A line of severe thunderstorms Monday brought several reports of tornadoes in Crow Wing and surrounding counties in north-central Minnesota.

Severe weather in south-central Minnesota included reports of at least one small tornado and several funnel clouds. However, no major damage was immediately reported.

In northern Minnesota, initial information during and after the storm indicated damage appeared to be confined to trees, with no major property damage or injuries reported.

At 4:40 p.m. Monday the National Weather Service in Duluth issued a tornado warning until 5:30 p.m. for south central Cass, central and northern Crow Wing and west central Aitkin counties. The weather service reported weather spotters confirmed a tornado northwest of Gull Lake about 4:36 p.m., and law enforcement officers in Cass and Crow Wing counties also reported seeing a funnel. Tornados also were reported later near Crosby and east of Brainerd, prompting the weather service to extend the tornado warning until 5:45 p.m. and again 6:15 p.m. into Aitkin County.

Along with tornadoes the thunderstorms brought a lot of rain and strong winds. The weather service received several reports of hail, with 1.25 inch hail reported in Lake Shore. Over an inch of rain fell Monday in Brainerd.

A storm chaser 6 miles northwest of Wealthwood in Aitkin County reported debris in the air and on the ground. A trained spotter 1 mile north of Merrifield reported trees fallen in multiple directions.

Several fallen trees partially blocked County Road 127 west of Merrifield, and the road was closed from County Highway 3 to County Road 137 for crews to perform highline repairs due to the storm damage.

Steve Bible, a resident on County Road 127, joined others to help clear the roads with a chainsaw after the storm cleared up. Bible said the clouds turned dark green and gray and began swirling overhead as a tornado passed nearby. Multiple driveaways were blocked and powerlines were crushed. Leaves, branches and debris littered the road.

Nisswa Fire and Rescue reported to Twin Lakes Road to the north of Merrifield to clear multiple large fallen trees blocking the road. Winds ripped down a large wooden sign at Northland Construction on County Highway 3. It was reported Mollie Lake Road also was closed for a period of time to clear numerous trees that had fallen during the storm.

At 6:05 p.m., Crow Wing County Emergency Management Director Clayton Barg said they positioned the emergency command trailer in Merrifield at the Merrifield Lions Park and were beginning to receive reports from the storm. At that time, there were around 2,000 people in the county without power and reports of a lot of trees down, though the county had not received any reports of structural damage or injuries.

Barg said most of the damage they were seeing was west of Merrifield.

At around 7:10 p.m., Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang said dozens of trees were down and had multiple roads closed in the county.

“We got a lot of tree damage, a lot of roads blocked. We have about 2,000 people without power, and we are currently just trying to make an assessment,” Klang said. “We got our drones up and we’re flying the damaged areas to see what kind of damage there was to homes and any structural damage or anything like that. We’ve seen a few things, but luckily nothing too bad as of right now.”

Klang said they had not yet received any reports of injuries caused by the storm.

At around 5:35 p.m., Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk said they were working to get everybody situated and start their damage assessment.

“Some trees are down for sure, but we’re just in the process of getting everybody in position,” Welk said.

At around 7 p.m. Welk said “they dodged a bullet” as he reported only minor structure damage and dozens of trees down. He said most of the damage was around Agate Lake, just west of Gull Lake.

According to a Facebook post, 1,800 Crow Wing Power members in the Merrifield area were out of power as of 5:16 p.m., while smaller outages were reported in the Nisswa area. Crews were on their way to restore power.

The post advised people to stay away from downed power lines or trees near power lines, as they could still be energized. Power outages should be reported by texting “OUT” or calling 1-800-648-9401.

At 5:30 p.m. Monday Minnesota Power reported active outages in Cass and Crow Wing counties, affecting 17 customers.

 

Karyn Tomlinson of Myriel in St. Paul won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, making her the first St. Paul chef to ever win that prestigious culinary prize.

French-influenced Bûcheron in South Minneapolis was also named the country’s Best New Restaurant, beating out nine other finalists for one of the award’s top honors.

Tomlinson — wearing a dress her grandmother wore in 1941 when she was crowned a local Corn Queen — was presented with the medal Monday night in Chicago by Twin Cities star chefs Sean Sherman, of Owamni, and Andrew Zimmern.

“I am privileged to work with many farmers today who are stewarding our resources to the best of their abilities and proud of their work,” she said in a brief acceptance speech. “The Midwest is beautiful. The Midwest is diverse. The Midwest is tenacious and strong, and we grow really good food.”

This is Tomlinson’s first win at the James Beard Awards and also her first time as a finalist for the Midwest award; she’s previously been named a semifinalist three times.

Tomlinson beat out four other finalists in the Best Chef: Midwest category, including Minneapolis chefs Diane Moua of Diane’s Place and Shigeyuki Furukawa of Kado no Mise. (The category encompasses Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.)

The Twin Cities were also well-represented at the James Beard Media Awards, presented earlier this week.

In particular, the Twin Cities Public Television series “Relish,” hosted by chef Yia Vang, won in a category called “lifestyle visual media,” which “honors excellence in food-centric talk shows and lifestyle programs that explore food or beverage alongside broader societal and cultural themes.” (Season 6 of “Relish” premieres June 23 on TPT.)

The National Geographic Channel show “World Eats Bread” won in the docuseries category; the third episode of the show features local culinary advocate Amalia Moreno-Damgaard exploring tortilla-making in Guatemala.

