MPR News PM Update
May 20, 2020

Enjoy the sun — until rain and thunderstorms arrive. Tomorrow will be nice and sunny with highs in the 70s across the state until the evening. There’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms in western Minnesota starting late afternoon. The wet weather will continue through this weekend. 


COVID-19 in Minnesota today: Restaurants may resume serving customers starting June, only at outdoor tables. Hair care businesses also can provide in-shop services starting June 1, but at a limited capacity. The plan comes as Minnesota’s COVID-19 toll continues to rise, with the state reporting 17,670 confirmed cases and 777 deaths. 

Wouldn’t contact tracing invade my privacy? Not necessarily. Here’s how it works. Health officials in the state and the U.S. have frequently mentioned contact tracing as a key to containing the virus and safely reopening the economy, but you may have wondered: How do they collect and use my info? Don’t contact tracers use some kind of invasive tech? ProPublica reporter Caroline Chen explains how contact tracing works in the U.S. and what’s needed for successful contact tracing.

Target’s average daily sales in April was bigger than Cyber Monday, despite pandemic. Customers bought 12.5 percent more items each trip as many were stocking staples amid the pandemic. Target had also transformed its stores into distribution hubs for online sales and same-day services, such as curbside pickup for things ordered online.

Class of 2020, you deserve recognition. Let’s celebrate this milestone together. Graduating seniors this year have lost so many of the things that make senior year special and we’d like to help spread the commencement well-wishes. 

If you’re a graduating senior, what would you want to say to your graduating class? What should people know about the class of 2020? Let us know here! If you’re not, but know someone who is: Please share this link with them!  — Jiwon Choi, MPR News

Turn Up Your Support!
 
Walz plan slow-walks bar, restaurant restarts
In moves certain to see pushback, Gov. Tim Walz Wednesday unveiled plans to let bars and restaurants serve sit-down customers beginning June 1 — but only at outdoor tables. He loosened other curbs but wouldn’t put dates to when vital parts of daily life could resume.

Minnesota's 'stay safe' order: What you need to know
 
Poll: Two-thirds expect return to normal will take 6 months or more
Three-quarters are concerned that a second wave of the coronavirus will emerge as states reopen, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds. But Americans' outlooks vary by political party.
 
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Unemployment claims up — way up — among Asian Minnesotans
At a time when Asian Americans are reporting experiences with bigoted abuse because of COVID-19, they’re also reporting a surge in unemployment. The trend has created uncertainty about how Asian-owned businesses will survive. 

'I don't have the virus': Asian Americans in Minnesota confront a COVID-19 backlash
Reporter's notebook:  I’m Asian American and have felt the sting of pandemic-fueled racism
How to be an ally: For Asian Americans facing racism amid COVID-19
 
Wisconsin weighs mailing all voters absentee application
Wisconsin election officials were poised Wednesday to vote on a plan to mail absentee ballot applications to voters who haven't requested one, a move that could incur President Trump's wrath after he threatened to pull funding from other states that have adopted similar measures. 
 
About half of U.S. homes lost wages during pandemic, Census Bureau finds
Because of COVID-19, 47 percent of adults say their households have lost employment income and close to 40 percent have delayed getting medical care, according to the first results of a new Census Bureau survey.
 
Johnson & Johnson stops selling talc-based baby powder in U.S. and Canada
The company said demand has declined "fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising." Lawsuits allege the powder causes cancer. 
 
Falcon Heights grounds homeowner's plan for a big front yard garden

Quentin Nguyen thought building a big, front yard garden would be a great community building experience. Some of his neighbors had other thoughts on the matter. 
 

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