On August 10, 2008, soul icon Isaac Hayes died at the age of 65 in his Memphis, TN home. The pioneering singer, songwriter, and actor began his career at Stax Records in the mid-60s, where he worked alongside David Porter to pen hits for Sam & Dave (including “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’”), Carla Thomas, and many others. By the turn of the 70s, however, Hayes was a star in his own right, who pushed soul and R&B to new heights though landmark albums like Hot Buttered Soul and Black Moses. His chart-topping score to 1971’s Shaft, meanwhile, broke barriers, as Hayes became the first Black artist to earn an Academy Award in a non-acting category (Best Original Song). In later years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and multiple Grammy winner earned a new generation of fans through his voice-over work in the animated series, South Park.
In 2007, UK music mogul Anthony “Tony” Wilson died at the age of 57, following a battle with kidney cancer. Wilson, who was portrayed by Steve Coogan in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, was instrumental in putting the Manchester music scene on the map. Among his many roles, Wilson was a TV presenter, the co-owner of Factory Records (home to Joy Division, New Order, and Happy Mondays), an artist manager, and the founder of the city’s Haçienda Nightclub and Dry Bar. In 2000, Wilson was on the forefront during the rise of MP3s – launching one of the earliest digital music stores, Music33, three years ahead of Apple.
On this day in 1970, Elvis Presley kicked off his“Summer Festival” at the International Hotel in Las Vegas (soon to be rechristened as the Las Vegas Hilton). The King’s rehearsals and first four days of shows were filmed for the documentary Elvis: That’s The Way It Is, released that November.
In 1963 a 13-year-old “Little” Stevie Wonder became the youngest singer to top the US pop charts with “Fingertips Part II.” The song would hold the No.1 spot for three weeks.
And in 1976, Elton John took the stage at Madison Square Garden for his first of ten sold-out nights at the New York City venue. Box office sales (totaling $1.25 million) would break a record previously held by the Rolling Stones.
BORN ON AUGUST 10
1909: Clarence Leonidas “Leo” Fender (founder and namesake of the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company and inventor of the first mass-produced electric guitar)
1928: Jimmy Dean (singer and TV presenter)
1929: Eddie Fisher
1940: Eddie Hatfield (the Righteous Brothers)
1947: Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull)
1947: Ronnie Spector
1961: Jon Farriss (INXS)
1968: Michael Bivins (New Edition, Bell Biv DeVoe)
The Church of Our Lady in Manannah is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, and many special events are planned at the church this weekend. There will be self-guided tours and displays starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, a mass with Bishop Chad Zielinski at 4 p.m., followed by a meal Saturday evening, and there will also be an open house on Sunday from 1-to-4 p.m.
Member Barb Laabs says the Church of Our Lady was officially established in 1876 with the church built in its present location in Section 31 of Manannah Township. She says the church was enlarged in 1900 and the high altar with its gold tabernacle – depicting the Last Supper – and columned niches with various statues were installed around 1915. Barb says the Church of Our Lady is well-known for the various community meals it hosts, and for Saturday’s dinner, the meal will be catered – and no RSVP is necessary.
Parishioner Sue Carlson says they plan to ring the church bell 150 times on Saturday in recognition of the special anniversary, and there is a painting of Our Mother of Perpetual Help that has been in the church since the 1800s and will return from being refurbished in the Twin Cities in time for the celebration. She says they will have self-guided tours and many items will be on display Saturday afternoon.
Carlson says there will be an open house at the Church of Our Lady on Sunday from 1-to-4 p.m. and they will have items on display at that time for people to see. She says the church is easy to find at the intersection of Meeker County State Aid Highways 3 and 30. There will be no mass at the Church of Our Lady this Sunday, August 16th as they will have the special mass at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The Songs of Summer Festival is coming up this Friday at Memorial Park in Litchfield. Gates will open at 4 p.m. and then the music will be from 5-to-11 p.m. with 3 bands performing.
Sarah Jones says Vintage Revival will perform from 5-to-6 p.m., South 40 will take the stage from 6:15 to 7:45, and then Shirts and Skins will perform from 8-to-11 p.m. She says between acts they will announce the winners of the cash raffle drawing and the recipients of this year’s scholarships which benefit non-profit, youth-related organizations. She says the event is free, but they accept freewill donations.
Jones says Red, White & Brews will be providing shuttle service from Lake Ripley Elementary School to Memorial Park. Troy Freidrichs says there will be several food and beverage vendors at the Songs of Summer Festival.
Tiana Freidrichs says they still have raffle tickets available and the top prize this year is $1,000. Tickets are available at Mid-Country Bank and if there are any left, they will be sold at the event. Freidrichs says the Songs of Summer Festival is a family-friendly event.
Freidrichs says they will fence off the splash pad and the playground at Memorial Park to make it secure for children on Friday evening. She says there are lots of great sponsors who help to make the Songs of Summer Festival possible. In case of inclement weather, there is a back-up plan and any changes will be announced on KLFD Radio.
