On Lake Minnetonka, Business Is As Slow As The Boats
High water continues to keep boat traffic to a crawl on Lake Minnetonka. For the past couple of weeks, a lake-wide no wake order has stayed in effect.
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High water continues to keep boat traffic to a crawl on Lake Minnetonka. For the past couple of weeks, a lake-wide no wake order has stayed in effect.
As kids step from the boats and onto the docks at Big Island, a day of fun and pleasure awaits each one of them. As parents of special needs children will tell you, the health challenges of one child affect the entire family. Nobody knows that better than Stacy McAllister.
Thursday was a long day for some people living near Minnehaha Creek. In St. Louis Park, some homes were surrounded by more than a thousand sandbags.
Communities along the Minnehaha Creek faced flooded yards and streets Thursday. The 22 mile-long creek, which connects Lake Minnetonka and Minnehaha Falls, reached the highest water levels ever recorded Thursday morning. People in the St. Louis Park Creekside neighborhood are helping each other stack sandbags.
The rising waters are causing trouble on Lake Minnetonka. The no wake restriction has been in effect for almost two weeks. The water is so high boats aren't allowed to open up on the lake.
Almost a dozen sailboats capsized on Lake Minnetonka Saturday morning during a regatta. There were between 30-40 sailboats taking part in a weekend sailboat race near Smith Bay and Browns Bay when wind gusts reaching 50-60 mph began to wreak havoc on boaters.
The Green Line opening is just the newest chapter in the rich, storied history of University Avenue. Minneapolis and St. Paul were connected in 1890 with the creation of the street car system, according to Chad Roberts with the Ramsey County Historic Society.
Boaters and other lake goers are still being asked to go slow on Lake Minnetonka. On June 5, the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District implemented an "Emergency High Water" declaration, during which it is against the law for any watercraft to go at a speed that would result in more than a minimum wake.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has lifted the swimming advisory on Lake Minnetonka and Dutch Lake. Residents of the city of Mound were warned to stay out of both lakes at the beginning of the month when heavy rains caused sewage water to be rerouted into drains.
Go slow or get an expensive citation -- that's the message from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol. This is the first time Lake Minnetonka has ever had a minimum wake restriction on the entire lake. Deputies are on the water to educate and enforce the restriction.
Chad Greenway did his best Superman impression this week. For his next feat, Greenway could further endear himself to new Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer by figuring out how to clone himself.
Due to high waters, officials are enforcing a minimum wake restriction for all of Lake Minnetonka. That means boats, jetskis and other watercrafts cannot go above 5 mph while the restriction is in place.
The Twin Cities metro area was hit by so much rain over the weekend, the City of Mound is worried that sewage could back up into about 1,000 homes. So to try to keep that from happening, the city is pumping untreated sewage onto land.
You may have to change your Memorial Day weekend plans if they include canoeing or kayaking down Minnehaha Creek. The recent rain caused high levels on Lake Minnetonka. As a result, water is being released into the creek to lower it. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District warns the release is causing unsafe conditions.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is urging boaters to create a safety plan before hitting the waters this Memorial Day weekend. With a High Water Declaration in effect for Lake Minnetonka, Sheriff Rich Stanek says boaters need to manage their wakes properly, as well as have the necessary safety gear in place.
We're heading towards Memorial Day weekend and coming with it is sun and warmer temperatures. It's got boaters and anglers looking forward to getting out on the boat. It also makes for the perfect time for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to remind people about boat safety and to "Think Zero."
Nearly a half million people are out on Minnesota's lakes this weekend for the state fishing opener. Governor Dayton was in the Brainerd Lakes area, trying his luck on Gull Lake. The governor was among thousands of Minnesotans who got out on the water at the stroke of midnight.
An annual report card gives mixed grades to some of the most popular Twin Cities lakes. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District sprawls over 181 square miles from the far western suburbs to the Mississippi River.
Not only is Minnesota the Land of 10,000 Lakes, we're also home to the second-highest number of registered boats in the nation. Only Florida has more motorboats registered than the 540,000 cruising our waterways. But there's a new trend that's getting even more families on the waters.
With the long, cold winter we all endured, we weren't sure this day would ever come. The Freshwater Society and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Water Patrol officially made the call Thursday morning that the ice is now officially out on Lake Minnetonka.
Soon the lakes will be completely ice free, and we will see lots of people out on canoes. But there is one canoe in the west metro that will definitely not be going back into the water. That's because archaeologists have just determined it is nearly 1,000 years old.
A 37-year-old man had to be rescued from Lake Minnetonka on Saturday after his snowmobile went through the ice, according to the Carver County Sheriff's Office. Authorities received several 911 calls just before 9 p.m. that a snowmobile and its rider had fallen through the ice at the southern end of Smithtown Bay on Lake Minnetonka.
A million dollar home on Lake Minnetonka burned to the ground Thursday morning. The fire started around 9:30 a.m. at a home on Old Beach Road in Orono, Minn.
