Aug. 20, 2020

The hot, humid weather returns. Lows in the 60s Thursday night, then hot and muggy on Friday. Highs in the 80s to lower 90s, unless you're near Duluth, where highs may only reach around the 70s along Lake Superior. Find more details on the Updraft blog.

The latest unemployment numbers are out. The jobless rate fell to 7.7 percent last month, that's down from 8.6 percent in June, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. DEED commissioner Steve Grove says despite the improvement in unemployment numbers, job growth IS slowing. So the recovery will take time. The unemployment rate is especially high among Black and Hispanic Minnesotans.

The state's weekly county-level COVID-19 data that schools use for guidance on reopening were released Thursday. This update means 11 counties saw worsening outbreaks significant enough to change the recommendations around schools re-opening, while six counties saw their local data improve.

More numbers were release regarding Minnesota's COVID-19 situation. Here's a closer look: The Health Department reported 698 newly confirmed cases of the disease. That’s up from statewide numbers over the last few days. Seven more people died. There was a slight drop in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19, down to about 300. About half are in the ICU.

You can get more of the latest news, in less than five minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast.

~Dan Kraker, MPR News

Plaintiffs sue to keep Minneapolis cops on the job

A group of north Minneapolis residents is suing the city to compel it to maintain the legal minimum of police officers on the force. Group members say the number of cops has already dropped below that level. However, city officials say currently the department's staffing more than meets the standard set by the city charter.

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Live updates: Final night of 2020 Democratic National Convention

Democratic Party luminaries, rising stars, former presidents and presidential contenders have been making a pitch for Joe Biden over three days of an atypical convention. Now the presidential nominee will make his case himself. Watch the convention live beginning at 8 p.m.

Another Line 3 appeal: Four things to know

In the latest twist to the saga of the Line 3 oil replacement project, the Walz administration is challenging the proposed pipeline in court. Here are four things to know about this step in the yearslong process.

Coming soon to an iron mine near you: Electric vehicles?

Duluth-based Minnesota Power is pitching a pilot project to electrify some of the huge haul trucks used at northern Minnesota's iron ore mines.

Tiny particles, costly problem: Too much sediment in Upper Mississippi River

A new study released this week reports that significant efforts to reduce sediment will be needed for the Mississippi’s upper reaches to meet state water quality standards.

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