MPR News PM Update
 
Good morning,
Welcome to Thursday. It's Aug. 19. Another hot and humid one today. Highs will be in the 90s for much of the state today. Tomorrow favors rain and possible storms. Find the latest on the Updraft.

Minnesota Department of Health student paraprofessional Carolyn Enright holds a water sample from a private well in West Lakeland Township, Minn. in 2019. | Christine T. Nguyen, MPR News 2019
The state announced it plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to improve water treatment in the east Twin Cities metro. That's three and a half years after a landmark legal settlement with 3M over the impacts of PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) in neighboring water.

3M used the chemical from the 1940s to 2002 in manufacturing products like Teflon cookware, Scotchgard stain repellent and food wrappers, then disposed waste containing PFAS, contaminating drinking water used by tens of thousands of people in cities including Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Lake Elmo and Oakdale.

Nina Moini reported on this history and how the state plans to turn things around for the area's water.

For some, the State Fair's mask stance is a dealbreaker
The Minnesota State Fair isn't requiring masks for its 2021 run.

Why? Fair officials say it would be impractical and too difficult to enforce. They also cite a worker shortage, saying that the "fun jobs" are hard enough to fill, let alone mandating masks.

Meanwhile, the state is reporting the highest number of patients hospitalized with COVID since mid-May. And every day, more cities, counties, schools and other institutions and businesses are coming out with their own mask and/or vaccine policies. ( Here's our list — let us know what we're missing.)

Pushback: The Minnesota Council on Disability, which advises the state and the public on disability issues, came out with a letter urging its members not to attend the Minnesota State Fair this year, despite the fair being the council's biggest community programming event. Its executive director said the fair's lack of mask and vaccine policies creates barriers for people with disabilities.

The work of artist Candida Gonzalez of Las Ranas Jewelry | Jon Collins, MPR News
In the Twin Cities, a new group is hosting events meant explicitly to share the work of Black, Indigenous and brown artists. Craft and maker markets give artists an opportunity to not only sell their work, but to gather with one another. Reporter Jon Collins checked out the most recent event in north Minneapolis last week and spoke with some of its artists, organizers and patrons.

The next Black & Indigenous & Brown Makers Market is scheduled Saturday evening at Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center in St. Paul.
Here's what else we're watching
The Minnesota Republican Party's executive committee is holding an emergency meeting Thursday amid calls for party chair Jennifer Carnahan to step down. This comes after a federal grand jury indicted Carnahan's close friend and top GOP donor Anton Lazzaro on child sex trafficking charges. [ Read more from Matt Sepic and Brian Bakst] 

MPR News host Tom Crann spoke with U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar about what's unfolding in Afghanistan and the United States' role. The Congresswoman called it "personally painful," referring to her history of fleeing violence in Somalia with her family. [Read the interview]

A "world-renowned" Collegeville, Minn., church got a huge organ upgrade with the expansion of its pipe organ . Enthusiasts say St. John's Abbey Church finally has an instrument to match its modernist splendor. [Read more from Will Matuska]
– Grace Birnstengel, MPR News
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