Minnesota
First lady Jill Biden coming to Duluth Thursday
DULUTH — First Lady Jill Biden will visit Duluth this week to help launch the Seniors For Biden-Harris organization in Minnesota.
Her trip to Minnesota is intended to energize older voters in what has become a battleground state this presidential election.
While recent polling in Minnesota has put Biden and former President Donald Trump in a
statistical dead-heat,
a March 2024 Quinnipiac poll showed Biden leading Trump by 8 points nationally among those 65 and older.
“To galvanize this critical voting block in Minnesota, the Biden-Harris campaign is hosting a variety of events with local leaders and seniors to drive home the stakes of the 2024 election, including a campaign event with First Lady Jill Biden in Duluth on Thursday,” Caroline Stonecipher, deputy states communications director for the 2024 Biden-Harris campaign wrote in an email.
The Biden-Harris campaign plans to use the event to contrast the current administration’s legislative and executive successes with what Trump has said publicly.
Specifically, Stonecipher points to Democrats reducing the
cost of prescription drugs
, capping the price of
insulin at $35 for seniors
and strengthening
federal support for Social Security and Medicare
.
The campaign also cited comments Trump made regarding desires to make
cuts to Medicare and Social Security
and
repeal the Affordable Care Act
as an attack on Minnesota’s seniors.
Contributed / Biden-Harris 2024 campaign
The first lady’s visit comes about a month after
Trump attended a state GOP fundraising event in St. Paul
.
The decision to hold the event in Duluth, the highest population center in northeastern Minnesota, is telling. Once a Democrat stronghold, Republicans have steadily taken over most of the region over the last two decades.
If the state’s GOP can capture a state legislative seat left this year by Rep. Dave Lislegard, DFL-Aurora,
only one Democrat officeholder, Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, will be left in the Iron Range
.
A 16-year-old boy is in critical condition after nearly drowning at Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis.
Officials were called to Minnehaha Regional Park around 5:15 p.m. Saturday for a technical rescue after a teenager, who was swimming with family, had gone underwater at the base of Minnehaha Falls, did not resurface.
An officer on the scene and witnesses told WCCO that the teen was under the water for about 20 minutes before crews pulled him out.
The Minneapolis Fire Department arrived on the scene and started rescue operations. Crews put on swift-water rescue suits and established safety lines before entering the water where the teenager was last seen.
The teenager was found underwater by firefighters and taken to shore. Firefighters performed CPR and other life saving measures before taking the teenager to a local hospital.
The Minneapolis Park Police say the area is not meant for swimming.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, according to Park Police.
MONTEVIDEO
— One of two suspects charged for their alleged roles in a Sept. 24, 2025, drive-by shooting in Montevideo has entered a guilty plea.
David Michael Pillatzki, 28, of Willmar, entered a petition Thursday, July 2, in Chippewa County District Court to plead guilty to a charge of aiding and abetting a drive-by shooting, which will be reduced from the original felony to a gross misdemeanor as part of a plea agreement.
Contributed
The agreement also calls for Pillatzki to cooperate in the prosecution against the other man charged in the incident.
The criminal complaint against Pillatzki alleges that he was a passenger in a vehicle from which shots were fired at a residence on the 400 block of South Third Street shortly after 8 p.m. Sept. 24. There were two occupants in the residence. Neither was injured.
Pillatzki was upset that his Ford Bronco had been shot on or about May 3, 2025, in Willmar, according to the complaint.
Contributed/ Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office
The man suspected of firing the shots, Albert Vaniler Hughes, 27, of Montevideo, was charged in March after the results of laboratory analysis by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were received.
DNA and ballistic evidence link Hughes to the gun used in the shooting, according to the complaint filed against him.
He has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of drive-by shooting, intentional discharge of a firearm, and reckless discharge of a firearm.
The District Court recently assigned his case to a different judge, and a new court date has not been scheduled.
Minnesota
New LeBron James Rumors Reveal Wolves Free-Agent Pitch to NBA Icon Amid ‘Ramped Up’ Contract Pursuit
The Minnesota Timberwolves have “ramped up” their pursuit of LeBron James in free agency, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“The Minnesota Timberwolves have ramped up their push for LeBron James, with full belief that they are very much in the hunt to land one of the greatest players in NBA history, league sources told The Athletic.
“The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations, said the Timberwolves have been in contact with James’ representatives with a bold pitch: team up with Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert to go after the kind of championship that could end any discussion about who is the greatest player of all time.”
Minnesota is in the mix based on comments that James’ agent, Klutch Sports Founder and CEO Rich Paul, made on his “Game Over” podcast with Max Kellerman.
Paul discussed potential landing spots for James with Kellerman via a white board. For what it’s worth, five teams were featured in the middle and more prominently than the rest: the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Timberwolves.
Minnesota is a unique team for James to consider. On paper, Minnesota is probably in the second tier of the Western Conference right now behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. James could elevate the Wolves, who have stars on offense (Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball) and defense (Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels). He would be a great fit in that lineup.
The Timberwolves’ problem is that they have a lot of competition for James’ services. Paul told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he has spoken with 27 teams about James. But Minnesota is firmly in the mix.
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