Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know to start your day. A summery Wednesday. Highs today will be in the 80s across Minnesota, and it’ll be mostly sunny -- besides some spotty showers and isolated thunderstorms, especially in northern Minnesota. Temps will continue to rise tomorrow and Friday, when highs in the 90s return in southern parts of the state. Joe Biden is now officially Democratic presidential nominee. The roll-call vote was held all virtually on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, and for Minnesota, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter shared the duty of making the state’s roll call speech. Last night’s programming also featured speeches from former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and Colin Powell joined other Republicans who have endorsed Biden. Read more on the key takeaways and highlights from the Night 2 of the DNC here. Big names tonight: It’s Kamala Harris’ night; Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton return to DNC. The vice presidential nominee is the main speaker, but Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are also in the lineup. Watch or listen live to the Night 3 of the DNC live on MPR News. Speaking of big names: Kanye West may end up on Minnesota’s presidential ballot. The rapper’s bid to be on the state’s Nov. 3 ballot is under review by the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office. West’s ballot qualifications as an independent presidential candidate are also being closely examined in other states. In several key states, Democrats have accused West of coordinating with President Trump in an attempt to siphon votes from Biden in November battlegrounds. Elections panel staff: Keep Kanye West off Wisconsin ballotAP: The staff determined that West and running mate Michelle Tidball missed a 5 p.m. deadline on Aug. 5, the last day for independent presidential candidates to submit the required 2,000 signatures of Wisconsin voters to get on the ballot. The panel split 3-3 along party lines if West should be on the Wisconsin ballot.
A COVID-19 confirmed tied to a Sturgis bar. The person who tested positive spent several hours at a Main Street bar in Sturgis and may have spread it to others, South Dakota health officials warn. The 10-day motorcycle rally drew more than 460,000 vehicles earlier this month, despite the virus crisis. Latest on COVID-19: Another day of low case count, another day of low testing volume. New daily confirmed cases appear to have moderated in recent days after weeks of steadily climbing, but the flattening case counts likely have more to do with a short-term drop in testing volume. The new testing number was only a third of the daily testing totals nine days ago. Here are the latest coronavirus statistics in Minnesota: 66,061 cases confirmed (359 new) via 1,273,397 tests (6,836 new) 1,721 deaths (nine new) 5,932 cases requiring hospitalization 304 people remain hospitalized; 154 in intensive care 59,568 patients no longer needing isolation
— Jiwon Choi, MPR News | @ChoiGEE1 | 
