Stories from July 17, 2021

Forest Service expands Boundary Waters closure north of Ely amid growing wildfire concerns
Superior National Forest officials on Saturday night issued a new, much larger temporary closure order for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness north of Ely amid growing concerns about the threat posed by wildfires burning just across the Canadian border.
These golden retrievers went to Surfside to bring comfort to first responders
Nine golden retrievers from the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry arrived at the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse to help families and first responders process their grief.
Warmer and muggier with little rain likely
Sun-parched weather will continue into next week. Temperatures will warm slowly. Any rain next week looks to be widely scattered.
Minnesota DFL leaders call on Rep. John Thompson to resign
Top Minnesota Democrats including Gov. Tim Walz and House Speaker Melissa Hortman are calling on Democratic State Rep. John Thompson to resign.
Europe flood death toll tops 160; costly rebuilding ahead
Rescue workers labored to deal with damage laid bare by receding water Saturday as the death toll from disastrous flooding in Western Europe rose above 160 and thoughts turned to the lengthy job of rebuilding communities that were devastated in minutes.
South Dakota tribe claims remains of nine children who died at residential school
The remains of nine Native American children who died more than a century ago while attending a government-run school in Pennsylvania meant to assimilate them into white culture have been returned to their South Dakota tribe for burial on its reservation.
Drought deepens under smoky sunshine
We’re getting a warm, dry, smoky weekend. Next week will turn hot and muggier with few chances of rain.
Ask a Bookseller: A readable book on economic theory
Richard Malinchoc-DeVoe of Fair Trade Books in Redwing, Minn., has a recommendation for nonfiction readers looking to learn something new this summer. He suggests "The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy" by economist Stephanie Kelton.
Drought continues
Smoky sunshine will prevail for the weekend. Next week will be hotter with little rain expected.
U.S. COVID deaths are rising again. Experts call it a 'pandemic of the unvaccinated'
The death rate from COVID-19 in the U.S. is rising steadily for the first time in months as the nation grapples with a renewed burst of cases in what's become "a pandemic of the unvaccinated," the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
July 17 update on COVID-19 in MN: Deaths, hospital needs stay low as new cases rise
New daily cases are up, but key metrics continue to hover at relatively low levels. Officials do remain concerned about the growth of the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant among the state’s unvaccinated population.