It’s been a dry summer for many Minnesotan farmers as drought conditions blanket much of the state.
But rain has come for key production areas in recent weeks. Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen called the showers “crop-saving rain” at this year’s annual ag trade show, Farmfest, in Redwood County in southwest Minnesota.
“Right here, we were dry, but the crop looks really good,” Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish added. “We’ve been blessed here, just getting some timely rains in this immediate area.”
That rain could make a big difference for farmers’ fields, according to senior marketing analyst Mark Schultz with Northstar Commodities.
“The rain that you picked up last Friday was anywhere from a 20 to 30 bushel per acre swing on the size of your crop,” said Schultz. “I think it was just that big of a difference maker in the crop.”
That rain could help strengthen this year’s crop production. Last year, Minnesota had record or near-record yields of corn, wheat and soybeans. University of Minnesota Extension Professor Edward Usset said this year’s crop is looking “as good or better” than last year’s.
“We have a shot at setting yield records again in all three crops,” said Usset. “A lot can happen in the last four or five weeks of this crop, but we have that chance to do it.”
Southwest and central Minnesota will still need more than five inches of rain in the coming months to reverse drought conditions, according to projections by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Minnesota producers will have a clearer picture of yields on Wednesday when the U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes its latest crop production report.
The Senate in an overnight vote Saturday approved a short-term measure to fund federal agencies into early December and avoid a potentially chaotic government shutdown during the middle of campaign season.
The late-summer action on a funding fix is unusual. Normally, Congress waits until the final days or hours of a funding deadline to pass short-term patches, but this time senators acted nearly two months before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
The 90-6 vote showed lawmakers are still smarting from the two historic shutdowns that occurred this past year and want to avoid another before voters go to the polls. The funding bill also included a delay to a federal hemp ban, which threatened to upend Minnesota’s $200 million cannabis market.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune wanted the funding dealt with before senators went home for the next five weeks to focus on their reelection campaigns and other matters. It got caught up with other issues that pushed votes into the night, but the bill had broad bipartisan support. The House will also have to approve the measure when members return from their August recess before it can go to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
The bill generally funds the federal government at current levels though Dec. 11, but includes a variety of exceptions that senators negotiated with the White House.
Democrats secured language to ensure no money could be transferred to the Border Patrol. They also rejected the White House’s request of $1 billion for early work on a new “Trump-class” battleship that the administration announced on Dec. 22.
“The only person who wants these golden ships is Donald Trump so he can slap his name on them,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.
Hemp provision became a point of contention
The bill also includes language delaying a national ban on most intoxicating hemp products. That one-month delay prompted outrage from some Senate Republicans who say that too many such products are falling into the hands of often unsuspecting children. The packaging of the products often relies on bright colors and intentionally mimics popular snack brands to attract consumers.
Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., said that since 2017 there has been nearly a 10-fold increase in cannabis-related emergency room visits by minors in his home state.
“This is a public health crisis that deserves this Senate’s immediate attention,” Budd said. “Our children should never be the testing ground for an industry willing to exploit a loophole in federal law for profit.”
The original ban was included in a funding bill from November 2025 passed to end a 43-day government shutdown, the longest in history. Minnesota’s DFL delegation, including Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, voted against that bill while Republicans backed the ban.
Klobuchar said during her Senate floor remarks Minnesota had not had the same experience as North Carolina.
“I note in my state we have safety rules in place that have worked very well,” said Klobuchar, who is running for governor. “The product is taxed. We have not had issues with it since we put those rules in place.”
The hemp industry said the delay buys time for Congress to craft legislation that protects hemp farmers and businesses while also putting in place safeguards to protect children.
Trump himself has called Budd to discuss the issue, though the president did not specifically ask the senator to drop his effort, Budd’s spokesman said.
“Senator Budd had a friendly phone call with President Trump discussing the legislative efforts regarding THC,” said spokesman Christian McMullen. He said the senator outlined his concerns about “any delay to closing the hemp loophole.”
Budd tried to strip the hemp delay from the bill, but the Senate turned aside his effort.
The bill delays a Trump administration rule on grants
Democratic lawmakers, along with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also got language in the bill that would block, for the duration of the funding patch, new regulations on federal grants. The regulations would require a senior political appointee to review grants before they are awarded to ensure, among other things, that they advance the president’s policy priorities. Democrats worry it’s an effort to kill grants destined for Democratic-leaning states.
“They are not interested in making our tax dollars work better — they just want them to work for Donald Trump,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The White House Office of Management and Budget says its effort is about improving accountability to ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted or misused. The issue is sure to be a topic of future negotiations on a full-year spending measure.
But Collins said the vast majority of the nearly 500,000 people and groups weighing in on the rule are opposed to it.
“I don’t think in my time that I’ve been privileged to serve in the Senate that I have ever seen a proposed rule generate that many negative comments,” Collins said.