Aug. 31, 2020
Summer's swan song: Dry air, sunny skies. After today's cold front moves out, the weather remains very quiet the rest of the week, with mostly sunny skies. Lows tonight will be in the mid-40s to lower 50s and highs Tuesday in the 70s across Minnesota. More on the Updraft blog.

We are 'walking on the edge of a cliff': Active COVID-19 cases reach record high in Minnesota. State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Minnesota is showing a faster growth in cases than in testing for the first time since the pandemic began. She also said that relatively low death tolls and hospitalizations are lagging indicators — and that they don’t reflect the extent of transmission now.

Record case spikes in neighboring Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota. The Midwestern states have reported a surge in new cases in recent days. In South Dakota, for example, the state's seven-day average positivity rate significantly increased — now over 30 percent.

10 more charges in connection with last week's unrest in Minneapolis. The Hennepin County Attorney’s office announced 10 more felony charges that prosecutors say are connected with rioting last week in Minneapolis, sparked by false reports of a police shooting downtown. The charges include nine burglary counts and a drug case. Authorities say 26 people are now facing criminal charges in connection with the night of looting, vandalism and arson.

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

COVID-19 survivor thanks hospital staff who saved him

Rick Huggins spent weeks on a ventilator and near death from COVID-19. But he persevered with the help of the doctors and nurses at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul — and over the weekend, he returned there to thank them and celebrate his recovery.

Transmission: Why the coronavirus is so 'superspready'
One family navigates COVID-19: Is it safe to disagree during a pandemic?

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Advocates: Some neighborhoods may miss census count

Census advocates in Hennepin County shared concerns that certain pockets of the county aren't being counted, saying some households that haven't filled out their forms have not received a single visit from a census taker this year. The count is set to end on Sept. 30.

Trump threatens intervention after Portland violence

"Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years," the president tweeted Monday. The city's mayor blames Trump for the violence and for creating "the hate and the division."
Biden in Pittsburgh: Trump 'can't stop violence because for years he's fomented it'

6 million coronavirus infections now confirmed in U.S., a country in limbo

Although daily COVID-19 deaths have fallen somewhat in recent days, the number of infections has continued to rise in many places with no end in sight.

As India emerges as a new epicenter: Coronavirus cases top 25 million globally

Fertilizer rules begin, but will they curb nitrates?

Starting this week, farmers in parts of Minnesota will face new restrictions on how they apply nitrogen fertilizer. The regulations are aimed at reducing nitrate contamination in the state's groundwater. But whether they'll have a real impact on a growing health and environmental problem is still up for debate.

Report: Nitrate in drinking water a costly problem for small, rural cities
Minn. moves to reduce nitrates in groundwater: Environmental groups wonder, wait

Invasive 'jumping worm' leaps into Minnesota

Add the jumping worm to that ignominious list of invasive species in Minnesota. These destructive earthworms, native to Asia, can quickly degrade soils and damage garden plants and lawns.

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