Friday, June 20, 2025
The National Weather Service says the summer solstice will usher in all of the summer weather this weekend. This morning started with strong thunderstorms in spots of Minnesota, with heavy rains, wind and hail, around a half inch of rain at the Little Falls Airport. Scattered storms should develop over the western part of the state again this afternoon and into the night with heavy rains, hail and wild and then excessive heat into Saturday. An Extreme Heat Warning will go into effect at noon Saturday through 9pm with dangerously hot conditions as temperatures will reach the low to mid 90s and Heat Index Values will range around 105-110 in spots with high humidity. Very little relief at night with lows in the mid 70s to low 80s then another hot day Sunday with highs in the 90s with strong to severe storms developing by late afternoon Sunday into Sunday night as a cold front moves in. Rain likely into next week but much cooler with highs on Monday in the 70s and even highs in the upper 60s for Tuesday and Wednesday with more rain chances. The summer solstice is tonight in Minnesota which is the point at which the Earth’s poles have the maximum tilt to the sun. It’s also the longest day of the year. The official time for the solstice in the northern hemisphere is Friday, June 20th, 2025 at 9:42 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
Many new laws will take effect on July 1st in Minnesota. A new state law will require a watercraft permit for some boaters starting July 1, 2025. O'Driscoll says the 1-time $34.95 fee will apply starting July 1 for those 12 years of age or older born after June 30, 2004. He says the plan is to phase it in through 2028. In the year 2028 if you are born after 1987 you'll need to have a a driver's license and watercraft permit to operate a boat. Anyone born prior to 1987 will not need to have this permit. In Minnesota, lane splitting for motorcycles becomes legal on July 1. This allows motorcyclists to pass between lanes of slow-moving or stopped traffic, but with specific restrictions. The law limits lane splitting to a maximum speed of 25 mph and requires that the motorcycle's speed not exceed the surrounding traffic by more than 15 mph. The cannabis tax in Minnesota is set to increase from 10% to 15% starting July 1, 2025. This tax increase will apply to all products containing cannabis, including CBD and hemp-derived cannabinoids. This change is part of the budget bills passed by the Minnesota Legislature in June 2025 and is anticipated to generate a significant amount of additional revenue for the state. This increase will position Minnesota with one of the highest cannabis taxes in the country. Many lawmakers are concerned on the three laws listed, on how the enforcement and safety features come into play. The new laws can be read on the Minnesota State Legislature Website.
A Woodbury woman is in the Stearns County Jail after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase through three counties Saturday night. The chase began on Highway 23 when a Minnesota State Trooper alerted a Paynesville police officer of a wrong-way driver on Highway 23 through Roscoe. The driver was westbound in the eastbound lanes and forced other drivers to swerve out of the way. The Paynesville officer spotted the vehicle at approximately 10:33 p.m. and began pursuing it with lights and sirens activated. According to the charges, the pursuit continued from Stearns County into Kandiyohi County at speeds of more than 90 miles-per-hour. The pursuit then entered Swift County at speeds of more than 117 miles-per-hour. Swift County deputies deployed stop sticks in an attempt to disable the vehicle. The pursuing officer learned the driver of the fleeing vehicle was on the phone with a dispatcher, who convinced the woman to pull over a short time later. Police identified the driver as 26-year-old Kenisha Ratzlaff. Court records show Ratzlaff was making strange comments about asking to turn up the heat in the police vehicle, being cold because it was wintertime, was actively sweating, and said she was six years pregnant. Police say a search of Ratzlaff's purse turned up a glass pipe and methamphetamine. The charges allege she was driving with a revoked license and has a prior DWI conviction in Hennepin County from 2022. In all, the chase covered more than 40 miles, and the SUV she was driving was reported stolen from a dealership in Washington County earlier that evening. Ratzlaff faces charges of fleeing police, drug possession, and driving under the influence of a controlled substance. She's due in court on July 21st.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has expanded its deer feeding and attractant ban to include Sherburne County to reduce the risk of spreading chronic wasting disease after it was detected in wild deer in new areas of the state. The ban prohibits feeding deer or using attractants to draw them to specific locations. It now covers 32 counties total. “The feeding and attractant ban is one tool to reduce unnatural congregating of deer and lower the risk of CWD spread,” said Paul Burr, acting big game program coordinator. The wording of the ban was recently clarified so hunters can still use items like non-scented ropes and mock scrapes with no added scents – items that were never intended to be outlawed. For Sherburne County residents interested in helping deer, the DNR recommends improving habitat to provide long-term food and shelter rather than feeding them directly.
The Twin Cities home of the late House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark was broken into overnight Wednesday, police say. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed in their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota Saturday morning. Brooklyn Park police say the home had been boarded up early Sunday after investigators processed all of the evidence at the scene, and family members had removed "items of value" from the residence on Tuesday. "It was discovered that the plywood covering the rear window of the home had been pried off and the window broken to gain entry," police said in a statement released late Wednesday morning. Police say crime scene investigators searched the home again, and family members say "they don't believe anything was missing." Police are still searching for the suspect. Anyone with information on the break-in, including neighborhood residents who have surveillance cameras, are asked to contact the Brooklyn Park Police Department.
The 3rd Annual Prepper Expo is this weekend at the Morrison County Fairgrounds. Three days of family friendly classes, speakers, food, on site camping and learning to live of the land and within your means will be discussed over the weekend with exotic foods, lots of fun games and activities for the kids. For admission information and camping details go the website https://www.mnprepperexpo.com.
Death Notices- Margaret "Peggy" Hoheisel, age 75 of Pierz.
Weather- becoming partly cloudy to sunny today with high of 82. Storms develop late afternoon and evening some storms tonight could be severe like this morning with heavy rains, hail and wind, low near 68. Hot and very humid Saturday with an Extreme Heat Warning in effect from 12-9pm with high of 96, Heat Index Values around 105-110. Saturday night humid and clear, low 74. Sunday hot and humid, high near 90 then storms in the mid to late afternoon some could be severe into Sunday night, low 62. Monday morning storms, then partly sunny, high 74, clear skies Monday and cooler with low around 50.
Sports- Twins end their losing streak with a 12-6 win over Reds on Thursday as Byron Buxton had 2 homeruns from his 3 hits, Ryan Jeffers a homer and 4 RBIS, Carlos Correa had 3 hits in the win. Twins start a series at home against Milwaukee Brewers Friday night, pregame 6:30pm, Saturday is a day game, pregame at 12:30pm and Sunday Inside Twins starts at noon on Q92 WYRQ. The Indiana Pacers tied their NBA Finals series at 3 a piece with Oklahoma City winning 108-91 last night in Game 6. The deciding Game 7 will be Sunday in in OKC for the NBA Title. Minnesota Lynx takes on Los Angeles Saturday night in the WNBA, Lynx currently at 11-1. Though still over a week away, the Target Center is preparing for Caitlyn Clark and the Indiana Fever on July 1st where they are expecting a sell out crowd and supplying over 8000 more seats to be added for that game. KLTF Victory League Game of the Week is Avon at Nisswa Sunday at 1:30pm on AM960 KLTF.