Pine Journal

Air quality, as well as visibility, will be poor at times as wildfire smoke continues to linger Friday. The smoke is expected to gradually clear out by Saturday morning. Friday otherwise looks to be partly cloudy with a stray shower or rumble of thunder and afternoon temperatures reaching the low 80s. Saturday will be mostly sunny with slightly warmer temperatures. Partly cloudy skies return on Sunday with thunderstorms returning overnight into Monday. Cooler temperatures return on Tuesday.

The Duluth Media Group will continue to bring you the latest news on the wildfires in print and online. You can also click here to follow our live blog and find additional updates. Visitors enjoy Black Beach as fire smoke covers the area Thursday, July 16, 2026. Nancy Nafziger, of Lake Elmo, photographs the fire smoke covering Pebble Beach on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Nancy Nafziger, of Lake Elmo, takes photos of the fire smoke at Split Rock on Thursday, July 16, 2026.

The Duluth Media Group will continue to bring you the latest news on the wildfires in print and online. You can also click here to follow our live blog and find additional updates. A tender from the Lakewood Fire Department drive past road closed sign at the Fernberg Corridor just past Winton on Tuesday morning, July 14, 2026. Lake County Chief Deputy Timothy Luoma talks to a driver where the road closes at the Fernberg Corridor just past Winton on Tuesday morning, July 14, 2026.

The Duluth Media Group will continue to bring you the latest news on the wildfires in print and online. You can also click here to follow our live blog and find additional updates. Fire smoke covers downtown Duluth on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. The Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge is engulfed by fire smoke Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Fire smoke covers Duluth homes Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Visibility of Duluth from Skyline Parkway is heavily reduced by fire smoke Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Not since the late 17th century has Texas yielded as much hallowed ground to France and Spain as it did Tuesday at JerryWorld, where the state's former landlords ruled again, at least for a day. Les Bleus and La Roja looked right at home in front of 70,106, which, given the USMNT's prospects going into the World Cup, was all the hosts could have realistically hoped. Only France could have asked for more, losing for the third time in three years to Spain, 2-0.

After a four-day All-Star Game break that saw the Twins scatter around the country for a bit of relaxation, the team will return to action on Friday night at historic Wrigley Field in Chicago with a three-game set against the Cubs and then a four-game series in Cleveland that could very well indicate how the rest of the season might unfold. Before the unofficial second half of the season begins, here are five questions about the Twins as they get ready for the final 65 games of the season.

ST. PAUL — It has been said that there’s no place like home for the holidays, which is where the Minnesota Wild will spend much of December. Their full 84-game regular season schedule for 2026-27, revealed on Thursday, includes seven consecutive games at Grand Casino Arena between Dec. 12-28. Minnesota opens the season Oct. 1 at Nashville, then comes back to St. Paul for the home opener vs. Boston two nights later. Following a Jan.

CLOQUET — The Beach at Pinehurst Park warned in a Facebook post Tuesday night that the pool closes when the air quality index gets above 150 — a rating categorized as unhealthy for all people. When the pool should have opened at 11 a.m. Wednesday, the air quality rating in Cloquet was 286 — categorized as very unhealthy. By what should have been its opening on Thursday the rating was 695 — more than double what's categorized as hazardous.

ST. PAUL — New campaign finance reports show the non-party-endorsed candidates in the U.S. Senate race — U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Michele Tafoya — surpassed their main competitors, the party-endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Adam Schwarze. The reports, which were due July 15, show data through the end of June. DFL primary for U.S. Senate Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who received the DFL endorsement in May, reported about $1.6 million cash on hand as of the end of June.

CLOQUET — Having never left the United States before, Cloquet junior Hendrix Wilkinson missed his home shortly after arriving in the German Bavarian capital city of Munich. “It wasn't like I was just a few hours away or at summer camp, but it was like across the world,” Wilkinson said. Wilkinson arrived in Germany on June 9 as part of a month-long visit that included short excursions to neighboring countries.