Mostly dry, some scattered showers this weekend. Starting tomorrow morning, a few isolated showers are possible in western Minnesota, spreading eastward in the afternoon. Highs this weekend will be in the upper 50s to mid-60s across the state, except for far northern Minnesota and along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

COVID-19 in Minnesota today: 3,185 cases, 221 dead; State launches new website to find testing. On Friday, Gov. Tim Walz’s office on Friday unveiled a new website  offering citizens information on and where to get tested and how to obtain the results. That announcement came as he updated Minnesota on the efforts to deal with the educational, medical and economic fallout from COVID-19.

“Social distancing has undeniably saved lives” in MN, shows a new COVID-19 model. A new COVID-19 data analysis suggests that Minnesota’s social distancing efforts might be paying off in its response to COVID-19. As of April 18, Minnesotans were about 20 percentage points more likely to stay home than they were before the outbreak. “If social distancing restrictions are eased ... then certainly the projections of our model are out the window,” says one of the participating researchers.

Planning to go to grocery stores this weekend? Watch this short video to prepare yourself for safe shopping. Have you been wondering how you can stay safe while in the store during the coronavirus pandemic and how best to handle your groceries once you get them home? Here are six simple steps experts suggest you can take when shopping and at home.

Two U of M researchers to study whether coronavirus could get into drinking water. Professors Timothy LaPara and Raymond Hozalski say while they believe most public drinking water supplies are safe, there could be a potential risk of the virus traveling in an infected person’s waste into a septic system, where it could leak into the groundwater. They plan to start collecting samples in May, and hope to have their work completed by the end of June. 

New recipes, games, livestreamed performances: Things you can enjoy this weekend. We may have a few isolated showers, but we've got plenty of great options to enjoy the weekend. Whether you want a new hobby or new recipe ideas, here are some things to try.

— Jiwon Choi, MPR News