Mower County cleans up after second round of flash flooding in a week

Damage assessment and cleanup continues in Mower County after the second round of flash flooding there in a week. Parts of the county, including Austin, Adams and LeRoy, received around a half-foot of rain Wednesday. The flooding swamped streets and highways and sent water into basements. The sheriff’s office said it had to rescue some people from their homes.St. Paul plans to close homeless encampments throughout the city, citing public health and safety concerns. The first closure will be the encampment at Pig’s Eye Park near the Mississippi River on August 5. After that, other encampments will be closed on a rolling basis. Mayor Kaohly Her says the city has been working with partners to help encampment residents transition to safer, more stable housing.The Minneapolis City Council is considering a 75-day pilot program that would have police fly drones to 911 calls. Police leaders say drones will save time and give officers information before they respond to calls. Dozens of residents expressed opposition to the proposal at a public hearing Wednesday. MPD says the program would be designed to comply with the state Department of Human Rights consent decree.Striking Chisago County workers say residents are beginning to feel the effects of delayed services. A union representative says people have come directly to the picket line looking for county staff, including social workers and septic inspectors. Union members voted overwhelmingly to continue the strike. The two sides were scheduled to return to mediation Thursday.The Minnesota State Fair has released this year’s list of new foods and vendors. The new foods include savory pickle pie with ranch-and-hot-sauce frosting, cheese curds rolled into lumpia and a Hmong corndog from Union Hmong Kitchen made in collaboration with Kramarczuk’s. Nine new vendors are joining the fair this year. The State Fair runs from August 27 through September 7.The weather across Minnesota will be relatively quiet over the next few days, but another heat dome is developing over the upper Midwest. After more typical temperatures Thursday and Friday, the weekend will bring more heat. Highs could reach 90 degrees as early as Saturday, with 90s likely Sunday into much of next week. Heat index values could reach the 95 to 102 degree range.