the city's skyline was made possible by a successful grassroots fundraising campaign organized by the St. Paul Rotary Club.

West St. Paul police are investigating a death after a man's body was discovered in a wooded area on Friday morning. Law enforcement officials say the body was found in a state of advanced decomposition.

Over on the Saint Paul subreddit, a local homeowner is sounding the alarm after discovering a severely bowing basement foundation. The resident is currently navigating the headache of dealing with contractors and weighing whether to sell the older home as-is.

Local Sports

The Minnesota Twins had an explosive power display in the Bronx on Friday, hitting six home runs to crush the New York Yankees 11-4. Josh Bell led the offensive onslaught with homers in consecutive at-bats, though the Yankees bounced back later in the day to win the second game of the series 5-2.

Congratulations are in order for Twins center fielder Byron Buxton and starting pitcher Joe Ryan! Both have been officially selected to the American League roster for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.

Over in the WNBA, the Minnesota Lynx fell to the New York Liberty 99-86 on Friday night. New York's Breanna Stewart dropped 36 points, effectively spoiling Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve's first attempt at securing the league's all-time career wins record.

Weather

Severe thunderstorms disrupted Fourth of July celebrations across Minnesota, leading to numerous event cancellations and delays. The storms brought torrential rain and dangerous lightning to the Twin Cities metro.

Tragically, the severe weather system proved deadly just across the border, where three people died after a boat capsized on Geneva Lake in southern Wisconsin. Seven others were successfully rescued from the water amid the storm.

Minnesota Statewide

Heavy rains and flash flooding have forced the closure of several southeastern Minnesota state parks and trails just in time for the holiday weekend. The DNR notes that Beaver Creek Valley State Park in Houston County is entirely closed, and urges visitors to check park websites before traveling.

Road closures are also mounting in central Minnesota, where floodwaters have submerged 9th and 10th Avenues under the Highway 23 bridge in St. Cloud. City officials are warning residents to avoid the area until the water recedes.

In tragic weekend news, a Minnesota woman in her 20s was killed in a crash on I-94 near Eau Claire while returning from the Electric Forest music festival. Authorities say the vehicle drifted off the highway into the median, and the driver has since been arrested.

Despite the wet weather, over 35,000 people packed the streets of Delano for one of the state's biggest and oldest holiday traditions: the city's famous Fourth of July parade.