Author: KVRR Staff

Minnesota State Fair attendance tops 2 million, breaking record

FALCON HEIGHTS, MINN. (KMSP) – Total attendance for the 2018 Minnesota State Fair surpassed two million visitors for the first time in Great Minnesota Get-Together history. Five record-breaking days of attendance offset several rainy days, leading to the record-breaking grand total of 2,046,533 for 2018. The second Saturday of the State Fair is traditionally the most-attended of the 12 days, and this year’s second Saturday delivered a record-breaking 270,426…

Otter Tail County home ‘likely totaled’ in fire

Vergas, MN (KFGO) – A rural Vergas, Minnesota residence was destroyed in a fire Sunday afternoon. The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office says around 4:30 p.m., the fire was reported by a boater on Rose Lake. Frazee, Perham, Vergas and Detroit Lakes fire departments responded. The fire was extinguished but the sheriff’s office says the home was “likely totaled.” No…

Fargo man seriously injured in I-94 crash

Fargo, N.D. (KFGO) – A 20-year-old Fargo man was critically injured in a single-vehicle crash on the Red River Bridge on I-94 early Sunday morning. The highway patrol says around 4:10, a SUV was eastbound on I-94 at an unknown speed when the vehicle veered to the right, leaving the road and striking a guardrail. The SUV then ricocheted to…

Record-breaking Opening Day of Minnesota State Fair

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (KMSP) – There’s a new record for opening day attendance at the Minnesota State Fair. 122,695 people came out to the Great Minnesota Get-Together on Thursday, Aug. 24, smashing the previous Day 1 record of 119,145 set in 2010. Historically, Day 1 of the Minnesota State Fair is the lowest-attended day. The all-time single day record was the second Saturday in 2016,…

Miss America Cara Mund: Leadership bullied, silenced me

Courtesy: Tessie Jones PhotographyATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (KFGO) – The reigning Miss America says she has been bullied, manipulated and silenced by the pageant’s current leadership, including Gretchen Carlson. In a letter sent Friday to former Miss Americas, Cara Mund says she decided to speak out despite the risk of punishment. Her letter is reminiscent of the movie “Mean Girls,” in…

North Dakotans go to Washington to ask Sen. Heitkamp and Sen. Hoeven to Protect Obamacare

WASHINGTON – North Dakota families travel to Washington, D.C. to urge Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp to protect the Affordable Care Act. Melissa Schroeder maxes out on her health insurance every year. Her son Tyler has a form of congenital heart disease and caring for his needs costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. “This is all just maintaining his health…

Minnesota sees highest number of primary voters in over 3 decades

(KMSP) – Tuesday primary election in Minnesota saw the highest number of primary voters in more than three decades. According to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, 902,119 people voted in the primary–the highest number of voters since 1982. Overall voter turnout was approximately 22.7 percent, which is the highest it has been since 1992. Statewide, 582,314 voters cast a ballot in the DFL primary and 319,807 cast…

Rep. Tim Walz Will Face Hennepin Co. Commissioner Jeff Johnson in MN Governor Race

MINNESOTA- (AP) Democratic Rep. Tim Walz has won a three-way primary for Minnesota governor and will face Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson who defeated former two-term Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Walz leveraged his rural Minnesota connections and a geographically balanced ticket to defeat state Rep. Erin Murphy and Attorney General Lori Swanson in Tuesday’s primary. Walz is leaving Congress after six…

Report alleges MN AG Lori Swanson used government employees for campaign work

(KMSP) – According to an investigation by an online news organization, Attorney General Lori Swanson inappropriately used government employees to work on her campaigns. The allegations were published by the “Intercept,” an outlet that prides itself on what they call “adversarial journalism.” Meanwhile, the Swanson campaign argues it’s a solely an attempt to settle political scores. But at least one former employee in the…

Third Party Vendor blamed for 911 outage in ND & MN

Minnesota officials say a third party vendor working on a 911 system caused a widespread 911 service failure in eastern North Dakota and Minnesota. Fargo, Grand Forks and Twin Cities–area cities scrambled to broadcast alternative emergency phone numbers through social media and other means during the hour long outage Wednesday. A CenturyLink spokesman says that the company is investigating the…