Team WCCO braved the elements Saturday for a pair of charity pond hockey games on Lake Minnetonka. The team ranged in age from 14 to 62, and happily accepted the help of former Wild player Mark Parrish as a ringer. "This is awesome," Parrish said. "It takes you right back. This is where it all began for all of us." The wind chill on Lake Minnetonka was minus 15, but it was all for a good cause.
The view of Lake Minnetonka from the house that Jimmy Jam built is breathtaking. This 22,000-square-foot property sits on 3.5 acres, complete with 300 feet of Lake Minnetonka shoreline. WCCO was the first to show viewers inside the home before it went up for sale last summer. Scott Stabeck of the Stabeck Group at Lakes Sotheby's Realty in Wayzata is the listing agent.
The monthslong Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Minnesota has sparked ongoing protests, some measured tens of thousands of demonstrators, others just a few dozen.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid and Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye were ejected Monday night after an altercation early in the fourth quarter of Minnesota's 138-116 win.
Anthony Edwards scored 21 of his 30 points in the first half as the Minnesota Timberwolves used a dominant second quarter to cruise to a 138-116 win against the short-handed Atlanta Hawks.
A question for applicants wishing to fill vacancies in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota is sparking concerns from some attorneys who are concerned that politics is getting in the way of a once apolitical job.
Two Philadelphia-based men accused of traveling to Minneapolis after a friend told them the taxpayer-funded programs there presented "a good opportunity to make money," pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Monday.
A 20-year-old Minneapolis man on Monday pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a man in the Elliot Park neighborhood last summer.
A judge sentenced a man to nearly three years in prison for straw purchasing dozens of guns, some of which were tied to criminal activity across the Twin Cities, including the killings of two young girls in 2021.
The Minnetonka Skipperettes finished in a top-three spot in jazz, earning a ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 2005, after a 21-year absence.
Teenage brothers born in Minneapolis and now living in Chicago documented federal immigration agents in both cities for months.
The Minneapolis Fire Department says the pop-up nature of the blockades makes emergency response especially difficult.
January is typically a slow month at Frontiersman Sports, but employees at the St. Louis Park, Minnesota, gun shop said sales spiked 30% above normal for the month.
The daughter of a Minnesota gubernatorial candidate was killed Friday in an apparent attempted murder-suicide involving her husband.
Two Republican candidates in the 2026 Minnesota gubernatorial race have dropped out: one for a heartbreaking reason, while the other is entering a different race.
People describing themselves as constitutional observers tell WCCO that in the past week, reports of ICE agents disguising themselves have flooded in from the Twin Cities Metro and rural areas of the state.
Last month, congressional Republicans moved closer to lifting a 20-year ban on mining near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, pushing a resolution to end the moratorium through the House.
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A jury has found a Wisconsin man guilty of forging threats against President Donald Trump in an attempt to get a witness against him deported.
Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the 11 states reporting their first measles cases of 2026.
Hundreds of schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin have closed or shifted to virtual learning on Friday amid dangerous cold.
The ongoing presence of ICE and federal law enforcement in the Minneapolis area has kept many immigrants at home for fear of being arrested. Now, their neighbors are crowdsourcing to cover their rent.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations aren't only happening in the Twin Cities. Federal agents are also working in smaller towns, and in some, seeing similar resistance from the community.
While Operation Metro Surge continues in the Twin Cities, Minnesota's farm country is also feeling the impact. The major concerns for farmers and the trickle-down effect it could have on consumers.
Minnesota's governor spoke out Sunday afternoon following the shooting death of Alex Pretti by federal immigration enforcement agents. "What's the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan?" Walz said. "Fear, violence and chaos is what you wanted from us, and you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation."
A marching protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis Friday afternoon happened as a widespread work stoppage across Minnesota, as organizers called for a day of no work, no school and no shopping.
The monthslong Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Minnesota has sparked ongoing protests, some measured tens of thousands of demonstrators, others just a few dozen.
A Mexican immigrant working in Minnesota says federal officers arrested and beat him. Court documents detail a laundry list of head injuries that hospital workers called life-threatening, including eight skull fractures and five brain bleeds. Ashley Grams is learning more from those documents.
A question for applicants wishing to fill vacancies in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota is sparking concerns from some attorneys who are concerned that politics is getting in the way of a once apolitical job.
Teenage brothers born in Minneapolis and now living in Chicago documented federal immigration agents in both cities for months.
January is typically a slow month at Frontiersman Sports, but employees at the St. Louis Park, Minnesota, gun shop said sales spiked 30% above normal for the month.
January is typically a slow month at Frontiersman Sports, but employees at the St. Louis Park, Minnesota, gun shop said sales spiked 30% above normal for the month.
Amid ongoing immigration operations in Minnesota, a local company is filling a desperate need for on-demand legal help.
Outside the governor's mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday, demonstrators, including many students and teachers, pleaded for Gov. Tim Walz to enact an immediate eviction moratorium to help families impacted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge.
It's part of broader protests calling on the Minneapolis-based retailer to respond more directly to immigration enforcement.
While Operation Metro Surge continues in the Twin Cities, Minnesota's farm country is also feeling the impact. The major concerns for farmers and the trickle-down effect it could have on consumers.