In addition, the James Beard Foundation recognized Minnesota U.S. Rep. Angie Craig with one of five Impact Awards, a new honor this year to highlight those pushing for broader food system changes. Craig, from Minnesota’s 2nd District, serves as ranking member on the House Committee on Agriculture.

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The adult children of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman released a statement on behalf of their Brooklyn Park family on Monday saying their slain parents were the “bright lights at the center of our lives.”

Sophie and Colin Hortman said: “We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can’t believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much.”

The siblings said that they wanted to let people know that they were safe and with loved ones.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received, and we appreciate your respect for our family’s privacy as we grieve.”

They also said the family wanted to thank law enforcement for “their swift action that saved others and for the coordination across communities that led to the arrest of the man who murdered our parents. We especially would like to thank the officers who were first on the scene to our parents’ home and their heroic attempts to rescue our mom and dad.”

The siblings said that their parents had touched many lives.

“They leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them.

If people want to honor the couple’s memory, they could consider doing some of the following, the siblings said:

Plant a tree.
Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail.
Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.
Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it.
Bake something — bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone.
Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something.
Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace.

“Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.”

A GoFundMe account (tinyurl.com/5eynjbnv) that has been set up for the siblings has raised more than $60,000 as of Monday evening.

The organizer wrote: “I created this gofundme to raise funds to help Colin and Sophie repair the home, car and garage, help cover the costs of the funeral, and the associated costs of laying their parents to rest. I greatly miss my sister Melissa and brother-in-law Mark and want to help my niece and nephew through this difficult time and help cover the expenses this tragedy has incurred.”

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As the Minnesota Legislature takes steps to protect members of the House and Senate following the Saturday shooting of two state lawmakers and their spouses at their homes, long-discussed security measures at the state Capitol figure to see renewed interest.

Lawmakers’ home addresses have been removed from the Minnesota Legislature’s website, and the Capitol saw a larger security presence than usual Monday. That’s on top of a longstanding 24-hour law enforcement presence, according to Kyle Everson, a spokesperson with the Minnesota State Patrol.

For many years, elected officials have called for greater security measures at the Minnesota Capitol, such as entry checkpoints with metal detectors and X-ray machines. Minnesota was one of 13 states to forgo those measures, according to a Council of State Governments review conducted in 2021, following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Lawmakers might act with more urgency to beef up security at the Capitol after Saturday’s shootings, which killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and her husband, Mark, and injured Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, and his wife, Yvette. The alleged gunman visited the homes of two additional lawmakers that same night and had notebooks naming dozens more targets, federal prosecutors said Monday.

“I think everybody at the Capitol is ready to look at this in a serious manner,” said Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, who has served in the state Legislature since the 1980s. “The idea of metal detectors and banning guns at the Capitol, I think it’s coming.”

Marty supports new security measures but also has backed legislation to ban the carrying of firearms in the state Capitol, something he says has met fierce resistance from gun rights groups and some GOP lawmakers. Some Republican members of the Legislature have carried guns on the House and Senate floors in the past, citing concerns over personal safety.

One building on the state Capitol complex already has metal detectors and bans weapons: the Minnesota Judicial Center, which houses the state Supreme Court.

“I’m hoping, at a minimum, we will start next year off by banning guns in the Capitol complex, like we do in other courthouses,” Marty said. “I think the overwhelming majority would say, yeah, if they do it in courthouses, why shouldn’t they be doing it at the Capitol?”

Committee interested

Security took the spotlight at the state Capitol earlier this year after Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher submitted a letter to the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security requesting new measures, including metal detectors, X-ray machines, stationary guards and bag checks at entrances.

“The United States has become more politically polarized than it has been in decades,” he wrote to lawmakers. “Moreover, the willingness for certain actors to resort to political violence, threats, and intimidation to those who have different values and beliefs is clearly on the rise.”

Members of the bipartisan advisory committee said they were committed to working to ensure greater safety at the Capitol after the lawmaker shootings, though for now they aren’t publicly advocating any specific measures.

“This horrific act of political violence highlights the vital importance of our continued diligence to ensure that members of the legislature, staff, those that work in State Government, and the public are safe within the walls of the State Capitol and around the Capitol complex,” they said in a Monday statement.

Lawmakers on the committee include Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview; Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia; Sen. Bonnie Westlin, DFL-Plymouth; and Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove.

States take action

Former Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, who served in the Senate until 2022, said it’s time for the state to increase Capitol security measures amid rising political violence, which he said became a bigger problem toward the end of his nearly 20 years in the Legislature.

“Hortman and I talked about threats that we and others were receiving,” he said.

Gazelka, a northern Minnesota Senator who started carrying a gun at the Capitol after protesters forced their way into the Senate Office building in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, said he thinks the Capitol still can be accessible to the public with added security measures.

“I just don’t think there’s any harm in bringing people through one gate for security,” he said. “You have multiple doors. I don’t have a problem with that. I just think you have to begin to think about the fact that people are far more aggressive.”

Since Saturday’s shootings, some neighboring states have moved quickly to boost lawmaker safety. Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, has requested added security ahead of a floor session Wednesday, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported. And in North Dakota, lawmakers’ home addresses were removed from the Legislature’s website.

Members of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation could see added security as well. U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, who reportedly was on a list of politicians alleged 57-year-old shooter Vance Luther Boelter hoped to target, was considering a regular private security detail, according to the Associated Press.

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