July 20, 2021

Tonight, it'll be mostly cloudy, with lingering smoke and a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s northeast to upper 60s south and west. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy, again with smoke in the air. There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms further north. Find the latest on Updraft.

Speaking of: Hot weather and northern winds are making for difficult conditions across Minnesota, with the state reporting the unhealthiest air in the U.S. today.

Heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires prompted the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to expand an air quality alert originally for northern Minnesota to much of the state.

The current alert expires at 6 a.m. Thursday. Areas under the alert include Hibbing, International Falls, Roseau, Bemidji, East Grand Forks, Moorhead, Brainerd, St. Cloud, Rochester, Mankato, the Twin Cities and the tribal areas of Leech Lake, Red Lake, Fond du Lac, Mille Lacs, Upper Sioux and Prairie Island.

MPR News meteorologist Nicole Mitchell says cooler weather and rain would help clear the air, but that's not a coming in the near term.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising in Minnesota.

The daily average of cases has been rising steadily, and the weekend total, just released by state officials, jumped noticeably. The three-day total ending Monday rose from 389 last week to 625 this week — up by more than 60 percent, week over week. Still, the latest numbers report just one death from COVID-19.

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First smoke, then fire? BWCA braces for the worst

Residents in northern Minnesota woke up to thick smoke Tuesday morning that spread from wildfires burning across the border in Canada, and some people around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area are bracing for a severe fire season that will likely last all summer.

Hennepin County 'doubles down' on vaccine incentive program

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved an additional $250,000 to promote vaccine shots, on top of the original $100,000 that was allocated earlier from federal recovery funds.

Deaf-blind athlete quits Team USA after she's told she can't bring a care assistant

Becca Meyers is a star for the U.S. Paralympic swim team. But she won't be in Tokyo, after being told her mother, who acts as her personal care assistant, can't join her.

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Funeral held for bystander killed in police pursuit crash

Friends and family gathered at a Minneapolis church to honor the life of a man killed when a police squad car struck his vehicle while the officer was chasing a robbery suspect.

Blue Origin's Bezos reaches space on 1st passenger flight

Jeff Bezos blasted into space Tuesday on his rocket company's first flight with people on board, becoming the second billionaire in just over a week to ride his own spacecraft.

Colorado man drowns when storm capsizes canoe in Minnesota

A Colorado man has drowned after a severe storm moving through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota capsized his canoe, sheriff's officials said Tuesday.

The life cycle of a COVID-19 vaccine lie

Where do myths about coronavirus vaccines come from and why do they spread? NPR takes a look at how rumors about vaccines and fertility reached the public earlier this year.

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