 On Wednesday, Governor Walz met with leaders from the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Public Safety, and the Minnesota National Guard to receive an update on the Minnesota wildfires.
“We are now entering a phase of recovery, thanks to the courageous work of our first responders, firefighters, National Guard, and community members,” said Governor Walz. “It is important to remain vigilant, because conditions can change in an instant. But thanks to the swift and coordinated response across state and local agencies, we are now ready to assess damages, begin recovery, and respond even faster if conditions change.”
At the height of the response, more than 2,400 personnel from state, federal, tribal, county, and local agencies worked together to combat the fires. What began as more than 20 active wildfires has now been reduced to six, and personnel assigned to the response have been reduced as conditions improve and the response enters a new phase. State leaders and officials can now begin to assess what relief is needed for impacted communities.
 On Thursday, Governor Walz visited Farmfest in Redwood County to meet with industry leaders, see the latest agricultural innovations, and celebrate the hard work of farmers across Minnesota.
"Minnesota farmers feed and fuel the world," said Governor Walz. "I am deeply grateful to all of the good folks at Farmfest for showcasing the innovation, resilience, and pride that make Minnesota agriculture some of the best in the nation."
Governor Walz also visited the Upper Sioux Community, where nearly two years ago 1,300 acres of land were returned.
"Two years ago, Minnesota rightfully returned the land of the Upper Sioux Agency State Park back to the Yellow Medicine People," said Governor Walz. Today, I had the distinct honor to run that land - Pezihutazizi Kapi, The Place Where They Dig For Yellow Medicine - with Chairman Jensvold."
Governor Walz signed an executive order to prevent state employees from using nonpublic information for insider trading on prediction markets, following a federal judge’spreliminary injunction blocking Minnesota from implementing a law banning prediction markets. The legislation passed with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate and was scheduled to go into law on August 1, making Minnesota the first in the nation to ban these platforms.
“State employees serve the public and shouldn’t make money off insider information,” said Governor Walz. “It is clear that the Trump administration and companies like Kalshi are more interested in lining their pockets than protecting public trust and keeping people safe. Regardless of Trump’s grift, I am taking executive action to reinforce the strong ethical standards we have in Minnesota.”
The executive order prohibits employees of state agencies from using nonpublic or confidential information obtained from their employment to participate in prediction markets. The restriction applies whether an employee realizes a profit or incurs a loss from a transaction. Employees who violate the order may be subject to discipline up to and including discharge.
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