Golden Valley & West Metro

No Golden Valley-specific stories made today's cycle, but two items deserve attention from west metro readers. If you commute via I-494, listen up: a full weekend closure of a segment of Interstate 494 in the south metro will shut down both directions and force detours — plan alternate routes if you're heading to the airport or Mall of America area. Additionally, the air quality alert that covered much of the state Friday has been modified — the Twin Cities is seeing improvement, but a new alert remains in effect for central and northeastern Minnesota through Monday.

Minneapolis

The Pilllar, a popular all-ages music venue in Minneapolis, announced its closure Thursday — only for City Council Member Elliott Payne to confirm Friday that an outpouring of community support has reversed the decision and the venue will stay open.

The Minneapolis City Council voted down a pilot program that would have deployed drones as first responders. Mayor Jacob Frey supported the program, but opponents raised concerns about the drone company's ties to ICE and Israel, ultimately killing the proposal.

The 87th Minneapolis Aquatennial kicks off nine days of activities Saturday, including the signature Torchlight Parade scheduled for July 22.

In public safety: a man was shot and killed in North Minneapolis after an apparent argument over property; a suspect is in custody. Police are also investigating two overnight shootings in South Minneapolis from late Thursday into early Friday. Separately, a Minneapolis man was charged with driving at two campground workers in Washington County.

Warehouse workers at Kings Road Merch in Minneapolis say Sony shut down their warehouse just hours before scheduled union contract negotiations, leaving employees facing sudden job loss.

St. Paul

The top fugitive in the Feeding Our Future fraud case, Abdikerm Eidleh — who allegedly fled to Somalia and was considered second-in-command to ringleader Aimee Bock — is back in Minnesota and made his first court appearance Friday afternoon in St. Paul after more than four years on the run.

The city of St. Paul is suspending repairs on hundreds of street lights damaged by copper wire theft, citing budget constraints. No timeline has been given for when repairs might resume.

Local Sports

The surging Minnesota Twins extended their winning ways Friday night at Wrigley Field, beating the Chicago Cubs 5-2 behind Ryan Jeffers' go-ahead three-run homer and Bailey Ober's seven strikeouts over 5⅓ innings.

Minnesota United FC formally introduced Christina Hennington as its new CEO Thursday at Allianz Field. Hennington joins the Loons after two decades at Target Corporation.

Weather

The Twin Cities is seeing some relief from wildfire smoke after an air quality alert expired at 11 a.m. Friday, but conditions remain poor for sensitive groups. A new air quality alert covers central and northeastern Minnesota through Monday, while northern Minnesota — near the Superior National Forest wildfires — remains in hazardous conditions with additional evacuations ordered.

Minnesota Statewide

Wildfires in Superior National Forest and the BWCA continue to burn, with additional evacuations ordered. Officials say cloud cover, lighter winds, and higher humidity helped slow fire growth midweek, but dense smoke has limited aerial firefighting efforts. Experts warn the smoky season may be just beginning.

The I-494 weekend closure will affect south metro traffic in both directions — check MnDOT for detour routes before traveling.

A 10-year-old hockey phenom from Minnesota, Colton Stewart, helped lead Team Minnesota to its first-ever Brick Hockey Championship at the prestigious Under-11 tournament in Edmonton.