Oct. 13, 2020

Wind and rain on the way. Look for increasing clouds, with a chance of showers overnight, with lows in the 30s northeast to mid-40s southwest. On Wednesday a quick-moving system will bring southerly winds early and rain, mainly north of I-94, but then a cold front will sweep through and bring northwest winds late Wednesday and overnight.

Gov. Tim Walz says he plans for Minnesota to start distributing in-home COVID-19 testing to make diagnostics more available than ever before.

He announced the plans at a news conference this afternoon, along with plans to add saliva testing sites at the Winona Mall tomorrow, former Thomas Edison high school in Moorhead on Saturday and at the Starlight Center in Brooklyn Park next week. They will join an existing site in Duluth, as well as six other future sites.

The spotlight of the Supreme Court confirmation hearing again turned to Minnesota several times today , as nominee Amy Coney Barrett fielded questions from the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin asked Barrett how she responded to the May killing of George Floyd while he was in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, an attorney and former prosecutor, focused on an article Barrett wrote that appeared in a University of Minnesota law school journal.

Minnesota posted an unprecedented 6th straight day of new COVID-19 cases over 1,000. The weekly cycle of testing and health care usually makes for a slump in cases and testing reported on Tuesdays — reflecting a slowdown in actual sampling and clinic visits over the weekend.

But the latest numbers — 1,050 new cases — practically meet the seven-day rolling average for new cases. This indicates cases are staying consistently high, despite the usual weekly cycle.

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— Tim Nelson | MPR News

Easy online voter registration? Not for many of Minnesota’s new citizens

Registering online to vote and get an absentee ballot in Minnesota is as easy as your English language skills are strong. And if they aren’t, the online process can be a frustrating experience that advocates worry is keeping eligible Minnesotans from voting this fall.

Minnesota's general election: Here’s how to vote by mail
Guide in Español: Cómo votar por correo en Minnesota
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Prosecutors intend to ask for harsh sentences in Floyd murder trial

They argue that Floyd was vulnerable as he was detained during the Memorial Day incident and that the men abused their authority as police officers in the commission of a crime. They point out that Floyd was cuffed and pinned to the street for nearly nine minutes. | Related: Prosecutors in Floyd case ask to make court documents temporarily secret

Will kids get a COVID-19 vaccine? Pfizer to expand trial to ages 12 and up

Pediatricians have been asking policy makers to include children in COVID-19 vaccine trials. Now, the FDA has given Pfizer approval to enroll adolescents as young as 12 years old.

Bands continue moose hunts to maintain tradition, treaty rights

The Minnesota DNR has not authorized a state moose hunting season for years, after a sharp crash in the iconic animal’s population. But more recently, as the moose population has stabilized, three Ojibwe bands in northeastern Minnesota have allowed limited hunts to keep alive an important cultural tradition.

Minnesota Supreme Court weighs fate of PolyMet mine permits

Lawyers for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine and state regulators urged the Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday to defer to the judgment of the state Department of Natural Resources and reinstate three critical permits for the project.

Berries, pears and pawpaws: SW Minn. food forest takes root

The food forest’s organizers are hoping their work will help local families learn more about what’s in their backyards — and protect the environment by planting native species that are also tasty for supper.

McConnell slates October revote on GOP COVID-19 relief plan

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he's scheduling a procedural vote on a GOP COVID-19 relief bill next week, saying aid to hard-hit businesses shouldn't be held up by gridlock involving other aid proposals.

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