July 2, 2020
It's the start of the weekend for some in Minnesota. Here's what you need to know.
Heading into a warm and wet weekend. Be sure to have sunscreen and maybe a plan B for your backyard BBQ. It’ll be a very warm Fourth of July weekend with highs in the upper 80s throughout the state. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. Keep an eye on the Updraft blog as you make your plans. Drive-by shooting during youth football practice cemented public safety fears. Coach Marvin Thompson had never been more afraid, calling it “the worst 7 minutes of my life.” His youth football team was caught in the middle of a drive-by gun battle at Jordan Park in north Minneapolis last week. At a time when Minneapolis is taking steps to dismantle the police department, an uptick in gun violence is causing fear and anxiety among some residents. Health officials back mask mandate, but it’s still unclear what Gov. Walz will decide. While a few cities and establishments have already made it a rule , health experts are urging Gov. Tim Walz to require people to wear masks in public statewide. While Minnesota has seen a slight uptick in confirmed cases, driven in part by expanded testing, hospitalization rates continue to fall and there's still no sign of a spike like other states are seeing. Walz said he's watching the situation in Minnesota and elsewhere as he reevaluates what to do daily. COVID-19 in Minnesota today: 13 more deaths, 500 new cases. The newest counts come amid worry over new outbreaks if people ease up on safety measures over the July Fourth holiday weekend. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm and others are imploring groups gathering over the Fourth of July to meet outdoors instead of inside and to wear masks and social distance even when outside. Check out our guide to a socially distanced Independence Day here. -- Sara Porter | MPR News | 
