Two airplanes that each carry 11,000 gallons of water are joining the fight against the Boundary Waters wildfire. Crews hope they will help bring more of the fire under control. Firefighters are making incremental progress containing the blaze. Officials worry increasing winds this week will only make their efforts harder.

The State Patrol reports that there were 88 crashes and 16 traffic-related injuries around Minnesota overnight, but no fatalities. This is the third consecutive year that there have not been any fatalities on New Year's Eve in Minnesota.

Homes were evacuated on the southern edge of Ely, while crews are battled a 20-acre fire. Several fire departments were on the scene, using water-bombing planes and helicopters as well as ground crews. A downed power line apparently sparked the fire.

The Crown Vic has been a State Patrol favorite for the past 30 years, but Ford has officially stopped making the model. Older squad cars will to be replaced with Ford's new Police Interceptor starting in May.

The Minnesota State Patrol Thursday caught a woman driving in a MnPASS lane with a mannequin in her backseat. The lane is open only to drivers who pay an electronic toll or carpoolers. The driver told the state patrol that someone dared her to do it.

A Tuesday night storm that passed through the Superior National Forest was a lose-lose for firefighters: it generated very little rain but plenty of lightning. A fire that's been burning since Sunday is a little bigger, but is now about 60 percent contained. Meanwhile, five smaller fires that were started by lightning strikes have forced the closure of a small part of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.