BIG STONE COUNTY

Madison Eklund has the winds under her wings now after battling the unrelenting current of a flooded Minnesota River and the severe weather that kept her off the water for days at a time. She aims to be the first solo kayaker to retrace the Fort Snelling to York Factory route made famous by Eric Sevareid and Walter Port and those who followed.

The inventory of flocks in Minnesota diagnosed with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza is 1,017,568 as of Wednesday, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. Six additional infection sites were announced Wednesday after being diagnosed April 5.