Good morning, We've got another November warm front coming, and this one could push temperatures even higher than earlier this week. For Friday, we'll have sunny skies with temperatures ranging to highs in the 70s to the south, and upper 50s to upper 60s in northern Minnesota. More on Updraft
Election officials in key battlegrounds pressed forward Thursday with presidential vote counting as Democrat Joe Biden urged patience and President Donald Trump pursued legal options with little success, insisting the processing of ballots should be stopped. With millions of ballots yet to be tabulated, it could take several more days for the vote count to conclude and a clear winner to emerge. In the meantime, Trump has been asserting, with no evidence, that there is corruption in the process. Follow live coverage as the election results continue to trickle in.
With COVID-19 cases skyrocketing and beds filling with patients, state officials continue to emphasize that it’s the little things that are fueling a wildfire-like spread across Minnesota.
“It's happening with small groups of friends and social gatherings. It’s happening in our backyards. It’s happening in places where people gather in groups and start to feel comfortable” and don’t stay vigilant against the disease, Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Wednesday.
“The fact is,” she added, “gathering in a group of people is risky right now.”
Malcolm’s comments came on the second consecutive day her department reported record-breaking newly confirmed or probable cases. Thursday made it a third straight day, with 3,956 cases reported.
Malcolm and other public health authorities continue to implore Minnesotans to wear masks in public gathering spaces, socially distance and stay home if you feel ill.
Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:
- 2,555 deaths (25 new)
- 164,865 positive cases (3,872 new), 137,824 off isolation
- 2.98 million tests, 1.9 million people tested (about 33 percent of the population)
- 12.6 percent seven-day positive test rate (officials find 5 percent concerning)
The last of the Minnesota U.S. Representative races have been called. 1st Congressional District Republican Jim Hagedorn and 2nd District DFLer Angie Craig will return to Washington to represent Minnesota.
Nearly complete returns Thursday show Hagedorn winning by about 3 percentage points over DFL candidate Dan Feehan. His district stretches across Minnesota's southern tier.
Craig defeated Republican Tyler Kistner, a veteran Marine. However, A spokesperson for Kistner said he is not abandoning a federal court appeal over the timing of the election. Find full results here.
U.S. Steel plans to bring back hundreds of workers at the Keewatin Taconite plant in northern Minnesota that was shut down in May due to a drop in demand for iron and steel during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Thursday.
Dan Pierce, United Steelworkers union president for Keetac, said the company plans to begin recalling union members back to the job immediately, KBJR-TV reported. About 375 employees were laid off when the plant was shuttered. Several other mines on the Iron Range also shut down. All except Keetac have since restarted.
"It's a huge relief for these guys to all be coming back to Keetac, especially before the holiday season starts," Pierce said.
-- Matt Mikus, MPR News (@mikusmatt) |
