Captains practices and summer training are how fall sports teams get ready for the season. But wildfire smoke, especially in northern Minnesota, is getting in the way, reports the Minnesota Star Tribune. “I’d say that this has been the worst smoke summer,” said Mike Theismann, an athletic director in Grand Marais. “But I would also unfortunately say that if you talk to most locals, they say it’s probably going to get a lot worse.”
Related from Community Voices: Minnesota summers are too short for wildfire smoke inconveniences
Hermantown’s police chief and other city officials are apologizing for making disparaging comments about those opposing a data center in the city, the Duluth News Tribune reports. It was a case of leaked audio that fueled more tensions over the Google project, which has been modified but continues to move forward.
What is hempcrete? A hemp-based building material that’s being used by the Lower Sioux Indian Community in southwestern Minnesota, reports MPR News. While not load-bearing, hempcrete is a great insulator that comes without the chemicals seen in most insulation products. “My eyes have been opened, and now there’s no way I could go back and build that same way and expect my community members to live in those toxic materials,” said Danny Desjarlais, who runs the community’s hempcrete business.
At a farm southeast of Eau Claire, Wis., you’ll find corn and cows, yes, and also: waterskiing, KARE 11 reports. Farmer Blake Heller hired a neighbor to dig Blue Moo Lake 20 years ago so his kids could have a place to waterski. It’s 130 feet wide and a half mile long and has hosted barefoot waterski events over the years.
