Minnesota
Minnesota State Fair records one of its lowest attended days in decades
Early morning severe storms hit MN State Fair [RAW]
FOX 9’s Se Kwon went live on Facebook early Tuesday morning as another severe storm hit the Minnesota State Fair, causing flash flooding on the grounds. Officials delayed opening the fairgrounds to the public for two hours as crews worked to assess the damage and clean up the debris.
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) – The Minnesota State Fair recorded its lowest first Mondays, as heat and storms kept people home.
Monday’s reported attendance for the fair reached just 80,546 visitors.
What happened?
The weather was likely the major contributing factor keeping people home on Monday. The morning and early afternoon were hot with heat index temperatures pushing over 100 degrees. Then, severe storms swept through the metro in the evening, flooding the fairgrounds.
The few people who were at the fair were forced to run for cover underneath the grandstand.
The storms also forced a late start for the fair on Tuesday, as crews assessed damage in the early morning hours.
MN fairgoers run for safety as storms roll through
Visitors at the Minnesota State Fair were running for cover on Monday as storms rolled through.
Context
Monday’s total is among the worst-attended non-opening days for the fair since the mid-1980s.
- It was the worst first Monday for the fair since 1983.
- The only worst non-opening day attendance since 1986 was the first Friday in 2021, when COVID concerns were still high.
- The average fair attendance for the first Monday since 2000 is 122,408 people.
- Sunday was also a slow day at the fair, with heat likely playing a role.
- The fair set back-to-back records to start in 2024, with high attendance on both opening day and the first Friday.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Expect a sunny Saturday with heat expected to build up this weekend before an even hotter work week.
Saturday forecast
Local perspective:
Winds stay light out of the south with plenty of sunshine today.
There are hints of an extremely isolated thundershower, but the chance of that happening over any given area is extremely small.
Expect highs to peak in the upper 80s with dew points in the mid to upper 60s this afternoon.
Extended forecast
What’s next:
This forecast is hot.
Highs will peak in the 90s every day this upcoming week for the Twin Cities and a large portion of the area as well.
Dew points really don’t look to surge into the 70s but mainly stay in the lower to upper 60s depending on the day of the week.
Little to no precipitation forecast this upcoming week. Expect dry and sunny days.
The Source: This story uses information from the FOX 9 weather forecast.
BEMIDJI — The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development recently announced over $1.4 million in child care economic development grants, including a $200,000 award to the
Northwest Minnesota Foundation
in Bemidji.
Split between 11 programs and organizations around the state, more than 80% of the awarded funds support programs in Greater Minnesota, with the aim of creating more than 1,100 new child care slots.
“Affordable, reliable child care is essential for a thriving economy,” DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said in a release. “These grants are supporting working families by ensuring Minnesota parents are able to work knowing their child is well cared for by some of the best caregivers in the nation. We’re also helping employers retain talent and working together to establish the foundation for long-term economic vitality.”
DEED’s Child Care Economic Development Grant program provides funding to organizations and communities to invest in new or expanding child care businesses, including facility improvements, worker training, attraction, retention and licensing, and other strategies to address the child care shortage.
Since the office’s inception in July 2023, DEED has awarded over $13 million in grants to 56 organizations to fund child care startups or business expansions, resulting in over 4,000 new child care slots.
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