Two Philadelphia-based men accused of traveling to Minneapolis after a friend told them the taxpayer-funded programs there presented "a good opportunity to make money," pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Monday.
A 20-year-old Minneapolis man on Monday pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a man in the Elliot Park neighborhood last summer.
A judge sentenced a man to nearly three years in prison for straw purchasing dozens of guns, some of which were tied to criminal activity across the Twin Cities, including the killings of two young girls in 2021.
Teenage brothers born in Minneapolis and now living in Chicago documented federal immigration agents in both cities for months.
January is typically a slow month at Frontiersman Sports, but employees at the St. Louis Park, Minnesota, gun shop said sales spiked 30% above normal for the month.
Public health officials say a measles crisis has long been brewing in Minnesota.
Patients in Minnesota are canceling appointments and deferring critical health care needs because of fear of immigration enforcement as the federal crackdown continues, doctors say.
Children's Minnesota announced Tuesday it plans to pause some gender-affirming care for children amid "threats" from the federal government.
Nurses in Minneapolis doubted federal immigration officers' claims about a Mexican immigrant's severe injuries.
Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the 11 states reporting their first measles cases of 2026.
Bad Bunny says he wants to bring his culture to his 2026 Super Bowl halftime show Sunday.
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Complete closure of the performing arts center in Washington, D.C., will start on July 4, Mr. Trump said. It's not yet clear how extensive the changes to the building might be.
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Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid and Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye were ejected Monday night after an altercation early in the fourth quarter of Minnesota's 138-116 win.
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In a surprising move to some, the Wild have two goaltenders playing in the Milano Cortina Winter Games: Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt, who is in his first full NHL season.
The Minnetonka Skipperettes finished in a top-three spot in jazz, earning a ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 2005, after a 21-year absence.
Some 2026 Winter Olympics athletes say their winning medals are falling apart, coming detached from their ribbons.
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In a crowded field, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth had a very good caucus night; she won the straw poll by about 32%.
The state of Minnesota is vowing to continue the legal battle after it and 12 cities were denied a temporary restraining order that would have shut down Operation Metro Surge.
The state of Minnesota is vowing to continue the legal battle after it and 12 cities, including St Paul and Minneapolis, were denied a temporary restraining order that would have shut down Operation Metro Surge.
While Operation Metro Surge continues in the Twin Cities, Minnesota's farm country is also feeling the impact. The major concerns for farmers and the trickle-down effect it could have on consumers.
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Northland Arboretum was built half a century ago on top of what was once a city dump. But over time, nature carved its own path with a little help from a Zamboni.
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On Dec. 9, 1965, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" debuted on CBS, and it became an instant classic. Lee Jenkins' home is proof that the show is still a hit six decades later.
Holiday lights are on full display across the state right now, and just south of the Twin Cities you'll find a Christmas light show that's been around for more than half a century.
The monthslong Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Minnesota has sparked ongoing protests, some measured tens of thousands of demonstrators, others just a few dozen.
According to the Police Executive Research Firm, 82% of police departments in the United States equip officers with body cameras. That number comes from 2023, meaning it could be even higher by now.
With the new $2,600 stipend, DHS said the cost of a single self-deportation is $5,100. That's significantly less than the cost to arrest, detain and deport an undocumented immigrant, which DHS said costs more than $18,000.
It might be hard to believe, but it's gotten warmer outside over the past few days. The temperature is creeping above zero during the day, but the wind chill remains dangerously low. So, how is wind chill calculated?
Minnesota gun rights are in the spotlight after U.S. Border Patrol agents shot and killed a lawful gun carrier over the weekend.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Tuesday night.
A look at the newest addition to the polar bear population at St. Paul, Minnesota's Como Zoo.
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The Minnesota State Fair has unveiled its new food, drinks and vendors for 2025.
A suspect was taken into custody after an attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on June 1 in which there were 15 people and a dog who were victims. The suspect threw Molotov cocktails that burned some of the victims, who were part of a march for Israeli hostages.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says above-average temperatures will continue through the entire week.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says tomorrow will be breezy with a high in the mid-30s.
Light rain and snow will fall north of the metro Monday evening, says NEXT Weather meteorologist Lisa Meadows.
Tomorrow will be breezy with a high in the mid-30s, but warmer highs look to be moving in again by next weekend, WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak reports.
Chinese New Year is almost here and a local brewery wants you to join in on their celebration of the year of the horse. Reg Chapman and Adam Del Rosso are joined by Margaret Wong and Tim Naumann to learn more about this Lunar New Year festival
February is Black History Month and St. Paul Public Libraries is celebrating with a special event. Jenaya Myvett and Derek Francis talk more about it on WCCO Saturday Morning.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says above-average temperatures will continue through the entire week.
The ICE surge in Minnesota has sparked ongoing protests. Some draw tens of thousands of demonstrators, others just a few dozen. The Trump administration claims money motivates critics to hit the streets. In Good Question, Jeff Wagner investigates if there's any truth behind the assertion that protesters get paid.
Target says it's going to add more staff to its stores because shoppers have reported sloppier shelves, longer checkout lines, and items out of stock.