MPR News PM Update
June 8, 2021

There’s a heat advisory in effect for the Twin Cities until 8 p.m. Thursday. Tonight, look for partly cloudy skies, with lows in the mid-60s to lower 70s. Tomorrow, back in the 90s and nearing 100 in southwestern Minnesota on Thursday. Find the latest on the Updraft.

Minnesota will remain under a peacetime emergency tied to COVID-19 into July. 

Gov. Tim Walz confirms he’ll extend his executive authority on Monday, which will prompt a special session for lawmakers to consider overturning the action.  

He says he wants to maintain the eviction moratorium, emergency vaccine procedures and federal food aid. Legislators also have to meet to pass a new state budget ahead of a June 30 deadline. 

New COVID-19 cases hit their lowest point since the first days of the pandemic Tuesday. 

Just 125 positive test results were reported in the latest data. It was the middle of April 2020 since the daily number has been that low — back when testing had just started across the state. 

Active cases have now fallen below 1,700, and are now just one-seventh of what they were a month ago. There were two deaths reported. 

But demand for vaccinations is plunging as well. With just 2,100 first time shots, initial vaccinations have hit their second lowest point since the early days when vaccine supplies to Minnesota were faltering and the supply plunged. 

That's despite new state incentives, and even as Gov. Walz is highlighting a new pop-up vaccination center at the Twin Cities international airport. 

Subscribe to our Minnesota Today podcast to get up-to-date Minnesota news twice daily. — Tim Nelson
 
Protesters maintain blockade overnight at Line 3 pipeline site
Protesters fighting the Enbridge Energy company’s push to replace an aging oil pipeline across northern Minnesota maintained a blockade at a pump station Tuesday as part of a summer drive to stop the project before it can go into service. Four protesters spent the night attached to a boat that protesters had set up to block the entrance to the construction site. A Hubbard County sheriff's deputy and a handful of private security guards stood by.
 
Ex-Wisconsin pharmacist gets prison for ruining vaccine
A former pharmacist in Wisconsin who purposefully ruined more than 500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine was sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday. Steven Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton, Wis., pleaded guilty in February to two felony counts of attempting to tamper with a consumer product.
 
Heat wave: St. Paul schools canceled; Mpls. keeps some students home
St. Paul school district leaders said Tuesday they’re canceling all district classes for the week due to the heat wave, bringing an early end to the school year. In Minneapolis, district leaders said they’ll keep students home from 15 schools on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday due to the hot conditions.
 
Clean car rules still a sticking point in budget deal
Next week Minnesota lawmakers will meet in a special session to try to agree on a new state budget and avoid a government shutdown on July 1. Democrats and Republicans disagree on a lot of provisions in budget bills, and one key sticking point has been new vehicle emissions standards that Gov. Tim Walz’s administration is working to impose. 
 
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Crews try to reopen George Floyd Square to traffic
Crews returned to George Floyd Square in south Minneapolis early Tuesday and once again cleared barriers to reopen the intersection to traffic. Garbage carts and other debris were pushed back out onto the streets within minutes of the departure of city crews. 
 
The Secret IRS Files: Trove of never-before-seen records reveal how the wealthiest avoid income tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing.
 
Trump impeachment lawyers are now representing Capitol riot defendants
Attorney Bruce Castor is best known for a "rambling" performance defending former President Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial. Now, Castor is representing people charged in the U.S. Capitol riot.
 

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