Today is Tuesday, June 10, the 161st day of 2025. There are 204 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On June 10, 2018, the rover Opportunity sent its last message from the surface of Mars. Originally expected to serve a three-month mission, Opportunity functioned for over 14 years, traveling over 28 miles across Mars and unveiling critical discoveries about the planet’s geology.

Also on this date:

In 1692, the first execution resulting from the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts took place as Bridget Bishop was hanged.

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In 1854, the U.S. Naval Academy held its first graduation ceremony.

In 1940, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared war on France and Great Britain, formally entering Italy into World War II.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act of 1963, aimed at eliminating wage disparities based on gender.

In 1967, six days of war in the Mideast involving Israel, Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq ended as Israel and Syria accepted a United Nations-mediated ceasefire.

In 1977, James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee with six others. He was recaptured three days later.

In 1978, racehorse Affirmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, won the 110th Belmont Stakes to claim the 11th Triple Crown. Alydar, ridden by Jorge Velasquez, finished a close second in each of the Triple Crown races.

In 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard of Meyers, California, was abducted by Phillip and Nancy Garrido; Dugard was held by the couple for 18 years before she was found by authorities.

In 2009, James von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist, opened fire in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., killing security guard Stephen T. Johns. (Von Brunn died at a North Carolina hospital in January 2010 while awaiting trial.)

In 2020, protesters pulled down a century-old statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy.

Today’s Birthdays:

Political commentator Jeff Greenfield is 82.
Actor Frankie Faison is 76.
Football Hall of Famer Dan Fouts is 74.
Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., is 72.
Actor Gina Gershon is 63.
Actor-model Elizabeth Hurley is 60.
Comedian Bill Burr is 57.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is 53.
R&B singer Faith Evans is 52.
Actor Hugh Dancy is 50.
Country musician Lee Brice is 46.
Actor Leelee Sobieski is 42.
Olympic figure skating gold medalist Tara Lipinski is 43.
Model Kate Upton is 33.
Former first daughter Sasha Obama is 24.

As final seconds ticked off the clock on Monday night at TCO Stadium, the Mahtomedi girls flag football team started to celebrate.

A dominant campaign for the Zephyrs officially ended with them being named state champions thanks to a 36-20 win over La Crescent-Hokah.

The moments that followed were picturesque as a bunch of trailblazers in the sport made sure to soak in the moment.

They mobbed each other near midfield. They hoisted the trophy skyward while cheering as loud as they possibly could. They snapped dozens of photos so they could always remember what they had accomplished.

“It’s about making memories out here win or lose,” Mahtomedi head coach Nick Sullivan said. “This is something I’ll have until I die. It’s been so memorable with such great kids. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

That feeling was shared from the Zephyrs as a whole.

“It kind of felt unreal that girls flag football is a thing and we’re here at the Vikings practice facility playing,” Mahtomedi senior Presley Albers said. “It’ll be really awesome to tell my daughter that I won the first girls flag football state championship for our school.”

That’s exactly what the Vikings were going for when they embarked on their mission of growing the sport once upon a time.

“It’s not hyperbolic to say it’s a dream come true,” said Joe Rush, director of youth and high school football for the Vikings. “It’s something we’ve been working on for a number of years, and this was the crescendo.”

It started last year as a pilot program featuring Rosemount, La Crescent-Hokah, Pine Island and Houston.

As an organization, the Vikings set a goal of expanding that number to 25 teams this year, hoping to build off the momentum last year.

They smashed that number with more than 50 teams in participation.

Though a vast majority of the teams came from the Twin Cities metro, there was a team from as far north as Proctor and from as far south as Fairmont.

“The total investment was in the range of $600,000,” Rush said. “We worked with individual schools. We wanted to meet them where they were at. We asked them to let us know what type of operational expenses they had, because every school is so different.”

A perfect example of that is La Crescent-Hokah. They are a small school yet the Lancers managed to make it to the state championship game. That’s something the players should be proud of.

“They’re really changing the whole landscape of high school sports here in Minnesota,” La Crescent-Hokah head coach Terry Donovan said. “We call them pioneers. We tell them that all the time. My granddaughter is going to get to play girls flag football at the high school level because of them.”

As she reflected on winning the state championship, the moment wasn’t lost on Mahtomedi senior Sophia Peer.

Never mind that she dominated in the state championship game with four touchdown receptions and two interceptions.

