Golden Valley & West Metro

While it’s been a relatively quiet weekend in Golden Valley, residents heading to neighboring communities have plenty to look forward to. Minnesota's largest Peruvian Festival is set to take place on July 26 in Columbia Heights, featuring vibrant cultural performances, live music, and authentic cuisine. Over at the Mall of America, Soles4Souls is hosting a fundraiser to provide proper footwear for the over 10,000 kids in the Twin Cities identified as experiencing homelessness ahead of the upcoming school year.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis police are investigating two separate mass shootings over the weekend that left a total of 14 people injured. Nine people were injured in an overnight shooting outside the Reign Event Center in Uptown, while five adult victims were injured in a separate shooting early Sunday morning on the 1800 block of Nicollet Avenue in the Stevens Square neighborhood.

Despite the weekend violence, the city is celebrating the start of its annual summer festival. The 87th Minneapolis Aquatennial officially kicked off with the Model Sailboat Pond event, featuring more than three dozen activities over the next nine days. Looking ahead, the 35th annual Powderhorn Art Fair returns August 1-2 with over 200 artists, and the Sheraton Minneapolis Downtown is hosting a free wedding fair at The Iconic Dome.

St. Paul

St. Paul police are actively investigating a deadly shooting in the Frogtown neighborhood. Officers responded to reports of an assault around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, discovering one person dead and two others injured. No arrests have been made yet as authorities continue to canvass the area for witnesses and evidence.

Local Sports

The Minnesota Twins had a tough weekend on the road against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs dominated Sunday's game with a 10-1 victory after pitcher Shota Imanaga threw seven shutout innings, following up on their 6-2 win over the Twins on Saturday.

The WNBA-leading Minnesota Lynx are continuing their dominant run, securing their fifth straight win by beating the Portland Fire 101-93 on Saturday night. Lynx star Kayla McBride scored 24 points, officially moving her into the top 20 on the WNBA career scoring list.

Weather

Golden Valley residents should prepare for one more day of intense summer heat before a significant pattern shift. Minnesota’s Weather Authority has issued an Alert Day for today, with temperatures expected to reach the 90s before a cool and windy front moves in. Additionally, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for eastern Minnesota as wildfire smoke pushes the AQI into the red category; expect hazy, poor air quality before overnight storms clear the skies for a quiet week.

Minnesota Statewide

The worsening wildfire conditions up north are having significant statewide impacts, prompting the Minnesota DNR to enforce stricter burning restrictions across several counties. The fires and the resulting closure of the Boundary Waters are deeply hurting Ely-area businesses during their peak summer tourist season. In a remarkable story of survival, the Canadian Air Force successfully rescued a group of Minnesota teens who were trapped by the northern wildfires over the weekend.

In state politics, primary elections are now just three weeks away. Recent developments include Mike Lindell receiving a high-profile Trump endorsement, while candidates like Angie Craig ramp up their campaigns for what are expected to be highly competitive statewide races.