Good morning. It's Tuesday and here's what you need to know.
Mellower weather before a warmer Wednesday. For Tuesday, the Twin Cities will see highs near 50 with 5 to 10 mph winds. Sunny in the morning with a slight chance of rain at night. Statewide highs from upper 30s in the northeast to mid 60s in west-central Minnesota. More on Updraft. | Forecast
Nearly half of Minnesota's power is now carbon-free. A recent report finds that a quarter of the state's electricity came from renewable sources. Include nuclear power and 49 percent of Minnesota electricity is free of carbon, sparing our planet those polluting greenhouse gases. Earth Day Facts sponsored by Powerfully Green Solar
The latest COVID-19 news
There are three factors that'll guide Gov. Tim Walz as he plans to reopen Minnesota: testing, tracing and isolating. Walz’s administration has been seeking advice and making protocols for Minnesotans to return to their workplaces.
It's all about balancing COVID-19 trends with economic concerns, Walz says. “We've done so well and that might be a double-edged sword for us,” he said. “I'm just afraid people are ready to bust out and this thing spikes up.”
State agencies are planning for a gradual reopening. Their leaders are working
on a framework to allow more businesses to open over time, if they can implement social distancing and other precautions effectively.
The state has received more than 3,300 responses to a call for suggestions. That's according to Steve Grove, the employment and economic development commissioner, with ideas ranging from from plexiglass barriers at workstations to ways to check people’s temperatures and other health screenings.
Here are the latest coronavirus statistics: 2,470 cases via 46,850 tests -
143 deaths 602 cases requiring hospitalization 237 people remain hospitalized; 126 in intensive care Youngest person in ICU is 20 years old - 1,202 patients recovered
The pork processor at the center of an outbreak in southwestern Minnesota is closing. JBS is indefinitely shuttering its 2,000-employee plant in Worthington after more than two dozen workers tested positive for COVID-19. COVID-19 might be much more widespread than we know. The AP reports on a "flood of new research suggesting that far more people have had the coronavirus without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared." While that's good news, it raises many questions about who might be contagious and what the best path forward is.
Have you lost your job due to the pandemic? We want to hear from you. Tell us how it's been and you might be featured in a future story.
— Cody Nelson, MPR News | @codyleenelson
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