She was thinking about the larger impact.

“I never would’ve thought this would happen,” Peer said. “It’s really cool to be a part of.”

Meanwhile, as the Zephyrs celebrated with their fans, a group of players spotted Mahtomedi athletics director Aaron Forsythe, shouting in his direction, “We want a banner!”

Though the sport isn’t yet sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League, Forsythe smiled at them, almost like he was ensuring them that he would make it happen.

They had certainly earned it.

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Vancouver, one of the two PWHL expansion teams (along with Seattle) that will debut next season, has yet to reveal the team’s nickname.

For now, just refer to Vancouver’s entry as Minnesota West.

Vancouver used two of its seven picks in Monday’s expansion draft on Frost forwards. Brooke McQuigge was picked fourth overall, the second forward taken behind Hannah Bilka, who went No. 3 to Seattle. Vancouver used its last pick — No. 13 — on Denisa Krizova.

The two selections came on the heels of Vancouver signing Frost defensemen Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson to free agent deals last week. Vancouver also selected former Frost forward Abby Boreen, who played this season in Montreal, with the fifth overall pick in Monday’s draft.

And then there’s the forward Vancouver took with the eighth overall pick, Minneapolis native Izzy Daniel, who played this season for Toronto.

It was a surprise to some that Frost winger Grace Zumwinkle was not selected. Zumwinkle, the former Gophers star, was the PWHL’s rookie of the year in 2023-24 after scoring 11 goals.

This season, Zumwinkle was slowed by an injury that forced her to miss eight games. She finished with four goals and six assists.

Seattle and Vancouver each made seven selections to reach a roster of 12 after signing five free agents, the maximum number allowed during the exclusive signing window. Vancouver won the lottery for the first pick and selected Ottawa defenseman Ashton Bell.

Seattle had the next two picks and selected defenseman Aneta Tejralova (Ottawa) and Bilka (Boston), the former Ohio State star.

The focus for the Frost now turns to free agency and the PWHL draft, which will be held on June 24. Goaltender Nicole Hensley remains under contract while her running mate, Maddie Rooney, is a free agent. Re-signing Rooney likely is the Frost’s top priority in free agency.

The Frost will have to rebuild their defensive corps, with only Lee Stecklein under contract for next season among defenseman. Jaques and Thompson combined with Stecklein to play heavy minutes this season.

As for the forwards, Katy Knoll and Dominque Petrie impressed in their first season with the Frost, and both could see increased roles on the team next season should they be re-signed.

Frost general manager Melissa Caruso has said that the Frost will be active in free agency and have compiled a list of players from around the league that they would like to pursue.

 

Ottawa Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips (33) makes a save on Minnesota Frost forward Denisa Krizova (41) during the second period of a PWHL game, Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

The inaugural Minnesota State High School League-sanctioned boys volleyball state tournament takes place this week at St. Thomas.

It’s a three-day, eight-team event that opens with Tuesday’s quarterfinals and ends Thursday with one team left standing as a history maker.

Here are three East Metro teams with a chance to stake their claim as the first state champion.

Eastview

The Lightning (27-3) are the No. 2 seed this week, and for good reason. Eastview can win this tournament. It just took top-seeded Eden Prairie to five sets in mid-May and beat the Eagles 2-0 in a tournament in Bloomington in late April.

The Lightning feature just three seniors, a scary proposition given the fact that taking a set from Eastview in matches this year was a legitimate feat. It didn’t drop a set in 24 of its 30 matches to date.

The Lightning will meet seventh-seeded Hopkins at 1 p.m.

North St. Paul

The Polars (25-2) are the No. 5 seed and will take on fourth-seeded Spring Lake Park at 3 p.m. But the seeding may undersell the Polars’ potency.

North St. Paul’s only two losses all season came at the hands of Eastview, the No. 2 seed in this week’s tournament, and it beat Spring Lake Park less than a month ago.

The Polars featured a balanced attack with a number of players through which they can run their offense and score.

St. Paul Central

The Minutemen are the de facto home team in St. Paul this week after edging Eagan in a five-set thriller in their section final.

Central (23-7) is the No. 6 seed and will square off with third-seeded Rogers at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

The Minutemen have won nine straight matches and star Josiah Walker, who touts 208 kills offensively to go with 101 digs. But the Central offense runs through Gus Walz, who has a whopping 568 assists.